HIGHER THC LEVELS MADE POSSIBLE WITH CHITOSAL MAY CAUSE MILD TO SEVERE EUPHORIA AMONG GROWERS.
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ALL MUSHROOMS ARE MEDICINAL 60
74
57 The Wonders of the Deep
60 All Mushrooms are Medicinal
66 A Deep-Rooted Passion for Mushrooms at Fungaia Farms
70 Locals vs. Laboratories - Which Microbes Reign Supreme
72 It’s Time for the Cure!
74 Soilless SmackDown: Peat Moss vs. Coco Coir
78 Can Korean Natural Farming Work in the Northeastern US?
36 An Octopus’ Garden Companion: Deep Diving With Seaweed
46 Cultivating Cannabis With Jiu-Jitsu 50 Moments of Clarity: How Mushrooms Helped Heal a Former NHL Enforcer
86 For Peat’s Sake! A Gardener’s Debate
90 The People’s Bog
93 Local Growers
96 5 Cool Ways
After ten years of publishing Garden Culture, we have seen many fads come and go. Some stuck, others did not. Some of the biggest trends that genuinely changed the game were the introduction of coco coir as a substrate, microbes as a supplement, and LED grow lights. There is another craze booming outside our industry, and it’s mushrooms.The global mushroom market was valued at $58.8 billion in 2021 and will reach an estimated $86.5 billion by 2027, according to market research firm IMARC (imarcgroup.com/mushroom-market).
The year 2022 was not the best for indoor gardening shops or the companies that manufacture and supply the products they sell. Can mushroom cultivation be a new product category that helps our local hydro shops succeed? I hope so.
If you have been growing for years and have never tried growing mushrooms, NOW is the time. Not only are they fun and a beautiful thing to grow, but they are also super healthy and delicious. This edition has articles to motivate and educate you on how to do it.
The popularity of mushrooms is for more than just the ones we eat. They are used for building materials, cleaning up oil spills, and, most importantly, medicine.
In our interview, “Moments Of Clarity: How Mushrooms Helped Heal A Former NHL Enforcer,” Riley Cote tells us how psychedelic mushrooms have helped him reset mentally and see his world with less stress and anxiety.
If mushrooms are not for you, don’t worry! This edition contains valuable and interesting information, such as how best to use vermiculite and seaweed in the garden. Take a look at which microbes reign supreme and discover who wins the substrate battle in “Soilless SmackDown: Peat Moss versus Coco Coir” by Av Singh. Adam Clarke’s “Airflow And Its Importance In All Grow Rooms” will be a breeze to read and give your plants the environment they crave and you the garden of your dreams.
Happy growing, and remember to get out and support your local grow shop. They need us more than ever. So pick up a mushroom growing kit, and let us know how it goes!
Special thanks to:
Anne Gibson, Av Singh, Catherine Sherriffs, Chris Johnson, Cody J. Garrett-Tait, Jennifer Cole, Jesse Singer, Joanna Berg, Martin Osis, Matt Bedeaux, Rich Hamilton, Tom Forrest, and Xavi Kief.
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This summer, one mushroom took my breath away: Mycena acicula is a tiny little mushroom that almost glowed with an intense red cap and a micro thread-like stalk that was practically fluorescent yellow
We’re thrilled to have Martin Osis as a Garden Culture contributor, especially when it comes to exploring the incredible world of mushrooms. Martin is an amateur mycologist who has been educating mushroom enthusiasts for decades, but there’s nothing ‘amateur’ about him! The dude knows his stuff. Check out his article about the many medicinal benefits of mushrooms on page 60.
Not a motto as such but more of a state of being. When I am in the wilderness, it bathes all my senses. I stand and see a leaf etched on a rock from the fathoms of time, a hawk soaring free and imagine the mycelium pumping under my feet, feeling the life force around me.
My first outings in the woods were picking mushrooms with my family. Mushrooms are so mystical and spring from an invisible world out of my view. Like Einstein said when asked why he was interested in Physics - he wanted to figure out how God did it. Plus, serendipity drops a rare, choice, edible mushroom in my basket from time to time.
Favorites are difficult, as there are edible mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms that I enjoy and turn to regularly. But this summer, one mushroom took my breath away: Mycena acicula is a tiny little mushroom that almost glowed with an intense red cap and a micro thread-like stalk that was practically fluorescent yellow. The tiny thread curves and twists up and around to bring the mushroom cap above the world’s detritus. This keeps the cap perpendicular to the ground and in the breeze to distribute its spores. This mushroom only fruits about once a decade in my area, so seeing it is a real thrill!
Wild foods. Many of these are priceless as you can’t just go out and buy them, but you can earn them. Foraged, fished or hunted, you never know what will grace your plate, if anything at all. These ingredients never go to waste and are treated with the deepest respect and culinary care in my kitchen.
Foray Newfoundland or the next NAMA (North American Mycological Association) Foray. These mushroom forays bring you to interesting places with interesting mushrooms and even more interesting people.! 3
Are you interested in writing for Garden Culture Magazine? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email introducing yourself with a sample of your work. editor@gardenculturemagazine.com
Martin Osis
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Works preventively against soil-borne fungi such as Pythium spp., Fusarium spp., and Rhizoctonia. After applying Trianum-P, the spores germinate, and the mycelium colonizes the plant’s roots. The mycelium suppresses the development of soil pathogens by competing with them for space and nutrients.
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Providing outstanding features to all growers, whether hobby or professional growers, the “Beast” is revolutionizing horticultural LED lighting. Designed for 6.5’x 5’ coverage, the brand-new and highly anticipated X1000w Pro LED brings the future into the present with 2925 μmol/s PPFD levels and a wider footprint that guarantees a 2.9 μmol/J efficacy.
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B’cuzz Bloom is applied when the plant starts forming flowers just before it enters the bloom phase. B’cuzz Bloom kick-starts the bloom phase, making it more intense and lasting longer. The result is an explosive production of thick and compact flowers and fruits that taste and smell great.
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Create custom potting mix blends by combining vermiculite with other ingredients like sand, compost, vermicast or coir peat
Vermiculite is a naturally occurring volcanic silicate and multi-layered clay mineral closely related to mica. It is mined in many countries, including Australia, the US, South Africa and Brazil. During the heating process, the mineral expands as the layers separate.The resulting substrate is known as exfoliated vermiculite. It is graded into different sizes based on diameter. The accordion-shaped brown-grey colored granules range from extra fine (0-1mm) to fine (2-4mm), medium (3-6mm) and coarse (5-8mm). Vermiculite is helpful in various applications due to its many attributes.
Vermiculite has many beneficial characteristics that make it extremely useful for home gardeners and growers, particularly in growing mediums:
• It is clean; odorless; non-toxic; highly porous, and won’t become moldy, rot or decompose. Vermiculite can be expensive but provides long-lasting value.
• It is sterile and pathogen-free, so it is ideal for seed-raising media to avoid damping-off diseases.
• It can hold air and make minerals and nutrients available to plants.
• It has a strong capillary action that can absorb three to four times its weight in water.
• It increases the water-holding capacity of potting soil blends and seed-raising mixes, reducing the need to water as frequently. It behaves like a sponge, releasing moisture slowly. This characteristic is particularly valuable in hot, dry climates or during drought and for thirsty plants that do best in consistently moist soil.
• It has a high CEC (cation exchange capacity). Vermiculite has a negative charge and attracts positively charged ions. As a result, macro minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium are released from the particle surface to slowly release vital nutrients to plant roots.
• It is lightweight and inorganic, making it ideal for balcony gardeners or renters where a lightweight mix is required in pots or for people on the move.
• It is a permanent ingredient that will not deteriorate or lose volume in the mix.
• It has thermal properties, which can be very useful to insulate plant roots from high or low-temperature fluctuations. In hot climates or for frost-tender plants, this ingredient can be a lifesaver!
• It typically has a fairly neutral pH, ideal for adding to soil and growing mediums.
• It improves the structure of soil and growing mediums. Larger vermiculite particles increase aeration and enhance the composition of heavy, compacted soils.
• It can substitute perlite in growing media for many applications.
• It is inert, so it is non-reactive to other materials.
These unique characteristics make vermiculite a very beneficial product in the garden. Here are a few ways to use it to your advantage:
Soilless growing substrate: Create custom potting mix blends by combining vermiculite with other ingredients like sand, compost, vermicast or coir peat. It’s an ideal growing medium for hydroponics for plant support, moisture retention and nutrient release (Voropaeva et al., 2014).
Seed germination: Vermiculite can be used as a moisture-retaining cover layer to help seeds germinate or as an ingredient in a seed-raising mix.
A blend of vermiculite and coir is often used for striking cuttings
Vermiculite is helpful in various applications due to its many
Vermiculite can be used in potting mix to raise vegetables
Store root crops or bulbs: Placed in a container and surrounded with vermiculite, you can extend the harvest life of root crops and prevent bulbs from rotting during storage. It will absorb excess moisture from outside the crops or bulbs, and the thermal properties insulate them from temperature fluctuations.
Soil improver: Vermiculite can be added to heavy clay soils to improve aeration and structure. Mixed into sandy soils, it helps retain soil moisture and nutrients.
Propagating cuttings: Medium-grade vermiculite is an ideal propagation mix on its own or in combination with coir peat, compost or vermicast. It provides excellent drainage and aeration properties, helps to anchor roots, and holds nutrients and moisture to promote new growth.
• The pH of vermiculite can vary depending on the brand and is sometimes slightly alkaline. It’s a good idea to check your potting or seed-raising mix with a soil pH test kit before using. If needed, blend with slightly acidic ingredients to balance the pH.
• Due to its moisture-absorbing properties, vermiculite may not be the best choice as an amendment in growing mediums for succulents or plants that require a drier mix. Drought-hardy species only need minimal soil moisture, so a higher proportion of sand to coarse-grade vermiculite would be appropriate.
• Fine-grade vermiculites help retain water in the growing media. This aids seed germination, but the fine particle size can also impact aeration properties. Therefore, it’s essential to choose a suitable grade for the job. So, vermiculite must be balanced with other ingredients in seed-raising mixes, such as sand and sieved compost or vermicast, to ensure adequate oxygen around the root zone.
• Coarse-grade vermiculites have a larger particle size. These granules help aerate growing media but have lower water-holding capacity than fine-grade.
A variety of vermiculite grades are used for different plants - ideal for propagating succulents
Vermiculite is a dry mineral; bags can contain fine dust, so keep them closed when not used. Work outdoors on a non-windy day or in an area with good ventilation. Keep vermiculite damp during use to minimize dust. Store it in a cool, dry place with adequate air circulation out of the sun. You can also wear gloves and a mask to prevent potential irritation.
With many benefits and applications, vermiculite is a substrate worth using in your garden. 3
BIO Anne Gibson, The Micro Gardener, is an author, speaker and urban garden community educator on the Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia. Anne is passionate about inspiring people to improve health and wellbeing, by growing nutrient-dense food gardens in creative containers and small spaces. Anne regularly presents workshops, speaks at sustainable living events, coaches private clients and teaches community education classes about organic gardening and ways to live sustainably. She has authored several eBooks and gardening guides. Anne shares organic gardening tips and tutorials to save time, money and energy on her popular website - TheMicroGardener.com
Vermiculite is an ideal ingredient in seed raising mix and to raise microgreens
Whether feared as poisonous or honoured as a gift from the Gods, humans have had a long and varied history with mushrooms. Especially when it comes to our consumption of them or lack thereof. Let’s walk through a timeline of our history of mushroom consumption.
In 2010, the remains of a woman - dubbed the “Red Lady” - were found in a burial site dating back nearly 18,700 years. An examination of her dental calculus found evidence of mushrooms in her diet.
3,400-3,100
The mummified remains of a hunter-man, Otzi, who lived in Europe between 3,400 and 3,100 BC, were found with three different kinds of fungal objects. While one may have been used to start fires, the others were likely for medicinal purposes.
In Ancient Egypt, mushrooms were considered so special, a gift from the God Osiris, that they were reserved for royals and their families. Common folk were not allowed to eat mushrooms or even touch them!
1,500 BC:
480 BC:
In Ancient Greece, philosophers such as Plato, Homer, and Aristotle, were said to attend secret ritual ceremonies worshipping the goddess Demeter, which involved drinking psychoactive concoctions containing psychedelic mushrooms.
200 BC:
Greek horticulturalists begin growing mushrooms to learn more about their practical uses. In an essay called Concerning Odors, the Greek scientist Theophrastus wrote that fungi grown on dung was not stinky and could be eaten. His student, Nicandros, learned and spread the good word about growing mushrooms in manure-filled holes under fig trees.
100 BC:
Artwork in Central America portrays mushrooms as a way to communicate with the Gods. Mayan and Aztec people used psilocybin in religious ceremonies for various celebrations and spiritual and physical healing.
450 BC:
Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine” himself, wrote about the amadou mushroom as an effective anti-inflammatory and ideal for cauterising wounds.
Ancient Chinese texts dating back to 100 BC discuss several of today’s popular mushrooms, pointing out their ability to cure multiple diseases, including respiratory illnesses.
The 1300s:
The Mixtec Vienna Codex, which dates back to the 14th the use of mind-altering mushrooms in ancient Mexican religious ceremonies.
1422:
King Charles died on October 21st, 1422 - possibly from eating amanita or death cap mushrooms. Leading famed French Philosopher Voltaire to say, “A dish of mushrooms changed the destiny of Europe.”
1519: 1650:
Following the conquest of Mexico in 1519, Roman Catholic priests witnessed Indigenous peoples consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms. They would wait for the effects to wear off and then discuss their visions for the future.
1790:
Frenchman Pierre II Mauléon of Lou dun began to cultivate truffles around 1790. Recognizing the correlation be tween the oak tree, the rocky soil, and the truffles, Mauléon attempted to recreate the environment by taking acorns from truffle-producing trees and sewing them in chalky soil.
Mushrooms had been cultivated in the east for hundreds of years. But the first record in the west happened around 1650 in Paris, France.
1755-1826:
Brillat-Savarin, a father of the gastronomic essay, once called truffles the “diamonds of the kitchen”.
“The Virginia Housewife”
It was around 1865 that mushroom cultivation started in the United States.
Before this time in the United States, mushrooms were primarily used in condiments. However, once cultivation began stateside, Americans started cooking them up in their kitchens.
Lepiota procera Stew and Baked Tricholoma personatum are just two of the 100 recipes in Kate Sargeant’s “One Hundred Mushroom Receipts” cookbook. This is one of the first English-language cookbooks dedicated to the mushroom.
Until the early 1900s, pizza was primarily sweet, not savory. In Pellegrino Artusi’s classic cookbook, ‘La Scienza in cucina e l’Arte di mangiar bene’, he had three pizza recipes, all of them sweet! However, after reader feedback, Artusi added a typed-up sheet to the 1911 edition with a recipe for a savory ‘Pizza alla Napoletana: mozzarella, tomatoes, anchovies and mushrooms.
Now known as Crimini, the Italian Brown was the most widely available mushroom before 1940.
A staple in many kitchen cupboards these days, the Campbell Soup Company introduced their famous Cream of Mushroom in 1934.
In a study charting diseases throughout the country, Japanese researchers discovered two remote areas where incidents of cancer were shockingly low. Eventually, this epidemiological phenomenon was linked to the predominance of Shiitake mushrooms in their diets.
