Finger Lakes 420 December 2023

Growing a cannabis culture in Upstate New York

December 2023

Building for Lease • 7200 square feet • 1.77 acres • Brick & mortar building • High ceiling space ideal for tier grow • Located in the Village of Bath, NY • Village of Bath has opted in on all Cannabis • Open floor plan If you are looking for a building for: • Dispensary • Micro • Lounge • Processing • Lab Please call 607-346-2952 for more information!

Current Culture

contents

Volume 2, Issue 4, December 2023

10

NECANN Returns to New York The show welcomed about 2,000 attendees

12

14

16

A Snapshot of Cannabis Growers Showcases

Increased vitality with live, all natural algae

Tips on how to help plants flourish

The Law

Meet SmartAlgae

FLX420 Indoor Home Grow

Growing a cannabis culture in the Finger Lakes

December 2023

Joann and Michael Kudrewicz of Ravens View Genetics (ravensviewgenetics.com) inspect their plants before the fall harvest.

Photo by Claire Alaxandra Powell, who photographed for the Eddie Adams Workshop.

December 2023 • FLX420.com

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contents

Departments

6 8 28

The Journey

by Nate Kurash

Pot Shots

from our readers

The Dank Tank Come Growalong

30 36 38

The Goods Contact our Advertisers

Editor Victoria Ritter victoria@fwpi.com Contributors Gregory W. Lane

The Limit

Grand Master Lights

Tina Manzer Joshua Waterman Graphic Artists Mark Stash mstash@fwpi.com Tammy Spear tammy@fwpi.com Maia VanOrman maia@fwpi.com

22

FLX420 Outdoor Home Grow Twelve volunteers share updates

35

34

A Day Trip to Legal Dispensaries

Many locations are a short drive from the Finger Lakes

A Visit to Sweet Grass Dispensary in Union Springs

Advertising Sales Amy Colburn amy@flx420.com

To Subscribe to the Magazine visit FLX420.com To Advertise in FLX420 Amy Colburn 315-789-6431 To share your cannabis experiences, advice, photos and stories, visit FLX420.com /submit-here.

FLX420 is published by Fahy-Williams Publishing Inc. FWPI.com

Copyright© 2023. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

FLX420 is a member of the Cannabis Association of New York and the Legacy Growers Association.

Founder Nate Kurash nate@flx420.com

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FLX420.com • December 2023

journey THE

A

s the year comes to a close, I want to say thank you to all of our readers and advertisers who support us big and small. To all who contribute to making this magazine possible, your efforts don’t go unnoticed, and with you this magazine wouldn’t be possible. With the holidays upon us, I ask that you take time to reflect on and appreciate all that you have –

your family, friends and good health – as these are the things that truly matter.

At times the phrase “sharing is caring” can come off as corny, but if we all adopted those three words into our daily routine it would make this world a better place on so many levels. As the licenses begin to get rolled out in the next couple of months, I ask that our newly awarded license holders not be afraid to share with one another.

The application is easy, getting your operation up and running is hard.

Share what’s been working for you, share what is not working. If you have a particular vendor/supplier that you are happy with, let others know. If you have cost savings tips, please share those, too.

For this area to reach its potential, we need to continue to

work together, as the journey has just begun. I have always said this magazine is your magazine, we do it for you. I am now asking that you do something for us. Take the time to make a list of five things you are grateful for, five things you can do in 2024 to help make our industry a better place and live the “caring is sharing” philosophy. And finally, I ask that you share with us what you’d like to see covered in the coming issues. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2024.

Nate Kurash

FLX420 Home Delivery in Discreet Packaging Only $12

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FLX420.com • December 2023

from our readers

pot SHOTS

From @Mister_Ianizer: I recently got my master of cannabis degree and I’m a first-year grower. The photo is my indoor plant, Cotton Candy Cookies v2 Grape Pheno – she has four colas. I’m excited for my first harvest. Since getting my education in cannabis, I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me. The funniest part of this is I didn’t even think I could grow cannabis that well; my passion is in extraction and infusions.

@716nugs shared a picture of Mind Melter from Solfire Gardens, grown in hand-mixed living soil.

Pondside, a volunteer with the outdoor grow (pg 22), enjoys a smoke on a beautiful day in the Finger Lakes.

From Jeff Pierce: I’m just an old guy who hurt himself riding my motorcycle last year! I have always drawn and listened to music since the early 80s, and have been growing on and off for many years, too! I picked up your magazine a few months back, and it made me smile as my little garden is doing well! Because I have hundreds of drawings – some growing-related that may never be seen – I’d like to submit a new one I just finished! I was inspired by your last cover and years of waterfall hunting around the beautiful Finger Lakes! I really love your magazine. Thanks for the inspiration!

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FLX420.com • December 2023

From Eriebaksfarm2: This is our in-house bred Choke Cherry RKS. With cherry and gas terps, she’s as pungent as she is beautiful. Her parents are RKS x RKS both from @agseedco seed packs.

From bstonmike1: I have tried several times over the years to grow quality herb.

Getting information on the nutrients, soil requirements, pH, etc. was, as you all know, dependent on who you know, not what you know. So, finally I have the needed information.

I cleared out a closet, hung a light, but need more space so I can give it to friends and family.

This is the culmination of what I’ve learned this year. Pictured is AK-47 x White Widow.

From LTPhishman2: This is a Biovortex and Moon Made Farms collaboration called Orange Valley Sun. Grown in Pittsford, it’s thriving on all levels! _dopehouze_ shared a picture of their home grow. The strain pictured is Mega Mind.

From @Waldo_SkullDoh: Some morning sun on a female Unicorn Poop/Pancakes Breath from Shadowborn Genetics, in collaboration with Dr. Dankenstein and Elevated Elf. December 2023 • FLX420.com

9

Returns to New York

T

he New York cannabis industry continued its evolution at the 2nd Annual New York Cannabis Convention presented by NECANN on September 23 and 24 in Albany.

The convention welcomed approximately 2,000 attendees as they networked, visited the exhibit hall and attended presentations.

The exhibit hall featured 110 businesses that represented different aspects of the cannabis market. Companies from across the country offered resources related to growing, processing, packaging, delivery services, workforce solutions, insurance and more.

Attendees also had the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the cannabis industry by attending information sessions, hosted by 30 expert speakers. Presenters combined their expertise with up-to-date information and trends, focusing

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FLX420.com • December 2023

on advocacy and innovation as well as business and cultivation.

Topics covered during the two-day conference included the license application process in New York, consumer insights, cultivation and marketing tips.

One highlight was Cecilia Oyediran from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and New York’s Cannabis Workforce Initiative speaking about New York’s growing job market as a result of the cannabis industry. The Workforce Initiative also hosted a job fair at the convention to help connect New York residents with employment opportunities.

NECANN will return to New York next year, but at a new location.

In 2024, the New York Cannabis & Hemp Convention will take place October 25 and 26 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. For more information, visit necann.com/ new-york-convention.

“The State of New York is at the beginning of its cannabis industry development and NECANN plans to help it grow for years to come,” stated NECANN founder and show organizer Marc Shepard.

NECANN’s next show will take place March 22 and 23, 2024 in Boston. Visit NECANN.com for more information.

