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SOUTH AFRICA EDITION · ISSUE 4 · 2026 · FREE COPY

Professional cultivation equipment and consumables for Southern Africa’s leading cannabis facilities.

Hydrobiz supplies professional cultivation solutions to commercial cannabis growers who understand the importance of: Yield

Quality

Performance

Compliance

Reliability

Efficiency

We import directly from the world’s most recognised and trusted cannabis cultivation brands, giving you access to proven technology and inputs — from seed to harvest. Whether you are planning a new facility, expanding an existing operation, or optimising daily production, our experienced team provides expert guidance backed by a proven track record. At Hydrobiz, we combine best-in-class products with responsive service, long-term partnerships, and practical cultivation expertise.

Cultivation Infrastructure

Facility and Room Design Rolling benches High-tech greenhouses & tunnels

Cultivation Lighting

LED (630w Toplight, 720W folding fixture, 860W ex fixture, Clone lights, Under canopy fixtures) HID (1000w HPS/CMH, 315CMH) Quest Dehumidifiers Trolmaster controllers Fans Cezio Humidifiers

Climate Control

Grodan rockwool MediCoir ProGuard Jiffy Quick Plug Pots and Scrog nets

Growing

Post-Harvest Production

Get In Touch!

Integra Boost Mylar Bags C-Cell Hash washing machines Freeze driers

We have many more products, please visit www.hydrobiz.co.za info@hydrobiz.co.za 021 534 1115 @hydrobiz_sa

INDEX

In th is is s u e o f G A R DEN CULTURE: 7 8 10 16 18 22 26 30 32 36 42 46

Foreword Editor's Spotlight Marketplace Fit for the Future: Transitioning from HPS to LEDs Invisible but Essential: The Underworld, an Invisible War Professional POV - Tanner Stewart TRENDING NOW: How a Countertop Hydroponic System Supercharged My Pepper Seedlings (and Preserved My Sanity) Eco-Optimism: Hope Takes Root Through #EarthOptimism The Perils of Post-Harvest Preserving More Than Food Breaking the Silence: Cannabis Conversations in South Africa Precision or Party: What Does a Plant's Rhizosphere Really Want?

ible but Essential Invis

underworld an Invisible War

Lassoing the AI Runaways in the South African Cannabis Sector Playing the Long Game: Optimistic Orchards and other Occasional Opportunities The Soil Never Sleeps Cultivating the Future: Inside the World of Plant Tissue Culture Fungal Frailty and How To Fight It Notes from a Dirty Old Gardener - Everyone Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Face 78 Beyond Standard AC: Innovative Solutions for Grow Room Stability 80 5 Cool Ways to Plan, Preserve, and Prepare for Next Season

50 54 58 66 70 74

Our bodies are symbiotic organisms that coexist with a variety of microorganisms; these microorganisms populate our intestines, skin, and mouths

Trending Now!

How a Counter top Hydrop onic System Sup ercharged My Pepp er Seedlings

PRESERVING MORE THAN FOOD

(a n d Prese r ved My Sanit y)

BY ANNE GIBSON

raditionally,

Creative Ways to Save Your Harvest, Seeds, Soil, and Future Crops

when

think

about

preserving the harvest, we focus on the edible portion. However, history tells us

that resourceful gardeners valued and preserved almost every useful part of the crop.

My goal is to preserve more than just food. The ‘harvest’ is fully extended when we preserve nutrients, genetics, planting material, biodiversity, and our garden’s fertility. I look at the bigger picture – with an opportunity to reduce waste, save money, and improve resilience. Let’s explore a few of the ways we can transform this broader paradigm into reality.

TH E PER I LS OF

to live sustainably. She has authored several eBooks

Post-Harvest

and gardening guides. Anne shares organic gardening tips and tutorials to save time, money and energy on her popular website - TheMicroGardener.com. 40

WANT TO READ MORE OF

PRESERVING MORE THAN

Sometimes the best way to preserve a crop is not to harvest it at all. A living plant is essentially a self-preserving harvest. With a little preparation before the onset of winter in cold climates, a plant can produce again when warmer temperatures arrive. Peppers are a prime example.

food

The

Soil

Bring plants indoors

Despite being true perennials in frost-free regions (US zones 10-13), Capsicum annuum (Peppers) and Capsicum chinense (Chillies) are often treated as annuals. However, they can be overwintered in US zones 1-9 and still reach their full growing potential. Depending on where your plant is located: 1. 2.

36 70

My goal is to preserve more than just food. The ‘harvest’ is fully extended when we preserve nutrients, genetics, planting material, biodiversity, and our garden’s fertility

Talking about cannabis is siloed. Considering the fuzzy cannabis legislative halo, marketing, advertising and open conversation outside of the walls of industry are heavily restricted

A mature pepper brought indoors has a head start on the following season and may produce fruit weeks earlier than newly started seedlings. It hits the ground ‘running’ in terms of timing and maturity.

Planning Begins Before the Crop Overwinterbasilcuttings:In addition to collecting Comes seed, propagating preserves the exact genetics of a Down favourite cold-sensitive plant like Basil (Ocimum basilicum). Stem cuttings taken before winter are easily story. It is simply another 32 rooted in water or liquid seaweed for nutrients and Trim back a container-grown plant heavily growth hormones. Once roots develop, the newly before frost. propagated plants can be potted up, kept warm inand preparation. Dig up a ground-grown plant, prune it, and pot doors or in a sunny greenhouse, and ready to plant in it in a dark-coloured container with fresh potting spring. This preserves the local microclimate-adapted mix, then water it with seaweed to prevent traits in the parent plant for the next season. transplant shock. Keep the pot near a sunny window in a warm Keepsweetpotatovinesalive:Sweet Potato (Iporoom or under grow lights. moea batatas) vines root easily in a container indoors, Water sparingly through winter semi-dormancy and a single vine cutting can produce dozens of slips and feed before spring to support new growth. next spring.

sleeps 3.

Breaking the Silence:

Conversations in South Africa 37

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harv shar

Think smok cut d vest p A goo out th falls t mate

ANNE’S WORK? SCAN THE QR:

Preserve living plants instead of harvests

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FOREWORD FOREWORD

any years ago, when I was just out of university, I was lucky enough to work with a very smart real estate developer who taught me so many things that I didn’t

learn in school. His business mantra was “If you don’t plan, then plan to fail.” This idea has stuck with me throughout my entire career. But why is it important for growers? Intelligent, meticulous planning of your grow room design helps optimise plant layout, lighting, and airflow. This increases plant growth (quantity) and quality while reducing the risk of pathogens and pests. It’s about having control over what comes next.

Of course, our plans don’t always work out as planned. In “Notes from a Dirty Old Gardener - Everyone Has a Plan Until They Get Punched in the Face,” we get the perspective of a typical home gardener who often relies on luck, even when a loose plan is in place. When we are growing with organic or living soil, there is so much more to think about. In his article, “The Soil Never Sleeps”, Gareth Hopcroft writes, “Rather than viewing each crop as a separate event, living soil encourages us to see the garden as a continuous biological system. Harvest is not the end of the story.” As it turns out, several of our writers had the same idea. Thinking through and planning how to have the best soil for your plants is very important if you grow this way, and neglecting your soil could be devastating. In “Invisible but Essential: The Underworld, an Invisible War,” William Texier breaks down all the weird and wonderful things living on and in our soil. If you want them to live symbiotically with your plants, certain care is required, and yes, you will need a plan.

CREDITS SPECIAL THANKS TO: AC Moon Cameron, Adam Clarke, Adrian Coutts, Anne Gibson, Av Singh, Catherine Sherriffs, Gareth Hopcroft, Haley Nagasaki, Jane Lewis Sandelman, Mexx Holweg, Oliver Hall, Regi Oneton, Robin Koehorst, William Texier, & Xavi Kief. PRESIDENT Eric Coulombe eric@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-233-1539 VICE PRESIDENT Celia Sayers celia@gardenculturemagazine.com +1-514-754-1539 EXECUTIVE EDITOR Catherine Sherriffs cat@gardenculturemagazine.com DESIGN Job Hugenholtz job@gardenculturemagazine.com D I G I TA L & S O C I A L M A R K E T I N G social@gardenculturemagazine.com ADVERTISING ads@gardenculturemagazine.com PUBLISHER 325 Media INC 44 Hyde Rd, Mille-Isles QC, Canada J0R 1A0 GardenCultureMagazine.com ISSN 2562-3567 (Print) · ISSN 2562-3575 (Online) Garden Culture is published six times a year, both in print and online.

In “Fungal Frailty and How To Fight It,” AC Moon helps us understand what factors influence the presence of negative fungal spores in your grow area and how to prevent them. And with so many biological inoculants out there, how do you choose the best one for your growing needs? In “Precision or Party: What Does a Plant’s Rhizosphere Really Want?” Av Singh gives his two cents on how to deal with this complicated question.

D I S T R I B U T I O N PA R T N E R S

Whether it is your home garden or a multimilliondollar commercial grow facility, intelligent, factbased planning is vital to your success.

• HydroGarden • GroHydro • HydroBiz

Happily planning,

SOCIAL MEDIA

@gardenculturemagazine

@GardenCulture

@GardenCultureMagazine

@Garden_Culture

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from 325 Media Inc.

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EDITOR’S SPOTLIGHT

BY CATHERINE SHERRIFFS

Human Voices in the Age of AI I

’ve been the editor at Garden Culture Magazine for about eight years, a job I came across kind of by accident.

In what feels like a former life, I was a TV and radio news reporter and anchor; an exciting gig but a demanding and time-consuming one. After starting a family, I figured I was done with journalism for good.

Then the stars aligned; I met Celia and Eric, the owners of Garden Culture Magazine. They offered me freelance writing work and, eventually, my current position. Today, I generate and write content for our blog (GCMag.co), write quite a bit of the material you’re reading on these pages, and edit the work of our incredible growers and writers. Every new edition is a blank slate, and I am always learning about plants and growing techniques from our contributors. My own gardens have certainly benefited! Through the beautiful chaos of raising kids, my brain has stayed sharp thanks to creative freedom, countless expert interviews, and the challenge of weaving that information into stories our readers will enjoy. I’m proud of the work our small team accomplishes together, and I’m also very proud to say that Garden Culture Magazine’s content is written by real people with real experiences – never AI. I’m about to sound older than my actual age, but I earned my degree in journalism and worked in the media at a time when you generated ideas and crafted a story in your own words. You talked to real people, verified information, and told a story using your brainpower. Call me old-school, but I believe there’s little room for Artificial Intelligence in journalism.

There’s a misconception that AI writes better than humans. Faster? Absolutely. Better? I don’t think so Sure, it can be an excellent tool for checking spelling and grammar, or organising ideas and helping with research. But for me, that’s where it ends. It cannot become a substitute for journalism and human creativity; using it in this field risks losing trust, the ultimate sacrifice. There’s a misconception that AI writes better than humans. Faster? Absolutely. Better? I don’t think so. I’ve seen material with repetitive, robotic patterns or articles that are factually incorrect and contradictory,

EDITOR’S SPOTLIGHT

I’m also very proud to say that Garden Culture Magazine’s content is written by real people with real experiences – never AI.

lacking the details associated with first-hand experience. AI doesn’t conduct interviews with human beings or have any personal stories to share. But our writers do. I love reading the words of our contributors in their own voices, whether offering expert knowledge or the details of a breakthrough harvest or growing gaffe. Even if writing doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s why I’m here. Together, we’ll get your message across. Garden Culture Magazine believes the best stories are still the ones about real experiences told by real people. We hope you connect with our growers and writers and learn something new along the way. 3

Visit our YouTube channel to watch our interviews with expert gardeners, hobby growers, incredible artists, and more!

Youtube: PODCAST

@gardenculturemagazine

Want to be a GC contributor? Send your pitch to: editor@gardenculturemagazine.com

Marketplace B’cuzz Coco A & B + B’cuzz Bloom The Perfect Combination for High-Performance Coco Growing B’cuzz Coco A & B provides complete, professional-grade nutrition for coco substrates, supporting vigorous growth, strong roots, and reliable yields throughout the entire crop cycle. Combine it with B’cuzz Bloom during the generative phase to maximise production and quality. An independent trial at INNEXO showed a 36% increase in dry flower yield, a 25% increase in cannabinoid yield, and an 18% increase in terpene yield against the control treatment with the cultivar Pre98 Bubba Kush x Strawberry Cough. A powerful duo for growers seeking consistent results, healthy plants, and exceptional harvests. Available in South Africa from Hydrogarden. Learn more: atami.com

GMP Flower GMP Flower is a South African-developed Quality Management and seed-to-sale traceability system designed for SAHPRA-licensed medicinal cannabis facilities. The platform integrates GACP cultivation controls with PIC/S GMP manufacturing requirements into a single compliant system, including cultivation tracking, inventory management, Schedule 6 controls, SOP and training management, cleaning and maintenance logs, task management, and audit-ready traceability.