“I HAVE A SHELF FULL OF PRODUCTS AND NOTHING COMPARES TO CROP DEFENDER 3. SAFE AND EFFECTIVE IS THE WAY TO GROW. THIS PRODUCT IS IT.”
BRENDA M., THE NUG GARDEN
1969:
In 1969, the pharmaceutical compound Lentinan was extracted from shiitake mushrooms. It’s now the third most widely prescribed anticancer drug in the world.
According to a report from the Mushroom Council in the 2010s, white button mushrooms are far and away the most popular variety in the United States. They represent 90% of all mushrooms consumed in the country.
The worldwide production of commercial mushrooms and the recorded amount of collected truffles weighed in at 11.9 million tonnes in 2019.
We aren’t sure when it started or who started it, but October 15th is National Mushroom Day.
• pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/edible-mushrooms
• foodprint.org/real-food/mushrooms
• wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream_of_mushroom_soup
• lowimpact.org/info-articles/history-of-mushroom-cultivation
• Blog.naturalwellbeing.com: bit.ly/3UGwU89
• ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4684114
• spiritofchange.org/a-history-of-medicinal-mushrooms
• mpg.de/9173780/mushrooms-food-source-stone-age
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_mushroom
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle
• Mycologistkat.wordpress.com: bit.ly/3HnJx4T
• Tastingtable.com: bit.ly/3UL3HJn
• nationaltoday.com/national-mushroom-day
• Crazyaboutmushrooms.com: bit.ly/3FEB1gN
• Mushroomrevival.com: bit.ly/3iQqW7B
BIO Jesse grew up obsessed with movies and so it only makes sense that he graduated from McGill University with a degree in Political Science. He then put that degree to good use with a job at a video store. After that, he spent months backpacking around Europe - a continent that he has been back to visit many times since. Jesse is super curious and loves to learn and explore new subjects. For the last 15+ years, he has been writing online for a number of different sites and publications covering everything from film and television to website reviews, dating and culture, history, news, and sports. He’s worn many hats - which is ironic because he actually loves wearing hats and he has many different ones.
Whether starting from a spore or pre-inoculated kit, cleanliness will be a significant factor in the success of your first grow.
Like mushrooms, mold and bacteria also love nutrientrich substrates and will almost always out-compete the fungus you are trying to grow
Mushrooms love a nutrient-rich grow substrate to spread their mycelial “roots” and absorb the nutrients around them. Like mushrooms, mold and bacteria also love nutrient-rich substrates and will almost always out-compete the fungus you are trying to grow. Ensuring you have a clean substrate is integral for the success of your first grow, but this article will focus on the importance of giving the mushrooms the best environment possible, and that starts with where we do our lab work.
When I was an amateur grower starting to get my hands on the tools and inoculating my grow substrates, my 4’x8’ bathroom quickly became my “clean” room. A small space in your home with little to no foot traffic will be the best place to get your athome mycology work done because it will be the most accessible place to keep clean. And remember, we do not need to take over a room in your home permanently; this is only necessary when doing the clean work portion of mushroom cultivation.
The smaller the room, the better. You want to have the space shining from floor to ceiling, and less space means less time cleaning. Depending on your budget, the most common cleaners are Lysol sprays or bleach. When working with any cleaner in a small, sealed environment, it is vital to wear the appropriate attire to keep yourself safe; I recommend gloves, glasses, and a face mask.
Now that we have our space dialed in, we need to bring in our tools and supplies. As you clean or bring items in, it is essential to wipe them all down with a 70% Isopropyl alcohol solution and allow it to evaporate completely before using them.
After you have identified a place in your home, cleaned it from top to bottom, and have all your tools and supplies, it is time to think about the most significant vector of contamination: you! Humans are walking vessels for molds and bacteria to latch onto, whether it be on your clothes, hair, or even the spit particles that leave our mouths as we talk. No matter how much work and preparation you put into cleaning your environment, you must remember to ensure you are as clean as possible. Before doing at-home lab work, I recommend you shower, dawn a fresh set of clothing, tie up your hair
(if applicable), and remove any jewellery before we step into our homemade lab.
Once we set foot into the lab, putting the appropriate PPE on is essential. Basic PPE is a set of disposable gloves and a surgical mask. The gloves will help prevent bacteria or dirt trapped in your fingernails from dislodging while working, and the surgical mask will prevent spit particles from landing on your tools or sterilized substrates.
Proper workflow is the next step to consider when growing mushrooms. Doing all the work in an orderly fashion, moving from the left to the right, will prevent us from reaching back over the top of something that can be contaminated. For example, suppose I plan to spawn bulk substrate in a bag. In that case, I will set up my scissors, isopropyl alcohol, and paper towel on the far left, followed by my bag of spawn, a bag of the substrate, and lastly, my bag sealer on the furthest to the right side of my workbench. This will allow me to use the clean scissors to slice open the two bags, transfer the contents of one bag into the other, and seal the bag with a bag sealer - all without having to reach back over to grab a tool and potentially contaminate a vulnerable open bag of the substrate.
Setting yourself up for success in the lab is time wellspent, as five minutes of prep work can save you two weeks of colonizing a substrate only to realize it has been contaminated the entire time. Being intentional with your actions and having a proper game plan will bring you success in all of your myco-endeavors. 3
five minutes of prep work can save you two weeks of colonizing a substrate only to realize it has been contaminated the entire timeBIO Chris Johnson is a business professional and amateur mycologist working in the Canadian psychedelic industry. Chris is passionate about making mushrooms and mushroom cultivation more approachable for the everyday myco-curious person.
They’ve never met, but Naty King, Dr. Tammara Soma, PhD, and Lori Nikkel are united in their passion for stopping the loss of healthy and nutritious farm fresh food.
Tammara Soma, Director of Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Food Lab Systems, uses her research skills to understand food loss on farms. Food discarded by restaurants, households, and grocery stores makes headlines. But no one talks about farm food loss, says Soma, lead author of the study, Tilling food under: Barriers and opportunities to address the loss of edible food at the farm-level in British Columbia, Canada [1]
Research by the World Wildlife Fund and UK grocery chain, Tesco, found that global food loss on farms amounted to 1.2 billion tonnes per year, approximately 15.3% of the food produced globally [2] In 2020 [3] , the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated the losses to be even higher, at 30%. Soma’s study identified several reasons for this loss.
farms amounted to 1.2 billion tonnes per year, approximately 15.3% of the food produced globally
Like all businesspeople, farmers want to produce quality products, reduce costs, and maximize profits. They often plant too much to account for crop loss due to weather, shipping issues, and other unforeseen circumstances. The practice also works in favor of the buyer and processor. In Canada, for example, there are no regulations on what a buyer pays a farmer for produce. When an abundance of one crop floods the market, prices fall. Worldwide, the problem is complicated by farms owned by large agri-food corporations, which can further glut the market with produce and controlled market access. According to the Land Inequality Initiative, this directly threatens the livelihoods of an estimated 2.5 billion people involved in smallholder agriculture [4,5] , like farmers and those hired to work on farms.
For many family-run farms, harvesting and transporting food when prices are low is not worth the effort, often costing more than the initial investment of planting the crop. In the long run, Soma says, it’s better to till the crop back into the ground, giving the soil the nutrients it needs for the next planting.
Even if the crop makes it out of the field, its hurdles are far from over. Anything less than a perfectly cylindrical carrot appears inedible to the consumer. So despite being just as healthy as any other carrot, it’s ignored on the shelf.
Soma’s team interviewed farmers who described incidents in which a crop was harvested, packaged, and shipped but still rejected at the grocery store’s shipping bay because it was deemed unpleasing to the eye. A slightly misshapen strawberry can be enough to turn the truck around and leave the farmer on the hook for transportation costs. The farmer must also pay to store the products until they can find a new home for the shipment. All the while, the value of the product is diminishing.
In the United States, Walmart and Whole Foods tried selling produce that didn’t meet the aesthetic standards of size, shape, or color. It didn’t work; consumers weren’t interested in dented apples [6] In 2019, Canada’s leading food retailers voluntarily tried to offset the problem of food loss and aesthetic value by self-monitoring, measuring, and acting to reduce food loss and waste to 50% by 2025 [7]
Lori Nikkel, Chief Executive Officer of Second Harvest [8] , Canada’s largest food rescue charity, says that without government-mandated measures or benchmarks, the progress in eliminating food loss will be difficult to quantify.
Soma and Nikkel point to government funding and right-to-food policies to solve farm food loss. The United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights enshrines the Right to Food in its mandate. As of 2020, 170 countries were signatories. The majority laggards in policy implementation, which emboldens the state to take necessary steps to ensure populations have enough food and secure livelihoods [9]
When right-to-food strategies are implemented, they can work, says Soma. For example, in 1993, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, enshrined the right to food into municipal law [10,11] . Food markets were regulated, and farmers could sell products without worrying about over-production or aesthetic crop loss. As a result, the city earned a reputation for ending food insecurity for its population.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Second Harvest seeks out the surplus, edible food that businesses can’t use and gets it to the people who need it. They are proving what can happen when government and stakeholders work together to eliminate food loss on the farm.
In 2021, they rescued over 12 million tons of Prince Edward Island potatoes that would have been tilled back into the ground, turned into compost, or gone to the landfill.
When potato wart—a fungus harmless to humans but not great for potatoes, was found on two fields in PEI, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) closed the Canadian-US border to all potato exports for fear the fungus would spread. Farmers were left in the lurch, and potatoes sat rotting in fields.
Nikkel says emergency pandemic subsidies available through the Minister of Agriculture’s Emergency Food Security Fund allowed Second Harvest to secure a grant of $3.9 million. They purchased $2 million worth of potatoes; farmers received a small dividend for the crop, and there was still enough money to transport potatoes to places as far north as Iqaluit in northern Canada [12]
As the pandemic has waned, the program has ended. Still, Nikkel says that Second Harvest is great at logistics, distribution, and cutting through red tape. However, without any financial incentive for the farmer, it’s sometimes easier and ultimately more economical to recycle crops back into the ground or turn them into feed for livestock or compost.
In Surrey, BC, Hazelmere Organics is an exception to the food loss stereotype. As a child, Naty King’s parents told her stories about Second World War food rationing and how every morsel mattered. Over-ripe fruit, for example, wasn’t thrown out; people turned it into jams and jellies. This has become King’s waste-not-want-not philosophy of farming. Selling directly to local restaurants and avoiding the middleman, King has aligned herself with businesses that aren’t hung up on aesthetics as long as the food is edible.
King says it’s about common sense and planning. For example, she freezes or preserves field crops she can’t sell for herself and her extended family. Old-school King has made a name for herself in the farming community as a no-nonsense farmer, setting an example of how things used to be and how she hopes they can be again. Mean-
while, King’s parents taught her rice was grown to sustain life and was never meant for compost; this is a concept she hopes we all begin to take to heart.
Around the world, enough food is produced to feed everyone—but as many as 828 million people are food insecure [13] . Mired in economics and bureaucracy, the reasons and solutions to farm food being lost are complex, says Soma. It took decades for the problem to reach a crisis point, and she wonders if, with the planet facing climate change and war, we have decades to unravel it. 3
Footnotes:
1. Tilling food under: Barriers and opportunities to address the loss of edible food at the farm-level in British Columbia, Canada - ScienceDirect
2. Food Security | Rising Food Insecurity in 2022 (worldbank.org) Global Report on Food Crises 2022 - World | ReliefWeb
3. USDA ERS - Food Loss: Why Food Stays On the Farm or Off the Market
4. 2020_9_land_inequality_paper_food_chains_en_web_spread_Xpr7cyo.pdf (d3USDA ERS - Food Loss: Why Food Stays On the Farm or Off the Market o3cb4w253x5q.cloudfront.net)
5. Corporations are devouring farmland | Canada’s National Observer: News & Analysis
6. ‘Ugly produce’ trend may have limits, as grocers end tests | CTV News
7. NZWC - The Issue
8. Food Rescue Charity In Canada | Second Harvest
9. Right to food - Wikipedia
10. Belo Horizonte’s Food Security Policy - futurepolicy.org
11. Belo Horizonte food | WWF (panda.org)
12. Saving P.E.I.’s Potatoes: A Truly Canadian Food Rescue Story (secondharvest.ca)
13. World Hunger: Key Facts and Statistics 2022 | Action Against Hunger
without any financial incentive for the farmer, it’s sometimes easier and ultimately more economical to recycle crops back into the ground or turn them into feed for livestock or compost.Lori Nikkel credit: www.bcorganicfarmers.com, www.bcorganicfarmers.com Tammara Soma Naty King
As the topics of climate instability and global food insecurity demand urgent attention, regenerative growing practices are being adapted and scaled to address the interconnectedness of human and non-human survival on this planet.
Like land-growing plant groups such as grasses or trees, seaweed is a generic name for many species. In the last several decades, emerging technologies and research have revealed the underappreciated diversity and activities of fungal and bacterial organisms. At the same time, nearly every industry has found novel opportunities to enhance the human experience by working with seaweeds. Their unique characteristics attract people seeking creative solutions in healthcare, food, and environmental wellness.
Seaweeds have long been collected and cultivated as a primary food source for humans and their companions. Now, AI is used to identify textures and flavors inherent in animal-based products and mimic those using derivatives of land and ocean-growing plants. These “meaty” products can be derived from plants grown with regenerative land-use strategies that incorporate seaweed to produce more appealing, nutritious food.
Of course, coastal agriculturalists have long worked with seaweed and other marine source materials in localized traditions of integrated resource and sustenance management, defying and complicating concepts of boundaries between living lands and waters.
From a land-based human farmer’s point of view, seaweeds are analogous to other domesticated crops. A few countries and locales have historically exploited their natural resources to evolve industrial methods of high-volume cultivation and harvest. The same vulnerabilities and concerns exist within seaweed agriculture, including risks associated with monocropping and genetic intervention (whether through traditional breeding or genetic modification), which allow shortsighted economic gains to take precedence by reducing diversity, threatening ecological balance and future yields.
Like any other agricultural input, when macroalgae are collected and used without regulatory oversight and testing, there is a potential for contamination by bioaccumulation, the redistribution of heavy metals or other chemical pollutants, and ecosystem disruption. Living kelp forests are home to incredible biodiversity. Mammals such as whales, sea lions and otters use them for food and refuge from storms and predators, as do countless fish species and invertebrates like sea urchins, slugs, snails, stars, sand dollars, and octopi.
Sustainability concerns and other pressures have created a global regulatory environment in which seaweed cultivation and wild harvesting are subject to radically different and sometimes seemingly over-complicated schemes. These prevent some stakeholders in countries like the United States from being able to jump in and start farming the oceans. At the same time, the European Commission, Scotland, India, and other nations are openly exploring opportunities for industrializing seaweed as part of integrated hunger-reducing programs. They cite proof of land-crop yield improvement and spacial use efficiency (i.e. farming kelp in coastal areas already disturbed and depopulated due to windfarming and other human activities) as additional and significant benefits to investing in this sector.