Register Now!

2nd Annual SUNY Cannabis Conference at Niagara County Community College and Niagara Falls Culinary Institute

January 8th & 9th, 2024 Join us for an exciting event with the brightest minds in cannabis discussing the latest research and opportunities involving Cannabis in NYS. Sessions include medical cannabis research, plant genetics, human resources, sustainable practices, and the first-ever, national American Culinary Federation Culinary and Pastry Cannabis competition.

niagaracc.suny.edu/cannabisconference Sponsorships and vendor tables are available. cannabis@niagaracc.suny.edu PRESENTED BY

GOLD SPONSOR

law THE

A Snapshot of

Cannabis Growers Showcases

by Gregory W. Lane, Lane Law PLLC

M

any have heard about the opening of the window in New York State for applications for licenses across all aspects of the cannabis market. On October 4, 2023, the NYS Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) started accepting applications for licenses to either cultivate, process, sell at retail or deliver cannabis flower and products derived from cannabis. Previously, the only legal cannabis cultivation, processing, and sale and delivery in the state was (and still is) being performed by licensees holding Adult Use Conditional Cultivator (AUCC), Adult Use Conditional Processor (AUCP) and Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses.

For reasons including addressing the delays caused by challenges to the CAURD program, delays

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FLX420.com • December 2023

in getting cultivated flower and processed cannabis products to the legal market and to provide an outlet for the backlog of cultivated cannabis, in July 2023 the OCM established a Cannabis Growers Showcase (CGS) program. In its guidance published on July 20, 2023 and updated on September 5, 2023, the OCM set forth the rules for the program which, currently, is intended to end on January 1, 2024.

Each CGS is required to have an “organizer” who may be a CAURD licensee without a licensed CAURD location (or a CAURD licensee with a brick and mortar location). The CGS Organizer is the party responsible for insuring compliance with the OCM’s guidance for the showcase. That compliance includes obtaining municipal approvals for the CGS, providing a site plan and other deliverables set forth in the guidance.

Each CGS must also have a “vendor.” The vendor is the party responsible for the retail activities of the CGS. A CGS vendor must be a licensed operator of an existing CAURD or a CAURD delivery service. The individuals performing the physical retail sales at a showcase must be employees of the CGS vendor.

Each CGS must have at least three AUCCs (cultivators) whose flower is sold at the showcase. The AUCCs cannot have flower available for sale at the CGS vendor’s CAURD location. For each three AUCCs at a CGS, there may be one AUCP (processor) whose products are for sale. If three additional AUCCs are represented at the showcase, an additional CGS vendor may participate as well as an additional AUCP. OCM’s guidance has specific provisions relating to the location of a CGS. It must be held in a location that is approved by the relevant municipality. The municipality’s approval must set forth the specific location and dates and times of operation of the CGS. The approval must be submitted with the

See the list of nearby Growers Showcases on page 34 application for OCM approval for the specific CGS. Applications for OCM approval must be submitted at least 10 days prior to the commencement of the showcase.

A CGS may also not be located on the same road within 500 feet of a school or a public youth facility or within 200 feet of a religious house of worship.

Additionally, in communities of over 20,000 people, a CGS may not be located within 1,000 feet of a licensed adult use retail dispensary. In communities of fewer than 20,000 people, that radius restriction extends to 2,000 feet.

A CGS may take several forms. It can be its own stand-alone event in its own brick and mortar location.

Alternatively, a CGS can exist as a part of an existing, one-time event that is permitted by the municipality in which it is held where the CGS premises is of a temporary nature. A showcase may also be held at the CAURD of the CGS vendor or at the premises of an AUCC or AUCP participating in the CGS. It should be noted, however, that no matter what form the showcase takes, it may not be open for more than 14 consecutive days. A CGS can be held at intervals that do not exceed

14 days for any one period.

A final point to know about the CGS program is that the OCM is wary of the discrepancy that may occur in the pricing of products from one CGS to the next. To address this, the OCM requires in its guidance that the mark-up on flower be limited to 50 percent of its cost (although there is no limit on the mark-up of processed products). Rules regarding sales reports and inventory tracking are as stringent for a showcase as they are for a CAURD store and regular adult use dispensaries. A CGS may, therefore, be an appropriate “preview” for what may result in a licensed dispensary after the CGS program ends.

Greg Lane has been practicing real estate law and business transactions for more than 35 years. In addition to his work in the cannabis space, he practices in all areas of real estate and commercial and business planning and transactions. For more information, call 585-455-3674 or email glane@lanelawpllc.com.

December 2023 • FLX420.com

13

Increased Vitality with Live, All-Natural

“S

by Tina Manzer

martAlgae is a biostimulant effective for the growth of any plant – tomatoes, strawberries, orchids …” explained Jim Mackenzie, whose new company distributes the product. “We first noticed its effectiveness when it moved the needle for wheat. Increasing the crop production of wheat is pretty amazing. The same thing happened with soy.

“But cannabis is my thing,” he added, and explained that SmartAlgae, produced by Pure Future LLC, headquartered in Camillus, NY, markets different formulas of it for row crops under the Purus brand name. “I was approached by a gentleman who recognized algae’s potential in the cannabis market, and the company founders and I became partners,” Jim explained. “SmartAlgae is the brand for cannabis.”

Healthier plants for higher yields SmartAlgae is chlorella vulgaris, a subspecies of freshwater algae that has been grown in a laboratory under perfect conditions. It promises increased crop yield, increased harvest frequency and increased THC in cannabis.

“Algae has been utilized for crop vitality for years, particularly in Asia,” Mackenzie explained.

“It helps produce CO2 through

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FLX420.com • Winter 2023

photosynthesis, the complex process that crops use to convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into energy to fuel their growth. SmartAlgae simply enhances that process.

“It’s comprised of a living organism that, when added to the soil, breaks down and releases beneficial nutrients,” Jim continued.

“Our proprietary blend of micro algae contains both macro- and micronutrients. As the algae breaks down these nutrients, they assist in CO2 uptake. It gives the cannabis flower a higher a cannabinoid percentage and a better, longer shelf life.”

The product is produced using a cost-efficient method originally developed at Arizona State University. The algae, in gel form, is diluted with purified water to create different formulas for different crops. “The formula that’s good for cannabis might not be good for strawberries and what works for commercial growers may not work for home growers. That’s why we came up with the standard 5ml/1 gallon configuration,” Jim added.

Participants in FLX420’s outdoor Grow-Off received the SmartAlgae proprietary blend in a 4-ounce bottle. It must be refrigerated, shaken before use and kept out of direct sunlight. It can be

used as a root drench or foliate spray two to three times per week by mixing 5mls of it per 1 gallon of water.

As more commercial nutrients enter the cannabisgrowing market, will every grower – even successful legacy growers – need some kind of bio-stimulant to compete?

“Legacy growers are learning too, right? Adding commercial nutrients is kind of a whole new world for them,” Jim responded. “They follow their usual protocols; successful processes they’ve developed over a long time, but now they’re experimenting with nutrients they can purchase. It’s been happening for a while. There are some really talented growers in the state who have been using bio-stimulants.”

