CULTIVATION

BY RACHAEL CARLEVALE

Anyone can grow cannabis, if you have the passion, and drive. It is a relationship we cultivate with the plant, and just like any other friendship, it takes time, practice, and presence for a successful coexistence to blossom. The question is not if, but when we make mistakes, let them serve as a lesson for the future. Keep a dated grow journal to log every input, plant responses you observe.

PREPARING YOUR SPACE

Review your local cannabis grow laws and abide by them. If you are renting, lease agreements may differ from the law, so ensure you are not putting yourself at risk. Before growing cannabis, take the time to prepare the environment. From cultivation to harvest, drying, storing, waste management, and knowing what you will do with your end product is key information that will light the way when making important decisions in your design process. Consider how you will mitigate smell, and if your location is in close proximity to neighbors who may be concerned. You don’t want to spend your time, money, and energy growing a garden that only has to be taken down due to some complaints. Water may be your most limiting factor, so think about where you will source it from, and test it to make sure it has a balanced pH and is clean. Water filters help eliminate any future problems in the garden. Plan your garden around your water source and prepare sustainable irrigation systems.

OUTDOORS

Cannabis is one of the worlds largest bio remediators. Its tap root draws up whatever is in the soil, be it heavy metals, toxins, or beneficial nutrients. For this reason, if cannabis is being grown outdoors, its highly recommended to test the soil to ensure quality. A trained eye will notice robust life thriving in the soil if it is fertile. If stable ecosystems are created and integrated pest management is in place, there will be no need to use any toxins of any kind. Consider your environment and decide if you want to plant directly into the ground, in raised beds, or a greenhouse. Be careful for cross-pollination from your neighbors, especially now that more and more people are deciding to grow cannabis.

INDOORS

There is no greater energy than the sun; however, current legislation has enforced that some regions can only cultivate cannabis indoors including in Colorado where the home grow law states that, “[Cannabis] plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area that can’t be viewed openly. This means the plants can’t be outside.” Consider where you will be growing indoors. Are you going to frame out a room? Put up an indoor tent? Or use natural light by the window? Cannabis makes great house plants, and can be used to grow microgreens as well! How will you manage the temperature of the room? Do you need a fan, an air conditioning unit? There are no right or wrong answers, only solutions to your unique situation. One way to adapt to indoor gardening practices is to build living soil systems inside. This can be accomplished in pots, indoor raised beds, or other methods, depending on the materials you have available.

SEED OR CLONE?

Decide if you will grow from seeds or if you will be using rooted clones. The benefits of growing from seed include a more stable genetic and eliminate the risk of inheriting pests from a purchased clone. Seeds take longer to germinate, and you will have to ‘sex’ the plants, which means to identify which are male and which are female, and try to remove the males as fast as possible. Clones are cut from a mother plant and are ready to go in your garden right away. Those taken from your own plants are more cost effective than purchasing seeds. Genetics are just as important as your growing methods, so choose wisely! If purchasing seed, use credible sources who offer genetics that are completely stabilized. Know that not all genetics are the same; they will grow at different rates and sizes. These factors can all play into your overall design of your room.

MALE OR FEMALE?

Cannabis sativa l. (Cannabaceae) is a dioecious plant, meaning it has distinct male plants and female plants. Female plants are mostly used for their flowers which contain cannabinoids (including THC, and CBD, among hundreds of others) and terpenes (like limonene, which is also found in lemons!) Male plants may be used for breeding purposes, among other things. In most cases, you will want to grow females, and this requires the removal of all male plants so that the females do not get seeded. A male in the room can seed your whole garden if you are not careful.

Do what feels best for your time and space, and source your materials from farmers who are also using clean, regenerative methods of cultivation. Cannabis completes its life cycle in one season, an annual plant, so plan for about three months from seed to harvest. No matter your location, from urban cities to coastal climates, from greenhouse spaces to large-scale indoor operations, from sea level to mountain ranges, regenerative agriculture practices can be applied to all contexts. More is possible by working with nature’s bio rhythms. We can harvest greater yields and increase fertility in the soils. Regenerative cannabis cultivation is the solution to growing healthy plants that are good for the environment and the people. Be humble, honor your intention for cultivating the cannabis plant, and start slowly. Be kind to yourself, trust your intuition, come to your senses, let them tell you everything. The more time we spend in the garden, the more intuitive we will become. Get your hands dirty, and don’t forget to enjoy the ride. Nature is an impeccable teacher when we take the time to do the work and listen.

References 1 https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/marijuana/home-grow-laws