Quality Management and seed-to-sale traceability system Built by cultivators and pharmacists with SAHPRA licensing experience, GMP Flower upholds GMP data integrity principles, enhances compliance and efficiency, and strengthens oversight across cannabis operations. Visit GMPflower.com, contact aniske@gmpflower.co.za, or call 071 997 2400 for enquiries and demonstrations.

MARKETPLACE

Josh D Genetics

Rooted in the legendary OG Kush story. Josh Del Rosso, better known as Josh D, helped preserve and popularise the original OG lineage after bringing a prized Florida cut to California during the 1990s. His work laid the foundation for countless modern Kush varieties, earning him recognition as one of the pioneers behind the genetics that shaped today's cannabis breeding and culture. In collaboration with elite breeders, Josh D continues to release authentic, award-winning cultivars that honour the original OG legacy, preserving its history for future generations through exceptional breeding practices. Exclusively available in-store and online at Golden-Goose.co.za

Rrhiz-Up Mycorrhizal Fungi Beneath every thriving garden is a network you can't see — and Rrhiz-Up helps build it. This granular arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculant introduces four beneficial fungal strains, including Rhizophagus irregularis and Funneliformis mosseae, straight into the root zone. Once established, the fungi form a symbiotic partnership with plant roots, effectively extending them underground to reach further for water and nutrients. The payoff: stronger root and shoot development, taller growth, and better yields come harvest time.

Trellis Netting The 2m × 1000m trellis netting provides an economical solution for crop support across large canopy areas. Manufactured for strength and consistent mesh spacing, it simplifies installation while improving canopy management, airflow, and light penetration. This netting delivers exceptional value for commercial growers. If you're comparing landed costs, you'll find it is among the most competitively priced options available in the South African market. Check out HydroGarden.co.za to learn more.

Simply mix into your growing medium at planting, or dose seedlings during transplant. Available in 1.25 kg, 5 kg and 25 kg — a small addition with outsized results. Available at Hydroponic.co.za

Marketplace The Ease of Ready-To-Use CANNA COCO FLEX is a natural and clean growing medium that provides a ready-to-use solution for cultivators. This product consists of compressed highquality coco coir in an open-top grow bag. The convenience of the grow bag reduces labour, storage, and costs while improving overall standardisation in your garden! Available in a 4L and 8L block. Visit CANNA.co.za for more information.

TrolMaster Precision cultivation starts with a system that grows with you.

With Hydro-X and Aqua-X, TrolMaster provides a reliable platform that gives growers complete control over climate, lighting, CO2, irrigation and fertigation. TrolMaster enables growers to fine-tune every variable affecting crop performance through real-time monitoring and fully automated control. TrolMaster systems are built on a modular architecture that requires an investment in the core controller, along with appropriate sensors and device stations to control the equipment you need to manage your set parameters. Each component integrates seamlessly into a single, centralised system. TrolMaster is priced and designed to accommodate grows of varying sizes. Whether you have a single room or run a commercial multi-room facility, TrolMaster has what you need. Exclusively available at Hydrobiz.co.za Don’t Miss out! Hydrobiz is offering a special discount on TrolMaster. This deal is exclusive to Garden Culture readers. Scan the QR Code now!

Black Nitrile Gloves Powder-free black nitrile gloves provide excellent chemical resistance, puncture protection and tactile sensitivity for cultivation, laboratory, trimming and processing. Manufactured to consistent quality standards, each batch is supported by a Certificate of Analysis (COA), available on request. With a focus on aggressive market pricing and dependable supply, these gloves offer an ideal solution for facilities looking to reduce consumable costs. Go to HydroGarden.co.za for more information or contact the team at HydroGarden South Africa today for pricing.

MARKETPLACE

Twister BatchOne Go Designed for premium flower production, the Twister BatchOne Go delivers professional trimming performance in a compact, easy-to-operate system. Gentle handling preserves flower quality while significantly reducing labour requirements and improving processing consistency. Quick to set up and simple to clean, it is an ideal solution for cultivators looking to increase throughput without the investment required for larger automated systems. The BatchOne Go brings proven Twister trimming technology within reach of operations of almost any size. Learn more by contacting the team at HydroGarden.co.za

THC Tribe UltraPure HOCl

Not all hypochlorous acid is created equal

UltraPure HOCl is manufactured using a proprietary stabilisation process that delivers a guaranteed two-year shelf life while maintaining efficacy. Unlike many products that rely on sodium or potassium chloride to remain in solution, UltraPure leaves zero residue after application, making it ideal wherever cleanliness and residue-free sanitation are critical. Effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens, it offers reliable disinfection without introducing unwanted salts onto equipment, surfaces or crops.

THC Tribe has long been regarded as one of South Africa's most influential breeders, with a legacy built over many years of dedicated breeding, preservation, and selection. Known for working with exceptional genetics from around the world, including Seed Junky and Archive Seed Bank, THC Tribe has spent decades refining cultivars and producing sought-after seeds while contributing significantly to the local growing community. Through meticulous pheno hunting and a commitment to quality over hype, the breeder has earned a reputation for consistency, authenticity, and craftsmanship. Available in-store and online at Golden-Goose.co.za

Contact the team at HydroGarden South Africa today for pricing.

Marketplace

Medicoir

Your medium is the foundation of every grow. Medicoir is a shared substrate brand for both Botanicoir and Legro. Legro has been in the substrate business for over 100 years, and in 2020 they acquired a 50% stake in Botanicoir. With a shared respect for high-quality raw materials, attention to product quality, and a commitment to providing superior customer service, this deal consolidated two giants in the industry. Imported from the Netherlands, Legro Medicoir 70:30 is a Coir/ perlite blend sold in either 50L or 4000L big bales. Produced under strict quality controls, with RHP certification and COA, this product is delivered to medical cultivators across South Africa. Botanicoir was the first company to invest in mechanical drying processes to improve supply and quality. From Sri Lanka, Medicoir 4L and 7L “pop-up” grow bags use a precision blend of ultra chips and coir pith. Their mechanically dried coir ensures a more uniform product with a cleaner COA. Don’t Miss out! Hydrobiz is offering a special discount on Medicoir. This deal is exclusive to Garden Culture readers. Scan the QR Code now!

ProGuard by Innovative Solutions A crop ruined by powdery mildew or bud rot is every grower's worst nightmare. For licensed producers, one failed microbial test is the difference between a successful export or a full vault and lost sales opportunity. ProGuard delivers science-backed protection against mould, mildew, and pathogens, helping you reduce risk and produce cleaner, higher-quality flowers. Using a catalytic process, ProGuard converts oxygen and moisture in your environment into millions of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) particles. The generated H2O2 passes through a bipolar ionisation process, and upon release, the positively and negatively charged particles actively destroy spores and pathogens on contact. There are no harmful residues; there is no impact on terpene expression and no harm to your cannabinoid profile. Globally, nearly 2 million square metres of cannabis cultivation and processing space is already protected by ProGuard. Sleep better tonight!! If you want to protect your investment and hard work, invest in ProGuard today. Exclusively available at Hydrobiz.co.za Don’t Miss out! Hydrobiz is offering a special discount on ProGuard. This deal is exclusive to Garden Culture readers. Scan the QR Code now!

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upplemental lighting is essential in greenhouses

and

indoor

growing

facilities, especially in regions with

short days and limited sunlight. How much supplemental light a crop needs depends on where the greenhouse is located, the time of

for the

future Transitioning from

HPS to LEDs

year, the crop being grown, the desired light spectrum, and the cost of electricity.

Energy Use and Seasonal Considerations

As greenhouse growers become more dependent on heating and artificial lighting, worldwide energy use is rising. In colder northern climates, heating is often required to enable year-round, consistent cultivation. Supplemental lighting becomes especially important in the autumn and winter, when days are short and radiation levels are low. Furthermore, it allows control of day length, thereby regulating developmental processes such as flowering.

The Shift from HPS to LED

In the Netherlands, we have seen a rapid increase in the number of greenhouses that use artificial lighting and in the light intensity growers use during cultivation. The amount of energy used for heating has decreased, while the energy used for lighting has increased. Historically, high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps were used as the primary light source for supplemental lighting due to their high photon output and beneficial spectrum for plant growth (amber coloured, which overlaps with the absorption peaks of the main photosynthetic pigments). Switching from these historically inefficient lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) reduces energy costs by roughly 10-25%.

Global Transition Trends

The transition from HPS to LEDs is also quite rapidly occurring in the United States, where the use of LEDs increased from 16% in 2016 to 78% in 2024. This transition is especially important for crops that are grown under high lighting intensities, such as medicinal crops. In such cases, energy savings are greatest, although the overall impact largely depends on how much of the total energy costs is attributable to lighting.

SUPPLEMENTAL LIGHTING

BY MEXX HOLWEG

Supplemental lighting is essential in greenhouses and indoor growing facilities, especially in regions with short days and limited sunlight.

Mexx Holweg is the Technical Solution Manager and Crop Advisor at Dutch Lighting Innovations, where he combines scientific expertise with practical horticultural insight to deliver data-driven lighting solutions. He holds a Bachelor’s in Applied Biology from HAS University of Applied Sciences and both a Master’s degree and doctorate from Wageningen University & Research. His research focused on plant physiology and photobiology, with a strong emphasis on optimising light strategies for indoor-grown medicinal plants. Passionate about applied science, Mexx excels at translating complex research into real-world solutions that help growers improve yield, consistency, and crop performance.

Radiative Heat Differences

One major difference between HPS and LEDs is the radiative heat they emit. HPS lamps emit significantly more radiant heat, while LEDs emit far less near-infrared radiation. This indicates that switching from HPS to a full LED system isn’t just about swapping out lighting fixtures; growers must also rethink how they heat their greenhouse to compensate for the loss of warmth.

WANT TO READ MORE OF MEXX’S WORK? SCAN THE QR:

Geographical Considerations and Geothermal Heating

In the Netherlands, the use of HPS lights has historically covered 25-30% of the heating demand. The transition to LEDs is, for example, more efficient in Nordic countries due to the high level of geothermal energy from seismic activity within the earth. Because of this, warm water can be pumped up from the soil and used to heat the greenhouses. Using geothermal heat would allow energy cost savings of up to 35%, making commercial greenhouse growing viable in climates where it would otherwise be too expensive to operate. Especially in regions where heating is sustainable and affordable, the benefits of installing LEDs heavily outweigh the cost of extra heating.

Impact on Plant Physiology

HPS lights also affect plant temperature and transpiration due to the large amount of radiative heat they emit. Especially under high light intensities and extended photoperiods, increased temperature could impair plant growth. This added heat is preferred in the winter but could lead to excessive venting of the greenhouse in the summer, which, in turn, results in CO2 losses that further increase energy costs. To compare, growing under LEDs at the same light intensity keeps the leaf temperature roughly 1.3°C cooler, indicating that the difference in practice is smaller than expected.

Switching from these historically inefficient lamps to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) reduces energy costs by roughly 10-25% Efficiency and Light Output of LEDs

In addition to energy savings, LEDs are simply more efficient than HPS in producing photosynthetic photons per watt consumed. Highly efficient LEDs, consisting mostly of pure red, can deliver up to 3.9 micromoles per watt per second, compared to HPS at 1.6 micromoles per watt per second. LEDs can thus be used for higher light intensities and longer photoperiods, delivering a greater total amount of light to the crop without excessively raising temperatures.

Customisable Spectra and Future Directions

Finally, multispectral LED arrays allow us to customise the light spectrum required by various crops at different phases of plant development. Although this is quite a Pandora’s box, we will hit on how the spectrum can be used to optimise photosynthesis and steer plant shape for maximum light interception in another article. 3

s s E e t n u tial b e l b i s i Inv

the

underworld an Invisible War

Our bodies are symbiotic organisms that coexist with a variety of microorganisms; these microorganisms populate our intestines, skin, and mouths

MICROBIAL SOIL LIFE

ur bodies are symbiotic organisms

BY WILLIAM TEXIER

that coexist with a variety of microorganisms; these microorganisms

populate our intestines, skin, and mouths. They are indispensable allies for our survival. The same is true for plants. All plants, from the smallest to towering trees, need this col-

William Texier is the Co-founder of Terra Aquatica (formerly GHE) and author of L’Hydroponie pour tous, Mama Editions. He has been working in R&D in hydroponics and plant nutrition since 1987. For more information, visit terraaquatica.com

labouration with the inhabitants of the underground world for their survival. Even their aerial parts—leaves, stems, etc.—are inhabited by a fauna that we are only just beginning to study. I could easily argue that the composition and abundance of microbial life in soil are as important for plant growth as its physical qualities and mineral content.

hen you add a good fertiliser to your substrate or hyW droponic solution, you see rapid improvements in your plants’ growth and health. The same happens when you introduce beneficial microorganisms. This article does not aim to explore the subject in depth, but rather to give you some ideas on how you can improve your crops by introducing some of these organisms.

