Growing Archives - Page 15 of 16 - The Real Dirt with Chip Baker

Heather Moore from Earl’s Leadville

by Travis C | Mar 2, 2018 | Growing, Guest, Science & Technology, Season 2, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

Heather Moore is the unofficial head grower/plant watcher of Earl’s in Leadville, Colorado. She is in charge of five greenhouses, hand watering all of the plants, and keeping an eye out for any issues in the grow.

After moving from Georgia about five years ago, Heather got a front desk job at a local dispensary, checking IDs and guiding customers to the dispensary area. After a grower for the dispensary left, Heather was offered his spot as a grower. With no prior experience, Heather asked tons of questions and figured out how to grow high quality cannabis through trial and error.

After leaving her first job, Heather was offered a grower position at Earl’s, one of the ‘highest’ elevation grows in the country. At over 10,000 feet, Earl’s is in a unique location to grow quality cannabis year-round with their greenhouses. All of Earl’s greenhouses are hand built, saving piles of money while still having some of the most high-tech environments.

If you’ve already heard Joel’s story, check out this episode of The Real Dirt Podcast with Heather and hear her point of view.

Craft Cannabis with Dave Perkins – The Real Dirt with Chip Baker

by Travis C | Feb 26, 2018 | 420 News, Business, Culture, Growing, Guest, Season 2, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

Podcast: Play in new window | Embed

A little over a year ago, Dave Perkins moved to Washington with his family to pursue his dream of working in the cannabis industry. He would end up working with a cannabis consulting group that aided cannabis businesses in branding, promoting, and even growing their product. He currently works with Artizen Cannabis Company, one of the leading distributors of craft cannabis in the state of Washington.

From modernizing the technology inside the grow to finding the right buyers, Dave helps Washington cannabis brands find their footing and boost their visibility.

“It all comes down to different price points. Different quality. It’s all the same.”

The Washington cannabis market is constantly moving an changing, and staying on top of the trends is essential to staying on top of the industry. The competition in Washington leads to a fight over quantity and price more than quality. Whoever can produce the most decent quality cannabis that consumers still buy, will be the most successful.

Artizen has managed to meet this criteria while still providing some of the highest quality craft Washington cannabis in the state. As one of the top distributors in the state, Artizen grows a variety of strains, some well-known and others exclusive to the Washington cannabis industry. All of their cannabis is vigorously tested and monitored from seed (or clone) to harvest for a top-notch product that consumers love.

Listen to Dave’s story and where he thinks the cannabis industry is moving on this week’s episode of The Real Dirt Podcast!

Craft Cannabis: what is the ‘Craft’ difference?

by Travis C | Feb 22, 2018 | 420 Culture & Travel, Blog, Culture, Growing

Many people are exposed to cannabis in a very nonchalant way. They get passed a joint. The uninitiated may take two hits and pass and notice not much difference.

Every now and then, however, you will get passed a joint that gets you higher than a Georgia pine. This isn’t just the THC level. When cannabis smells overly aromatic, looks absolutely perfect like breakfast cereal, and sends your brain soaring through the atmosphere, you may have just experienced craft cannabis.

A new love for an old plant

Just like beer and liquor, cannabis can also be grown as a boutique crop. In the past 30 years due to its prohibited nature, cannabis has often been grown in the biggest and fastest way to produce as many grams per square foot. This has promoted really high yields and fast growing cannabis.

However something is lost in the commercialization of large-scale ganja.

Craft Cannabis

Craft cannabis is grown by artisans. They put all of their energy into the cannabis plant to grow perfect looking nuggets that smell and taste incredible. Yield and vigor may not even matter to them. This focus can bring the best out of even the most commercial weeds.

Compared to a large grow operation that produces cannabis en masse, craft cannabis is usually grown in small batches. Each individual plant in a batch gets close attention every step along the way, making it much less likely that a plant develops any sort of mold or disease.

Think about craft beer; microbrews, and slow-brewed coffee. These are all considered “craft” due to their small batch production and high attention to detail, giving way to much better flavors, aromas, and overall quality. Craft cannabis is no different.

Worth the effort?

Let’s not confuse the size of the cannabis operation or their technique to put them in a craft category. Cannabis can be grown on a large scale in this artesanal manner. It requires extra care, extra time and absolutely extra dollars.

Unfortunately, craft cannabis often doesn’t bring any higher price in the marketplace. It requires a certain marketing technique in order to bring a higher price. Think farm-direct or designer model.

So the next time you’re in the circle, and a whiff of blue smoke comes your way, hit the joint and roll the vapor across your palate. Then ask yourself, is this craft cannabis?

And don’t forget to tune in to the new episode of The Real Dirt, Monday February 26th. Chip sits down with Dave from Artizen Cannabis, a craft cannabis company based in Washington.

Marijuana Seeds vs Clones

by Travis C | Feb 16, 2018 | 420 Culture & Travel, Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Culture, Growing

If you asked a grower if they preferred marijuana seeds or clones, you probably wouldn’t get a straight answer. That’s because there is a divide between the community on which may be better.