Thanks to the generational transmission of traditional ecological knowledge, some contemporary environmental stewards know how to work regeneratively with wild sea plants in their regions. These practices include respecting the growth habits of different types of seaweeds and employing multiplicative techniques similar to coppicing, “pinching back” or topping, while leaving the rock-affixed bases of the plants intact. However, because beach and ocean detritus like rocks and shells comingle with storm-tossed seaweed, machine collection of this resource is generally not considered commercially viable. Instead, these deposits are often available to small-scale hand pickers operating either on their ocean-adjacent properties or with permission from the supervisory bodies that govern other types of wild harvest (e.g. hunting, herbcraft).
In other locations, the public interest is cited as a reason for “cleaning up” significant quantities of beached seaweed, offering the opportunity to employ this otherwise “nuisance” or “waste” in nearby food production and land rejuvenation strategies. In addition, these materials can be valuable to those seeking to repair or improve soil quality for cultivation.
When seaweed biomass is incorporated as a compost amendment or mulch, the structural effect is increased water-holding capacity, aiding in wind erosion control and allowing more efficient use of unpredictable rain and cherished groundwater resources.
Sustainability concerns and other pressures have created a global regulatory environment in which seaweed cultivation and wild harvesting are subject to radically different and sometimes seemingly overcomplicated schemes
Growers can observe or imagine chopped seaweed mulch working like other mucilaginous materials, hydrating and holding moisture between soil particles.
Although transferring large quantities of raw, unwashed seaweed will introduce some sand and salt to the land, it more than makes up for this by adding other minerals and beneficial compounds to the mix. Composting seaweed with sawdust is one inexpensive and balanced approach to building soil.
Seaweed concentrates are not merely nutritional supplements and do not create such a strong effect on plants simply by increasing the local food supply; they contain phytochemicals which signal the treated plants to become more resilient to adverse conditions.
Macroalgae enjoy mineralized growing conditions (salt water) where photon availability is affected by sunlight’s penetration through the water. Without a soil-based network of roots to draw nutrients, these organisms use phytochemical processes enabled by different mechanisms than the plants growing inland.
For these reasons, several important phytoeliciting compounds naturally occur abundantly in seaweed, which can be extracted, concentrated, and used to promote desirable outcomes in other crop cultivation projects.
Decades of scientific investigation support serious consideration of seaweed amendments for plant producers of all types. The parameters of a grower’s cultivation plan are essential in how they incorporate seaweed. In a multi-seasonal (or multi-generational) land relationship, the human introduction of raw seaweed biomass in an active composting environment is an opportunity to improve the growing substrate structurally.
For many growers, this direct-tothe-land relationship may locate them far from natural sources of macroalgae, partly because of the high volume of seaweed farming undertaken in the name of other industries (e.g. cosmetics, pharmaceuticals). But agricultural amendments containing seaweed are also widely available.
A mixture of brand loyalty, distribution channels, and local regulatory frameworks will likely impact the choice of products. Many bottled additives contain some amount of seaweed in their formulations, and as a little goes a long way, there may be no sense of urgency to add a dedicated seaweed product to the plan. However, a range of effects can be seen from seaweed use throughout a cultivar’s life cycle. Specialized products are often marketed for use on a specific crop at a particular time. Therefore, growers with diverse gardens or operating under other parameters (e.g. veganics) may be better off choosing the most concentrated, fewest ingredient liquid seaweed extract they can find.
Anyone starting plants from seed can enjoy the benefits from day one. Seed treatment with liquid seaweed extracts has been shown to improve germination rates and increase the vitality of emerging seedlings. The health and vigor of small plants propagated by cuttings have also significantly improved in seaweed-enriched environments.
Thanks to recent DNA analysis, it is now confirmed that seaweed application not only improves the growing environment in treated areas, but the availability of its specialized constituents inherently alters the biochemical journey of the living plants. By up and down-regulating hundreds of genes responsible for growth, defence, and resistance to stress, foliar and drench applications of liquid seaweed concentrates contribute to the robustness of the plants under cultivation and their progeny.
Decades of scientific investigation support serious consideration of seaweed amendments for plant producers of all types
Higher levels of calcium, phosphorous, boron, copper, iron, manganese and zinc have been reported in the leaves and stalks of plants treated with liquid seaweed
It all started with an idea that had the potential for something great. A vision for the future and a lot of hard work. Founded in 1999 as a labour of love by two visionaries, Biofloral has earned its title as a pillar of the indoor/outdoor gardening, hydroponic, and cannabis communities. Over the last 20 years, the Biofloral team has earned the trust and respect of Canadian growers from coast to coast by cultivating relationships, offering expertise, and supporting you, our customers.
We do what we love and we’re here to help you do the same. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for you, the people we’ve met and served along the way. We believe that fostering a cohesive, vibrant local community that unites passionate people is important to ensuring not only our community’s success but the well being of our plants.
We’re homegrown, independent, strong, and resilient just like you. So here’s to you, the round pegs in the square holes. To the ones that can’t be ignored. The misfits. The rebels. WE ARE, and will always be the disruptors and the change makers. You see things differently, and we’re here for it.
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It’s not surprising, for example, to discover that genes relating to drought and salt stress tolerance were up-regulated in tomato plants treated with seaweed extracts. Plant pathogen defences, achieved by boosting chemical signaling, metabolic production pathways, and cell structure, are also improved at the genetic level, as is the metabolism of nutrients.
Higher levels of calcium, phosphorous, boron, copper, iron, manganese and zinc have been reported in the leaves and stalks of plants treated with liquid seaweed. The plants’ ability to make use of these minerals is also improved. Improved nutrient use efficiency means that where seaweed is employed, other costly (synthetic chemical, inorganic) inputs may be used less or even eliminated. This increased effectiveness would be an economic benefit to today’s farmers, reduce the seasonal draw of fertility from agricultural lands, and contribute to future harvest quality and yields.
Regarding flavor and effect, unique cultivars of medicinal herbs are especially prized when exhibiting genetic propensity toward higher concentrations of defence-related compounds. In plain language, the smelliest and stickiest plants are more likely to survive insect damage, attract pollinators and repel predators, and some of the produced phytochemicals are bio/psychoactive compounds prized by humans.
Research has shown that terpenes and thiols, particularly volatile metabolites that provide plants with characteristic scents (and dank stenches), are functional for communicating a threat. For example, they may signal for increased immune responses in the other plant populations themselves or draw the attention of beneficial insects who recognize the damage done as evidence that their herbivorous prey is near.
plot of cultivars already possessing very desirable phytochemistry, it does not seem unreasonable to expect that seaweed can prime these plants to signal their peers, maximize their existing potential, and generate plentiful amounts of these enjoyable and extractable molecules.
Breaking down barriers to using available marine resources in balance with the protection of maritime habitats and ecosystems feels like a natural progression of social psychology, moving away from binarist, black-and-white, short-term thinking.
Although we cannot extrapolate research on tomato plants 1:1 to other crops, the promise of possibly inheritable improvements within a generation is attractive to seekers of the ‘best of the best in plant selection and breeding programs.
Crop yield and quality benefit from applying various seaweed-derived products. By using both timely, targeted treatments and broad, raw applications, growers can improve the health of today’s living plants. They can also advance the resilience of future food and medicine production through soil enrichment, environmental remediation, and sociocultural shift away from synthetic, petrochemical, and animal-sourced fertilizer regimes.
When food and the next season’s seed stock are collected from healthy plants while the growing environment is rebuilt and restored, the downstream effect is multiplicative; raising the bar for individual and environmental wellness is a targeted and reasonably expected outcome. 3
Seed treatment with liquid seaweed extracts has been shown to improve germination rates and increase the vitality of emerging seedlingsSeaweed garden on the island of Bali, Indonesia
Kief is a writer, researcher, and lifelong learner with their hands in the dirt and their imagination traversing the universe. Seeking always to deepen and integrate their connection with the living planet and its diverse inhabitants, Xavi finds joy by infusing their practical and playful approach to cultivation with a healthy dose of science. They grow food and medicine for their family and community on their NorthEast Coast homestead.
Composting seaweed with sawdust is one inexpensive and balanced approach to building soil
“Don’t be out collecting more than you need. Got a lot of things growing, keep watching those seeds.”
- Robert HunterFrom their very origin, the Grateful Dead (Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, Robert Hunter, and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan) were synonymous with the “drug” scene as much of the financial backing for the band coming from the sale of LSD. Owsley’ Bear’ Stanley, the sound engineer for the Dead, produced some of the best LSD for the mid-60s counterculture, and the profits from that helped the band get started. And from that, the myth grew.
In 1969, the free concert at Altamont Speedway featuring the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young got a little too rowdy as concertgoers began clashing with the Hell’s Angels, who had been hired to perform security. The violence was too much for the Grateful Dead, and they declined to perform. However, concerts like Woodstock and Altamont set the stage for the distribution of “weed,” and with the Grateful Dead’s heavy touring schedule and their loyal traveling fans, truckin’ cannabis from west to east and back became commonplace.
Before each show, the parking lot of the venue was transformed into a Deadhead bazaar (known as “Shakedown”) where you could get everything from chili dogs and tie-dyed anything to weed and perhaps even some weed seed, leading to more folklore - the birth of Chem Dog.
Supposedly, a deal goes down in June 1991 at a Shakedown outside the Deer Creek Amphitheater, Indiana. A Deadhead named ‘Chemdog’ or ‘Chem’ buys a bag of pot called
Dogbud (maybe from Colorado?) for $500, sold to him by Joe Brand and P-bud. Not surprisingly, Chem returns to Massachusetts and finds 13 seeds in his ‘Dogbud’ and plants some of them out, and the legendary ‘strain’ Chem Dog (Chem 91) emerges. Some of Chem Dog’s offspring and influences may include Sour Diesel (at least East Coast Sour Diesel), OG Kush, San Fernando Valley OG, Bubble Chem, and even Deadhead OG.
With the advancement of the internet in a post-prohibition world, the notion of ‘concerts’ as the nexus of cannabis genetics exchange may seem far-fetched, when nowadays seeds are sent by mail to your door after a few clicks on a website. But, when we look back over the thousands of years that our species has been consuming cannabis and its spread to all corners of the world, we recognize the tremendous social capital that this plant helps create. Deadheads’ love of great music and cannabis has helped shape cannabis genetics like no other cultural influence.
As for the Grateful Dead and cannabis, the connection continues. Family members of Jerry Garcia have carefully and respectfully created a brand (“Garcia Hand Picked”) that genuinely honors Jerry Garcia’s vision of life and love. Similarly, drummer Mickey Hart has released a product line called “Mind your Head,” which hearkens back to his famous quote, “The Grateful Dead aren’t in the music business, we’re in the transportation business,” which may be extrapolated to not only including transporting our minds but perhaps, inadvertently our cannabis genetics. 3
The violence was too much for the Grateful Dead, and they declined to perform
Dark Star OG, Terpwin Station, Cherry Garcia Band, Mountain Girl, Jack Straw, Casey Jones, Unbroken Chain, Grateful Breath, Jerry Bear, Sunshine Daydream, Scarlet Fire, Stella Blue, Steal Your Face, Touch of Grey, Sugar Magnolia, and of course, Deadhead OG, are just but a few cannabis “strains” that are the offspring of the loyal entourage of the Grateful Dead, affectionately known as Deadheads.
Following his retirement from professional sport, Steve has turned his laser-focus and obsessive work ethic towards cultivating some of the finest cannabis in the world
After driving through the desert, we arrive in Pahrump and are greeted by a firm handshake. With an imposing physique, Steve Cantwell opens the door, smiling to see our team. Although built like a warrior, Steve is a kind and gentle soul. Steve labored diligently to achieve infamy in his successful professional fighting career with WEC championships and a formidable UFC record as ‘The Robot.’
Following his retirement from professional sport, Steve has turned his laser-focus and obsessive work ethic towards cultivating some of the finest cannabis in the world. Operating from a remote desert location in Nevada, Green Life Productions is a unique approach to agriculture and sustainable cannabis production.
The Las Vegas Strip’s bright lights and bustling commotion are a sensory overload of greed, gluttony, and corporatized adult entertainment. Smoking, gambling, and fetishized fantasies are antagonistically advertised from all angles. An hour’s drive from this chaos finds our team speeding through barren landscapes of spectacular desert and breathtaking rock formations. Driving past rugged sceneries dotted with succulents and cacti, small groups play on ATVs, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes, adventuring into the wilderness.
We arrive at the address and are buzzed through the razor-wire fencing and a daunting electrified gate. We pull into a carpark at the back of an unassuming warehouse with no external signage. The door swings open, and we are greeted by a particularly large human wearing surgical scrubs. Steve ushers us in with his welcoming smile, a warm handshake, and light-hearted banter.
Steve has been cultivating cannabis professionally for over ten years and draws unique insights from his fighting career, martial arts mindset, and meticulous attention to detail. As a result, his approach differs significantly from every farm and facility I have ever visited.
Green Life Productions uses an innovative growing style that models natural ecosystems—using ethics and principles of permaculture while remaining highly consistent, compliant, productive, and hygienic. Steve embraces the soil food web as their cornerstone of cultivation, describing his greatest teacher as Mother Nature, looking to natural systems for unwritten yet crucial lessons for this facility.
We pass through the processing, drying, and packaging zones – all kept impeccably sterile and with a distinct feel of a hospital. Stainless steel benches are clean enough for surgery, with dry goods and consumables neatly stored in perfect order.
After a strict hygiene protocol of PPE, handwashing, and sanitation using essential oils (smelling like a delicious perfume), we can enter the cultivation zones. I’ve never been sprayed with essential oils by a 6’2” UFC fighter, but it was one of the nicest sanitation practices I’ve endured.
In the first cultivation zone, we are greeted by beautiful benches of vegetative plants in ‘bottomless pots’ under LED lights, a juvenile baobab tree, and a unique pinnate-palmate, fernlike cannabis plant (the freakshow) thriving alongside one another. This is already something entirely different and extraordinary.
Fitting to his fighting name of ‘The Robot’ – Steve runs an incredibly tight regime. The area is kept militantly clean yet abundant with life strategically contained in pots and raised soil beds. Airflow is simple yet effective with EC fans and dust filters strategically mounted to circulate air around the canopy.
Steve doesn’t have specific vegetative or mother plant rooms. Instead, he uses unique cycling of plants and vegetative growth strategies for clonal reproduction, maintaining an incredibly lean operation with a reduced footprint yet the rapid commercial output of top-shelf quality.
After reviewing his simple fertigation room, we are ushered into the flowering rooms in a specific access order (to reduce contamination). A flawless, laser-level canopy of impeccable high potency cannabis flowers greets us. Alongside the flowers are pots with marigolds and aloe, auxiliary weapons in his organic inventory.
So how does Jiu Jitsu help Steve to cultivate these world-leading flowers?
In Jiu-jitsu, you can use your opponent’s strength against them. If your opponent pushes, you pull. You move with the flow rather than fighting head-on. You anticipate your opponent’s moves. When you start to anticipate, you know the probability of what your opponent will do, allowing you to make better decisions.
Now to see Steve apply this to a living system was truly spectacular. Utilizing a polyculture of cover crops, including dichondra, mint, and marigold to harness light, trap pests, and stimulate microbes. He embraces the use of fire (actual flamethrowers!), rotates plants, microbes, plant exudates, and transfers energy around the facility in the most natural course. He moves with the flow rather than fights it. Where some growers would find problems, Steve can convert them into solutions.