What are the soil inhabitants?

et’s skip the following categories, which are all L off-topic: • Macrofauna (over 2 mm): earthworms, insects, and insect larvae. • Mesofauna (0.2 to 2 mm): mites, starfruit. • Microfauna (less than 0.2 mm): nematodes (some are beneficial, others parasitise roots and can kill plants), rotifers, and tardigrades that colonise the microdroplets of water in the soil and on roots. ll these organisms play a crucial role, primarily in the A decomposition, mixing, and aeration of organic matter. Aside from encouraging earthworm populations, there is little a farmer can do to influence these three categories of fauna. The one that interests us is the fourth: •

Microorganisms (invisible to the naked eye): bacteria (which can be beneficial or harmful), fungi, algae, actinomycetes (another type of bacteria), and protozoa (filamentous, branched organisms).

It is primarily bacteria and fungi that assist our crops; they are our allies in the soil, helping us prevent dis-

All plants, from the smallest to towering trees, need this collabouration with the inhabitants of the underground world for their survival eases, nourish plants more effectively, and protect them against certain pathogens. They are easy to introduce into the growing medium and can be used not only in traditional crops to revitalise the soil but also in bare-root hydroponic systems or in neutral growing media such as coconut coir. Let’s take a closer look.

Bacteria

Less than 2 microns in size, they constitute the most numerous and diverse population in the soil (approximately 1 billion per gram of healthy soil). They play an essential role by performing several functions: • degradation of cellulose and pectin • mineralisation (making the mineral elements contained in organic matter available) • nitrogen fixation • phosphorus solubilisation, etc. Some bacteria form symbiotic relationships with plants. In exchange for their services, they feed on sugars exuded by the surrounding roots. We will limit ourselves to examining those that are useful to us and commercially available.

Nitrogen fixers: Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Azospirillum

These are the three main families of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Rhizobia act only in the root nodules of legumes; they give them the well-known property of fixing atmospheric nitrogen. They are of little interest to us, as these bacteria establish themselves automatically and are only active within these nodules.

Phosphorus is one of those elements that, even though present in abundance in soil, is not readily available to plants

On the other hand, Azotobacter and Azospirillum are rhizobacteria that, as their names suggest, live freely in the rhizosphere and possess the same nitrogen-fixing capacity; not limited to legumes alone, they work with all plant species. Thanks to this property, Azotobacter and Azospirillum are valuable allies for our crops, forming symbiotic relationships with plants (rhizobacteria). Nitrogen is the most abundant element in plants, and soil rarely contains enough of it. It is often the limiting factor in growth, which is why farmers use so much nitrogen fertiliser. The use of these bacteria could greatly reduce the chemical inputs spread in fields, which often end up in groundwater. I have no experience with Azotobacter, but numerous tests with various Azospirillum species have demonstrated their effectiveness. More surprisingly, I obtained very positive results in my hydroponic crops. Hydroponic fertilisers are very rich in nitrogen in several forms, and one would expect no difference with the addition of bacteria; to my great surprise, I obtained yields around 10% higher with the introduction of Azospirillum.

Phosphorus-solubilising bacteria

Phosphorus is one of those elements that, even though present in abundance in soil, is not readily available to plants. It often forms insoluble compounds, such as calcium phosphate. Fortunately, many bacterial families help make this phosphorus available. They belong to the genera Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Micrococcus, and Flavobacterium. They act at different levels: lowering soil pH and producing organic acids that mineralise P. Without them, all our crops would suffer from chronic phosphorus deficiencies because external inputs from added fertilisers are quickly bound within insoluble molecules. Tests carried out with

bacteria of the genus Burkholderia have shown that even rich soil can benefit from their contribution. Phosphorus is the hardest element to keep available in a nutrient solution; I would have bet that adding solubilising bacteria could solve this problem, and I would have lost! So far, we haven’t achieved any satisfactory results in hydroponics. Work in progress! Tests are still underway.

Chemical Warfare: Protective Bacteria

Many bacterial families release secondary metabolites into their environment (any compound that doesn’t directly enter the plant’s metabolism). They have a wide variety of functions; three families—Actinobacteria, Actinomyces, and Lactobacilli—produce compounds that inhibit many pathogens. These bacteria are beneficial in soil and greatly reduce the risk of fungal attacks; an additional supply is always useful, even in healthy soil. In hydroponics, I use bacteria of the genus Streptomyces, the source of the wellknown streptomycin. These are filamentous bacteria that feed on organic matter. What interests us are the compounds they produce, which have antifungal, antiviral, and antibiotic properties. It’s a real chemical war they wage to eliminate the competition. They may not be too well-liked by their neighbours, but these properties are crucial for our nutrient solution. This method of clearing away anything that could harm the plant’s root system allowed me to keep my plants healthy at temperatures I found hard to believe were possible; I had to admit that at 42°C, my plants’ roots were still brilliant white. This is only possible, however, in a highly active hydroponic system where the oxygen in the solution is constantly replenished. If there is a risk of heatwave conditions, adding Streptomyces to your solution will greatly improve your plants’ survival.

MICROBIAL SOIL LIFE

Microscopic observation of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Azospirillum

William Texier has made a career out of teaching people how to grow. Our editor, Catherine Sherriffs, caught up with William in 2021 to discuss his journey. Read it now!

Roots colonised by Trichoderma

Fungi

A vast field exists in this department. There’s no consensus on when they first appeared, but they’ve been on this planet for about eight hundred million years. They form a symbiotic relationship with all plants, especially trees, which couldn’t live without them. Not all of them are beneficial; some are pathogenic, but others are truly valuable to our crops. They play very diverse roles, similar to and complementary to those of bacteria. The two most often coexist harmoniously for the well-being of plants.

Mycorrhizae

These are fungi that form a symbiotic association with plants. There are approximately 50,000 species. The vast network of their filaments (hyphae) allows them to bring nutrients to the plant that its roots cannot access. Mycorrhizae cover a surface area about 10,000 times greater than that of the root mass, hence their enormous importance. Like bacteria, they receive sugars in exchange for the nutrients they provide to the plant, primarily nitrogen. Each of these two organisms could live independently, but their association allows both partners’ growth to increase tenfold. Mycorrhizae are divided into two families: endomycorrhizae and ectomycorrhizae. The former are the most widespread; they form a symbiotic association by penetrating the root, while the latter do not penetrate the root but rather envelop it with a network of mycelium. Since they primarily provide nitrogen, these

fungi are of little use in hydroponics; however, they are a valuable addition to soils. Healthy soil contains a continuous network of mycorrhizae, which occupies its entire volume. They communicate with each other, and it is through them, among other means, that plants communicate. In addition to mycorrhizae, many other fungi are beneficial. The most commonly used supplement is a fungus from the Hypocreaceae family, Trichoderma, specifically the Harzianum variety. It plays a crucial role in soil; it is practically an army by itself. It is a filamentous fungus that grows on the surface of roots. By doing so, it prevents pathogenic organisms from reaching this space and accelerates plant growth, releasing compounds that help limit the risk of disease. In hydroponic systems, it plays the same roles, but it is also used to combat heat and is essential for practicing bioponics (using an organic hydroponic solution). I was lucky (or unlucky) enough to start my hydroponic adventure with an excellent fertiliser. I got great results, and for years I didn’t look any further. Then I discovered that certain supplements (fulvic acid, seaweed extract, etc.) could improve my results even more, and just when I thought I couldn’t do any better, I discovered microorganisms. I strongly encourage you to try it for yourself; whichever method you choose to grow with, I know you’ll be satisfied and surprised by the results. 3

V O P l a n o Professi with

t r a w e t S Tanner s Powerh s e n ll e W a t il u B s m r How Stewar t Fa

ou se

rom aquaponics and living soil to recovery-oriented products, Stewart Farms has turned regenerative farming principles into Canada’s leading cannabis topicals brand. Garden Culture’s Haley Nagasaki caught up with Tanner Stewart.

Haley Nagasaki: How did you get started in the cannabis industry? Tanner Stewart: The original reason I decided to

enter the cannabis industry was that I was a very early mover in indoor vertical farming. In 2015, I built one of the earliest and largest indoor vertical farms in North America, right here in Alberta. It was aquaponics, so we had a fish farm in the facility, and that was paired with a ten-story-high leafy-green vertical production system. We were doing kale and arugula, Swiss chard and basil, all the microgreens. It was really a crash course in indoor controlled environment agriculture. Eventually, I learned I wanted a higher-value crop, and when I came into cannabis, there was no doubt we were growing medicine. I was growing food as medicine before, and so we took all these same principles from the experience I had with aquaponics and clean indoor organic farming and applied it to cannabis.

PROFESSIONAL POV

BY HALEY NAGASAKI

HN: In 2018, you were working on a documentary film called The Need to Grow. Tell me about your time as Executive Producer. TS: At the same time as I was vertical farming, I had

Haley is a legacy journalist and former B2B magazine editor in the Canadian cannabis sector. As an editorial and communications strategist, she drives content and business development, advocating for small-scale organic farming and global community-building initiatives. Connect with her on Instagram @haleynagasaki

invested in this film called The Need to Grow, and I am an Executive Producer on that film. Millions of people have watched this film across almost every country by now because we have the metrics. It’s about the importance of living soil to the planet. The pitch from the Director Rob Herring and Ryan Weirich, out of California, they said: “Have you heard of The Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore? Have you watched it?” And of course I’ve watched it; everybody’s watched it. He said, “That’s a film about problems. We want to make a film about solutions.” I’m a solutions-driven person. That’s so appealing to an entrepreneur. The film explores three different solutions, and its whole point is to inspire people. And it did. For me, that film inspired everything I did afterward, including leading up to our making bath bombs and muscle creams. Everything about regenerative farming led me to our business ethics and how we produce products in general.

HN: You are now the largest cannabis natural health product producer in Canada. When did you first release your topicals and wellness products? TS: That was really early on. Stewart Farms built the entire CBD/THC bath bomb category across Canada. Frankly, we’re about 80-90% of that category.

As I entered the cannabis industry, I knew I was looking at wellness products. I was looking at the grey market span of products in California, Colorado, and British Columbia. I knew people were making CBD/THC bath bombs, skin creams, and topicals, so I thought there might be something there. For our first three bath bombs, Bubba Kush, Blue Dream, and Train Wreck, we copied the botanical profiles of each of those genetics, and that’s how we designed the bath bombs. From there, we made our very first skin cream, or balm, which was called Lavender Arnica. It’s

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an incredibly underrated product. When we launched it, we started getting these life-changing stories back, and I just thought, “We have to make this work.”

HN: Is all of your focus in this product category now? TS: The evolution of Stewart Farms, from farming into the topicals category, is exactly that.

We’re actually in the middle of abandoning the cultivation we were doing at our facility because 65% of it was occupied by only 15% of our revenue-producing products. So, I had to make this decision to regain that floor space so we could double down and produce 3-5 times more topicals. What I love about the ongoing story of Stewart Farms is that these products are the way they are because of regenerative farming. They were designed to get people off opioids and topical steroidal creams.

HN: Who is your biggest customer? TS: Veterans are our biggest customers through the

medical market in Canada. We’re doing over 10,000 units of Arctic Heat to veterans alone every month, and 20-30,000 bath bombs to the veteran medical community. They get a medical prescription and order our products from about seven online platforms. We are roughly one-third of the entire topicals category in Canada.

PROFESSIONAL POV

Tanner’s first outdoor cannabis grow in raised beds living soil

The Stewart Farms Team!

Getting basic irrigation, lighting, environmental control, and plant care right is the foundation that any grower needs to deliver a successful crop

I was growing food as medicine before, and so we took all these same principles from the experience I had with aquaponics and clean indoor organic farming and applied it to cannabis. Stewart Farms first indoor grow

HN: Tell me about Rebound. TS: The parent brand is called Rebound by Stew-

art Farms. Our messaging is all about recovery. MMA fighters, bodybuilders; we’re focusing on getting the word out to Pilates studios, and the people who are hard on their bodies. That’s outside of the medical patient world because our products are recovery-oriented. Anyone can be unstoppable. They just have to decide that they are.

HN: You live in Edmonton now. How often are you back in St. Stephen? TS: So, the facility is in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

We have 30 people there manufacturing all these products, and they’re a wonderful team. Everyone was trained on the job; none of them had experience doing the work they do now, which is operating a super clean, pharmaceutical-grade cosmetics and topical manufacturing facility.