Jim grew up in Yonkers and learned to farm in upstate New York. After earning degrees in computer science and economics, he became a successful businessman who has worked in sales in the medical arena for 33 years. He’s also a serial entrepreneur in the cannabis space. Jim has applied for a dispensary license and hopes he’ll hear soon where it stands.

In terms of SmartAlgae, the product line has potential to move in a variety of different directions, he concluded.

Pure Future’s mission is creating “all-natural solutions for air, soil and water,” and in development is a dry fog technology called Purus Air that aids in disinfection, humidification and cooling. Purus water technology, also in development, promises to mitigate toxins, bacteria and other pathogens to increase dissolved oxygen levels in water and eliminate biofilms.

“In the future, through our partnership, these products can be accessed under the SmartAlgae brand so that growers can remediate both water and soil, saving them thousands and thousands of dollars. It is multiplatform technology to help any grower with issues that range from spider mites to water pollution.”

For more information, see the ad on page 5 or visit smartalgaesolutions.com

December 2023 • FLX420.com

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FLX420

Indoor Home Grow

by Levi LeGrow photos by Missy Kelly

W

ith the completion of my second home grow in the bag, I’d like to cover the flowering stage through harvest in this installment. From hermaphroditism to the exact feeding schedule effecting strains differently and a new way to cure the buds at harvest time, a lot happened inside one little tent.

Hermaphroditism

FLX Flowers plant not showing any pistils, Week 4.

Mature seed found in Empire Mac, Week 10.

Hermaphroditism can happen to a female plant if it is under stress from its grow environment. Excessive heat and lights are most likely to cause this type of stress.

During Week 4 of flower stage, I noticed one plant, the FLX Flowers, was showing buds without pistils. Dr. Dankenstein suggested to watch for signs of hermaphroditism, which meant searching for pollen sacs on the plant. I didn’t find any pollen sacs on the FLX Flowers plant. I also looked for seeds on the FLX Flowers plant and surrounding plants which would also indicate that pollination had occurred.

It wasn’t until Week 6 of flower that I found a very small, immature seed in the FLX Flowers’ bud. This was confirmation that my FLX Flowers plant had changed its sex from female to male and pollinated itself. I decided to remove this plant from the tent immediately in hopes to prevent pollination of the other plants.

Fast forward to harvest time. I discovered that my Empire Mac plant had grown fully mature seeds. It had been impregnated by the FLX Flowers plant. Since the seeds were produced from two female plants, the seeds should be feminized. I’m going to save a couple of the seeds and try growing them in the next home grow. It’ll be fun to see how this new strain turns out. Mother: Empire Mac, Father: FLX Flowers.

Following a feeding schedule I continued to follow the feeding schedule supplied with the Soul Sensei nutrients. Due to my lack of growing experience, I stuck to the recommended schedule. As Week 6 of flowering approached, I started to notice nutrient deficiencies in some of the plants. The six different strains were

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FLX420.com • December 2023

Some plants showing signs of nutrient deficiencies, Week 6 in the same tent and had the same light, same temperature and same feeding schedule, yet each plant was producing a different result.

The “Dank Tank” article in the last issue covered this exact problem. Feeding schedules are a good guideline to follow, but adjustments to individual plants are necessary based on their individual needs.

For my grow, Dr. Dank suggested that I extend my feeding schedule by another week or two.

This would give my plants nutrients at a higher level a little longer before stepping down the nutrients to lower concentrations. Of course, this was just a quick, over the phone fix. Dr. Dank said that with more growing time and experience, I’ll learn the needs of each individual plant just by the visual cues they give you. What can I say, I’m still a work in progress.

Time to harvest After extending the plants’ flowering stage for a full 10 weeks, it was time to harvest. Under magnification, I was seeing a mix of clear, milky white and amber trichomes on most of the plants.

Growing different strains in the same tent provides certain challenges including when to harvest. Some plants might be further along in the ripening process while for others April 3: Germination of seeds took place it might be too soon or April 5: Seeds went into the soil even later than you Vegetative stage (lights on 18 hours, off six hours) would prefer. When you’re faced with June 16: Plants were flipped to the flowering stage limitations, it has to (lights on 12 hours, off 12 hours) be go time for all of June 27: Flowering began (10 full weeks in flower) them.

September 5: Plants were harvested (trimmed fan leaves, I first flushed hung branches back in tent) the plants by feeding them only September 20: Branches were placed in turkey bags room temperature, to cure for two weeks dechlorinated water October 4: Bud trimming began for a full week. Next,

Recap of Our Second Home Grow

December 2023 • FLX420.com

17

Top: Stems hung inside the tent for two weeks after harvesting.

Bottom: Stems after one week of drying in the tent.

I stopped watering the plants for three consecutive days and turned the lights off the last two days in preparation for harvest.

After removing the plants from the tent, I trimmed off the larger fan leaves, leaving the fan leaves at the base of the buds and the small sugar leaves intact. I then cut the plant stems into v-shapes to make them easy to hang over the netting for drying (see photo [Pic5]). Once all the branches were hung upside down over the netting, I zipped up the tent and kept the ventilation system running with some oscillating fans. I also kept the lights off and the temperature at 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with a humidity lingering right around 50 percent.

The temperature and humidity were easy to maintain since this was the average temp and humidity in the basement.

After two full weeks, the plant stems snapped when I tried to bend them. Time for curing. Instead of trimming the buds and putting them into mason jars for curing, with this grow I purchased large turkey bags, which Dr. Dank said is one of his favorite curing methods due to the ease and extremely low maintenance needed. Instead of burping mason jars twice a day, the turkey bags are breathable so there is some modest air exchange; this makes the curing process so much easier to manage.

I used one bag for each

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Stems cure in turkey bags for two weeks.

individual plant, and placed the v-shaped plant stems inside each bag. The plants remained in these bags for two weeks.

At the end of two weeks, we removed the plants from the bags, trimmed the buds and placed our delicious smelling – and I do mean delicious – buds into mason jars along with some humidity packs made especially to store weed.

I want to thank our sponsors – Aeromixer, Grand Master LEDs and Roots Organics – for taking part in our second homeyou grow.

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FLX420

Outdoor Home Grow O

ur intrepid 12 volunteer growers have had quite the season as they’ve tended their strains of Blueberry Muffin and Poddy Mouth, donated by our sponsor Humboldt Seed Company. Thanks to a plethora of nutrients, including microalgae provided by SmartAlgae, many of the plants grew and made it through the late summer.

Now, after the harvest, our growers look back on their experiences, share insights about what went well and what they would’ve done differently, and look forward to the next grow season. Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.

1. From Smokey Joe, in Shortsville

1

Smokey Joe — Poddy Mouth

2

22

Tickled Pink – Poddy Mouth

she was making a comeback! Her leaves looked healthy, and she was filling in on top.

I was out of town from August 14 to 22 and relied on rain for watering. When I returned, I watered Poddy Mouth. She made a full recovery from the bug infestation and from the move from the perennial garden to a pot on the deck. On August 24 she had folic fibers.

Looking back, many challenges went along with growing Poddy Mouth. It was much more challenging than I thought it would be. Although the plant had different issues throughout the growing season, I am very happy with the end result.