His goal is to make soil that will outlive him on this planet
Steve has developed a complex soil formula to achieve this efficient energy transfer but once established requires minimal amendments. His decisions are based on quarterly soil analysis and analytics regimes. A profound understanding of his crops’ influence on soil microbiology, and vice versa, allows long-term planning and precision forecasting of yields and deliberated crop cycles.
As we discussed this incredible efficiency of Green Life Productions’ soil strategies, it became evident that Steve was ambitiously sustainable. His goal is to make soil that will outlive him on this planet. With over 30+ complete cycles in this particular batch of superb soil, this ingenuity demonstrates the potential of embracing nature for production agriculture without unnecessary reliance on consumables.
Everything can serve a purpose if you understand the strengths and weaknesses of each organism. Biological intelligence is shared within this system, and Steve treats his soil beds as an evolving and growing ecosystem, drawing crucial lessons from nature to improve his performance and the overall vigor and quantified yield results of Green Life Production premium crops. Alongside industry leaders, published courses, and industry peers, Steve learns from microbes, fungi, and the soil food web as important teachers of GLP agriculture.
One lesson that Steve mentioned is the importance of dry-back in substrates, replicating natural cycles and seasons to encourage a variety of microbes that can thrive within the soil beds—continually moving away from monoculture yet maintaining consistency in output.
Atmospheric water is captured from dehumidifiers, filtered, and carefully hand-watered into the system using metered wands, keeping sustainability at the forefront. Using a targeted dry-back and drought stress strategically promotes healthy microbial diversity, stimulates natural plant defense mechanisms, and translates into higher quality and quantity of yields and potency.
We can learn many lessons from Steve and his skilled team at Green Life Productions. This facility draws inspiration from Mother Nature and provides incredible insights into the future of agriculture, reducing our reliance on consumables and drastically reducing our waste output. Working synergistically with microbes and environmental pressure to produce genuinely exceptional cannabis.
In the same breath – this isn’t easy. This level of diligence, requiring a regimented understanding of hundreds of stimuli working synergistically and antagonistically and within a lawful regulated environment, is a true challenge.
It’s a testament to the work ethic of Steve Cantwell and his martial arts mentality. His ability to learn and implement practices, alongside a continual search for excellence, has seen Green Life Productions achieve recognition as one of the best facilities worldwide.
Steve was just acknowledged on the “Cannabis Now 40 under 40” list of successful entrepreneurs in the cannabis world. A tribute to his unwavering commitment to progressive cultivation and sustainable cannabis agronomy and the incredible quality of his flowers.
I hope that some of these lessons can flow into broader agriculture and influence our understanding of high-intensity crop production, moving away from our reliance on unsustainable inputs and high-volume waste output.
So in the words of the great man himself: Are you willing to put in the work and put science to the test? Are you willing to have faith in Mother Nature? 3
BIO Founder of Indicated Technology Pty Ltd, Tom is a certified horticulturalist and paid consultant working in the Australian medical cannabis industry. After finishing studies in production horticulture (hydroponics) and plant biology; Tom has spent the past 6 years working in the protected cropping space. Tom is passionate about sustainable yet economic cultivation methodologies and also teaches cannabis cultivation as part of university and private education programs. Tom is also the Communications Manager for Stealth Garden wholesale supplies.
Alongside industry leaders, published courses, and industry peers, Steve learns from microbes, fungi, and the soil food web as important teachersBY CATHERINE SHERRIFFS
We’ve all experienced moments of clarity in life, times where, personally or professionally, we finally take a second and realize that things can’t continue at the same rate. For Riley Cote, that moment of clarity came after a fierce fight with Donald Brashear, arguably one of the toughest guys to ever play in the National Hockey League.
“The whistle went, and I knew it was going to happen,” Cote recalls. “I was in the corner, and he was coming from the net, and I got in a bad spot up against the glass. He’s a lefty, and he just starts pounding away. Normally I’d fall over, but I got caught up against [the glass]. I probably took two or three more shots than I should have.”
Cote himself is no stranger to toughness and joins the ranks of Brashear and fellow hockey tough guy Georges Laraque. As a young player, he aspired to be in the NHL and quickly learned that he needed to define himself to stay in the league. So Cote took on the role of an enforcer, battling his way through 60-minute games. He played eight years of pro hockey, four with the Philadelphia Flyers, racking up 411 penalty minutes and engaging in 50 fights. So the moment he and Brashear dropped their gloves that night in Philly wasn’t unexpected, but he describes that fight as a turning point in his life. Cote played the rest of the game, only realizing the following day in the shower how badly he’d been hurt.
“I blew my nose, and all of a sudden, I felt like a balloon behind my eye instantly swell up, and my eye sealed shut. And I’m like, ‘what did I do?’”
The team’s medical trainers and a doctor determined Cote had a cracked sinus. Despite also likely suffering a concussion, Cote boarded the team bus to play the next game.
“The whole bus ride to New Jersey the next day, I was like, ‘what am I doing? This is not very fun anymore,’” he says.
Cote initially enjoyed his NHL gig a lot, but the novelty wore off as the seasons went on. Throughout his career, Cote tells me he suffered many injuries, many of which he still feels the effects of today. He’s had multiple surgeries to repair his knees, wrist, nose, and eyes. Along with several diagnosed concussions, he knows there were also more than a few undiagnosed ones. He rolled with the punches, so to speak, and rehabbed through it all. But after his fight with Brashear, he began to understand the negative impact his enforcer role had on him. So he played one more season, finally deciding to hang up his skates in 2010.
“It just wears on you,” he explains. “It’s this chronic state of anxiety. It’s fight or flight, and you’re in the middle, unsure when the fight will happen. So it took its toll, for sure.”
After retiring from pro hockey, Cote says he felt emotionally and spiritually drained; he suffered from depression and an alcohol dependency. Whether it was too many concussions or simply his state of mind, Cote knew that something had to change. So he began looking for ways to self-heal using plantbased medicines instead of prescription drugs.
Cote had a long-standing relationship with cannabis; he’d used it throughout his career to recover and improve his performance. But he admits he’s never used it mindfully until after he retired from the NHL. He knew it made him feel better but only began appreciating the medicinal and therapeutic benefits the plant offers after extensive post-hockey research.
He says he started banging the drum early for North American standards, hosting a small music festival in Philadelphia in 2011 called The Hemp Heals Music Festival. The goal was to help raise awareness about the hemp plant and its many nutritional, medicinal, and industrial uses.
After taking so many hits to the head throughout his hockey career, Cote’s priority was brain health. So he started researching psilocybin and mushrooms, including their neuroregeneration and neuroprotective properties. Little did he know that he was about to embark on a life-changing journey that would help his brain and lead him to discover a new identity, one focused on self-love and holistic healing.
“Much like cannabis, I started using these other plant medicines and mushrooms to help with my concussion-related issues, my depression, my substance abuse stuff,” he says. “Ultimately, I found it was helping me transition into the real world and shed the old Riley; shed the skin of this identity I was carrying and detach from that so [I could] recreate and find myself.”
And recreate himself he did. Cote transformed from an NHL tough guy to an advocate for natural medicines and those looking to find purpose. He is the founder of the Hemp Heals Foundation, a non-profit that helps people boost their quality of life using hemp and cannabis products. He co-founded Athletes For Care, an organization dedicated to helping athletes find themselves and opportunities after their pro careers end. He has spent years diligently studying plant medicine, mindfulness, and
diversity in the garden is essential
“I think the psychedelic space is going to help truly reform what medicine is and how people heal”
So the moment he and Brashear dropped their gloves that night in Philly wasn’t unexpected, but he describes that fight as a turning point in his life
yoga. As a co-founder of Bodycheck Wellness, Cote promotes non-toxic, plant-based pain management and self-healing treatments. His company specializes in organically grown, hemp-derived CBD extracts and mushroom blends that reduce inflammation and recovery time, optimizing everyday performance. He speaks openly about his experience with mushrooms and how they’ve helped him close chapters from his past and be more present and productive. Cote says finding that sense of calm, peace, and self-respect was simultaneous with his decision to approach using mushrooms with intention.
“I felt it instantly. I felt [...] these ‘aha’ moments and these insights,” he explains. “This space it creates of letting go of things you’re attached to. Not material things, but ideas and stories you’ve told yourself about who you think you were.”
Cote is adamant that approaching psilocybin with intention differs significantly from using mushrooms recreationally. Unlike in a party setting where many things can go wrong, Cote refers to ‘Magic Mushroom Ceremonies,’ during which participants are offered a safe space for the experience under the guidance of a ceremonial leader. No outside distractions can potentially cause anxiety and influence the ‘trip.’ The resulting meditative state lasts about five hours, and Cote says the mushrooms will show you what you need to see during that time. He describes intense moments of healing, forgiveness, and self-awareness. He talks about ditching the chronic state of anxiety and letting past trauma go, emerging from the experience satisfied with how life unfolds.
“There’s more freedom,” he explains. “You’re able to see the world more clearly and navigate more skilfully, and without knowing what the future looks like, you’re okay with how [everything] is.”
The mushroom retreats take place where psychedelics are legal, like in Jamaica. While the ceremonies are essentially a spiritual experience leading to deep emotional healing, the physical benefits can’t be ignored. Cote equates it to yoga, where a physical release often leads to emotional calm. He believes that by letting go of the psychological things that bog us down and interfere with spiritual growth, our bodies move and function better.
“Your body feels a little more spacious,” he explains, “and I think it’s because you’re carrying around less stress. Your nervous system is a little more regulated. So, therefore, you feel more spacious versus more tense.”
Of course, life isn’t miraculously perfect after an experience with psilocybin, as we constantly have to work on our psyches. But Cote says the mushrooms give you enough at that moment to continue forward on your journey of healing.
In speaking with Cote, you can see and feel his appreciation and love for plant-based medicine, yet, he is never pushy about experimenting with psychedelics. He understands many people are hesitant, so his role is to be present and helpful to anyone curious about trying mushrooms as medicine. He says people
“It just wears on you,” he explains. “It’s this chronic state of anxiety, right? It’s fight or flight, and you’re in the middle, unsure when the fight will happen. It took its toll, for sure.”
He describes intense moments of healing, forgiveness, and self-awareness.
contact him regularly, wanting to learn more about how psilocybin might be able to help them. He’s introduced fellow NHL alumni Steve Downie and Daniel Carcillo to psilocybin. Psychedelics positively impacted Carcillo, who suffered the mental and physical effects of too many concussions and slipped into a deep depression after his career ended. He has since started his own psilocybin company to help others with traumatic brain injuries.
But Cote connects with more than former and fellow athletes; he’s worked extensively with war veterans, who, like many athletes, have difficulty finding their identities after leaving service. He says psychedelic medicines extend beyond head trauma and PTSD, so you don’t have to be an ex-athlete or soldier to benefit. Psychedelics can also help those suffering from depression and anxiety, allowing them to let go of the past and live in the present moment. Cote describes psilocybin as a conscious-forming fungus that helps create awareness and draw attention to daily behaviors and thought patterns. The result is a slower pace that allows people to work on themselves and be better humans, no matter their situation.
“I honestly believe that everybody needs this,” he says. “Everybody could use [psychedelic medicine] in some way, shape, or form. Because we all have our own issues that we can make sense of; we’re all carrying some trauma whether we think we are or not.”
Several ongoing studies are looking at the effects psilocybin has as an anti-inflammatory on the brain. Cote is hopeful that we can learn from our past to improve our futures. After all, psychedelics were used in ancient civilizations during spiritual healing practices. Cote equates his experience using plant-based medicines to our ancestors passing the baton and teaching us how to be spiritual beings again.
Slowly but surely, people are once again taking notice of the psychedelic space. In November 2022, voters in Colorado legalized psilocybin for anyone aged 21 and up, the second state to do so after Oregon. While it will be years before Colorado’s legal framework for psychedelic drugs is up and running, supporters of plant-based medicines view it as a massive step in the right direction. In his current line of work, Cote says it’s evident that people are desperate for something different from what the modern health model offers.
“I think the psychedelic space is going to help truly reform what medicine is and how people heal,” he says. “To me, we’ve taken the spirit out of healing and bastardized it. We’ve made it one-dimensional, single-molecule pharmaceutical drugs. We medicate the shit out of people. There’s no getting to the root cause of any of this stuff. We just suppress it; we just bury it.”
Cote emphasizes that using psilocybin or cannabis as medicine isn’t about getting high; like prescription drugs, many people have also bastardized plants. He uses the cultivation of various strains of cannabis with ridiculously high THC levels as an example. Instead, he believes the way forward is to use plant medicine with intention and integrity. We can apply this same philosophy to our daily lives, supporting local farmers, cultivators, and breweries, practicing mindfulness, being kind, and tapping into deeper spiritual and physical energies. Some may say that’s all a little too granola, but Cote describes it as exciting.
“It’s an amazing time to be alive,” he says. “There’s this renaissance of awakening happening through plant medicine, sacred plant medicine, and consciousness.”
Is the world ready for it? Only time will tell. But Cote is patiently waiting, ready to help others find those moments of clarity, peace, happiness, and appreciation for the present moment and everything plants provide.
For more information, check out rileycote.com and bodychekwellness.com 3
Cote’s priority was brain health, so he also began looking into the many benefits of psilocybin and mushrooms, including the neuroregeneration and neuroprotective propertiesBIO Catherine is a Canadian award-winning journalist who worked as a reporter and news anchor in Montreal’s radio and television scene for 10 years. A graduate of Concordia University, she left the hustle and bustle of the business after starting a family. Now, she’s the editor and a writer for Garden Culture Magazine while also enjoying being a mom to her three young kids. Her interests include great food, gardening, fitness, animals, and anything outdoors.
Some of the most nutrient-dense and potent organic fertilizers and biostimulants come from oceanic sources. Let’s look at some of the more popular ones, what they offer the garden, and how we can use them effectively to supercharge our plants.
Sometimes referred to as seaweed meal, this ingredient isn’t super high in NPK levels. Still, it makes up for that by offering a wide range of trace minerals, some unique carbohydrates, and perhaps even more importantly, some beneficial growth-stimulating compounds.
Different types of kelp possess individual micronutrient profiles but also vary in the hormone-like compounds they supply. While one may benefit shoot growth, another may be better for root elongation.
Kelp extracts amplify beneficial effects, using various processes to concentrate the biostimulant portion by removing much of the bulk that makes up the kelp meal. The water-soluble end product can be watered in or applied to leaves to get a much more powerful result.
Kelp extracts promote root and shoot growth, help with frost resistance, and improve stress response, producing robust plants in even adverse conditions such as drought.
Fish meal is another widespread marine-derived ingredient. When taken from whole fish (including the bones and scales), it is an exceptionally complete nutrition source for the garden.
Fish meal supplies generous portions of nitrogen, along with a good helping of phosphorous and potassium, trace minerals, and calcium. Applying a little fish meal product provides many benefits in just one ingredient. It also contains many food sources that microbes love to dine on, especially the natural fats for which fungi have shown voracious appetites.
Whole fish hydrolysates are another excellent option. This process takes fish and breaks them down enzymatically to produce an amino-rich liquid concentrate, easily applied through irrigation. Hydrolysates are ideal for providing a complete, microbe-friendly food source.