What I love about the ongoing story of Stewart Farms is that these products are the way they are because of regenerative farming. I’m also functionally leading the sales and marketing efforts within the company on a daily basis. And I love the creative side of things. I like the branding. I love talking to people. I go back every month and a half on average, but I’m more valuable elsewhere in Canada. I need to contribute to these bigger markets in Alberta, B.C., and Ontario. In August, we’ll be at CanFitPro in Toronto. It’s the largest fitness and wellness trade show in Canada. And I’m doing a presentation about cannabinoids in topicals. I’ll also be in the United Kingdom later this year because international expansion is important to us. We want to get this made-in-Canada, clean topical solution into as many countries as we can. People need to feel the Arctic Heat! 3

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How a C ou nte r top Hyd rop o n i c Sys te m Sup e rcharge d My Pepp e r S e e d l i n g s (a nd Prese rved My S a n it y )

atherine Sherriffs writes about finding a way to remove one of the most frustrating bottlenecks in her gardening routine, preserving her sanity and making seed starting more enjoyable. Find this hack and many more on our blog at GCMag.co.

COUNTERTOP HYDROPONICS

BY CATHERINE SHERRIFFS

nyone else get super impatient waiting for pepper seeds to germinate? I like to start all my fruits and veggies from

seed indoors and usually get going around six to eight weeks before my region’s last frost date. But that’s a little too late for peppers; they seem to take forever to sprout and grow to a respectable size. For a few different reasons, my seed-starting regimen was later than usual

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.

this year, and I thought about skipping peppers altogether. On a whim, I decided to throw my pepper seeds into my simple kitchen countertop

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hydroponic setup; the results were amazing, and it helped keep me sane, so this is a hack I’ll use every growing season!

tarting Pepper Seeds and Watching S Time Stand Still

Typical pepper seeds need anywhere between 7 and 21 days to germinate, longer if you’re me, and the conditions have to be just right: warm and humid. But not too humid and not too warm. What can I say? Peppers are temperamental! When I start them in a seed-starting mix and transplant them into soil, I find the process long and frustrating, which usually sucks the enjoyment out of growing.

Average Pepper Germination Times • • •

Sweet and mild peppers (Bell, Jalapenos, Banana, Lunchbox varieties): 7-14 days Medium and hot peppers (Cayenne, Tabasco): 1421 days Spicy peppers (Ghost, Carolina Reaper, Habanero): 21-30+ days

Pepper Starting Hack: Hydroponic Countertop Growing System

I decided to see if I could speed up the process using a countertop hydroponic setup. I have a few different brands and models, but my favourite one by far is the LetPot Indoor Garden. This hydroponic growing system

The results were amazing, and it helped keep me sane, so this is a hack I’ll use every growing season! has space for 12 pods, an adjustable, 24W full-spectrum LED panel that rotates 180°, and an app remote control. It is incredibly easy to use, and after adding seeds to the setup, all you have to do is sit back and watch the magic happen. No constant checking of seed trays, watering, or worrying! I filled the reservoir with water, added the model’s recommended nutrient ratios, and threw some bell and jalapeno pepper seeds into the grow sponges, not really expecting anything to happen in a timely manner. But in under a week, the seeds had sprouted! Even more impressive was the rapid growth rate that followed. Within about four weeks, I had beautiful, healthy pepper plants thriving in the LetPot. I have to admit that the added bonus for me was how much less I thought about my pepper seedlings. Rather than constantly checking on them and wondering if they’d take, I could watch their progress daily, and that was such a relief. Next, I had to see if they would survive transplant.

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COUNTERTOP HYDROPONICS

I love how fast my peppers grow in my LetPot Indoor Garden, but what I appreciate most is the predictability

reparing Hydroponic Peppers P for Transplant

My vegetable gardens are outdoors, so I needed some time for the plants to adjust to soil and outdoor conditions. Two weeks before my region’s last frost date, I carefully lifted the pepper plants out of the reservoir, leaving them in the peat sponges. Their roots were long and tangled, so I unravelled and trimmed them. Next, I planted them into 4” pots, added some organic potting mix and worm castings for good measure, and watered them well before placing them below my LED grow lights. Peppers don’t like to be disturbed, so I was worried they would go into shock, but they settled quickly, and I only lost one plant over the next few days. Slowly, I started hardening them off outdoors, and I finally got them out into the garden in mid-June. That’s later than I would have liked, but the peppers had such a strong start that it didn’t really matter. I have a total of 11 pepper plants, and they are all growing strong and have begun to flower. Looks like there will be an abundance of peppers this year, friends!

ther Seeds to Try in a Countertop O Hydroponic System

I’ve also successfully grown plenty of fresh herbs and some tomato seedlings in my LetPot Indoor Garden, including one of my favourites, the tiny Orange Hat! This plant is perfect for a countertop hydroponic setup because it’s a micro plant and highly productive, perfect for indoor wintertime growing in small spaces. Feel free to try any seeds you’d like to get them on the fast track to success!

Preserving Seed Sanity

I love how fast my peppers grow in my LetPot Indoor Garden, but what I appreciate most is the predictability. Instead of wondering whether my seeds will sprout, I can see progress almost immediately. That keeps me excited about gardening rather than frustrated by slow germination, especially when I’m starting seeds later than planned. 3

No constant checking of seed trays, watering, or worrying!

Through

ECO-OPTIMISM

BY CATHERINE SHERRIFFS

here’s a saying in the field of journalism that goes, “If it bleeds, it leads”, meaning the most sensational stories get homepage prominence, make it to the front page, or top of the hour. In an age of doomscrolling and more frequent climate disasters, it’s easy to fall into

a state of eco-anxiety. Many of us feel the urge to remain informed, but it can leave us feeling angry, worried, and exhausted. We’re all for knowing what’s going on in the world, but taking a break from the average news site isn’t a bad thing either. Enter #EarthOptimism, a global movement that drives home a simple message: there is hope, and people around the world are taking action every day to preserve, protect, and restore nature! For example, mangrove restoration projects are reversing decades of habitat loss, and the world’s Albatross species is making a comeback thanks to targeted environmental fishing efforts that prevent birds from being caught or killed by fishing gear. In Quebec, Canada, the town of Terrasse-Vaudreuil is officially recognising trees as living beings with rights. These conservation success stories prove what we can achieve when communities, scientists, and governments work together.

Enough Doom and Gloom

#EarthOptimism is changing the environmental narrative, moving away from doom and gloom and toward potential solutions and success. We often only hear about the negative, but Earth Optimism says there are many conservation efforts the general public doesn’t know about. Launched as a collaborative partnership between the Smithsonian and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the movement shares evidence-based environmental success stories from around the world. There’s no doubt that climate change is happening; Earth Optimism wants to highlight and celebrate the good so these positive solutions can spread around the globe, inspiring people along the way and helping relieve some of our fears associated with environmental stress. Experts say one of the best ways to cope with eco-anxiety is to get involved, whether through green activism or by protecting nature in your own backyard. The #EarthOptimism website offers concrete ideas for how we can help our planet, whether through eating more sustainably, creating wildlife gardens, or investing in socially and environmentally responsible funds. Nothing has to be complicated; Earth Optimism can help you make a difference across many aspects of your life.

Launched as a collaborative partnership between the Smithsonian and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative, the movement shares evidence-based environmental success stories from around the world Let’s start celebrating conservation successes; the next time you reach for your phone, balance the algorithm by scrolling through positive, constructive online content. There are many environmental efforts happening that can help uplift, inspire, and build a new path forward. The #EarthOptimism movement strives to bring us together to protect our planet’s future. We can all be part of the solution! Find motivating, science-based stories and eco-friendly life hacks at earthoptimism.cambridgeconservation.org 3

Garden Culture Magazine prides itself on exploring eco-friendly growing and gardening techniques. We want you to walk away feeling inspired and happy! Find more positive vibes on our blog at GCMag.co

T H E PER ILS OF

Post-Harvest

With the swipe of a sharp knife, you've cut her down. Now what?

POST-HARVEST

BY JANE LEWIS SANDELMAN, CEO & CO-FOUNDER, CANNATROL

ou've spent countless hours growing your plants, studying nutrients, soil composition, lighting configuration,

water, and air circulation. And finally, harvest day has arrived. With the swipe of a sharp knife, you've cut her down. Now what?

Thinking about the entire process from 'seed to smoke,' you're only halfway there once that plant is cut down. Like the growing process, the post-harvest process must be well-controlled and planned. A good drying, curing, and storage plan can bring out the best in your flower and help you avoid pitfalls that can kill terpenes and cannabinoids, ultimately destroying all your hard work. There is plenty of mythology out there about drying cannabis. However, it can be relatively simple to produce excellent quality cannabis consistently with a few guidelines.

The Drying Space

Consider how many plants you are growing and how much space you need to dry your flower correctly. Will you hang entire plants, break down branches, or buck the flowers and dry them on trays or screens? Each method has pros and cons, often influenced by labor requirements or the harvest cycle, so planning and preparing your drying space in advance is essential. Whichever method you choose, avoid overloading your drying area, as this can lead to uneven drying and increase the risk of mold growth. Lastly, ensure that the drying area is clean and that you have control over the environmental conditions.

When to Harvest

It's difficult to resist the temptation to harvest your plant when it smells so good and glistens like a sparkling diamond. Take a moment to evaluate the trichomes on the plant. These critical structures contain the terpenes, flavonoids, cannabinoids, and all the benefits you've cultivated the plant for. Ideally, the trichomes should appear mostly milky, with

Jane Lewis Sandelman is a veteran corporate marketer and entrepreneur who leads Cannatrol’s sales, communications and B2B marketing initiatives. Rooted in science and technology, the company seeks to improve post-harvest processing while boosting efficiency and product quality for operators worldwide. Jane’s CPG product development and marketing background includes senior management roles with many multinational firms. Before co-founding Cannatrol, she and her husband renovated an abandoned Vermont inn, turning it into a beautiful getaway spot and restaurant that won many accolades.

Like the growing process, the post-harvest process must be well-controlled and planned a few amber ones beginning to emerge. Consider investing in a jeweler's loupe or a small microscope to examine the trichomes closely. Harvesting your flowers too early can produce a hay-like smell during drying, leading to a generally poor smoking experience.

Preparing to Dry

It's important to note that even the best drying conditions won't solve the problem if your flower has mould or pests. A small amount of mould on a single plant can damage an entire crop if not addressed promptly. Be sure to carefully inspect your plants and remove any areas affected by mould or pest damage. Always clean your scissors, hands, and work area before handling the rest of your harvest. Be gentle during the harvesting and preparation of your flower. The trichomes are very delicate at this stage, and excessive handling of the buds can cause damage. Once these trichomes rupture, the volatile compounds are lost and can never be recovered.

POST-HARVEST

Once these trichomes rupture, the volatile compounds are lost and can never be recovered

The Environment

Drying cannabis in a consistent and stable environment is essential for preserving terpenes and cannabinoids. A recent study by the Cannabis Research Coalition found that fluctuating humidity and temperature levels can significantly damage trichomes. Maintaining a stable environment will help yield high-quality flowers with a great terpene profile. For optimal drying, aim for a temperature between 65-68°F and a dew point of 52-54°F, corresponding to a relative humidity of about 60%. It's essential to gently circulate the air in your drying space to prevent the formation of microclimates. However, avoid using strong fans that blow directly on the flowers, which can damage them and will not enhance the drying process.

Embrace Technology

New technologies are now available to home growers and commercial cultivators to improve the post-harvest process. Systems that independently control vapour pressure and temperature (the components of relative humidity) can significantly enhance terpene preservation and maximise yield. These systems offer precision control and minimise damage caused by environmental fluctuations. Another helpful tool for your toolkit is a water activity meter. While these devices can be somewhat expensive, using water activity as a measure dur-

A recent study by the Cannabis Research Coalition found that fluctuating humidity and temperature levels can significantly damage trichomes ing the drying process can yield substantial benefits. Water activity measures the amount of bound versus unbound water in the buds. Unbound water is where mould and microbes can thrive, so once you've removed that water during drying, there's no need to continue with water removal. A safe target for water activity is 0.6 aw. Drying beyond 0.6 aw will over-dry the flower, resulting in yield loss, damaged trichomes, and a harsh, unpleasant smoke. Also, using a water activity meter removes all the guesswork from the process. It's time to eliminate the myths about stem snapping (which is not a very accurate way to judge whether your flower is dry or not).

Enjoy the Ride

Whether you are growing a few plants for your own stash or working in a large-scale cultivation facility, growing cannabis is an incredibly rewarding activity. The plant gives us so much healing and pleasure that it deserves only the best! Drying is only the first step in post-harvest, but it is critical to get your dry right before curing and storage. The right environmental controls, tools, and patience can consistently yield outstanding flowers. 3

Creative Ways to Save Your Harvest, Seeds, Soil, and Future Crops

PRESERVING MORE THAN

food 36

PRESERVING MORE THAN FOOD

BY ANNE GIBSON

raditionally,

when

think

about

preserving the harvest, we focus on the edible portion. However, history tells us

that resourceful gardeners valued and preserved almost every useful part of the crop.

y goal is to preserve more than just food. The ‘harM vest’ is fully extended when we preserve nutrients, genetics, planting material, biodiversity, and our garden’s fertility. I look at the bigger picture – with an opportunity to reduce waste, save money, and improve resilience. Let’s explore a few of the ways we can transform this broader paradigm into reality.