Cultivation methods are changing all the time. Both marijuana seeds and clones have the potential to grow into a beautiful and healthy cannabis plant. While each has its benefits compared to the other, both also have downsides that should make you question which option is best for you.

Clones

To start with the end, if you are a new grower, clones are the way to go. Unlike marijuana seeds, clones are pieces of the cannabis plant, usually a lateral branch, that is cut off of the mother plant.Taking a clone from one mother strain will result in a plant identical to the one you took from. However, this does not come without any risks.

If the mother plant has a disease that wasn’t caught before clones were cut, those clones will carry that disease. Clones will also be much more sensitive upon replanting, and have an increased chance of transplant shock.

Transplanting alone can cause its own issues for an experienced grower. Newer growers should be wary of the attention a clone may need before sticking it in some soil and assuming it will grow with some water and light. It wouldn’t hurt to get advice from a master grower, which The Real Dirt has already done for you.

Cheap but risky

Clones overall are a cheap option, and sell for anywhere between $2 and $15 with the exception of the higher priced ones. The wide availability of clones has led to plenty of guides and information about growing individual strains. This means you can know what to expect of certain strains before you plant them.

An unfortunate downside to the wide availability of clones however, is just that; there are so many clones being sold and produced that mix-ups can happen, where a strain labeled one name is actually another. Even worse is shoddy clones suppliers that lie about their product in order to sell more.

If clones don’t seem all that enticing, marijuana seeds may be the better option.

Marijuana Seeds

Seeds are the start of life. Marijuana seeds start from the beginning. While for a new grower this may seem very intimidating, the benefits and rewards may well be worth the extra effort.

Because marijuana is an annual plant, it’s life cycle isn’t meant to last more than a few months. Seeds start young and grow a full life-cycle. This gives seeds stronger hearty roots and a firm tap root that a clone simply can’t achieve coming from a mother plant.

A fresh, mysterious start

Marijuana seeds lack the issues like mildew and bugs that a clone might inherit from its mother. They also have additional tolerances to wind and rain that make them much more vigorous and durable.

One of the downsides to seeds is the mystery. Unless you obtain feminized seeds which are bred to always grow female, you will not know the sex of your plant until a few weeks of taking care of it. There’s also the mystery of how a seed will grow, and it can take time with multiple of the same seed to dial it in and figure out the growth patterns. However there are plenty of seed banks that keep track of their specific strains and phenotypes so you don’t have to worry as much.

Lastly, marijuana seeds can be expensive. While some seeds can cost less than a clone, others can be outlandishly priced. Normally one can expect to pay around $10 for a single seed of a basic strain.

Which will you choose?

Both seeds and clones have their pros and cons, and choice of which to grow with is a matter of preference. Marijuana seeds will give the full experience of planting to harvesting and all of the knowledge and complications that come with it. Clones give your grow a kickstart, so you don’t have to worry about germinating and all of the other early stage processes. But, you add the risk of inherited diseases and complications of dealing with a clone.

It all depends how involved you really want to be with your grow. Whether just at the beginning to make sure your clone takes off, or there from the start to watch the marijuana seed you planted turn into a beautiful marijuana plant.

How to Grow Three Pounds of Weed Per Light

by The Real Dirt | Aug 17, 2017 | Blog, Growing, Science & Technology

How to grow three pounds of cannabis per light

Big yields are the dreams of every grower. Thanks to developments in the science and technology behind cannabis cultivation, growers are seeing yields previously unheard of.

One Colorado grower has developed a technique that promises to deliver three pounds of cannabis per light, an enormous yield by anyone’s standard when it comes to growing cannabis.

Josh Haupt is a long time cannabis cultivator and founder of both Pono Publishing and Success Nutrients. He has also recently been names the Chief Cultivation Officer of the well known Medicine Man Technologies. Josh and Pono publishing have released book, Three A Light, which outlines his system for getting the most out of your cannabis plants.

Three Pounds a Light

Pono Publishing first released Three A Light in November 2015. By the end of 2016, the year’s sales topped $362,000. The book details Josh’s personal system which has brought amazing results to the string of successful Medicine Man cultivation facilities, owned and operated by the Haupt family.

Josh’s Three A Light book is an investment coming in at $500, however it is one of the few complete seed-to-flower guides that teaches you how to maximize yields when growing cannabis, based on techniques actively being used by one of the largest cannabis producers in the state of Colorado.

Not just about lights

Josh spent two years writing his book, painstakingly documenting every step from how to care for your seedlings, to proper cloning, transplanting and more. To achieve the best success with Josh’s system, it is designed to be used with a special formulation of cannabis nutrients manufactured by Success Nutrients. Success Nutrients formulation was designed by Josh with the help of an organic chemist, and is specifically designed to work with his Three A Light system.