Raw amino acids are easily absorbed through roots and tissues and have a marked ability to naturally chelate minerals, making them vastly easier for plants to uptake. In addition, because the natural language of plants is carbohydrates and amino acids, this fertilizer requires no conversion for the plant to enjoy all it has to offer.
Fish amino acids supply the benefits of hydrolysates but in an even purer form and can be applied as root drenches or by foliar feeding for speedy and notable effects.
Some of the most nutrientdense and potent organic fertilizers and biostimulants come from oceanic sources
Crustacean shells provide a considerable amount of beneficial components. The shells are most often taken from the prawns, shrimp, crabs, and lobster shells left over from food processing.
Crustacean meal is made by drying and grinding the shells to a fine consistency to be broken down by microflora, where it will provide reasonable amounts of NPK.
The shells are composed predominantly of calcium carbonate, so they buffer soil against acidity and provide calcium and other trace minerals to the plant.
Crustacean shells are unique because the bulk of the shell is calcium carbonate, but it is held in a matrix with chitin, similar to how insect shells are constructed. Chitin is an incredible compound, and crustacean extracts take advantage of this by purifying the chitin portion into chitosan.
When plants encounter this substance, they accumulate defence-related compounds, improving the naturally induced resistance to pathogens and pests. In trichome-producing plants, chitosan increases specific biomarkers that boost resin production, resulting in a detectable increase in harvest quality.
Performing hydrolysis on chitosan extracts yields an amino-rich fertilizer complementary in its nutrient
profile to fish amino acids but with different peripheral compounds. As a result, crustacean amino acids can be an excellent addition to the flowering cycle, promoting quality and disease resistance for big, healthy blooms.
Rich sources of calcium are derived from different hard seashells. Composed of primarily carbonate calcium, finely grinding these and adding them to the soil offers calcium and, especially in the case of oyster shells, many trace minerals. Like crustacean shells, oysters and seashells also contain chitin, helping with pH correction and buffering.
So, why wait? The wonders of the deep await you! 3
Chitin is an incredible compound, and crustacean extracts take advantage of this by purifying the chitin portion into chitosanBIO Cody is the owner of High Powered Organics and a second-generation Australian grower with more than a decade of experience in the horticulture industry. Cody works closely with growers locally and abroad, creating organic solutions for high output cropping. He achieves maximum results by combining aspects from permaculture, biodynamic farming, and Korean natural farming techniques. Cody’s main focus is finding natural, and sustainable ways to produce high-quality plants with a minimum of input.
Mcollected and consumed by people for millennia. It is interesting to note that ancient cultures did not primarily collect mushrooms for food; some cultures did not collect edible mushrooms at all. This is likely because mushrooms are low in calories, and the calories spent collecting them led to a net-caloric deficit. On the other hand, in our modern world with its glut of calories, the low-calorie mushroom may be the absolute “choice” food to pick, especially if picking includes a calorie-expending hike plus some time doing what the Japanese call “Forest Bathing”. The cleansing air, breathing, touching and absorbing the forest microbiome have long been known to drop stressful cortisol levels, boost immune function, and lower blood pressure, giving one that mild narcotic feeling of well-being.
But for the Ancients, calories were things that counted. This was a life-and-death mathematical calculation in many areas, especially those northern and seasonal climes. The potential of deadly and debilitating poisonings made a diet including mushrooms even more questionable. Those same but vital questions, “Should I eat it?” are yet to be fully addressed today. Other than the Death Cap and a few other deadly amatoxins containing poisonous mushrooms, the most common mushroom poisonings, according to the North American Mycological Association (NAMA) poison records, are gastrointestinal and typically come from edible and often some of our most delicious mushrooms.
The Kingdom of Fungi is closely related to the Animal Kingdom; they share many of the same core characteristics, components and actions. The mushroom, we recognize, is just the “apple” that holds the seeds of a fungal organism, though, in the case of fungi, these “seeds” are spores. The mushrooms are made up of fungal hyphae, the same stuff that makes up the fungal organism, which lives and makes a home in and alongside its food. These fungal organisms are found in fossil records and are likely some of the first life that colonized land along with bacteria, yeasts (a form of fungi), algae, and viruses. Having evolved alongside these
organisms, competing and cooperating for space and food, fungi have developed the mechanisms and chemistry needed to survive and thrive in this teeming environment. Like us, fungi have an extensive microbiome, but internally and externally. Some of these relationships are adversarial, and some are cooperative. Fungi, such as Penicillin, produce multiple compounds that can kill those adversarial organisms. But fungi go beyond that, providing metabolites and habitats in which other microorganisms can thrive. One of the most exciting things they do is modify and disrupt the signaling between bacteria, called Quorum Sensing. Bacteria produce biofilms, which provide a safe habitat for bacteria to grow and reproduce. The biofilm protects bacteria from immune attack and the chemicals used to disrupt and kill them. Developing these biofilms is critical for bacteria to reach a stage where they can become virulent. Fungi disturb this process, leaving the bacteria vulnerable to attack; this is a significant study area in combatting antibiotic-resistant infections.
Then why do delicious edible mushrooms occasionally poison us? Other than food sensitivities and the like, all fungi have this innate ability to deal with bacteria. This can profoundly affect our microbiome, especially if we have consumed too many of these mushrooms. And in most cases, the reported gastrointestinal poisonings occur from overconsumption. These include mushrooms like “Red
Tops” (Leccinum species), “Honey Mushrooms” ( Armillaria species), “Shaggy Manes” (Coprinus species) and even our gourmet “Lobster” mushrooms (Hypomyces lactiflorum). In the case of Lobsters, the older ones that have turned a deeper crimson are the culprits. Some preliminary research has found that extracts from these older Lobsters whip out a variety of bacteria on culture plates. It has also been reported that undercooked mushrooms and mixing mushrooms and alcohol can have the same gastrointestinal effect. Regretfully, these “medicinal” mushrooms are not labeled with appropriate dosages and contraindications.
So, antibacterial action makes many of our mushrooms medicinal in nature. This is ubiquitous across the Kingdom. But wait, there’s more!
Overall, edible mushrooms are a healthy choice. We noted that they are low-calorie, virtually containing very limited to no fats. They are low in sugars, but the sugars they
have are medicinal. Mushrooms are structurally made up of polysaccharides, many of which are bioactive. These include chitin, hemicellulose, β and α -glucans. Chitins get broken down into glucosamine, a major constituent of collagen. These fibers make up to 13% of the composition of mushrooms and can act as dietary fiber. They act like a prebiotic, providing the habitat and stimulating the growth of gut microbiota. This area of the microbiome is undergoing intense research, and fungi could be one answer to the gut diversity issue many of us are struggling with.
It has long been recognized that polysaccharides have a stimulating effect on the immune system beyond just the influence on the gut microbiome. Beta-glucans are absorbed through the gut into the lymphatic system where they stimulate the production of macrophages. Macrophages clean up cellular debris and activate other immune functions such as T cells and Natural Killer cells. Also, Beta-glucans have been known to prevent the absorption of dietary cholesterol implicated in coronary heart disease.
Like us, fungi have an extensive microbiome, but internally and externally. Some of these relationships are adversarial, and some are cooperative.
A wise medicine man once said...
One example in the Yellow Morel research looks at how the Morel polysaccharides affect the gut, the gut microbiome, and the effects on blood sugar levels and diabetes in mice. In this study, they found an increased abundance of beneficial microbes like Firmicutes, Bacteroides, Lactobacillus and a lower quantity of harmful Actinobacteria. Actinobacteria is linked to metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and obesity. Along with an improvement in the gut microbiome itself, they also found that the gut lining’s tight joints improved, as did intestinal permeability. In addition, the use of the Yellow Morel fiber caused overall improvement in glucose tolerance, insulin resistance and a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Another abundant and common mushroom sugar, ubiquitous across the mushroom Kingdom, is trehalose. This sugar is common in insects and other life forms, as it works like antifreeze. Because the sugar is more complex, it takes longer to uptake, stabilizing blood sugar levels, especially after meals. Blood sugar spikes are implicated in the development of arterial sclerosis and other effects on diabetics and prediabetics. Interestingly, trehalose also stimulates autophagy, our own bodies consuming their own cells, which is all the rage with the intermittent fasting movement. Specifically, it stimulates autophagy on smooth muscle tissue, such as damaged arteries, and prevents fatty liver buildup before finally stabilizing the phospholipid bilayer that makes up all our cells.
Mushrooms are also filled with a multitude of enzymes. These are released through the hyphal wall in the fungal mycelium, breaking down various compounds that the mycelium absorbs. One of these enzymes is called protease, which breaks down protein chains into smaller groups and into the base amino acids. One of the proteins mushrooms are great at breaking down is gluten. Research is proceeding in this area to treat Celiac disease and those with gluten intolerances. Protease also repairs the tight junctions along the intestinal wall, preventing leaky gut-type syndromes that allow the gluten to pass through the gut wall.
Further, protease is critical in dealing with issues with fibrin and fibrinogen in the body. Fibrin is vital in the body as it is the first line to repair all sorts of damage and injury. Fibrin, together with platelets, form the clots which stop
bleeding. But fibrin is implicated in other areas. Fibrin coats cancer cells, creating a protective barrier around them. Here, protease is critical in breaking these barriers down. Many fungi have been demonstrated to be cytotoxic to cancer cells and an adjuvant immune stimulating therapy. Some of these mechanisms are unknown. It has been suggested that breaking cancer’s protective barrier exposes the cells for the immune system to clean up.
Fibrin is also implicated in arthritis. As fibrin repairs damaged joints, it causes inflammation and lays scar tissue over the joint surface. This can make the joint rough and more painful. Protease can break this scar tissue down. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, they used many different fungi as tendon-easing powders. Mushrooms like the Oyster mushroom and the Fairy Ring mushroom are just two that have been historically used. Oyster mushrooms have up to 22% glucosamine content from the chitins, which also support joint healing. Protease breaks down the scarring, and glucosamine helps rebuild the joint. Oysters also have statins, which play a role in osteoporosis by stimulating bone remodeling through osteogenesis and reducing inflammation. This is thought to affect joints and overall bone density and health.
Hypsizygus
Oysters also have statins, which play a role in osteoporosis by stimulating bone remodeling through osteogenesis and reducing inflammation
Other than Oysters, many other mushrooms have statins present. Lovastatin, a familiar name, is the natural form of statin that occurs. These include Chanterelles, Shiitake, Honey mushrooms, Hypsizygus (one of the Japanese Shimeji group of mushrooms) and the common white button mushroom. It is thought that both osteoarthritis and cardiovascular disease may be age-related and that statins may be involved in helping with those diseases. Statins are also known to help prevent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the metastasis of cancer cells by inhibiting the activation of blood supplies to the tumor.
Another path we share with fungi is the ability to produce both Vitamin D and Melanin when exposed to sunlight. Mushrooms produce high amounts of vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. A study in Japan measured the amount of vitamin D produced by 100 grams of fresh Shiitake exposed to sunlight for an hour. The vitamin D produced was over 100,000 iu. It appears that this process applies to all mushroom fruiting bodies though not all individuals have been measured. The type of Vitamin produced is D2, which seems to be similar to D3, except its active life is shorter. In tests through large cohorts on Covid 19, Vitamin D2 prevented 28% more infections than the control group, though D3 produced slightly lower Covid death rates.
Mushrooms also produce melanin when exposed to sunlight. Mushrooms appear to tan in the same way we do. You can notice this with young Morels that turn blacker as they
grow and are exposed to more sunlight. Other edible melanized mushrooms are Black Trumpets, Chaga and Auricularia – the wood ears. It is speculated that this is how mushrooms deal with the gamma radiation from the sun. Some research shows mushrooms feed on the process, taking electrons out much as plants do with chloroplasts during photosynthesis. Certain melanized fungi have been found growing around the radioactive waste at Chernobyl, not “in spite of” the radioactivity but because of it. A study is happening at the University of Saskatchewan using these melanized fungi to neutralize radiation exposure. Melanins have long been known to act as free radical scavengers and are potent antioxidants.
For many ancient cultures, mushrooms were not looked at as a food source, but there was no hesitation to expend calories to collect and trade them as valuable medicines. Research is ongoing across the fungal Kingdom as we try to understand why fungi do what they do and make complex chemicals like statins or even psilocybin. Most of these are secondary metabolites, meaning they are not essential for growth but play specific roles in the fungal life cycle and their interactions with all the life around them. If not, then evolution would have likely diminished these functions over the millennia. Deeper dives down infinite warrens into individual mushrooms, and the fungal organisms they spring from reveal more specific chemistry and biological activity. This discussion was to look at the general shared activity across most of the fungal Kingdom, which makes all mushrooms medicinal. 3
BIO Martin Osis is an amateur mycologist who has been entertaining and educating mushroom enthusiasts for decades.
Contact: Martin@MartinOnMushrooms.com
Mushrooms produce high amounts of vitamin D when exposed to sunlight
It’s a crisp and bright November morning, and I am headed to Fungaia Farm, a local mushroom production company that serves my Humboldt County community. Fungaia Farm is owned and operated by local permaculturist Levon Durr, who began this endeavor in 2011.
On this day trip, I get to join Levon as he works to make an order for a local ranch owner of 50,000 wooden dowels inoculated with shitake mycelium. He’s a busy guy, so he is multi-tasking his work as he tells me about his evolution from a mushroom lover to a mushroom educator and how he is passionate about these organisms. As he loads up large scoops of water-soaked wooden dowels into bags used for sterilization, he explains that property owners are always looking for alternate revenue streams from their land and have an abundance of thickly growing stands of tan oak.
“The real clencher is when you start talking to property owners with acres and acres and acres of choked-out tan oak forest,” he says. “And you tell them, ‘I’ve tried growing a variety of mushrooms on tan oak, and the only thing that’s kicked ass is shitake’, and you tell them [their tan oak thinning] can make them money, and they can grow delicious protein rich mushrooms.”
Fungaia Farm is a community-based cottage business providing all kinds of mushroom spawn and associated tools to feed your DIY mushroom obsession. Through their website, anyone can purchase plug spawn (inoculated wooden dowels for log culture), sawdust spawn, which can be used to create mushroom beds in your garden, or grain spawn, which acts as a “seeding” spawn to inoculate dowels or other substrates like coffee grounds, wheat straw, hardwood sawdust/shavings, and even cardboard. Also available are his infamous mushroom kits, which come ready to fruit gourmet edible mushrooms right on your kitchen counter.
Fungaia Farm provides fungi for novice and expert mushroom producers, but they also have products for those who want to enjoy these extraordinary species. They have spice mixes, mushroom gravy mix, and their medicinal mushroom tinctures can provide your body with various health benefits, but Levon is also passionate about education. He gives workshops on how-to for log culture, sterile culture techniques, and environmental restoration. Levon is passionate about what he does, and his business has that energy and expertise on display. I asked him what he felt kicked off his love affair with mushrooms.
“Originally, it really started with just a broader sense of nature and spending time in nature,” he explains. “Then, I was introduced to the idea of wildcrafting and just being this young kid, out on my own at 17; I was selling blackberry jam on the corner at the farmers market, or doing whatever I could to make a little money. But then, a buddy of mine teaches me that an Italian restaurant is forking over $10 per pound for mushrooms at the back of the restaurant. So, we started hiking all over, getting AAA plus mushrooms, like chanterelles, to sell to them. That was really the beginning, and, of course, also David Arora’s book, which helped me expand into other edibles.”