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.

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reserve living plants instead of P harvests

One of the most overlooked preservation strategies is simply keeping the plant alive. I consider the lifelong value of a plant and view it like an ‘asset’ or ‘investment.’ This perspective may help other gardeners who treat some perennials as throwaway annuals, only to start with new plants the following year. ometimes the best way to preserve a crop is not to S harvest it at all. A living plant is essentially a self-preserving harvest. With a little preparation before the onset of winter in cold climates, a plant can produce again when warmer temperatures arrive. Peppers are a prime example.

Bring plants indoors

3. 4.

Trim back a container-grown plant heavily before frost. Dig up a ground-grown plant, prune it, and pot it in a dark-coloured container with fresh potting mix, then water it with seaweed to prevent transplant shock. Keep the pot near a sunny window in a warm room or under grow lights. Water sparingly through winter semi-dormancy and feed before spring to support new growth.

My goal is to preserve more than just food. The ‘harvest’ is fully extended when we preserve nutrients, genetics, planting material, biodiversity, and our garden’s fertility A mature pepper brought indoors has a head start on the following season and may produce fruit weeks earlier than newly started seedlings. It hits the ground ‘running’ in terms of timing and maturity. verwinter basil cuttings: In addition to collecting O seed, propagating preserves the exact genetics of a favourite cold-sensitive plant like Basil (Ocimum basilicum). Stem cuttings taken before winter are easily rooted in water or liquid seaweed for nutrients and growth hormones. Once roots develop, the newly propagated plants can be potted up, kept warm indoors or in a sunny greenhouse, and ready to plant in spring. This preserves the local microclimate-adapted traits in the parent plant for the next season. eep sweet potato vines alive: Sweet Potato (IpoK moea batatas) vines root easily in a container indoors, and a single vine cutting can produce dozens of slips next spring.

ave taro, canna, and dahlia storage organs: S Crops grown from underground structures, such as taro (Colocasia esculenta) corms, edible canna (Canna edulis syn. Canna indica) rhizomes, and dahlia (Dahlia) tubers, can be stored in sawdust, wood shavings, or coarse vermiculite. This is an easy way to preserve planting material while also maintaining desirable genetics.

on’t leave potential in the garden D convert leaves into food

Some edibles produce two harvests: the one you intended to grow and another you may have been composting! Many harvested crops with edible leaves are rarely preserved. Why waste a resource that’s a bounty of nutritional goodness? These are a few of the most nutritious leafy greens I salvage rather than compost. weet potato leaves: Many gardeners cure and store S sweet potato tubers, but the leaves are also easy to preserve by:

Basil cuttings overwintering beside sunny warm window

1. 2. 3.

Dehydrating into powder. Freezing after blanching. Fermenting like sauerkraut.

PRESERVING MORE THAN FOOD

I add the dried leaf powder to soups, savory breads, curries, and smoothies. Sweet potato leaves contain significant amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fibre, and beneficial polyphenols. It’s a pantry powerhouse in my kitchen. quash/Pumpkin/Zucchini leaves: I’ve also discovS ered the Cucurbit family offers far more than just their vegetable harvests. I select young, tender, undamaged leaves that haven’t yet developed a hard spine and are free from insects or powdery mildew. I remove any stringy fibres, then dehydrate the leaves and blitz them into a fine green powder. I add this to soups, casseroles, or smoothies. I also chop and wilt them in stir-fries, sautés, and curries. The tiny hairs disappear with heat. The leaves can also be blanched, frozen, or fermented.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of food preservation is not about the current season’s harvest but rather future resilience

rassica leaves: In recent years, I have been using B broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage leaves, as well as the harvested heads. They produce prolific, large leaves that can be dried and used as a nutritious green powder, and I’ve also found they are excellent fermented in sauerkraut or kimchi. elery leaves: I dry the tops and crush them into a C fine, flavour-packed powder. Celery leaves form the basis of herb seasonings, celery salt, and soup stock flavouring.

Preserve skins, peels and rinds

These are some of my favourite plant parts to save and store, as they often contain the highest concentrations of beneficial phytonutrients. The outer layers we throw away are often the parts the plant invested most heavily in for self-protection. Many plant skins contain concentrated fibre, antioxidants, and protective compounds in their outer layers as part of their own defense system. umpkin skins: Washed, dehydrated, and ground P into powder, they add colour and flavour to savory breads and soups. I also chop the skins into squares and dry them to use as ‘chips’ for dips. rganic apple skins: The skin is the apple’s first line O of defense and contains waxes, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and pigments. The skin is like a suit of armor, which helps protect against pathogens. The skin also contains compounds (triterpenoids) with significant anti-cancer capabilities. I wash, dehydrate the skins, add them to fruit bread, freeze them for extra fibre in muffins and cakes, and use them in tea. Apple skins can also be infused in vinegar or made into fruit leather.

Leeks overwintered under thick mulch

itrus peels: These have so many uses. I chop, dry, C and use them in zingy teas, or zest the peels and freeze for later use in baking. I grind dried peels into citrus powder for flavouring or candying. The peels can also be fermented to use in cleaning products. The citrus oil in dried peels makes them eco-friendly, fragrant fire starters. atermelon rinds: A gardening friend gave me sevW eral of her preserved creations to try – pickled watermelon rinds, chutney and jam. It motivated me to be more adventurous. I’ve since successfully added the chopped white part of the rind to curries and cooked it in a syrup with berries.

Overwinter crops in the soil

Sometimes the best preservation method isn’t preserving at all. In cold climates, the garden can serve as a storage space for cold-tolerant vegetables. It allows cold temperatures and light frosts to convert their starches into sugars, making them noticeably sweeter. Jerusalem artichokes can be left in the soil and harvested gradually. Likewise, leeks can stay outdoors for months, especially when heavily mulched. For kale, exposure to cold weather often improves the sweetness and flavour.

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PRESERVING MORE THAN FOOD

A ‘Nothing Wasted’ Harvest Example From a single pumpkin crop, there’s an immense opportunity: • •

Toasted roasted pumpkin seeds

• • • • •

Preserve genetics through seed banks

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of food preservation is not about the current season’s harvest but rather future resilience. I’ve been selecting, breeding, and saving seeds from crops with valuable characteristics for the past fifteen years, and it’s arguably the most valuable time investment a gardener can make.

•

One fully used crop can simultaneously yield food, seed, soil amendments, planting stock, and preserved nutrients.

ocally selecting and saving seed from plants that L have survived drought, resisted pests, tolerated local diseases, and been heavy producers gradually creates crops better adapted to our unique growing conditions. We’re saving the past to preserve the future genetics for generations to come.

Convert crop residues into future fertility

Thinking outside the box about traditional preservation, I convert harvest “waste” into compost and humus. Spent leaves, stalks, and other plant material help preserve and improve the soil’s biodiverse nutrient bank. few recycled crop leftovers I’ve repurposed to optiA mise the harvest include: orn stalks and leaves: Shred into mulch or as carC bon-rich ingredients in compost. Sunflower stalks or bamboo stems: Dry into temporary trellising material and ‘stakes.’ Bean and pea roots: Leave in the soil. Nitrogen-fixing nodules contribute nutrients as the roots decompose, improving fertility. Stems and leaves are wonderful mulch.

Flesh → cooked, frozen, or pressure canned. Seeds → roasted, ground as seed flour, or sprouted as microgreens. Seed pulp → compost or frozen for soups or stock. Skin → dehydrated powder or dried as chips. Vines → compost, soluble plant fertiliser, or mulch. Flowers → eaten fresh or cooked. Seed saved → next year’s planting and future genetics. Mature fruits stored whole → winter food on the pantry shelf.

Each season, I set a personal challenge to preserve one crop in a new way – pickle a rind, save a seed variety, or dry a handful of green leaves. Small steps towards greater sustainability.

Preserving more than food

The harvest isn’t just what fills the pantry. I see it as the seeds that will sprout next season, the soil that will nourish future crops, the plants propagated from our best stock, and the knowledge gained from another year of growing and expanding our skills. When we preserve these too, the harvest continues long after the last vegetable has been eaten. Preserving from this perspective isn’t the end of the growing season - it’s the beginning of the next one, for generations to come. 3

References: • • •

“Sweetening of Parsnip Roots During Short-Term Cold Storage” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0315546389704326 Food Chemistry (2014): “Sweet potato leaves as nutritional and functional foods” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814614001113 “Antiproliferative effects of apple peel extract against cancer cells” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20432173/

Talking about cannabis is siloed. Considering the fuzzy cannabis legislative halo, marketing, advertising and open conversation outside of the walls of industry are heavily restricted

Br eaking : e c e l n i S th e Can nabi s C onve rsati ons in Sou th Af rica

CANNABIS CONVERSATIONS

Does cannabis sit in its own echo chamber?

BY ADRIAN COUTTS

alking about cannabis is siloed. Considering the fuzzy cannabis legislative halo, marketing, advertising and open conver-

sation outside of the walls of industry are heavily restricted. This includes global bans on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Creating open access, education and information on cannabis is a priority for cultivators and users. Increased information equals increased awareness and user safety. More importantly, for people who want to try but are scared to buy. The continued lack of communication and lack of open access to information on public platforms mean ongoing stigma and limited knowledge about consumption.

Why we can’t talk about cannabis

Cannabis has been used in South Africa for centuries. The plant is revered by communities nationwide for its medicinal properties, healing properties, and socio-economic benefits. Legacy cultivation and production sustained families who would otherwise have faced cyclical poverty. Despite the decriminalisation of its use in 2018, the stigma around cannabis in South Africa stems back to apartheid days. It was first criminalised in 1922 but was not actively policed for 50 years. In 1971, the apartheid government passed the Abuse of Dependence-Producing Substances and Rehabilitation Centres Act, allegedly targeting the white “hippy” culture of the time. Cannabis was scheduled by the Act as a “prohibited and dangerous” drug – creating a monumental ripple effect. With the election of the new democratic government in 1994, cultivators and users expected a softer approach to the policing of cannabis cultivation and use. Not the case at all. The new government was increasingly punitive, using reinforced military tactics, crop spraying and unrealistic jail terms for petty offenders. The knock-on effect of this legislation and militarised suppression? Continual hesitation around communication.

Doors open, time to talk shop

Cannabis legislation, successfully challenged by the courts in 2017 and 2018, resulted in the decriminalisation of private use and the accelerated production of medical cannabis for export. This allowed production and export of South African flower to overseas markets.

Adrian Coutts is a medical cannabis cultivation and operations professional. When not working and living between Johannesburg and Ha Qiloane, Lesotho, he spends whatever time he can on his off-grid homestead in the mountains of the Klein Karoo. He has honed the art of cultivation over many years, first as a legacy grower and then as the head of cultivation and operations for several facilities. Known for his methodical plant-and-people-first approach, Adrian focuses on building resilient systems and strong teams.

The continued lack of communication and no open access to information on public platforms means continued stigma and limited knowledge about consumption Despite this, and an already flourishing informal market of clubs and dispensaries, open communication is still restricted. Cannabis use, in conservative circles, is still a big no. Ever heard the phrase “dagga is gagga”? It means cannabis is dirty. It’s used mostly as a joke these days, but it still reminds us of the old conceptual auntie wagging her finger at cannabis use. The legal grey cloud continues to restrict the flow of much-needed public information. Many consumers enter cannabis shops and private clubs with little understanding of the products available to them. In some cases, they seek advice from front shop staff who may have limited knowledge of specific products, their cannabinoid profiles, or their likely effects. This means consumers do not have the correct guidance needed to make informed choices. Store owners are not obliged to employ cannabis experts to manage their front-of-house sales. Considering the very real need to broaden all channels of communication, store owners would benefit from open access to information about their products, the ability to educate customers about them, and guidance on proper and ethical communication about cannabis for adult use.

What’s the block to talking shop?

South Africa’s Cannabis for Private Purposes Act (Act 7 of 2024) allows for private adult use, possession and cultivation. Medical cannabis is regulated by the Medicines and Related Substances Act framework, and the regulator (SAHPRA). What does this mean? Communication, education, and marketing remain siloed within the industry. Small producers, cannabis clubs, and stores are allowed to have websites but are not allowed to advertise or market their products, except through word of mouth or at trade shows. How do you advertise and educate about a product if you cannot expand your audience? How do you apply safety and compliance in practice if you are kneecapped by legislation?

The continued lack of communication and no open access to information on public platforms means continued stigma and limited knowledge about consumption We know that the legislation in South Africa regarding adult use is changing, but at a grindingly slow pace. Despite South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s proclamation during his State of the Nation address that he wants “South Africa to lead in the commercial production of hemp and cannabis,” the nitpicking and backsliding on actionable steps to making this a reality means that the cannabis industry is still on a go-slow in terms of being able to communicate widely about consumer and adult use.