Poddy Mouth recovered and produced more than I thought she would. She was ready to harvest in early October and was hung to dry.

In conclusion, there are things I would do exactly the same and have learned what to change. It would be interesting to grow again next spring and compare the results.

I tried this and that to help Poddy Mouth grow and flourish. In Week 9 (July 17-23), I watered her with an Epsom salt mixture which should help with the yellowing leaves. Five days later, I watered her with Miracle-Gro Plant Food, topped the soil with fresh Worm Poop and sprayed her with Neem Oil. I also watered her with REV Organic Fertilizer once a week.

At the end of July, I had not seen any signs of bugs on the plant. Poddy Mouth still hadn’t recovered her lower branches from her earlier experience in the perennial garden. The good news was she’d filled out on top. There were no more yellow leaves which I attributed to the Epsom salt watering.

On August 1, I watered Poddy Mouth with the Miracle-Gro Plant Food. The plant looked healthy with no sign of issues!

A bad storm came through on August 7 with a lot of wind which tipped over the plant. I pulled her back up and zip-tied her to a tomato Canna Whoop-Ass 3 — Blueberry Muffin stake for support.

On August 10, I measured Poddy Mouth at 47 by 32 inches and noticed

FLX420.com • December 2023

2. From Tickled Pink, in Stanley

For the most part, my outdoor grow went well for Poddy Mouth.

I always had healthy looking buds, a few yellow leaves here and there, but no bugs and no mold. The month of September wasn’t so great as the weather was very rainy and cold, but Potty Mouth did the best.

Since I did my grow in pots, I

Pondside — Poddy Mouth found myself moving them around so they could get sun to dry them out.

On October 8, I cut Poddy Mouth’s stems and hung them to dry. They hung drying for about two weeks or so before I trimmed a few of them. The trimming process took me awhile – it’s very tedious! I still have trimming to do!

If I ever do an outdoor grow again, I would definitely use larger pots and give the plant nutrients more often. Using larger pots will give the plant more room to expand and grow more comfortably and healthy. The amount of water and sun is very important for an outdoor grow!

3. From Canna Whoop-Ass, in Geneva

As summer drew to an end, both my Blueberry Muffin plants looked somewhat relieved to see less intense days coupled with plenty of rain. One plant, named Nanner, was still consistently yellow. Although it was growing buds, they were growing very slowly.

In contrast, the other plant, nicknamed Tripod, seemed to be growing buds at a somewhat normal rate.

By the beginning of October, I noticed both plants had become pollinated and were growing seeds. Tripod’s main colas were still only about 1-1/2 inches in height, but they looked massive next to Nanner, who hadn’t managed to grow any buds larger than a marble. I also began to struggle with the neighborhood stray cats using my garden as a litter box; nearly every day I was finding a new clump or two to scoop out. Because of this contamination, I decided against trying to smoke any of the weed grown in that bed. I continued to grow the plants, hoping to at least obtain some mature, healthy seeds from the crop.

Nearing mid-October, I began to find signs of bud rot, and the plants came down to hang in my basement to dry. I found several seeds in the healthy buds that appeared to have the ideal characteristics for growing new plants. However, I pulled seeds out of the buds that were affected by rot to find the seeds also appeared to be rotted. I may try to grow them anyway and see what happens.

Even though this experiment didn’t yield the bountiful harvest I had hoped, I am glad to come away with the experience, and a few tips to help my success the next time around.

4

On July 10, Blueberry was at 3 feet, 6 inches tall and Poddy was 2 feet, 9 inches tall. By July 20, Blueberry had hit 4 feet 1 inch and Poddy was at 3 feet, 3 inches tall.

We had quite a bit of rain early on in the month, but by the middle of July both plants were doing well.

I harvested at the end of the second week in October. It was a wet fall up to that point, so I did have a little, but not too much bud rot on Poddy but nothing on Blueberry.

I was fortunate and did not have bugs or mold on any of my plants.

I enjoyed the journey of watering, talking, playing some (continued on page 24)

4. From Pondside, in Clifton Springs

I put my plants in the ground on May 3. Blueberry Muffin was 13 inches tall and Poddy Mouth was 10 inches tall. I planted them in my yard, but did not add anything to the soil when I planted them. I used nothing but water on them until June 6. At that point, I started to water Blueberry and Poddy with Biothrive Grow 4-3-3. I used Biothrive for only about a month on them.

December 2023 • FLX420.com

23

FLX420

Outdoor Home Grow 5

music for them and the harvest. Thank you, Finger Lakes 420 for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your outdoor grow.

Scorch — Blueberry Muffin

5. From Scorch, in Webster

6

Opa — Poddy Mouth

My plants grew very lush and seemed mostly healthy through August with Blueberry Muffin and Poddy Mouth reaching over 5 feet tall.

Unfortunately, the dreaded bud rot arrived in early September, requiring daily monitoring, extensive trimming and the removal of many rotting buds.

We decided to harvest earlier than ideal. By early October, we estimated that we had lost almost half of our yield. Remaining branches were closely inspected, cut to hang and dry for two weeks and then moved into turkey bags for another two weeks of curing.

Next step is the trimming process.

Overall, it was an interesting experience and we learned from a few mistakes. For the next grow we will avoid using metal support cages as they tend to damage branches, making the plant more susceptible to problems. We will also trim earlier and more often to allow better air flow through the plants.

6. From Opa, in Penn Yan

7 24

Blooming Girl — Blueberry Muffin

My outdoor grow of Poddy Mouth was not a huge success. But I believe this was due to the location I chose and the conditions that the plant had to endure. I had chosen to grow on a cement pool deck that got more than 10 to 14 hours of direct sun. While that amount of sun is great for the swimming pool, it’s a bit much for this particular strain of plant.

That, plus the excessive rain we had here for much of the summer, meant the plant was either drowning or frying constantly.

I did get a small harvest from it but have not had the opportunity to try it yet.

However, I did learn some things and I thank FLX420 and Humboldt Seed for the experience.

I look forward to next year’s outdoor grow and using what I learned.

FLX420.com • December 2023

7. From Blooming Girl, in Seneca Falls

My first attempt at growing cannabis turned out to be an excellent learning experience! My little Blueberry Muffin ended up maxing out at 60 inches tall and was healthy through most of the summer despite several smokey days from the Canadian wildfires, too much rain at times and the wind blowing it over in its pot a few times!

In late August, the leaves turned a beautiful burgundy color and we had about 25 buds.

My adult son, who was invested in the project’s outcome even more than I, harvested it in late September. He hung it to dry in our old dairy barn in a mesh drying rack. All was great until he checked back 10 days later and there were a ton of spiders all over it! (Glad it was him and not me!)

At the end of the day, even though we didn’t quite make it to the curing stage this year, we learned plenty and are eager to grow again together next season.

From Empress of Dirt, in Bloomfield

We are gathered here on this page to celebrate the brief but spectacular life of Esmerelda, plant-daughter of the Empress of Dirt, from the Kingdom of Bloomfield.

Once upon a time, young Esmerelda was beautiful and strong, standing tall and soaking up the sun, with deep green feathery leaves swaying in the breeze. She was sturdy of trunk, pungent of scent and her future looked bountiful and abundant.