He refers to David Arora, a mycologist who has dedicated his life to educating the public on edible and medicinal mushrooms. His books Mushrooms Demystified, All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms will be a favorite for those who wish to learn the most satisfying skill of mushroom foraging.
“Then in the late 90’s I went to a Bioneers conference and saw Paul Stamets speak,” Levon says. “He was working on his Mycelium Running book and he just completed a hydrocarbon soil remediation project. was successful in remediating a few yards of soil contaminated by hydrocarbons using oyster mushroom mycelium. And again, there was that connection that said, I don’t need an engineering degree to do this. I don’t need to know anything but the basic biology of the lifecycle of this organism.”
Levon is right. It’s possible to enjoy foraging or growing your own mushrooms without formal academic training. Paul Stamets is a revolutionary mycologist who was largely self-taught. Still, because of his groundbreaking work, he earned an honorary doctorate from the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and myriads of other accolades. Stamets has played a massive role in making fungi accessible and approachable to everyday people. Now, through Fungaia Farm, Levon is carrying that same torch and has devoted his life to connecting people to mushrooms and their environment.
“I’ve never had this fascination with just walking around trying to ID everything or DNA sequencing nature, and I can get frustrated with the academia folks when they get obsessive about ID’ing and memorizing massive amounts of Latin,” he says. “I mean, I always seem to find that the large percentage of the human population is interested in what they can eat. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the science, but I just don’t know what impact that’s having on the broader public’s appreciation of the natural world. When you can relate to people in that way, like, this is a delicious food, or this is an abundant resource that can be harvested without damaging the ecosystem, and you’re a part of it. It’s connecting this primal ancestral connection to the land that I feel is so important.”
Levon and his business support people finding the edible joys of mushrooms, but he also is a big proponent of mycotechnology, which are tactics that use fungi to restore the environment or provide a greener approach to development and land stewardship.
Fungaia Farm is owned and operated by local permaculturist Levon
Durr, who began this endeavor in 2011
There is so much diversity in what you can achieve with mycology
“There is so much diversity in what you can achieve with mycology,” he says. “ I’m working on mycelial building products with a contractor. I’m working on mycofiltration with folks from the biology and forestry world. I’m working on fire restoration with a tribe here in California. All the while, I am also growing medicinal and edible mushrooms to pay the bills.”
How fungi can be used is as diverse as these organisms. Emerging technologies based on biomimicry and enhancing ecosystem succession (the process in which the mix of species and habitat change over time) are fascinating. Levon has worked to clean up diesel-contaminated soil with mycoremediation, a strategy that harnesses fungi’s ability to deconstruct complex molecules and transform contaminants into a food source. Mycofiltration is an approach that uses the fine net of fungal hyphae to capture sediment and pollutants, which can help reduce water quality impacts. He has worked to support a local tribe in restoring their forest soils after fires. Yet, as much as he is a fan of these organisms, he also is pragmatic in his view that implementing these technologies is a complex and difficult challenge.
“People are always asking why these technologies aren’t more wildly used,” he says. “The challenge is when you take these living organisms, and all of a sudden throw them outside in all these different temperatures and humidity levels and environments. That’s super challenging.”
He also stresses that there is not one single winning strategy.
“I don’t believe that fungi are this silver bullet that is the answer to all our problems. I know we love that, it makes a great Instagram post, but I am wary of that approach. What’s the real practicality of [implementing these mycotechnologies]? Are fungi these amazing silver bullets for your health or the environment? No, but they are important pieces of the puzzle. We tend to break things into segments, we break things into categories, separate them out, and we don’t see the interconnectedness.”
Fungaia Farm is a unique business with a mission to encourage folks to heal their relationships with nature, to go beyond science, and teach people to relate to their environment in tangible everyday ways. The Fungaia Farm message is to empower yourself to use the tools nature has given us, that we can do this, and that we all should do this. Fungi can help heal our landscapes, bringing us food, medicine, clean soil, and clean water. But, most importantly, fungi show us the complexity and innate interconnectedness that all of nature possesses.
Please visit and support this man’s incredible work at Fungaia Farm website: fungaiafarm.com 3
Levon is passionate about what he does, and his business has that energy and expertise on displayJoanna Berg is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist specialising in pest and disease diagnosis and integrated crop management solutions through her firm in Northern California, Dirty Business Soil, LLC. Levon prepping tan oak log for inoculated dowels Oyster mushrooms grow kit Lion’s Mane mushroom kit Shiitake on tan oak log Reishi with tincutres
As good as laboratory-selected microbes are, they can’t hold a candle to the sheer volume and diversity of what exists in nature
There is an ongoing debate about what kind of microbe is best. On the one hand, there are laboratory-grown and selected types, specifically chosen and isolated, with the guise of performing particular sets of tasks. On the other hand, you have “wild caught” microbes, which exist naturally as integral parts of different productive ecosystems and perform many jobs.
So is one better than the other? Does the presence of one negate the other? Let’s find out.
When trying to accomplish a particular job, the benefit of many lab-cultured organisms is that they have been chosen and selected for specific purposes. Therefore, whether it be enzyme production, nutrient mobility, or even biocide activity, knowing precisely what the particular microbe is, its history, what it does, and how it performs over a given range of conditions is beneficial information.
You may be looking for a microbe to break down dead roots in your soil; you can select a particular microbe strain known to break down the cellulose in the media. Or perhaps you have a large amount of tied-up phosphorous in your soil that you want to unlock. Selecting a microbe known for its ability to mine phosphorous can allow you to plug that data into a fertilizer calculator to make adjustments.
As good as laboratory-selected microbes are, they can’t hold a candle to the sheer volume and diversity of what exists in nature. These tough and resilient microorganisms have been naturally selected over millions of years to be suited to their specific skill sets. Because they have lived in a “survival of the fittest” scenario, it’s in their resilience that these microbes shine. Their toughness allows them to survive in places where a lab-grown microbe might well give up the ghost.
Are various microbe sources at odds with one another? Or can we use both lab-made and natural in our quest for the most productive soils possible?
While some organisms in lab settings have shown to be very aggressive, they often lack competition. When you drop them into the natural environment outside the Petri dish, they come up against an already-established and robust microbial network. In the lab, they might have been strong; however, their ability to overgrow natural colonies will be restricted. Consider one person trying to take on a
room full of people; unless this is some Chuck Norris microbe, the overwhelming mass will win based on sheer numbers alone.
Despite the above, cultured organisms are useful! We can synergize by using these more selected types in conjunction with an established microbial network.
For example, while growing in productive soil, plants might show signs of a potassium deficiency. Adding a potassium-solubilizing bacterial strain will produce an immediate effect. Even if these microbes die off slowly, potassium has still been released. When the lab microbes have performed their duty and die, they become food for the established food web; in nature, nothing is wasted.
By the same token, if you are dealing with fresh soil that has never been used to grow anything, you can undoubtedly add a store-bought microbe selection to enrich it. However, taking a leaf out of the Korean Natural Farming book and collecting indigenous microorganisms from the local environment will strengthen the soil with area-specific microbes tolerant to your particular location. This KNF technique adds millions of years of biology to your fresh mix that you can use to build on.
Like anything in nature, better results are achieved through symbiotic relationships. While sometimes things may seem at odds, everything finds its place. 3
whether it be enzyme production, nutrient mobility, or even biocide activity, knowing precisely what the particular microbe is, its history, what it does, and how it performs over a given range of conditions is beneficial information
When it comes to curing a cannabis harvest, there are endless pages of information on the subject. Unfortunately, it is rarely accurate. We’ve heard myths like throwing wet and freshly harvested buds into plastic bags weekly to help the ammonia smell dissipate or boiling still-attached roots to increase potency. But if cannabis is grown correctly, curing it is a straightforward process.
When cannabis is grown improperly, it will never be a remarkable product. That’s just how Nature works, and a failed crop is a hardlearned lesson. Curing a cannabis harvest involves preserving the finest qualities of the flower possible, including aroma, flavor, texture, appeal, and effect. But, without the proper growth conditions, those aspects may not even be present to preserve in the first place.
Factors like heat and humidity significantly impact harvest curing, but they also play a role leading up to the harvest. A room at the right temperature with low humidity will produce more trichomes and terpenes than a hot and humid room. Some purple strains won’t even form their color at a hot temperature.
When it comes to nutrients, there are many different opinions out there. The elements and biology are critical factors, and the closer you get to Nature, the better the plant knows how to respond to what it is being given. Often, less is more. You can find flowers that weren’t fertilized and did not produce much that are some of the most flavorful and terpene-rich plants. This is because the inputs were minimal, and the soil had just enough nourishment.
Some flowers look incredible, yet they will barely burn and have no flavor. If you overload a plant with excess nutrition, it can’t process all it has stored before harvest, even if it’s flushed. Many times, strains are harvested too early. Early harvest detracts from the finished product by not allowing the full gamut of oils to come to life.
Once you have harvested flowers, curing them is relatively straightforward. Many growers insist on the burping method. But after 22 years and a lot of conversations with the people that built up the modern movement in Humboldt County, CA, it seems the step for the best cure is to grow and dry the flowers properly without mold, mildew, pests, or fungicides and pesticides. The buds can’t be sprayed during flowering and can’t be dipped to remove unwanted contaminants.
Once you harvest the plants, remove all the primary fan leaves and any leaves that don’t have trichomes. You can discard those; they make excellent compost if they are clean. You can also juice the leaves for nourishment. Next, hang the branches in your available space and let them dry on the stem with the trim leaves still attached to the buds. Keep the room around 70°F and set up your fans so they don’t blow steadily on the drying flowers. Ensure the fans continuously move the air and set a dehumidifier in the room at 45% or less. Don’t forget to empty the dehumidifier!
Once your plants have hung for three days, you’ll notice the leaves on the ends of the branches starting to dry; this means you are on track with the process. Do not let the humidity become stagnant or reaccumulate in the drying process, so the quality diminishes. After a week of a consistently dry environment, check if the stem is rigged instead of soft. Next, place a small flower sample in a jar for a few hours. If the sample seems moist compared to when you put it there, it’s not ready. If you put the bud in the jar for a few hours and it comes out just as you put it in, you’re ready to final trim and seal it up.
If the sample bud didn’t rehydrate in the jar, there should be no need for burping since the bud is already where it needs to be. You shouldn’t have to burp your containers when curing your harvest. ‘Dry’ means you can vacuum-seal the flowers in a non-tight bag or jars and store your harvest with no worries of fermentation. Pack the jars reasonably tight to keep their freshness for a long duration and store in a cool, dark place. Flowers that are vacuum-sealed loosely and stored in a frost-free freezer preserve the longest. Some strains must sit in a jar for a few months to reveal their full flavor. It is best if the initial curing is done on the stalk with intact trim leaves; it allows the plant’s starches side. The plant is still very much alive if you convert during its drying process can help to their full potential, and drying it makes There have been many side-by-side comparisons vs. dry-trimmed flowers, and consistently, shine through in the flavor, effect, aroma,
I was told by an old grower named Homey you grow it right, it’s cured when it’s dried. tions with some fruity strains that shine but he was right. The secret to a great it right. It should already be great when course, how long it maintains its greatness you store it. 3
Growing up on a deer farm located on 79 acres of land along the banks of one of Lake Michigan’s tributaries, Tom grew a love for nature and all the beauties it could hold. Through that passion Tom has channeled his influences into educating the community on sustainable agriculture, becoming an activist, writing for magazines and creating music tuned to nature in his band Cosmic Knot. Follow Tom and all of his passions: facebook.com/tom.wall.946 instagram.com/cosmicknotmusic/ artistecard.com/cosmicknot
Curing a cannabis harvest involves preserving the finest qualities of the flower possible, including aroma, flavor, texture, appeal, and effect
if cannabis is grown correctly, curing it is a straightforward processBIO Tom Wall: Professional Musician, Writer and Gardening Consultant. Cosmic Knot/Therapeutic Horticulture Consultations.
Whether you are cuckoo for coco or partial to peat, both growing media have demonstrated their suitability in growing for decades. Both growing media remain popular despite significant public attention regarding their sustainability. Arguably, both media command a large ecological footprint. If managed and manufactured responsibly (adhering to harvesting restrictions, composting or recycling spent media, better worker safety, reduced transportation, etc.), peat and coco are significantly better environmental choices than the most common grow medium with growers -- stone wool (Rockwool), which is rarely repurposed or recycled.
Irrespective of the sustainability of these hydroponic growing systems, some integral properties are requisites for growing healthy and high-yielding crops. Quality plants need a high porosity substrate, and many roots prefer a well-aerated environment to allow for increased lateral growth. The ample pore space engineered within the media is critical in reducing the likelihood of root pathogens like Pythium spp. and Fusarium spp. taking hold. The physics of soilless mixes cannot be underestimated because, unlike natural soils with sufficient microbial populations to help engineer soil structure, soilless mixes rely on the proportion or size of materials added to provide structure. Soilless mixes should not be prone to oversaturation. Still, they should be able to maintain a moderate water content between irrigations. This is one of the most vital factors used by growers when crop steering plants from vegetative to generative growth. Beyond the physical components of a high-quality soilless mix, being chemically balanced and the media’s ability to hold and release nutrients over a short time are other factors to consider.
Most growers have equal success using preformed-stabilized plugs for cuttings (i.e., “clones”) establishment or seed germination, whether peat or coco-based. Depending on your cultivation strategy (e.g., “Sea of Green” - high plant density, reduced vegetative periods versus longer vegetative periods, and taller plants with a lower plant density), growers will plant rooted clones directly into their final pot size or choose an intermediate container until a final pot-up. It is essential to recognize that the air and water-holding capacities of a growing media are impacted by the geometry of the container (depth and width), with air-filled porosity increasing with container height. For growers, this correlates with the amount of water readily available to the plant, and perhaps more important to note that the amount of water that we can add without leaching decreases with container height. In some cases, growers will overwater their containers, creating a saturated bottom half of the container and an underwatered top horizon, mainly when basing their watering frequency on the legacy practice of lifting pots. Growers who switch between coco and peat-based soils or different container sizes can often find themselves in flux between over and underwatering because of the assumption that these two growing media behave the same.
Horticultural growers have rapidly accepted coco coirbased growing media. Initially presented as an alternative to peat moss, cultivating using coco coir is not a simple sub -
stitution for replacing one growing media with another. Don’t think coco is simply a different form of peat -- your cultivation practices will differ to ensure optimal plant health and yields. The most common forms of coco substrates include loose coco coir; coir mixed with perlite; expandable coir blocks that are pressed and contain coir pith, the husk fiber, and husk chips; and preformed coir blocks, slabs, and grow bags. Coir’s popularity and primary divergence from peat is in its water-loving (hydrophilic) property, which is in direct contrast to the hydrophobic nature of peat. Coco usually does not require a wetting agent, naturally allowing for water tension to be reduced and spread evenly throughout the media. The ability of coco coir to not only readily absorb water but to re-saturate, similar to stone wool, allows for the employment of crop steering irrigation techniques, like frequent irrigations and dry-back. As a result, growers comfortable with a cultivation strategy that permits frequent waterings can reduce their substrate size, thereby allowing them to potentially reduce their costs of production.