CANNABIS CONVERSATIONS

How do you advertise and educate about a product if you cannot expand your audience? How do you apply safety and compliance in practice if you are kneecapped by legislation? Practical steps for opening communication channels

First and foremost, commercial sales outlets must have the right education on legislation and compliance to align their product sales with national and international standards. Secondly, restrictions on local advertising and marketing need to be gradually reduced to allow for an educated approach to communicating on the risks and benefits of cannabis. This includes B2B publications, news sites, paid advertorials and events outside of the usual trade shows. The logic here is that we have access to information for regulated pharmaceuticals. We are informed of any potential interactions related to pharmaceutical drug use. We cannot do the same for cannabis because it is not a regulated product; it is widely used as a recreational substance, and there is, frankly, a proliferation of stores operating without compliance and that do not educate consumers about potential effects. By creating an effective communications strategy for cultivation, adult use, and consumer education, open communication can begin to address an uncertain operating environment.

Can we wait until legislation changes again? We are obliged to. However, this doesn’t prevent the wheels from turning while the clocks tick. We can start by ensuring that anyone in the cannabis industry is trained from a communications and education point of view, provide skills and capacitation for the industry and establish a solid framework that, when the government gives the green light on opening adult cultivation and use of cannabis, our stores, cultivators, operators and individuals have the right tools in place to communicate on cannabis correctly. 3

Tackling stigma through open channels is also a key step toward operating correctly and in compliance in adult-use spaces. Not everyone knows how deep the impact of apartheid was on cannabis cultivation and use. The end of apartheid was 32 years ago. Many people operating in the industry, opening up stores and clubs and starting their cultivation journey, are younger than that, and do not have a good idea of how stigma continues to affect rural cultivators. How some cultivators and users continue to face fear of arrest because they are obliged to transport cannabis secretively. Because the police force in South Africa responds to cannabis arrests the same way they do to other crimes – cannabis production and use should not carry the same weight of response. How those who are incarcerated face a lifetime of stigma because they carry a criminal record, for something the government is dragging their feet on.

Precision or

Party What Does a Plant’s Rhizosphere Really Want?

MICROBIAL INOCULANTS

“P

BY AV SINGH

recision

Party”

(allitreation

intended) is the perfect title for the theme of Planning, Preservation,

and Preparation when making decisions about the use of microbial inoculants. Gardeners and farmers have been turning to microbial

Av Singh, PhD, PAg is an advocate of regenerative organic agriculture serving various organisations, including Regeneration Canada, Navdanya, and the Canadian Organic Growers.

biostimulants for decades, particularly for legumes, to increase the likelihood of a symbiotic

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recently, as we better isolate microorganisms from the soil, the pantry of available inoculants is filling up. The products on offer range from individual species with a very specific task to accomplish to a vast consortium of species, with players with myriad functions to deliver to the plant. As a frequent proponent of the notion that “less is more,” this article will attempt to answer the question: is this the one instance when “more is better”?

Gardeners and farmers have been turning to microbial biostimulants for decades, particularly for legumes, to increase the likelihood of a symbiotic relationship forming with Rhizobium spp.

The Role of Microbial Inoculants in Agriculture

look for and whether the treatment worked. Farmers using microbial inoculants as bioprotectants will simply assess efficacy by the plant’s ability to resist potential infections. In contrast, when using highly biologically diverse inoculants, it will be difficult to isolate the factors that actually affected yield, plant vigour, or plant quality because many of these traits are interconnected.

As a grower, it is much easier to see a cause-andeffect result using an inoculant with limited species (e.g., Microbial Mass) because you know what to

As mentioned earlier, the widespread increase in designer microbial inoculants directly correlates with recent scientific advancements that enable the consistent identification, isolation, and reproduction of microbes at scale. “At scale” is a key factor when reproducing these individual species, considering they will need to be in significantly higher numbers than those found in nature. The high counts, usually expressed as colony-forming units per gram (cfu/g), are necessary because these microbes may enter an unnatural environment under unfavourable conditions and be outcompeted by the existing rhizosphere microbiota. Advocates for broad-spectrum microbial inoculants (e.g., Rhizol; EM-1) argue that the true benefit of a biodiverse species mix is that a few species are more likely to adapt to heterogeneous environments and survive. Furthermore, nature builds redundancy so that multiple species can perform multiple functions (e.g., solubilise nutrients, provide pathogen protection, etc.); therefore, in complex mixtures, other species can step in and fill the void even when certain species are outcompeted.

Whether a microbial inoculant should comprise a few species or several species will largely come down to the “why” you are choosing to introduce microbes into your cultivation system. To a lesser extent, crop species and environmental conditions will also influence your decision-making. For growers considering the “why” behind microbial inoculants, the reasons could be broad, ranging from increased plant health to nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilisation, or pathogen protection. In general, the more specific the defined task, the more likely the choice will lean toward an inoculant with fewer species. For example, if a grower seeks to enhance phosphorus uptake, they may look toward a mycorrhizal inoculant containing Rhizophagus irregularis (aka Glomus intraradices, e.g., Dynomoco, Mykos, Myke), or if they are looking for root protection from potential pathogens, they may employ the services of Trichoderma harzianum (e.g., RootShield).

As a frequent proponent of the notion that ‘less is more,’ this article will attempt to answer the question: is this the one instance when ‘more is better’? It should be noted that a significant sector of the soil biology community rejects any benefit of microbial inoculants, with the possible exception of certain biopesticides and perhaps Rhizobium spp. for legumes. Their argument is based on the fact that science can currently isolate only a small fraction of the biodiversity present in the soil. Moreover, the ones we have identified are only commercially available if we can successfully cultivate them in bio-fermentation vats, which is no easy task. The added limitations of heterogeneous environments, native microbial populations, and the notion that a single species (or even a subspecies or strain) can colonise the diversity of soils fuel skepticism among advocates of soil health as the best approach to creating a beneficial microbial community.

Preservation: Challenges in Maintaining Microbial Products

When it comes to the topic of “Preservation” in terms of microbial inoculants, two main themes come to mind. First, when we discuss “bugs in a jug,” many focus on the label and base their decision on species diversity and the number of active microbes. Unfortunately, many commercially available products can only assure species composition and live counts at the time of packaging. Much like the rhizosphere around roots, biology in a bottle can be very dynamic. As they say about the soil food web, it’s a dog-eat-dog world, and often the microbe that has the best competitive advantage (i.e., pH, temperature, available food source) at the time of packaging may tilt the numbers in its favour and become the dominant species in the inoculant. Interestingly, the broad-spectrum microbial inoculant, Rhizol (or Zenra-Pill), which boasts 35+ species, ensures that its patented technology maintains both species diversity and microbial counts over a long shelf life, regardless of environmental conditions (e.g., freezing or moderate heat). Another challenge microbial inoculants face in preservation is their purity. Most bacterial inoculants can be engineered for cultivation in bio-fer-

menters, which help maintain purity; however, some consortia are produced under conditions that allow unwanted microbes to enter the mix. Similarly, with fungal inoculants, which are cultivated using living hosts and spores collected from the fruiting bodies, other fungi may be present in the root or rhizosphere. The bottom line is that you may not be getting what you expected, and therefore some desired outcomes may not be observed because the microbes responsible for delivering those benefits are no longer viable. Preservation takes on a different meaning when we look at what is happening in the rhizosphere. Despite seemingly being constantly dynamic, the rhizosphere seeks homeostasis (balance). Microbial populations, in terms of both diversity and numbers, will change throughout the day and season, with the plant signalling which exudates need to be produced to attract the desired population and perform the desired function. The exogenous use of microbes, whether through commercial inoculants or your home-brew compost tea, means that adding billions of new microbes is not always welcome. Not often discussed, the invitation of new populations of microbes is likely a cost to the plant. A plant may have to expend energy (allocate resources) to fight off unwanted microbes, which may even be beneficial if they arrive when the plant does not require their presence.

Timing: When to Apply Microbial Inoculants

Knowing the “why” behind your choice led you to your choice of “what” inoculant is best to use; you now need to plan on “when” to introduce these microbes. Remember that the plant rhizosphere is a highly competitive environment, and the microbes participating in that ecosystem have undergone rigorous selection; therefore, the “when” you introduce these new microbes becomes incredibly important.

MICROBIAL INOCULANTS

It should be noted that a significant sector of the soil biology community rejects any benefit of microbial inoculants, with the possible exception of certain biopesticides and perhaps Rhizobium spp. for legumes

In general, early root colonisation is essential. For some crops, like cannabis, when cultivated in a controlled environment, the lifecycle can be relatively short when compared to being grown outdoors. As a result, some microbial inoculants, such as mycorrhizal fungi, must be introduced during the early vegetative phase. Some would argue that if you plan on inducing flowering after one or two weeks of vegetative growth, a mycorrhizal inoculant may have limited benefit. For other inoculants, such as Bacillus or Pseudomonas species, early inoculation can yield significant benefits, as these multifunctional microbes can help shape root architecture, protect against pathogens, and aid nutrient cycling. In summary, more targeted species with specific functions are best introduced early in the plant’s lifecycle. As the plant matures, so does the ecosystem around the rhizosphere. The highly selective environment has selected for the desired species, and disturbance by exogenous species may affect yield and quality. If microbial inoculants are introduced during the flowering or fruiting phase, it is likely more beneficial to adopt a more complex mixture that allows the existing microbial infrastructure to help select new additions to the community. Once again, products like Effective Microorganisms (EM1) or Rhizol show promise during the reproductive phase because they offer greater resilience and redundancy in these later stages. The frequency of inoculant application will vary depending on the commercial product you are using and, perhaps more importantly, the environment in which you are growing. Many farmers growing in native soil and outdoors or those growing in living soil (LSO) will employ strategies of more frequent applications because they know these new additions to the rhizosphere will only cause a temporary shift in microbial populations and that native microbes will re-establish their dominance. In contrast, growers in more controlled environments using so-called inert or sterile media such as coco coir or stonewool may see greater benefit from less frequent applications. The likelihood of infection or

establishment is significantly higher in these media; therefore, the grower receives more predictable, and hopefully repeatable, outcomes, which is especially desirable when growing medicine.

Simple vs. Complex Inoculants: Making the Choice

Commercial inoculants can be reduced to a simple-versus-complex decision, but that might not be a fair assessment. Inoculants with a few but highly selected microbes offer precision for targeted functions. Complex mixtures offer a diversity of highly competitive microbes that can provide resilience and redundancy across a myriad of environments.

Conclusion: A Flexible Approach for Growers

Ultimately, the grower does not have to choose one over the other; rather, they have to understand what is best when and where and apply both accordingly. 3

Lassoing the AI Runaways in the South African Cannabis Sector

AI & CANNABIS

BY ROBIN KOEHORST

rtificial intelligence can change how the cannabis industry operates. With cautious optimism, we can enable canna-

bis cultivators, facilities, and consumers to use AI effectively to enhance production, provide insights, and increase yields. We are not there yet. This is largely due to the misunderstanding of what AI is, an overreliance on its “expertise,”

Robin is a plant scientist, controlled-environment agriculture specialist, and agritech consultant with experience in commercial cannabis cultivation, facility design, crop systems, training, and operational strategy. His work focuses on improving cultivation performance, strengthening production systems, and turning complex technical information into practical decisions.

and the limited capacity of many in the industry to analyse what they have asked their preferred overlord to produce.

Understanding and harnessing the overlord

Artificial intelligence can change how the cannabis industry operates

The first thing to know about the successful use of AI is what it is and what the use of AI means. Many people confuse AI as being one thing, or even sometimes an entity that can think and respond with logic. AI is not one thing. AI is a predicting machine, not a knowledge machine. The basis of AI is formed by language learning models (LLMs). The information provided is scraped from multiple websites to form the base of an AI response. AI business models do not serve the consumer’s prompts – user models are trained by prompts, which are fed into the models. You cannot expect accuracy from something that is fed information by anyone with internet access.

tegration: controlling basic actions and responses. Using data from the report to feed into an LLM to generate insights (level 2) will allow a team of experts to scrutinise the data and develop a plan (level 3). This still requires expert-level knowledge of the systems, data, and functioning – an LLM cannot provide this with accuracy. You still need to understand what is going on without asking your overlord. If you have the knowledge to train an LLM, it can analyse the data and provide information on modifying systems, which could then be tested and, if accurate, implemented.

AI is not ChatGPT. Neither is it only Claude. There are thousands of LLMs used globally, yet AI is often mistaken for only ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini, depending on how it's used.