Everyone has their own way of spacing out their trays, however, with Josh’s system, he believes everyone can get three pounds per light from just three plants. His system involves the use of schwazzing, or advanced defoliation techniques. Defoliation allows additional light to penetrate the canopy and saturate the lower branches of the cannabis plant, which ultimately leads to bigger flowers. Josh emphasizes that by stripping away additional fan leaves, you must supplement micro-nutrients to make up for the loss of the cannabis leaves, which he calls sugar factories.

Essential Nutrients

This is where Josh’s special formulation from Success Nutrients comes in. The special blend of nutrients is designed to replace the micronutrients the cannabis plant would have otherwise received from its stripped fan leaves.

While many growers tend to employ the sea of green method when growing cannabis, which crams plants together, the Three A Light method utilizes space between plants to ensure full light saturation. Using this method, Josh has been able to push yields to over four pounds of cannabis per light on the high end.

Pushing the Limits of Growing Cannabis

The secret to achieving three pounds of cannabis per light is sticking with the system. Josh’s techniques cover a wide variety of topics within cannabis cultivation, but to really get the most out of your plants, you can’t cherry pick the sections you want to follow. To get the results Josh does, he advises you to follow the system from start to finish.

Josh isn’t stopping at three pounds per light. He is continually refining his technique in hopes of pushing his cannabis plants to the limit, but what that limit is, even he doesn’t know. He’s shooting for six pounds per light, which in and of itself, would be a huge step forward for cannabis growers everywhere. Find out more about Josh and his Three A Light technique at https://www.threealight.com/.

The Evolution of Cannabis Strains & Cultivation Techniques

by Travis C | Jun 14, 2017 | 420 Culture & Travel, 420 News, Blog, Growing, Science & Technology

On a new episode of The Real Dirt with Chip Baker, Chip sat down in the studio with Dave Malone from Green Dot Labs, and Doug Marvin from nutrient manufacturer Botanicare.

Cannabis extracts are all the rage lately, but not all extracts and cannabis concentrates are created equal. Greed Dot Labs specializes in how to make high grade concentrates made from cannabis flower, grown using top quality seeds and the best nutrients around. But what sets Green Dot Labs apart from the competition? Dedication to quality and innovation in the grow room.

“It’s the timeless classic varietals that we’ve preserved over the years, your kushes your diesels, every so often something new and revolutionary comes out. It’s happening more and more.”

Part of Green Dot Labs’ success is attributable to the quality of their strain genetics. Besides the classics, Green Dot Labs stays on top of the cannabis world by producing some of the newest and best cannabis strains around.

Chip and his guests sampled some Triangle Mints, a cross of Triangle Kush and Girl Scout Cookies, which is just one example of the new and cutting edge genetics being grown at Green Dot labs.

“And now that extraction is a large part of the business in cannabis, we’re able to really see this plant through the different lens and ways we could breed this plant now to have as much essential oil as possible, as much terpene content as possible.”

Cannabis extracts are now the fastest growing segment of the retail cannabis world. They are inexpensive, easy to make and provide a concentrated burst of cannabinoids and terpenes without the fuss of rolling a joint. But not all plants make good extracts, or provide the right amount of cannabinoids or terpenes, leaving Dave and the team at Green Dot Labs to discern which strains are best for concentrates.

As Dave and Chip discuss, the best strains for extraction are those heavy with oils and resins. The best high-cannabinoid plants for blasting have genetics going back to many of the original hash plants like Afghani or Lebanese. These landrace genetics have gone on to play a major role in many of the strains consumed today.

“Once you’ve found out the ways of how Botanicare products can help your plants, it’s hard to go back. I’ve seen cannabis all over the world.”

In order to grow the best plants, you need the best cannabis nutrients. Doug has spent 20 years working to create some of the industry’s top selling nutrient lines. Botanicare has been around since the late ’90s and fuels the garden at Green Dot Labs. Botanicare’s professional lines of nutrients provide a wide range of supplements that pack the punch of nutrient salts for cannabis, while maintaining the fullness and essence of an organic grow.

“So to make the ultimate extract in my mind is to preserve 100 percent of the terpenes on the plant and 100 percent of the cannabinoids, and then homogenize those two and filter out every other impurity such as your lipid, your plant waxes, your cuttin.”

One of the newest trends in cannabis concentrates is called high terpene full spectrum extract. The idea is to preserve 100% of the terpenes and cannabinoids, resulting in the highest quality ‘full spectrum’ cannabis extract available. The need for full spectrum extracts comes from the Entourage Effect, in which terpenes and cannabinoids work together to enhance each other’s properties.

THC or CBD alone fail to reach their full potential if ingested alone. Only in consuming a variety of cannabinoids at once can you be sure to maximize their effectiveness. The more we learn about cannabis, the more we realize that whole plant remedies and full spectrum cannabinoid profiles, are what make the magic happen.

Find out the full scoop about extractions and the future of concentrates from Dave and Doug themselves on The Real Dirt with Chip Baker Podcast.