But one terrible day, when she was about 3 feet tall, a mysterious ailment befell Esmerelda.

Suddenly, her leaves started to wilt and turn yellow. They were trimmed immediately and she was kept under a watchful eye. Everyone hoped for the best.

As the weeks went by, Esmerelda got worse and worse until she was only stalks. All the doctors in the land were summoned and every treatment was tried, but alas, nothing helped, and poor Esmerelda died.

Gone too soon, her tale is done. No flower for anyone. Rest in peace.

From Late Bloomer, in South Bristol

The great outdoors can be a challenging environment for our leafy friends. Despite my best intentions, both my pot plants faced the harsh realities of nature and they died before I had a chance to harvest the fresh buds.

We did not necessarily endure any extreme weather conditions, and I did not observe any pests. The only thing I can attribute to their premature demise is that I over-trimmed the plants. I may have trimmed off too much of the vegetation overall. It was my first time trimming, and I may have overdone it. I did cut and hang the (very much dead) buds, but I’m not hopeful that I will yield anything promising.

Next time, in an attempt to improve my chances of success, I will definitely plant them in pots so I can better control their environment. I also will leave more of the plant untrimmed.

8. From The Garden Hoe, in Canandaigua

My goal was to successfully grow a cannabis plant outdoors in a container with little to no effort on my part.

In mid-August, as the first buds began to appear on my Blueberry Muffin plant, the leaves started to turn yellow. I trimmed them off each day until the plant was nearly bare. In addition, the soil seemed to get drier faster, and I increased my watering. I discovered that it was rootbound.

After a week of chilly and rainy weather in early September, the plant looked pathetic. I laid awake at night worrying about it until I saw how big and healthy the buds were getting. The yield was more than I expected.

I started harvesting on September 31, based on advice from my grow mentor. It was a tedious process, but I completed it working a few hours a day over a period of two weeks. After three weeks, I did more trimming and transferred the buds to mason jars.

Currently, my friends and I are enjoying the results. (continued on page 26)

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The Garden Hoe — Blueberry Muffin

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December 2023 • FLX420.com

25

FLX420

Outdoor Home Grow From Big Buck, in Rushville

Here are some lessons learned from my first outdoor grow.

• Even if you put holes in the buckets that you are growing your plants in, it is possible to over-water them.

• Because it rained for a few days doesn’t mean your plants don’t need to be watered.

• If you are going to be away from your plants for a few days, have someone on standby in the event there is a hard rain and your plants need to be tended to.

• Next time, I will grow my plants in the ground or in a raised bed.

• Going forward, I will use a moisture meter and do a better job controlling my soil pH.

9. Pistil Pete indoor controlled grow of both strains

Having the ability to grow these plants indoors within a controlled, stable environment definitely had its advantages over growing outdoors. Inside the tent, the Blueberry Muffin plant was temperamental, often displaying brittle, dry leaves. But in the end, she is a smooth, uplifting smoke. The Poddy Mouth plant on the other hand, wins my beauty pageant award, as it’s just a stunning plant overall.

Pistil Pete — Poddy Mouth

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FLX420.com • December 2023 161 Main St, Groton, NY • Phone: 607-898-5871

161 Main St, Groton, NY • Phone: 607-898-5871 161 Main St, Groton, NY • Phone: 607-898-5871 41 South Main Street, Moravia, NY • Phone: 315-497-2707 41 South Main Street, Moravia, NY • Phone: 315-497-2707

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Congratulations to Smokey Joe, Winner of the First FLX420 Outdoor Home Grow!

WINNER

Finger Lakes 420 is happy to announce Smokey Joe as the winner of the Outdoor Grow.

Smokey Joe has diligently cared for her Poddy Mouth plant and meticulously detailed the many steps they took toward a successful harvest. Between watering, fertilizing, supporting and protecting Poddy Mouth from pests, Smokey Joe was careful to observe the plant’s condition and adjusted treatments accordingly. While the journey was long and not without its challenges, Smokey Joe prevailed. Thank you once again to all of our volunteer growers and we wish you all the best with your future grows!

There is more than one way to stay connected with FLX420 magazine!

Subscribe to the magazine for only $12 per year with discrete home delivery

Follow us on Instagram @flx420magazine

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FLX420.com

View our September issue here

Growing a cannabis culture in Upstate NY December 2023 • FLX420.com

27

dank tank THE

Come Growalong Goooooooood Morning Grow Fam!

I

t is officially my favorite time of the year! Typically when I tell people this, I tell them it’s because I like to go hiking and look at all the trees and plants that are beautifully dyed. But now that cannabis is legal, I can say the real reason is because it’s the best time to GROW WEED! Growing indoor cannabis is so much easier (and cheaper) when the conditions outside are dry and cold!

In our last house, which we rented from Mennonites and was in the boonies, we didn’t have any heat because to access the oil tank you had to go through the basement – and the basement was packed full of weed plants. So, I set up the grow in a way to use the excess heat created from the lights and equipment to warm our bedrooms at night. We were able to grow very successfully by only using a few electric heaters to keep the plants warm when the lights were off.

If you’ve been growing cannabis since before it was legal, then you had to bob and weave and roll with the punches. Real OGs who were growing weed before the agriculture industry had nutrients and grow equipment specifically made for cannabis (or similar plants like tomatoes) had to shop at pool stores and make their own nutrients from different chemicals and recipes that had been handed down for generations … or from trial and error.

So today I would like to talk about some of the top tricks and tips that either have been handed down to me or I have figured out myself. As always, information for the legacy community has been shared within it for free and only with the intention that you use that information to help the next person in need.

Tip #1

Let’s talk ash!

White ash is something that has been talked about heavily for the past 10 years in reference to the quality of cannabis. The theory is if the plant burns white, it was fed properly. If it burns black, it was most likely over-fed and not flushed. Now there is a lot of truth to this, but, as with everything in today’s society, if there’s a reason to manipulate it for self-interests, then that is exactly what will happen.

People have used black ash as more of a marketing scheme than to actually educate people on what the best flower is for smoking. For example, regardless of

28

FLX420.com • December 2023

whether the plant was properly fed, you can heat up the ash which will turn it white. Furthermore, if your plant was over-fed, you can flush it with calcium magnesium which will help your plant eat up the excess nitrogen (from your poor feedings) and make your ash turn white. Doing this doesn’t mean you grew your plant to its full potential; it means that you, at some point, over-fed your plants and now have to correct that issue.

Neither of these outcomes actually prove the plant has been fed properly its entire life. Both are a way to manipulate you into paying a higher price while not necessarily providing the marketed quality.

Plants that have been properly fed and have been allowed to eat up all the excess nutrients will result in a smoother burn and, most often, a more flavorful smoke. We recommend feeding the plant a nitrogen-free calmag a week or so before you begin your flush before harvest if you run nitrogen through the flower.

Tip #2

Drying and curing

Yet again, this is another topic that has been altered by greed and American marketing at its finest!

People have long-said, “Curing out flower makes for the highest quality flower.” This is not always true. It’s mostly used to advertise a product as better than the next person’s rather than actually having the better product. (Real legends know that true quality cannabis needs no marketing, no introduction and will sell itself.)