There is no stopping the use of AI in any sector. That train has already shot off. We need to create a framework for the cannabis sector to operate within – one that we can connect with our specific audience, be it a hobbyist grower, facility manager, or tissue culture laboratory. Any operator at any level needs to understand how they can use algorithms or AI at their level, what the risks of doing so are and how they can capitalise on its use by consulting experts who can interpret the data generated.

If users understand that AI cannot generate reliable knowledge, they can begin to operate within safe bounds. The levels of use are as such: • • •

Pseudo-AI or the use of algorithms to determine functioning. Use of chatbots such as ChatGPT or Claude to gather and synthesise basic information. Use of AI-generated data analysis to investigate and deepen understanding of a particular puzzle.

Take the use of software packages in facilities. A software package that monitors environmental conditions and irrigation will send an alert if pump pressure is too high, along with diagnostics and a procedure to follow. This looks like AI at a functional value, but there is no insight provided, just an action sequence to follow. We can consider this the first level of AI in-

Building a sector-specific AI framework

The key to creating this framework is understanding that AI is still a tool. You cannot give a chainsaw to anyone and expect them to cut down a tree. Similarly, AI cannot be used to provide expertise in a particular cultivation space. Using AI blindly can lead to significant financial losses. A cautionary tale is that of the large-scale operator who invested millions into a lighting product to help his facility, because AI advised him to. AI acted as the ultimate yes man, encouraging the operator every step of the way. The more the investor asked AI for advice, the more he read what he wanted to hear. His investment decisions had no horticultural or plant science expertise to ground them, and his investment failed. 51

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AI & CANNABIS

AI creates false confidence in cultivators and operators who lack functional knowledge

AI in the cannabis sector

This cautionary tale is exactly why we need a framework. AI creates false confidence in cultivators and operators who lack functional knowledge. Understanding your crop, walking through your facility, and developing knowledge of every solution that could address a particular puzzle is a more reliable, knowledge-based way to ensure successful output. Anyone can put a random idea into an LLM. There is no guarantee that you are getting the right information back. You must be able to interrogate your decisions through education, real-time and physical interaction with your product.

Getting cowboys in line – ethical use of AI in the cannabis sector going forward

Deep industry knowledge in the cannabis sector is still critical. Surface-level knowledge and overreliance on AI are not good enough. Anyone operating in the cannabis sector must be a master of their field or be willing to learn from an expert to become one. AI can do basics. But without a knowledgeable person in the loop or a specialised enterprise with botanical and programming expertise, using AI blindly will lead to errors and large-scale investment failures. It is as simple as understanding why your plant has yellowing leaves. In a plant, yellowing means the plant lacks chlorophyll and needs nitrogen to turn green. A plant with yellow leaves is given nitrogen. This answer could be spat out by AI. However, the plant could be overwatered, which is flushing the nitrogen out of the soil. Or the plant could have reached the end of its lifecycle and is dying naturally, or you’re attacking it with too much sulphur spray. Unless you have that technical insight and experience, it is easy to make simple mistakes. AI can give you general information about a plant needing nitrogen, but it may not know the plant's exact needs because it can’t see or touch it. Horticulturalists can determine whether a plant's pH is off, whether it indeed needs nitrogen, or whether the irrigation frequency is wrong. AI can provide an uninformed person with actionable information, but it does not know how that information is generated.

AI can provide an uninformed person with actionable information, but it does not know how that information is generated Becoming a bonsai master in Japan requires five to ten years of training. That training cannot be reduced to a book or replaced by AI. The cannabis industry needs the same approach. We need to train from the ground up, until that information becomes intrinsic knowledge. AI isn’t about to upgrade to master’s level training yet, or any time soon. Until that day comes, as sector specialists, we need to invest time, training, and upskilling to ensure that expertise remains the number one go-to for investing in cultivation, rather than relying on four months of googling and asking AI for advice daily. Only then can we continue to grow stronger and keep providing the flower the world demands. 3

53 53

Playing the Long Game:

Optimistic Orchards and Other Occasional Opportunities A friend of mine has been planting an orchard on the land in their mind: ‘When I’ve got grandkids, I want them to run around and pick apples, blueberries, and whatever else from right there 54

OPTIMISTIC ORCHARDS

BY XAVI KIEF BY XAVI KIEF

friend of mine has been planting an orchard on the land in their mind: “When I’ve got grandkids, I want them

to run around and pick apples, blueberries, and whatever else from right there.” This past year, after the births of two babies, small fruit trees were planted, and the plan began to come together.

Xavi Kief is a writer, (re)searcher, and lifelong learner with their hands in the dirt and 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 the northeast coast of Turtle Island. Instagram: @xavi_kief

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I love the optimism in this gaze toward a future that organically preserves the best of today. It’s an opportunity to connect with a tangible world that naturally ages; saplings maturing into trees alongside family members growing into new roles and developmental phases, experiencing all the variance and unpredictability life will bring.

Think Long-term, Act Short-term

Turning “someday” into “today” can feel like a big ask for folks already managing a lot in the here and now. Strategising new additions to a land stewardship plan can benefit from a “treat yo’self” attitude infused with a bit of delayed gratification. The dream is the gift you afford yourself in the present. Stagger the gifts to keep showing up, in the day-to-day parts of bringing a version of your vision to bear – after all, we can only control so much.

roves and Mental Grooves: G Practical Ideas for Preserving the Future’s Harvest of Memories

emories help shape our identities, and shared stoM ries from our pasts help us communicate our inner worlds to others. Holding onto memories and fear of losing our mental capacities are genuine concerns for all of us, showing up in one way or another throughout our lives. We may witness changes in memory formation and recall in others and ourselves. lanting for occasions is one way I find joy in planning P and executing plots of plants and fungi. On dates or in moments of personal significance, making new additions to gardens or other living landscapes marks a moment of ceremony, connection, and wires a memory with a real-world, visitable site.

ver time, the ways it transforms remind us to change O as well and to allow more than one thing to be true. We can know ourselves, but still find surprise, delight, and expansion by what we have yet to discover is available to us, different ways of being that remain authentic to our experiences. tarting small might mean putting in an intentionally S located single tree or handful of perennial plants that overwinter easily, ideally because they are indigenous to the area, that bring you pleasure. This could be for their food value, their particular aesthetic, the species of visitors they are known to encourage, or some other personal reason. ark and meet the moment in multiple ways, using M a combination of senses and making statements out loud, to build robust memories with emotional connection and plenty of potential paths to access and revisit them. To take it deeper, statements like “I declare” or “I dedicate” are considered to actually do the thing you say you’re doing, which can make a choice feel more defined and stable.

Create Art to Externalise the Experience

One way to enjoy and materialise the passage of time is to make a portrait of a loved one in the same spot on the land to commemorate a significant date each year. Include a particularly cherished tree, flowering bush, or other sign of the season in the image. Select a site that’s optimistically expected to remain accessible to you on this occasion each time you mark it – if not where you currently reside, seek out a special plant of a long-living species in a local public park or collectively/cooperatively managed forest that encourages mixed-use by its members and/or guests.

55 55

Celebrate what some might consider small wins, and enjoy how they are successes unto themselves. As you grow, they grow with you – this can look like meeting milestones like first germinations, the first time succeeding at propagation, a first harvest, a first batch of seeds – that germinate!

on-visual ways to do this include making audio reN cordings, where seasonal sounds like certain birdsongs or the wind’s rattle through the leaves might be captured along with a statement, reading, or song. Pressed flowers and seed art are good examples of ways to keep a tactile texture archive; it’s a personal choice whether to treat these as inherently impermanent or use sealants to slow their decay.

Making Commitment Irresistible

epending on your relationship with such places, D especially in rural areas, you might choose to write a personal narrative on lands designated for burials/ memorials, as sites of historic importance, or ‘belonging’ to institutions with deep roots in the community like schools or spiritual gathering places. They are likely to be maintained and cared for out of tradition or obligation, and if it suits you, you might find an opportunity to volunteer or become involved. It doesn’t mean you have to share the reasons why others historically selected or preserved the place, only that you attach significance to it for your own purposes.

When building to a long-term cultivation goal, it helps to look for the “get to”s, rather than only the “must do”s. Along with “having to do” a particular job each season or year, line up these expectations with times when you’ll “get to” pick out a new variety, see a certain plant bloom for the first time, or share an experience you didn’t even know to expect.

Enjoying the experience of engaging with the world around us naturally changes as we change. In our own gardens, forming healthy, chosen attachments with plants and fungi gives us opportunities to demonstrate our accountability and to build trust in our skills and experience from a position of self-assured stability. It affirms us as active participants in a web of life.

Marking Milestones

Celebrate what some might consider small wins, and enjoy how they are successes unto themselves. As you

OPTIMISTIC ORCHARDS

These memories form chains of potential, and allow you to envision future iterations that might resemble, but will almost certainly not be exactly, the way you picture them now.

grow, they grow with you – this can look like meeting milestones like first germinations, the first time succeeding at propagation, a first harvest, and a first batch of seeds – that germinate!

hese memories form chains of potential, and allow T you to envision future iterations that might resemble, but will almost certainly not be exactly, the way you picture them now.

It can also be the first time you had to deal with mould, or the first time you lost an entire plant (or crop) to a pest or disease, and you got through it. Maybe that doesn’t feel like a gift to you, but if you’re able to recover, to become more resilient, and share with others how you did it, that’s a gift you can give away.

e play with notions of permanence in regeneraW tion, enjoying a kind of slip-sliding splash in a riverbed of ever-moving, dynamic life happening around us. It helps to let go of holding on too tightly to ideas about how things will work out, while still guiding and shaping the potential for them to work out the way we’d like.

ringing in a crop at the height of maturity, particuB larly in an outdoor autumn setting after all the challenges of life in the open environment, deserves to be celebrated. As you observe and attend to the place’s regenerative nature and care, be mindful of how you remember the last time you did those same tasks, how you felt, how the experience has changed, and how you have, too.

Fill in the blanks for yourself: “How nice is it, now that I’m (insert dream future age here), to stand right here and enjoy…” With each regenerative cycle, like a tree putting on a new growth ring, can you feel yourself emerging as the past version of your future self? 3

57 57

The

Soil

never sleeps

Harvest is not the end of the story. It is simply another stage in an ongoing cycle of observation, preservation, and preparation.

GROWING LIVING SOIL

As a crop approaches harvest, it’s natural for growers to focus on the finish line.

s a crop approaches harvest, it’s

BY GARETH HOPCROFT

natural for growers to focus on the finish line. Attention shifts towards

assessing quality, estimating yields, and deciding the ideal time to bring the crop down. For many hobby growers, the hardest work feels complete. Experienced living soil growers often see things differently.

Gareth Hopcroft is a certified plant geek and all round organic gardening devotee. Gareth has been involved in the UK hydro industry for 15 years and is currently the owner of Ecothrive; known mostly for bringing frass to the UK scene through his product ‘Charge’. When he’s not talking about indoor growing or microbes, you’ll find Gareth getting his hands dirty on his allotment or falling off his skateboard. Follow Gareth @ecothrive

While one crop is finishing, the next is already beginning. New plants are being propagated, soil samples are being analysed, amendments are being planned, and notes from the current cycle are being reviewed. The final weeks before harvest often contain some of the most important decisions of the entire growing cycle. This shift in thinking highlights one of the biggest differences between conventional growing and living soil cultivation. Rather than viewing each crop as a separate event, living soil encourages us to see the garden as a continuous biological system. Harvest is not the end of the story. It is simply another stage in an ongoing cycle of observation, preservation, and preparation.

Planning Begins Before the Crop Comes Down

One of the most valuable habits any grower can develop is taking notes. Many of the questions we ask ourselves at the end of a cycle can only be answered if we’ve recorded what happened during it. How often did irrigation occur? Which inputs were applied and when? How did the plants respond? Were there any signs of deficiency or excess? Did certain cultivars perform differently from others? It is surprisingly easy to forget important details once a crop has been harvested. A simple notebook, spreadsheet, or the notes app on your phone can become one of the most useful tools in the garden. Living soil growing is often described as working with nature, but it is also a process of learning. Every crop

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leaves clues. The challenge is recognising them and using them to improve future results. The final stages of a crop can be particularly revealing. As plants mature, they begin redistributing internal resources and transitioning towards senescence. Observing how this process unfolds can tell us a great deal about the fertility program used throughout the cycle. Plants that fade naturally and predictably often indicate that nutrient availability was reasonably well balanced. Crops that remain lush and green right through to harvest may suggest that fertility levels could be reduced in future runs. These observations are often more valuable than many growers realise to achieve a high-quality finished product. For those working with larger beds or long-term living soil systems, this is also the ideal time to collect soil samples for analysis. A sample taken shortly before harvest can provide a snapshot of what remains in the soil after a full growing cycle. When the results arrive a few weeks later, they can help guide re-amendment decisions and identify any developing imbalances before the next crop begins. Rather than reacting to problems after they appear, soil analysis allows growers to make informed decisions during the downtime between cycles.

