Growing In the New Age of Cannabis

GROWING IN THE
"NEW AGE OF CANNABIS"

Cannabis is known as a teacher plant and I would say in my years of growing I am still learning.

Ash Lurie

The history of this plant is dark and shrouded with negative connotations but the recent shift in global perception to the benefits of this plant has led to what one could describe as “a new age of cannabis”.

Cannabis is an amazingly diverse plant that can be used in many applications, this has led to the breeding of genetics that specifically meet those needs.

The cultivation methodologies that have been developed are just as diverse and understanding what your final product will be will help determine what method one should apply when cultivating this powerful plant.

Understanding that cannabis is a natural plant that has evolved over the eons to thrive in many climatic conditions is the first step when engaging in the relationship with this plant. With minimal input this plant can be grown with a degree of success, understanding and supplying the correct environmental requirements will vastly improve results.

Nature is a complex beast that we as humans are still wrapping our minds around, but as they say nature provides all we need to thrive and with the right inputs amazing results can be achieved.

With all the advances in technology we have learned how to simulate these environmental factors with a huge degree of success, but these controls come at a huge cost both financial and ecological.

Nature is all about balance, when we go into a controlled environment i.e., greenhouse or indoor setup we restrict the ability for nature to keep that balance and so that job then falls on the grower’s hands to a much larger degree, this is doable but requires dedication, knowledge and infrastructure.

When growing outdoors or under shade netting nature has the ability to take care of a lot of environmental factors. Of course, the natural climatic conditions of the area will determine how much input you would need to get out a successful crop.

Here in South Africa, we are blessed with beautiful conditions (in general) quite conducive for cannabis cultivation and so minimal infrastructure is really required.

This brings me to soil and growing mediums ... it has become well known that our immune system starts in our gut (stomach) and a healthy gut biome is essential to a strong immune system. So, what does that have to do with soil? Well, the soil acts like the gut of our planet, it’s the digester!

Understanding soil microbiology would take your relationship with the plant to the next level.

Fortunately, nature does take care of this when you have healthy living soil, good composting practices and worm farms will take care of this to a large extent, the microbials will do the work to make the necessary macro and micro nutrients available to the plants.

When going soilless (Hydroponic or aeroponic) this process needs to be managed by the grower and all micro and macro nutrients would need to be supplied in a readily available form (this can be tricky and expensive and will need constant monitoring).

It's also important to remember that Cannabis is a bio accumulator which means any heavy metals or toxins that you add or might have existing in your system will likely end up in your flower, this is a major problem if anyone will be consuming the finished product. This means testing of your soil and water and making sure any products you might add come from reputable and trustworthy sources.

So, in conclusion growing can be as simple or as complex as you make it.

Keeping it natural and organic will make your life simpler and will be beneficial to the environment so keep it green!

Mo fire!

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