The first thing I want to talk about is the difference between a “dry” and a “cure.” To dry is to quickly remove the moisture from something. To cure literally means to preserve, so the goal is no longer to remove volumes of water, but to allow for the breakdown of bacteria so that buds can be properly stored for a period of time without mold or pathogens.

My preference is to smoke my flower with next to no time cured and directly off the dry plant. As soon as the plant is cut, the process of breaking down compounds (like terpenes, AKA “the good stuff”) begins. Also, when the flowers are dry, trichome heads and necks become extremely brittle and can break or fall off just by moving the buds around. This is why I like to smoke my flowers about two to five weeks after chop.

What we like to do is dry the first two to three days at a lower humidity, around 52 or 55 percent (always 60 degrees or lower for your room temperature, more often around 58 degrees) then raise the humidity to allow for a slower dry.

Typically the dry period will last between one and three weeks. (We gauge the time it will take for the plants to dry and the conditions based on each individual strain.

Larger, more dense buds will be dried much faster than smaller or less dense buds.) Then we like to chop our flowers down into

branches, remove all fan leaves – but not the sugar leaves – then bag and tote the buds. Lastly, trim and jar buds as close to the date it will be smoked as possible.

Tip #3

Cleanliness is the staple of top-quality craft cannabis

Yeah, I know, I wish there was some easy tip that just made all growers the best growers. But at the end of the day, if you don’t have the discipline and grind to keep your spaces 100 percent clean, you will never have the best flower!

And I don’t just mean sweeping the floor once a day. I’m talking about COVID-19 clean! Put a mask on those plants, run air filters, give them the f***ing booster shot, whatever!

Just make sure they are clean.

You should be treating the plant like old HPS bulbs – they should never be touched! Every time your fingers touch a bud, you make it a little less good than it could have been if you didn’t touch it. Trichome heads are very soft and sticky when the plant is alive, so if you squeeze a bud you almost always destroy some amount of terpenes. In fact, the reason why we rough the bud up to smell it is because rubbing it breaks down the terpenes and that releases the aroma. It’s great to smell the terpenes, but It’s even better to taste them!

Cleanliness also means protecting the plant from things you

cannot see! Mold, mildew, even pests are all things you can have in your garden that are invisible to the naked eye. Russet mites and tiny microscopic mites can be airborne and fly into your garden through vents, windows or your hair, just like mildew and molds. So having proper ventilation and filtration is very important as well as having an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program that is essential to wash your plants and keep them clean.

Some of the things we do for our IPM are as follows: Clean every mess every time you make one, no excuses. The goal of staying lifted, motivated and getting sh*t done isn’t to create more work for the next day. It’s to be a little better than our yesterday selves every day.

Each space has its own cleaning equipment. This way, we are not cross contaminating. It also makes it easy to clean up each space every day when you have finished your waterings or other daily tasks.

Conduct weekly IPM plant spraying/dunking. Typically, we are only spraying and dunking in veg, but when there is an issue in flower you have to use your judgment on whether you can safely save your harvest or not. There are a few things you can spray that won’t be toxic when smoking your flowers.

(Continued on page 37) December 2023 • FLX420.com

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It breaks down the science of infusing and offers recipes including weed butter-based chicken and weed brownie sundaes. Available through Drooz and Company. droozandcompany.com

The Herbal Oasis Pillow from Uncommon Goods is a highly plush wool hooked accent pillow. Its verdant cannabis leaf design can add a bit of greenery to your favorite smoke spot. uncommongoods.com

Foaming Milk Bath from Glenna’s CBD is a lavender-scented hemp extract bubble bath that is specially formulated to gently cleanse, soothe and moisturize your skin. cbdbestoil.com

GIFTS Cocoa Butter Cashmere CBD Lotion from Empire Hemp Co. is as comfortable as a warm cashmere sweater.

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A Devil’s Lettuce Print from Holy Smokes Supply Co. is a three-color Risograph print on recycled paper that is sure to get a few laughs from passersby. holy-smokes.co

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FLX420.com • December 2023

CBD Turmeric & Ginger Tea from Buddha Teas is crafted using high-quality broad spectrum nanosized particles of water-soluble CBD, which insures that the CBD ends up in your tea. Each tea bag contains 5mg of CBD. buddhateas.com

With Honeycrisp Cannabis Infused Fresh Apple Cider from ayrloom, get a taste of a fifthgeneration family orchard. Naturally sweet but never heavy, this beverage is great served hot or cold. ayrloom.com Mango Habanero edibles from Arrowhead Cannabis is ideal for those seeking a blend of heat and relaxation. Each serving contains 25mg, which starts with a spicy kick and gradually transitions into a state of relaxation.

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Zen Mints from Love Oui’d blends together THC cannabis extract, nootropic a-gpc, vitamin B6, green tea extracts and hibiscus flower extract. This powerful formula is concentrated into a single discreet, delicious mouthdissolving mint. Available through FingerLakes Cannabis Co. canterra.co/finger-lakes-cannabis-co

December 2023 • FLX420.com

31

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GROW & more

The Mini Trimmer (Wet/Dry) from CenturionPro is a powerhouse, with a processing speed of 35 pounds wet, 7 pounds dry per hour of use.

Best-suited for small- to mediumsize operations. Available through Harvest Moon Hydroponics. hmoonhydro.com

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Original Soil from Roots Organics is a ready-to-use mix that’s great for frequent feeding of fast-growing, heavy-feeding plants. The soil bags double as pots – just cut the top off and drop the plant in. aurorainnovations.com

Organic Growth Fertilizer from Mighty Plant is a water-soluble powder that is extremely versatile in application. It can be used in hydroponics, irrigation systems, foliage spray, as a root drench, soil dress and more! Available through Green Merchant Gardening & Hydroponics green-merchant.com

EndoBoost Hydro Soluble Mycorrhizal Fungi from GreenEden is a potent professional-grade soluble concentrate. Boost your grow with this all-natural, safe, easy-touse inoculant that promotes root and plant growth, soil health, water absorption, flowering and more. greeneden.co

The HazMax Containment Work Area from HEMCO is engineered to isolate applications including large equipment distillation procedures, pilot plant requirements and sampling/ weighing/ dispensing operations. hemcocorp.com/unimax.html 816-796-2900

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FLX420.com • December 2023

2789 Union Road Cheektowaga, NY 14227 PHONE 716-634-8290 FAX 716-634-0121

www.hmoonhydro.com

Take a Day Trip to a Dispensary New York’s rollout of the cannabis market is slow, but there are some legal dispensaries and growers showcases open just a hop, skip and jump away from the Finger Lakes Region (and some within!). Here’s a look at a few places you can visit.

Dispensaries Dank716

501 Main Street, Buffalo The first legal dispensary in Buffalo – and the first in Western New York – works with regional and state growers to provide cannabis products that are all lab tested and state approved.