Despite these beneficial attributes, experienced growers transitioning to coco from other media often have disastrous results. Equating coco as a direct substitute for peat or stone wool can lead to nutrient deficiencies or watering issues. Not all coco is created equal. Coco products vary greatly, ranging from fine dust to large chunks. Some of this variability is specific to brands. You must remain consistent with your coco brand choice until you have done sufficient R&D to determine if an alternative brand will work. But variability, unfortunately, happens within a brand with specific batches containing finer particles, creating increased water retention and poor aeration of the root zone. Moreover, certain batches can have higher levels of sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), heavy metals, and even pathogens.
Quality plants need a high porosity substrate, and many roots prefer a well-aerated environment to allow for increased lateral growth
Don’t think coco is simply a different form of peat -- your cultivation practices will differ to ensure optimal plant health and yields
Coco coir containing high levels of these salts can cause visible nutrient disorders or slower growth and development. As such, many coir manufacturers will wash and/or buffer or charge their coco by either using water to leach out some of the excess salts or calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) to bump off the Na and K.
Where coco, if the right proportion of fine and coarse fibers are mixed, can be used as a sole ingredient, peat moss cannot. Peat-based growing media will typically incorporate coarse bog materials to accompany the many species of Sphagnum moss in the bog. These chunkier materials, often along with bark mulch, “green” wood fibers, compost, perlite, and/or vermiculite, help peat-based substrates from compaction or shrinkage.
Compared to stone wool and coco coir, peat moss has a high buffering capacity for water, pH and nutrients, and unlike coco coir, peat is acidic, hydrophobic and low in nutrients. As such, most peat-based substrate manufacturers will use a liming agent (e.g., calcitic or dolomitic limestone), a synthetic wetting agent (to help water become wetter), and a slight nutrient charge. For novice growers, using a high-porosity peat-based substrate can be more forgiving in terms of messing up the nutrient balance and pH around the root zone.
Far from a “SmackDown”, as both peat moss and coco coir have their merits and drawbacks; much of the decision to choose one over the other will be based on individual preferences and philosophical values. We must recognize that coco and peat are substitutes but not interchangeable. Growers must tweak their cultivation strategy to get the most out of their substrate. 3
Growers must tweak their cultivation strategy to get the most out of their substrate
BIOAv Singh, PhD, PAg is an advocate of
regenerativeorganic agriculture serving various organizations including Regeneration Canada, Navdanya, and the Canadian Organic Growers.
If you are new to growing and need help determining whether a product is a supplement or a fertilizer, check out the NPK ratio
I wanted to study IMO scientifically and provide some suggestions to farmers and gardeners in the region looking for ways to amend their soil
Matt Bedeaux
KNF involves gathering and cultivating indigenous microorganisms (IMO) from the wilderness near your farm. The goals of IMO and other KNF recipes include improving soil quality, enhancing fertility, and boosting plant health with locally available materials (Reddy 2011). While IMO is well-known in Korea, India, and Hawaii, it’s almost unheard of in the Northeastern US.Therefore, I wanted to study IMO scientifically and provide some suggestions to farmers and gardeners in the region looking for ways to amend their soil. Through this research, performed at Unadilla Community Farm and funded by Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NE SARE), we found several challenges while using IMO, both in general and specific to the region. So let’s discuss these challenges and find ways to address them. For more information on this study, visit unadillacommunityfarm.org/IMO
Before we get into the details, we need to learn how to make IMO. The recipe occurs in four stages (see Reddy 2011). IMO1 is made by placing a wooden box filled with cooked white rice in the wilderness for several days. Once the rice is completely covered with white mold, it is combined with an equivalent volume of brown sugar and incubated in a jar for two days.
This mixture, called IMO2, enters the IMO3 stage by diluting with saltwater and fermented plant juice (FPJ), which has a different recipe. Next, the mixture is used to inoculate rice bran, which is allowed to sit for approximately one week or until the IMO3 is completely colonized with mold. The final phase, IMO4, is made by mixing the moldy bran with an equivalent amount of soil and allowing another two days of sitting time. The resulting material can be applied as a topdressing or foliar spray (O’Hara 2017; Zuraihah et al. 2012).
Essentially, IMO is supposed to confer resilience and familiarity with local conditions to your crops. Not including the time for making the box and setting things up, it took 5.5 hours over three weeks to make one wheelbarrow full of IMO4.
While making IMO, we also made a “hot” compost in 24 days using a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, high moisture, and frequent turning (for more on this method, see Eliades 2010). We compared IMO to this compost and municipal compost in terms of chemical nutrients (nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, potassium, etc.) and biological communities (fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, and oomycetes). In addition to comparing IMO to compost, we also compared rice bran-derived IMO to wheat bran-derived IMO since wheat bran is more appropriate to the Northeast.
The first issue we found with our IMO is that it was relatively low in nutrients essential to compost. Specifically, rice bran-derived and wheat bran-derived IMO had lower nitrogen and organic matter than the composts we tested, but they had comparable amounts of phosphorus and potassium. The poor nutrition is probably attributable to the inorganic topsoil that made up half of the IMO4. You can use soil rich in organic matter to improve the nutrient quality and the potential for IMO to boost plant health. This will provide food and habitat for the soil ecosystem and save you from buying soil.
IMO, a moldy soil amendment, is a key recipe in KNF.
Our study showed almost no fungal biomass in the final IMO and a completely different fungal situation than the forest soil from which the IMO was gathered. Many assume that because IMO is moldy, fungi provide many of IMO’s acclaimed benefits to crops. But with such a short culturing duration and frequently changing conditions, none of which truly resemble the wild, fungi are unlikely to become established in IMO. Our results seem to confirm this suspicion. IMO could still provide many benefits to crops even with low fungal biomass, but more fungi mean a more balanced ecosystem. This could be crucial in the case of our IMO, which was bacterially dominant. It is possible that adding wood (which led to higher fungal biomass in the hot compost) or lengthening certain IMO stages would lead to more fungal growth.
Both types of IMO had a putrid odor and acidic pH, and we identified anaerobic bacteria and oomycetes in the final products. None of these properties are necessarily bad. However, their combination makes our IMO somewhat unappealing, especially since many oomycetes are plant pathogens (Fry and Gruenwald 2010). Many of these anaerobic properties are likely due to high moisture content. According to the recipe, you want a moisture content between 60% and 70%. Whenever our IMO dipped below 50%, we added water within 24
hours. Therefore, our IMO was always very moist. Add that to the fact that they were covered in cardboard, and you have a very low-oxygen system with anaerobic bacteria and oomycetes.
Future research should investigate the possibility of a more aerobic IMO. In this study, we monitored biological communities throughout the IMO process, and we saw different biology at each stage, which makes sense given varied conditions and food. But the methods we used provided only an overview. I’m dying to see a scientifically rigorous (perhaps DNA-based) analysis of the biology throughout the IMO process and how more aerobic conditions affect it. In addition to fancy science, I think there are important questions to answer in the backyard. For example, what happens when you use less water or a porous covering during the IMO3 stage? Do you still end up with the characteristic mold and putrid odor? What organisms do you see under the microscope? Are they different from the ones we saw in this study? Be sure to hit me up when you find out.
IMO could still provide many benefits to crops even with low fungal biomass, but more fungi mean a more balanced ecosystem.
In addition to a plethora of bacteria, oomycete hyphae were seen in both rice bran-derived IMO (pictured) and wheat bran-derived IMO
IMO is often touted as affordable due to its scalability. My quick calculations show that you could use a single batch of IMO2 to inoculate up to 14,000 pounds (6,400 kg) of dry bran. That amount of bran will make enough IMO4 to cover half an acre at a one-inch depth (about 52 cubic meters). While scaling in this way would save lots of money on the rice and brown sugar, bran is still the most expensive ingredient. So, scalability is a myth unless you have access to free bran. Using your own soil rather than purchasing it as we did is also a good idea. For us, using wheat bran reduced the cost by two-thirds, and other substitutions may be possible.
Substituting ingredients with more locally appropriate versions would align closely with the spirit of Korean Natural Farming, perhaps even more so than having traditional KNF ingredients such as brown sugar, white rice, and fish waste shipped to you. In our study, wheat bran IMO had comparable nutrients and beneficial organisms to rice bran IMO. I’d love to see a Northeast IMO that shows real promise while using millet at the IMO1 stage, maple sugar at the IMO2 stage, wheat bran at the IMO3 stage, and hand-dug, hyper-local soil
at the IMO4 stage. There is almost no scientific work on these substitutions or other variations such as lengthening the IMO3 stage or skipping the IMO2 or IMO4 stage.
To summarize, indigenous microorganisms represent one way to boost soil, plant, and human health. Though this project exposed many limitations of IMO, my intent is not to dissuade. On the contrary, each of these challenges is an opportunity for growth and adaptation. So please, pick up where I left off, experiment with your own ideas, and make some mold!
This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under subaward number FNE22-001. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 3
• Eliades, A. (2010, May 8). How to Make Compost in 18 Days Using the Berkeley Hot Composting Method. Deep Green Permaculture.
• Fry, W., & Gruenwald, N. (2010). Introduction to Oomycetes. The Plant Health Instructor.
• O’Hara, B. (2017, September). Biological Inoculants for Soil Health. Acres USA.
• Reddy, R. (2011). Cho’s Global Natural Farming. South Asia Rural Reconstruction Association.
• Zuraihah, I. I., Aini, Z., & Faridah, M. (2012). Effects of IMO and EM application on soil nutrients, microbial population and crop yield. J. Trop. Agric. and Fd. Sc., 40(2), 257–263.
BIO Matt “MattyB” Bedeaux is a budding permaculture practitioner with a background in engineering, research, and teaching. Born and raised in New Mexico, he’s been farming and traveling the US since 2020. Contact Matt: mbedeaux.mb@gmail.com
Indigenous microorganisms represent one way to boost soil, plant, and human health
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There are two sides to every story. The use of horticultural peat moss as a growing medium is no exception.
Asha Hingorani, President of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA) knows that horticultural peat sparks debate and controversy among the quiet ranks gardeners. An association of 18 peat moss producers and marketers, the CSPMA represents 95% of Canada’s production. A proactive campaigner on peat-related environmental issues through collaborations with environmental groups such as Ducks Unlimited [2] , the CSPMA is a leader peatland restoration and sustainability. But is it enough to convince a sceptical home gardener?
You can find peat in marshes, swamps, bogs, and wetlands worldwide. Sphagnum and other mosses are known to grow prolifically, but peat moss forms over time.
Both peat and peat moss were first added to soil as a growing medium in the early 20 th century. Because peat retains water and enhances soil cohesion, it became popular with professional and amateur horticulturists. Today, peat is added to potting mixes, compost, and seed pellets. Even plants bought at garden centers have, in all likelihood, been propagated in peat-amended soils.
Awed by its superpower as a growing medium for decades, gardeners have overlooked peat’s other attributes, like its ability to absorb CO2 The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in Britain says that one hectare of undisturbed peat with a depth of 30cm absorbs as much carbon as one hectare of Amazon rainforest trees and other vegetation combined [3]
For the eco-conscious gardener, second thoughts about using the product to grow prize-winning roses are becoming more common. On Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the gardens at the Horticultural Center of the Pacific (HCP) [4] are a tourist attraction, a place of education, and where environmental stewardship for future generations is promoted. Head gardener Linda Petite doesn’t use peat to amend the soil. Instead, she says they make compost from garden waste, woody materials, and a stockpile of leaf mulch. The final product is equally as effective as peat, adding nutrients to the soil while increasing water retention and microbes to improve soil structure.
Typically, when a plant dies and decomposes, the carbon it has absorbed from the atmosphere is slowly released. But a peatland’s hydrology and high acidity prevent a plant from oxidizing and naturally deteriorating. That means its carbon remains sequestered. As a result, dead organic matter accumulates over thousands of years on the ground, compressing layer upon layer onto itself to form peat biomass.
When peat is harvested, the area drained of water, ditches are dug, and site is excavated. This undoes what Nature has taken thousands of years to accomplish. the United Kingdom, 95% of wetlands aged by peat harvesting. The situation ment has banned peat for garden use
In Canada, things are different. Although a significant producer and exporter of peat moss (1.3 million metric tons per year) [6] , Kevin Smith, National Manager of Boreal Programs at Ducks Unlimited, points out that only one-half of 1% of Canada’s wetlands are currently being mined for peat.
As an advocacy and environmental organization, the mission of Ducks Unlimited is to conserve, restore, and manage wetlands and associated habitats to benefit North America’s waterfowl, wildlife, and people. Therefore, it is logical to assume that the group is advocating for a peat ban similar to the UK, but instead of pitting themselves against the peat industry, Ducks Unlimited is working to share best practices and science.
Smith says part of this reasoning is due to the use of peat and peat moss in agriculture. There’s nothing he knows of at market scale that can replace it. Even the UK ban does not include agricultural use. Without its availability to farmers, he fears a world already experiencing massive food insecurity could face greater challenges. This concern is shared by the CSPMA, who have turned to science for help.
The Peatland Ecology Research Group (PERG) [7] is a collaboration between Laval University, the Canadian peat moss industry, and the government. Marie-Claire LeBlanc, Program and Communications Manager for CSPMA, says the work of PERG has made peatland restoration possible.
Sphagnum and other mosses are known to grow prolifically, but peat moss forms over time
Restoration operations
Restored peatland: 2 yrs post-restoration
The process of peatland restoration: restored peatland at Saint-Fabien-sur-Mer, Quebec
Restored peatland: 4 yrs post-restoration
Restored vegetation Kalmia polifolia
Restored peatland: 11 yrs post-restoration
Restored vegetation Moss carpet
The efforts begin with restoring the hydrology of a peat extraction site. Once this is accomplished, sphagnum moss and vegetation from undisturbed wetlands are transplanted. Within five years, 82% of the original shrub growth returns, and the slower-growing moss cover re-establishes. She says within 10-15 years, the annual carbon sequester of a restored peatland is the same as before harvest. But it doesn’t stop there.
Thirty years ago, the CSPMA read the day’s science and quickly realized peat’s superpower in mitigating climate change. Hingorani, president of the CSPMA, says the industry in Canada immediately began self-regulating itself and lobbying the government for strong measures on peat moss extraction.
Nowadays, it can take up to seven years for a company to finally get the green light to open a peat extraction site. In Quebec, companies wishing to operate a new peatland must apply to the provincial Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and, if related to public land, must comply with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources requirements. And there’s more, says Hingorani.
The industry has received recognition from environmental groups such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) UK Peatland Program [8] for its Veriflora Certification in the sector-specific Annex for Responsible Peat Moss Production and Handling. Administered by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global third-party certifier of environmental, sustainable, and agricultural product claims, individual producers and handlers within the industry must meet strict standards of social, environmental, and quality practices [9] Hingorani describes it as the gold standard for the floricultural and horticultural sectors. It is no small feat to achieve.
But no matter how much we do to restore a peatland or self-regulate peat extraction, once it’s gone, it takes generations for new layers of biomass to form.
The UK-based company, Beadamoss, is experimenting with farmed Sphagnum moss as a peat alternative. Although not the same in consistency or soil cohesion, it’s proving effective mixed with composted bark or wood fiber. After all, says company Di-
Another valid alternative? In Garden Culture’s Organic and Regenerative Growing issue, Craig Blackburn talks about his sister Lauren’s secret: biochar. Made by burning organic agricultural and forestry waste, it retains water and enhances the soil’s ability to sequester carbon. What she adds to the earth, says Craig, grows lettuce the size of basketballs [11]
For many gardeners, horticultural peat is a double-edged sword. It is irreplaceable in a growing medium but not in alignment with their environmental consciousness. At the HCP, head gardener Petite doesn’t use peat to amend the soil but says she has no choice for seed propagation; other mixes become too easily waterlogged, and the seeds rot. Meanwhile, Hingorani hopes that the environmental stewardship of the CSPMA and PERG’s research offers a new perspective to peat’s story that is rarely told. 3
1. CSPMA - CSPMA (peatmoss.com)
2. Conserving Canada’s Wetlands | Ducks Unlimited Canada (ducks. ca)
3. Peat-free gardening / RHS Gardening (rhs.org.uk/advice/peat)
4. Horticulture Center of the Pacific (hcp.ca)
5. Sale of horticultural peat to be banned in move to protect England’s precious peatlands - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
6. Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (announce partnership on World Peatlands Day Ducks Unlimited Canada (ducks.ca/news/national/peatlands-day)
7. Faculté des sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation (ulaval.ca)
8. The Canadian horticultural peat industry | IUCN UK Peatland Program (iucn-uk-peatlandprogram.org)
9. What is VeriFlora – DVFlora® (bit.ly/3FdJje8)
10. Sphagnum Farming for Peat-Free > BeadaMoss (beadamoss.com)
11. Organic & Regenerative Growing | Garden Culture Magazine (gardenculturemagazine.com/issue/usa-canada-issue-46)
• Peat Use in Horticulture | IntechOpen (bit.ly/3FL4khR)
• Is there a good alternative to peated compost? - BBC Future (bbc. in/3W6hlIF)
BIO Jennifer Cole is a writer and garden enthusiast with a bachelor’s degree focused on history from Simon Fraser University, and a freelance writing career spanning two and half decades, Jennifer lives in Vancouver British Columbia. Her by-lines have regularly appeared in the opinion section of the Toronto Star and her portfolio includes articles in various newspapers, magazines, and websites across Canada. When not writing her own blog or visiting local garden centers, you can find her puttering, planting, and nourishing her own urban garden oasis.
Awed by its superpower as a growing medium for decades, gardeners have overlooked peat’s other attributes, like its ability to absorb CO 2
The work of the Burns Bog Conservation Society depends on education and the affinity residents of its bordering communities have towards the Lungs of the Lower Mainland. Jennifer Cole shares the story of a grassroots movement sparked by spirits.
It was 1988, and a deep-sea port was proposed for Burns Bog. It wasn’t the first time the 8,000 acres of urban wetland, affectionately referred to as “the bog” by locals, had been threatened, but as far as some were concerned, it would be the last. So a grassroots group of concerned citizens banded together to form the Burns Bog Conservation Society [1] Their mission is to engage the community and other stakeholders in the protection and enhancement of Burns Bog through education, stewardship, research, and advocacy.
Burns Bog is the largest raised peat bog and undeveloped land mass on the west coast of the Americas. Located in the Metro Vancouver Municipality of Delta, British Columbia, it straddles the Fraser River to the north and the southern Salish Sea [2] Home to salmon spawning streams and over 300 insects, fauna, migrating birds, and animals (many listed as endangered) for thousands of years, the wetland lived a quiet life. The sphagnum mosses and peat-sequestering carbon have long provided food and served as a hunting ground for the region’s Indigenous population.
This changed in the early 1900s when Dominic and Patrick Burns bought the Great Delta Bog. The dream of a ranch faded as livestock continuously got stuck in the peat or would eat the poisonous plants of the bog and die. The Burns’ sold the land, but the family name stuck.
During the mid-part of the 20 th century, nearly 70% of the wetland was impacted by peat mining. Although harvesting had stopped by the 1980s, the bog’s woes continued; highways were built along its eastern fringes, a landfill was established on the southwestern corner, and industrial parks sprang up along its northern edges. Each development changed the bog’s appearance, shrank its size, and affected the ecosystem.
It has been said that if a consumer hears the same marketing message nine times, it’ll finally stick the tenth time. Since its conception, the Burns Bog Conservation Society has promoted the area’s unique ecosystem, and why as a carbon sink, it’s often called the Lungs of the Lower Mainland. In 1999, it was suggested the wetland be filled in to accommodate a new home for the Pacific National Exhibition.
The penny dropped, and the community of Delta responded by writing letters to politicians, signing petitions, and aligning themselves squarely on the side of Burns Bog. As a columnist writing for the local community paper, I wrote about the uniqueness of the bog. I asked the cultural coordinator of the North Delta Arts Council, Lana Hart, why the bog mattered so much to the community.
Burns Bog is part of the feeling of Delta and its folklore, she said. Every day we see the bog’s animals, trees, and creatures, and locals have all appreciated the beauty of a sunset over
the marshland from their patios and backyards. In 1996, we all heard the water bombers and collectively held our breath as a fire descended upon the bog. Filling in Burns Bog would be the equivalent of filling in Niagara Falls. It just isn’t the right thing to do.
The public outcry and advocacy of the Burns Bog Conservation Society provoked the Provincial Ministry of the Environment to initiate an ecosystem review. It confirmed that Burns Bog is globally unique based on its chemistry, form, flora, and size [3]
In 2004, four levels of government purchased over 5,000 acres of Burns Bog, and in 2007, the land was placed under an ecological covenant. Today, no one is allowed into the protected area without a permit from Metro Vancouver Parks, which manages it and the publicly accessible Delta Nature Reserve on the eastern edge of the bog.
Evelyn Wedley, the society’s General Manager, believes the bog’s legacy and continuing need for preservation is best served through educating younger generations on its importance as an ecological sanctuary. During the summer, the society operates day camps in the Nature Reserve for children K-12, facilitating up-close and personal experiences with the bog’s ecosystem. During the winter months, in-class presentations are offered.
Things quietened down after the covenant came into effect, Wedley says, and for many, the bog sank back into obscurity. But the society’s days of advocacy are not over, as some 3,000 acres of wetland remain unprotected; two industrial developments are proposed for the outlying regions, including a massive Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) plant.
Indigenous folklore speaks about the spirits of the bog, who change people the closer they get to the center of the peatland. Once upon a time, those spirits spurred a community to protect sacred land. I have no doubt they will again if needed. 3
Footnotes:
Burns Bog is the largest raised peat bog and undeveloped land mass on the west coast of the Americas
Food waste is seriously. The on its 160-acre farm on unceded Algonquin (Weskarini), Mohawk, and Huron-Wendat territory and believes food builds community. Most of the produce is offered through a thriving CSA program, with pick-ups at the farm and throughout Ottawa. The baskets feature seasonal items ranging from cucumbers, eggplant, and tomatoes to salad mixes, carrots, garlic scapes, and more. The nutritious produce is also available at the farm store and the Main Street Farmers’ Market every Saturday from June to October. As for any food not sold, the farm partners with the Alliance Alimentaire Papineau, a local food hub ensuring all excess produce goes to those in need. In 2021, Agricola donated 750 kilograms of vegetables for re-distribution and transformed goods! Of course, you can’t grow healthy food crops without beautiful flowers nearby, so customers can also join the flower share and receive local cut stems every week throughout the summer months. Whether enjoying veggies, flowers, or both, you can feel good about what Agricola grows. The farm never uses chemical pesticides or fertilizers and uses only hand tools, cover crops, and compost to enrich the soil. Nothing but love and care for the surrounding environment and community.
Learn more: fermeagricola.com
fermeagricola
Calling all foodies in the West Ottawa area! Beetbox Farm is a beautiful urban growing venture providing fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables to its surrounding community. Farmers Jess, Scott, Angela, Janice, Camille, and Jeremy are a young group dedicated to creating a better future for the people and our planet. They have come together to grow quality, seasonal produce for their neighbors to enjoy. They form a worker cooperative in which each member has a say in how the farm runs; beyond a commitment to growing good food and being kind to the land, they’re dedicated to creating well-paying jobs for farmers. The produce grown on the farm includes everything from leafy greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplant to root veggies, melons, and winter and summer squash. The community can enjoy everything Beetbox Farm offers through a thriving CSA program (on sale at beetbox.ca as of January), an annual seedling sale in May, a line of prepared foods, a farm store (open June to November), and other events held throughout the growing season.
fermeagricola
Learn more: beetbox.ca facebook.com/beetboxcoop beetbox_coop @beetbox_coop
A small-scale operation, Soil Shepherd Farm specializes in growing a variety of nutritious fruits and vegetables and also offers pastured eggs and pastured whole chickens. Farmers Elizabeth Buckner and Dustin Marsau care for the land her great-grandparents started in the 1950s. They are forever grateful for the opportunity to farm on this property, especially considering how difficult it is for young farmers to access land. They care deeply for the soil, their animals, and nearby wildlife with future generations in mind. They take what they love about various growing methodologies and apply them to their own techniques. Minimal tillage is critical, along with mulching, cover cropping, topdressing minerals and organic fertilizers, composting, pasture rotation, fermentation, and microorganism cultivation. They believe we can secure a better future for people and our planet by nurturing the Soil Food Web. The bonus? This regenerative approach to growing also has an immediate impact on the land and surrounding community. The farm’s CSA is wildly successful and is known to sell out, which doesn’t come as a surprise when you see the beautiful, seasonal produce offered, including lettuce, peas, green beans, carrots, potatoes, squash, kohlrabi, and so much more. The self-serve farmstand is open 365 days a year; expect to find it overflowing with produce in the summer months and well-stocked with fresh eggs and frozen chickens year-round. It’s local, seasonal, clean, and delicious. Sign us up!
Learn more: soilshepherdfarm.com/home
Soil Shepherd Farm soilshpherdfarm
Fall hues shine brightly at The Sunflower Farm, a gorgeous 20-acre sunflower field and pumpkin patch in Beaverton, Ontario. The farm is unique, not for what it grows, but for how it’s growing! Visitors can walk through the field on a trail shaped like a sunflower, formed by, of course, 200,000 blooming sunflowers! With a small team, an incredible amount of work and planning goes into this farm; there are about 75 days from planting until bloom, depending on the season’s growing conditions. Once the flowers bloom, visitors have a short window to experience all their glory, so check the website for opening hours (it’s best to book your visit in advance!). After opening in 2020, the farm offers a retreat to those seeking peace and relaxation. It’s been such a success that a second location has opened this year in Lindsay, ON, featuring ‘The Little Sunflower Farm’ and a pumpkin festival. Along with ten different varieties of sunflowers, the farm also grows gourds of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Picking sunflowers is strictly prohibited because the field is harvested every fall for birdseed, but visitors can purchase sunflower bouquets onsite. The Sunflower Farm is a popular spot for photo shoots and even elopements, which must be arranged with the farm ahead of time. Beyond the jaw-dropping flowers, there are many reasons to visit The Sunflower Farm. The team heavily promotes supporting local businesses, female entrepreneurs, and artists in Ontario. The sunflower is Ukraine’s official flower, and last summer, half of the ticket sales from a live music event were donated to the humanitarian effort in Ukraine. How could you not love this place?
Learn more: thesunflowerfarm.ca The Sunflower Farm @thesunflowerfarm @findmeatthefarm
After flipping through the pages of this edition, how could you not be completely obsessed with mushrooms and all of the incredible benefits they offer? You’re probably thinking it’s time to start cultivating them at home! Hobby gardeners can grow anything from shitake, oyster, and wine cap mushrooms to reishi, nameko, agaricus, and more. We’d love to join you on this journey; first, you need the right substrate. Get started with our 5 Cool Ways To Grow Mushrooms At Home.
Gardeners living on a wooded lot will likely find logs the most accessible substrate. Walking through a forest, you’ll find mushrooms growing at the base of trees and on their bark just about everywhere. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as finding a fallen tree and getting mushrooms to sprout! It’s essential to match the type of mushroom you want to grow with the tree variety it likes. Shitake mushrooms, for example, love oak, maple, birch, and cherry trees. Harvest the tree when it’s dormant, between the fall and the spring. Cut the logs into 40” lengths and store them in a shaded, moist area under a tarp for about two weeks. Be sure to innoculate them within two months of harvest so other fungi don’t take over. There are plenty of available resources on log inoculation, but it involves drilling holes, filling them with mushroom spawn, and sealing them closed with wax.
Got a hankering for oyster or wine cap mushrooms? Well, they’ve got a craving for straw. Like strawbale gardening, be careful when selecting your source for mushroom growing. Weed-free straw from oats or wheat will create a happy environment, while barley and rye straw contains antifungal properties, so avoid those. Shredding the straw offers the best results! Next, you can soak the straw for three to five days or use cold or hot pasteurization to kill off any undesirable seeds left in the substrate. Let it drain for about 24 hours, and place the straw on the ground or in a container to prepare it for inoculation.
Sawdust and woodchips are good for more than mulching the garden! These materials make an excellent substrate for growing mushrooms, especially wine caps and oysters, which grow naturally on something similar in the wild. Sawdust is affordable and can easily be found at home if you’re renovating. If you’ve recently cut some trees or have a local sawmill close by, wood chips should be easy enough to come by, but make sure they’re free of chemicals. The type of dust or chips you also choose matters. Cedar, for example, contains antifungal properties, so don’t go that route. After you’ve found your source, you need to soak, drain, inoculate, and place it in a clean container. You’ll be enjoying delicious mushrooms before long!
Composting kitchen scraps and yard waste is an easy way to take care of the planet and our gardens. Did you know you can speed up the composting process by growing mushrooms in a heap? Blewits, in particular, will help break down organic matter quicker, turning it into beautiful black gold for your garden. This mushroom also loves to grow on leaf litter; you’ll find them growing all over this substrate naturally in the forest. Start a blewit bed in the midsummer; find a shady spot and rake any debris to expose the soil surface. Water the ground well and cover it with about two inches of leaf litter from the previous fall. Add a bag of blewit spawn to the substrate and mix it well to break up all the chunks. Next, cover the spawn with more leaves; another two-inch layer will do. Mix these layers, water the area again, and cover the garden with a weighted plastic sheet. Leave the sheet in place for two months, but lift it once a week to water. You’ll have delicious mushrooms to feast upon in late falll!
If all of the above seems a little too complicated, or you don’t have access to the space or materials, you can still grow mushrooms at home. Ready-to-use mushroom kits allow you to grow gourmet fungi on your kitchen counter! You can find the kits at nurseries, greenhouses, and online from various sources. They all come with growing instructions, but generally, it involves misting a block live with mycelium daily for about two weeks. Unlike fresh herbs, you don’t need a sunny windowsill; you must place mushrooms out of direct sunlight. Expect anywhere from two to four harvests per kit. Bon appetit! 3
For more awesome mushroom-growing tips, we love Mushroom Cultivation: An Illustrated Guide to Growing Your Own Mushrooms at Home by Tavis Lynch. This book is also an excellent resource for proper identification, which is crucial when foraging mushrooms.
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