716dank.com

DOSHA

76 Main Street, Oneonta As the premiere legal dispensary in Oneonta, DOSHA is committed to quality, safety, and accessibility. In addition to products, it offers classes on cultivation and seeks to educate local leaders. doshafarms.com

FlynnStoned Cannabis

219 Walton Street, Syracuse The first legal dispensary in Syracuse strives to provide a quality experience for customers, from its welcoming and comfortable atmosphere to knowledgeable budtenders and quality products. flynnstoned.com

Greenery Spot

246 Main Street, Johnson City Greenery Spot’s shelves contain a diverse selection of cannabis products, selected based on their potency, purity and consistency. Its inventory includes topicals, concentrates, accessories and more. greeneryspot.com

Herbal IQ

6055 Transit Road, Depew Headquartered in Depew, Herbal IQ partners with well-known names in the cannabis market including NoWave, ayrloom and A Walk in the Pines. herbaliq.org

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FLX420.com • December 2023

Just Breathe

75 Court Street, Binghamton, NY Celebrated as the first legal dispensary in Upstate New York, Just Breathe originally operated as a CBD store. Today, it provides flower, pre-rolls, edibles, drinks, vapes and more. justbreathelife.org

Sacred Bloom

1308 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal Vestal’s first legal dispensary features hand-curated marijuana products and accessories. Founder Todd Hartman has an extensive background in the smoke shop industry. sacred-bloom.com

Stage One Dispensary

810 Broadway, Unit C, Rensselaer The second legal dispensary in the Capital Region offers cannabis products that are grown, cultivated and produced in New York. It is completely owned and operated by four justice-involved individuals. stageonedispensary.com

Upstate Canna Co.

1613 Union Street, Schenectady The first legal dispensary in the Capital Region, Upstate Canna values products that are ethically grown and processed, environmentally friendly and comprised of safe ingredients. upstate-canna.co

William Jane Dispensary

119 East State Street, Ithaca Ithaca’s first legal dispensary is dedicated to transparency and education.

Informative displays and literature are available throughout the dispensary. williamjane420.com

Growers Showcases

These growers showcases are open until the end of the year. The State does not provide the names of showcases.

Albany 350 Louden Plaza Alfred 44 North Main Street Altamont 342 Altamont Road Batavia 204 East Main Street Copake Empire Farm, 556 Empire Road Endicott 1543 Union Center – Maine Highway Geneva 811 Canandaigua Road Granville 6 Main Street 6-10 Main Street Hudson 810 Union Street 3-7 Fairview Avenue Kenmore 1100 Military Road, Unit 1 Newark 621 East Maple Avenue Rochester 1749 East Avenue Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs City Center parking lot – lower level, 37 High Rock Avenue Schuylerville 1120 NY-29 Troy 4th Street Market CGS 139 4th Street Vestal 1308 Vestal Parkway East Victor 5 Railroad Street

A Visit to

Sweet Grass Dispensary

W

ith legal dispensaries few and far afield in Upstate New York, many are curious about how they operate and what to expect. When the staff of Finger Lakes 420 magazine heard about Sweet Grass Dispensary in Union Springs, we jumped at the chance to visit and see for ourselves what it was like.

Sweet Grass Dispensary, which is celebrating its first anniversary in December, operates under Lakeside Enterprises of the Cayuga Nation. The store is stocked with more than 100 products, ranging from flower and edibles to accessories.

On a sunny day in early October, we drove the 40 minutes to the dispensary. Located in a former pizzeria, the store was right on the main thoroughfare on the corner of Cayuga and Basin streets. As there was no parking lot available, we parked on the street, just across from Sweet Grass.

As we entered the front doors, we were greeted by an attendant who carded us. After verifying our driver licenses with a blacklight, she kindly let us pass into the main space.

The interior of Sweet Grass was

clean with a fresh, modern feel to it.

Exposed brick walls complimented adjacent wallpapered facades. Similar to a jewelry store, products were on display in brightly lit glass cases. Items ranged from edibles – chocolates, gummies, honey and treats, including a giant rice cereal bar – to tinctures and flower.

While the products are sourced from New York State companies, the flower came from Arrowhead Cannabis; both Arrowhead Cannabis and Sweet Grass Dispensary are owned by Lake Side Enterprises of the Cayuga Nation. A mix of about 25 strains – including indica, sativa and hybrid – were on display at Sweet Grass when we visited, with 35 to 40 on reserve.

We were assisted by Genevieve “G” Houghtelling, a budtender who had worked with Arrowhead Cannabis for many years. She inquired if we had an idea what we were looking for and introduced us to certain products that were in line with our needs. She spoke of gummy dosages and answered our questions about CBD versus THC. Her approachability and enthusiasm stood out to us as we made our selection; we could tell she wanted us to have a

good experience.

A few customers entered the dispensary after us, prompting another staff member to emerge from the back room. While some patrons appeared to be regulars and knew almost exactly what they wanted, others shopped around, asking questions on this and that before deciding on a purchase. The budtenders addressed their needs promptly and professionally.

Aided by Houghtelling’s knowledge and insight, we picked out a handful of products to take home. If there was an item that we were interested in buying, Houghtelling would replace the display package and retrieve a selection from the inventory, located in the back. We paid at the register and left through a separate door by the counter, confident in our purchases.

Looking back, we were all very pleased with our experience at Sweet Grass. We felt safe and welcomed. Even our most basic questions were met with kindness and great insight which empowered us to make the best decisions. We look forward to more dispensaries opening in the coming months, hopefully with more in the Finger Lakes Region.

Here are some tips for a great experience at a dispensary Have your ID at the ready This can help speed up your entry into the building.

Trust your budtender Don’t be afraid to ask questions. They have a wealth of knowledge and insight that can help you select the right product for your needs.

Be sure to bring cash or a debit card No dispensaries in New York State accept credit cards.

December 2023 • FLX420.com

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While many traditional marketing vehicles (radio, TV, social media and billboards) are not available to promote cannabis brands, FLX420 magazine provides highly effective advertising opportunities that can set your brand apart from the competition. Contact Amy Colburn for more information at 315-789-6431, or amy@flx420.com.

FLX420 welcomes our newest advertisers to the magazine Cultivate Consulting Co.

Led by Andrew and Christine Gervais, Cultivate Consulting Co. provides cannabis businesses with specialty accounting solutions, income tax services (U.S. only), CFO and controller services and business system implementation, filling a void in the fast-paced, evolving industry. From grow operations and seed-to-sale businesses to dispensaries and beyond, it helps cannabis operations achieve success-driven management while working within the stringent regulatory environment.

The end result is peace of mind, streamlined operations and improved profitability. ​ To learn more, visit cultivateconsulting.com

Elevated Liquids LLC

Altua heralds a new era of cannabis-infused drinks which provide a better buzz without the hefty hangover. Its drink collection features spritzers flavored with blood orange, passion fruit and pomegranate, with a perfect balance of bubbles and 5mg of THC per can. They’re perfect for all occasions, whether you’re enjoying dinner or a casual drink.

Based out of Skaneateles, Altua drinks can be found at several dispensaries across New York.

For more information, visit drinkaltua.com

Horseshoe Genetics

Horseshoe Genetics supplies superior quality cannabis seeds that are engineered by master growers. Its catalog features dozens of strains, spanning from autoflower to photoperiod and CBD. Its nutrient selection helps manage pH levels, fertilization and overall plant health. Additionally, Horseshoe Genetics offers the highest precision photonic testing for all your products.

To learn more, visit horseshoegenetics.com

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FLX420.com • December 2023

Niagara County Community College

With two locations in Sanborn and Niagara Falls, Niagara County Community College provides a career-focused, success-oriented education at an affordable price. Among its class offerings is a cannabis degree program. More information can be found at niagaracc.suny.edu.

Additionally, the college is hosting the SUNY Cannabis Conference on January 9 at its Sanborn campus; the Culinary Cannabis Conference is set for January 8 at its Niagara Falls campus. There are opportunities to exhibit, sponsor or attend.

Whether you are new to the legal cannabis industry, an educator, a member of the public or an experienced industry veteran, the 2024 SUNY Cannabis Conference is one you won’t want to miss!

For more information, email cannabis@niagaracc.suny.edu

Sweet Grass Dispensary

Owned by Lake Side Enterprises of the Cayuga Nation, Sweet Grass Dispensary is located at 123 Cayuga Street in Union Springs. In addition to flower from Arrowhead Cannabis, the dispensary carries more than 100 products from New York-based brands. Sweet Grass Dispensary is dedicated to providing a quality experience for customers, no matter if they are regulars or first-time patrons. The store is clean and secure, with everyone carded at the door. The budtenders are passionate about helping people, as they stay current on what new products are available.

Read about our experience at the dispensary on page 35.

Follow Sweet Grass Dispensary at Instagram.com/ sweet_grass_dispensary

THE dank tank

(Continued from page 29) Peroxide, lemon juice and low Ph water are all things that, used properly, will help clean your flowers with no harmful side effects. The quality of the flower will most likely be compromised, but if you can save some of your harvest, you probably won’t regret it.

BLEACH! Bleach is your friend, so spray it everywhere!

Throw it up in the air like Labron James before a game!

Soak your trays, spray your floors, whatever! Since we understand that it’s not just things we see with our eyes that can make the plants dirty, we really need to make sure that we are cleaning things we can’t see. This is when bleach comes in handy!

What we like to use in veg varies. All living things evolve and become tolerant to what’s trying to eliminate them, so rotating through different insecticidal soaps will help when problems arise … and they will. Right now, we are using suffoil x, Athena IPM, Zerotal, regala and verse. We rotate weekly suffix x and Athena IPM while also spraying Zerotal (a more concentrated version of peroxide) weekly. Once we transplant for flower, we begin to use the regal and verso to build a healthy defense system on the plant through flower. In addition to all this, we use monthly lady bugs and predator mites.

Mind you, our grows run 24/7 so we have run into just about every issue you can have and beat it. This is why we have the SOPs in place that we do now.

At the end of the day, make sure that your goals for your grow are matching up with the work you are putting in. If you’re just growing for yourself to use and smoke, perhaps you can slack – if your weed’s bad you never have to tell anyone that you grew it. But if you have a brand (or you’re building one), take that sh*t seriously and hold yourself accountable even if it’s not your fault.

Let’s prove that we Americans don’t need bullsh*t regulations that we know aren’t for our safety but rather to favor certain corporations and keep us as workers and not owners. This is the power of a wrongfully accused industry. We have all been smoking cannabis for the past 100 years while the people who are now regulating it lied to you and said it was a dangerous drug that would destroy our community, while at the same time regulating and marketing cigarettes and booze backed up by medical doctors and our government. Let this be the reason you also grow this plant regardless of what the “regulators” allow! This is our opportunity to bring back the American dream – or at the very least prove that the system is corrupt and watch it burn while smoking a blunt.

Follow Dr. Dank on Instagram @_drdank_

December 2023 • FLX420.com

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limit

A Spectrum of

THE

W

38

Growth Possibilities

hen it comes to producing the highest yield, the amount of light on marijuana plants is critical.

That’s where Grand Master LEDs, headquartered in Vancouver, BC, Canada can help.

“Having the optimum amount of light on your canopy at all different stages is so important, and it’s often overlooked,” said Thomas Gibson, founder.

Gibson established Grand Master LEDs in December 2021 with the mission “to make the world’s most efficient, uniform and diverse lights.” At the time, the cannabis industry was doing poorly in Canada and a handful of states that had legalized marijuana.

Gibson and his team went on to design LED lights that push the limits.

FLX420.com • December 2023

“We’ve made lights that have more diodes than any other company in the world with equal wattage,” Gibson said. “This allows us to be the most efficient in the world.”

Grand Master LEDs’ catalog contains about 35 products – with more on the way – all of which were designed in the last couple years.

One of its most popular products is the Tarantula Borg, named after an alien race from Star Trek that can adapt to any environment. The Tarantula Borg is the most diverse lamp in the world, according to Gibson, as it has the widest spectrum range, going from 1,800 Kelvin (warm light) to 9,000 Kelvin (cool light). While most LEDs have between 2,000 and 3,000 diodes, the Tarantula Borg has 5,600.

“It can go bluer or redder than any other light has been able to go,” Gibson said. “It also has 60 pre-set spectrums.”

While the Tarantula Borg is on the higher end of the catalog in terms of sophistication and price, Grand Master LEDs also offers more economic options. A more affordable light is the Tarantula Torch, another bestseller.

Grand Master LEDs is one of the few companies that offer lights that emit wavelengths of 730 nanometers (nm). This wavelength, also known as far-red light, produces light similar to a sunset. When the company was just starting, it had only two lights that offered 730nm; within its first six months, Grand Master LEDs recertified and redesigned all of its

lamps to include the wavelength.

“Normally, it takes a couple of hours for a plant to go to sleep,” Gibson explained. “You’re able to achieve that in 15 minutes with our light fixtures. That allows the plant to more efficiently photosynthesize.”

By using LED lights instead of high pressure sodium (HPS) lights, growers save electricity and gain uniformity in the growth process.

“Our lights distribute more evenly and penetrate deeper into the canopy,” Gibson stated. “You’re literally saving 35 to 40 percent electricity.”

The possibilities are nearly endless with Grand Master LEDs’ lamps. In addition to cannabis growing, it caters to the microgreens market. It is working on providing microgreen kits and designing lettuce towers. The company also makes lamps that range from 1,800 to 12,000 Kelvin, which are used in R&D departments and universities.

The future is looking bright for Grand Master LEDs. Gibson expects to open a new warehouse in Michigan in January 2024. It also is entering into a contract with Canadian rapper Merkules to design sunglasses that growers can wear while operating grow lamps.

With Grand Master Lights, growers have the ability to customize the spectrum of light their plants receive, from a base spectrum to blue and red wavelengths. Utilized with the appropriate growing periods, it is possible for their harvests to be bountiful.

“By manipulating the light, you can get higher THC and terpene levels,” Gibson stated. “It’s the future.” Visit grandmasterleds.com for more information.

Cut Out and Redeem

ONE

FREE Pre-Roll with purchase only at Sweet Grass Dispensary

Home of Arrowhead Cannabis

Take Your High to the Next Level!

123 Cayuga St • Union Springs NY 13160 • (315) 889-9077

The best ingredients make the best products.

www.aurorainnovations.com 40

FLX420.com • December 2023