59 59

GROWING LIVING SOIL

Yield records also have a place in this process. While harvest weights and final quality assessments may not be available until drying and curing are complete, they provide important context when reviewed alongside observations made throughout the cycle. Over time, these records help build a clearer picture of how different cultivars perform and how management decisions influence the final outcome.

Preserving Biological Capital

When growers think about preserving resources, they often focus on nutrients. Living soil introduces another consideration: biology. A healthy soil is more than a collection of minerals and organic matter. It is a living ecosystem containing bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms, and countless other organisms that contribute to nutrient cycling and plant health. Building these biological communities takes time. Preserving them is often easier than rebuilding them from scratch. Moisture management is one of the most important factors during the period between crops. While many soil organisms can tolerate temporary changes in conditions, prolonged drying can significantly reduce biological activity. Maintaining adequate moisture after harvest helps ensure that decomposition and nutrient cycling continue uninterrupted. This is particularly important when crops are dried in the same room as the growing area, a common practice among indoor gardeners. Covering the soil surface with mulch, cardboard, or other suitable materials can help reduce moisture loss while preserving conditions within the root zone. Re-amending the soil also plays an important role. Beyond replacing nutrients removed by the previous crop, fresh organic inputs provide food for the microbial community. During the weeks between harvest and transplant, soil organisms begin breaking down these materials, releasing nutrients and preparing them for future plant uptake.

The goal is not perfection. It preserves as much biological continuity as is practical from one crop to the next

Cover crops can also be useful in certain situations, particularly when soil will remain fallow for an extended period. They help maintain biological activity and can even be used to absorb excess nutrients before the next crop begins. However, they are not always necessary. In systems with rapid turnaround times, the benefits may be limited compared to simpler approaches focused on maintaining moisture and supplying fresh organic matter.

61 61

GROWING LIVING SOIL

A healthy soil is more than a collection of minerals and organic matter. It is a living ecosystem containing bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, earthworms, and countless other organisms that contribute to nutrient cycling and plant health. The subject of root removal often generates debate among living soil growers. Leaving roots in place can minimise disturbance and preserve established biological networks within the rhizosphere, allowing much of the soil ecosystem to carry forward into the next cycle.

This approach creates options. Plants that root poorly, lack vigour, or show uneven structure can be removed from the process before they occupy valuable space in the main growing area. The final container is reserved for the strongest candidates.

However, there are situations where removing some or all of the root mass may be beneficial. In long-term systems, roots can act as sinks for certain contaminants, including heavy metals that are taken up by the plant and concentrated within the root zone. Some growers may also choose to remove roots where they are concerned about carrying root-associated pathogens or virus and viroid material from one cycle to the next. In heavily rooted containers, removal may simply be necessary to relieve compaction and create space for fresh root development.

That matters because living soil systems are often prepared with relatively high fertility at the start of the cycle. The aim is to build enough nutrition into the soil to support strong growth without constant intervention. For that to work, the plant entering the system needs to be ready.

As with many aspects of living soil cultivation, context matters more than rigid rules. The goal is not to follow a particular method, but to understand the trade-offs and make decisions that suit the system being managed. The same principle applies to soil disturbance. Small containers often require thorough mixing when amendments are added, making some level of disturbance unavoidable. Larger pots and raised beds offer greater flexibility. In many cases, amendments can be incorporated into the upper layers while leaving much of the soil profile undisturbed. The goal is not perfection; it is to preserve as much biological continuity as is practical from one crop to the next.

Preparing for the Next Cycle

The next cycle is not only about soil preparation. It is also about the plants that will be asked to grow in it. One thing I have noticed when visiting commercial living-soil growers is how much attention is paid to plant selection before anything reaches the final container. Rather than taking the exact number of cuttings required and hoping every plant performs, experienced growers often prepare far more plants than they need. These are established in small pots, often 3-4 litres each, before the best examples are selected for transplant.

A small cutting that has only just rooted through a plug may not be prepared for a large volume of highly amended soil. Instead of accelerating growth, the final container can be used to check the plant. The root system remains limited; the plant has not yet developed sufficient structure, and valuable time is lost as it adjusts. By contrast, a well-established young plant with a healthy root system, multiple branches, and enough size to make immediate use of the soil can move quickly. For many indoor growers, a plant around 20-30 cm tall, grown on in an appropriate light-fertility propagation mix, is a much better candidate than a small, freshly rooted cutting.

This also has an efficiency benefit. If the plant enters the final container already well developed, the vegetative period can be shorter. In indoor gardens, that matters. Vegetative growth usually runs under longer light cycles, making it one of the more energy-intensive stages of production. Good preparation before transplant can therefore reduce wasted time, improve crop uniformity, and make better use of the final living soil system. The key is to grow roots first. Young plants grown in overly rich potting mixes can look impressive above ground, but that does not always mean they have developed the root system needed for a strong transition. A lighter propagation medium often promotes better root development, producing plants better prepared for the higher-fertility environment of the final container.

63 63

GROWING LIVING SOIL

Alongside plant preparation comes soil preparation. Where available, soil analysis can help guide amendment decisions. Nutrients removed during the previous crop can be replaced, mineral balances adjusted, and any emerging deficiencies corrected before planting begins. This proactive approach is one of the defining characteristics of successful living soil cultivation. Unlike highly reactive systems where nutrient levels can be adjusted rapidly throughout the crop cycle, living soil rewards anticipation. The most effective corrections often happen before problems become visible. Planning ahead, whether through propagation schedules, soil testing, or thoughtful re-amendment, creates the conditions for success long before the next crop begins growing.

There is No Downtime

Most growers think in crop cycles. Living soil encourages us to think in terms of continuity. The period between harvest and transplant is often viewed as downtime, but beneath the soil surface, the opposite is true. Fresh amendments are being colonised and broken down. Microbial communities remain active, organic matter continues to decompose, and nutrients are being transformed into plant-available forms and redistributed throughout the soil profile. At the same time, growers are reviewing notes, assessing results, preparing plants, and making decisions that will influence the next cycle. In many ways, the weeks between crops are among the most important of the entire growing process.

The soil never truly sleeps. While one crop may have reached the end of its journey, beneath the mulch and within the soil food web, the next one has already begun

The best living-soil growers understand that a successful harvest is not simply the result of what happened over the previous few months. It is the product of decisions made before planting, observations recorded throughout the cycle, and preparation carried out after the crop was finished. The fertility that drives the next crop is already being built. The biology that supports nutrient cycling is already at work. The next generation of plants is already being selected and prepared. The soil never truly sleeps. While one crop may have reached the end of its journey, beneath the mulch and within the soil food web, the next one has already begun. 3

Cultivating the Future Inside the World of Plant Tissue Culture

For the curious: tissue culture (TC) is a biological technique that allows the growth of plant tissue from carefully selected sections on a prepared gel growth medium in a sterile lab environment 66

TISSUE CULTURE

BY OLIVER HALL

ver the years I’ve been practicing tissue culture, it has evolved from a

strange,

mythical

beast

into

a realistic, practical application in many commercial grow spaces. A combination of word-of-mouth and global access to clear, digestible content (thank you, Plants in Jars on YouTube!) has given many adventurous

Oliver William Henry Hall is a biologist specializing in plant tissue culture, with a primary focus on biotechnology. He develops advanced in vitro propagation, pathogen-free genetics, and packaging systems, supporting global cultivation and research initiatives through precise, scalable protocols and innovative labouratory design.

individuals confidence.

For the curious: tissue culture (TC) is a biological technique that allows the growth of plant tissue from carefully selected sections on a prepared gel growth medium in a sterile lab environment. Components of this specialised gel are highly varied and can dramatically alter the size, quality, and vigour, depending on their quantities and ratios. What you want to grow and your end goals determine both the recipe and the method. Reasons to use TC include restoring your mother stock to earlier vitality, remediating systemic plant diseases, and providing a space-saving alternative to genetic preservation.

Overview of Tissue Culture Methods Nodal Tissue Culture

Nodal tissue culture uses larger initial cuts of plant material, namely the plant’s node, for introduction. This comprises the meristematic material (essentially plant stem cells) as well as its neighbouring branches, stem, and vascular systems. It is a faster process from introduction to transplant, and it is my preferred technique. Because the genetic material within the node is already programmed by the mother plant (as differentiated cells), a genetically identical shoot is produced, resulting in a superior final product compared to conventional cloning. But it does require more time, equipment, and a higher skill ceiling to pull it off. Harvesting the right material from the mother plant is crucial and varies by species, though auxiliary shoots are often best. Skill with a scalpel matters just as much. You need to be delicate yet intentional, using the whole length of the blade to slice. And for the love of all things holy, DO NOT CHOP. Without a nice, clean 45-degree cut, your plants will absolutely suffer. The angle exists for a reason: it increases surface area for efficient absorption whilst in the gel.

Generally speaking, even if you have sloppy technique and subpar media, you could produce some viable material. This can often lead to inflated confidence. And unfortunately for most, nodal TC is very much a trickle-down process. The better the cuts you produce, the easier they grow inside and outside the lab, and the easier it is to maintain quality. Higher-quality starting material is also less prone to contamination in subsequent generations in the lab, as it is genetically stronger and less susceptible to mutations. Conversely, if you consistently produce stressed, subpar cuts, that’s all you’ll get on the back end, and you will find yourself continually chasing your tail. After experiencing diminishing returns, many people get caught in this doom spiral and throw in the towel. But stick with it. It gets easier, I promise. Meristem Tissue Culture Then there is meristem culture. The “boss level” of TC. Rather than harvesting the larger area of material surrounding the meristemic cells, you dissect the plant matter and extract the cells directly. This is performed under powerful magnification or a dissecting microscope and god-tier steadiness and precision. Without the surrounding differentiated cells to guide their development, this cell mixture is classified as undifferentiated. Meaning it falls to you to program these cells using precise hormone ratios to direct their growth. Coaxing the cells to behave exactly as they did in the mother plant is a time-consuming process of trial and error, attempted by people far smarter than I. More often than not, you end up with a noticeably different version of the plant you started with. Despite this shortcoming, meristem culture holds one major advantage over nodal culture: because the extracted cells lack the mother plant’s vascular system, it is by far the most reliable method for eliminating pathogenic contamination and is the primary approach used by labs offering remediation services. It is also the go-to method for producing synthetic seeds due to their reduced size.

Temperature, humidity, pH, light intensity, and sanitisation procedures all play a crucial role in plant development and need to be controlled and thoroughly recorded to reduce variability and stand any chance of success.

TISSUE CULTURE

Key Factors for Successful Tissue Culture

Regardless of which method you choose, certain factors remain constant and must be carefully managed to maintain viable cultures. Temperature, humidity, pH, light intensity, and sanitisation procedures all play a crucial role in plant development and need to be controlled and thoroughly recorded to reduce variability and stand any chance of success.

Contamination Risks and Cleanliness

Of these variables, contamination is the hardest to stay on top of. You are introducing living material to a gel specifically designed to grow anything it touches, which means all transfers must take place inside a laminar flow hood. These range from modest desktop setups to large industrial units found in commercial settings. It entirely depends on your budget and scope. An ingenious piece of equipment, the flow hood blows sterilised air over everything inside it, creating a positive-pressure curtain that prevents outside contaminants from entering. It will not, however, remove contaminants that are introduced via equipment. Including, but not limited to, forceps and scalpels, sample containers, the plant material itself, and of course the most important tools of all: your hands! Cleanliness is paramount and will make or break your success. You will require enough hypochlorous acid (thanks Safegrow Solutions!), nitrile gloves, and face masks to stock a small hospital.

The Role of Endophytes

Surface and environmental contaminants aren’t the only threat, either. Internal organisms, referred to as endophytes, can also destroy your growth media and cultivars. Most, if not all, endophytes (depending on the plant species and variety) are beneficial, symbiotic organisms. They function much like gut bacteria in humans. Outside their host, however, they become a serious problem and remain present in both TC methods. It is necessary to keep the growth medium hormone- and nutrient-rich to support a healthy plant, but tip the balance too far and the endophytes will favour the media over the host, and all hell breaks loose. Plant stress compounds this further. If the plant isn’t in its optimal state, endophytes will abandon ship faster than rats on the Titanic.

The Value of Tissue Culture

Disregarding how daunting I make this all sound, the benefits of TC are well worth the challenge. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, our climate is changing. Human intervention, through species preservation, genetic strengthening, and pathogenic management, is becoming increasingly necessary. As more companies recognise the potential of tissue culture, I find myself genuinely excited and optimistic about what the future holds. For those diligent enough to try, honing your scalpel skills, tinkering with recipes, and staying on top of every variable, the litreal fruits of your labour will speak for themselves. It’s a satisfying high that keeps us lab rats gloving up time and time again, chasing the next breakthrough. An adventure well worth pursuing. 3

Disregarding how daunting I make this all sound, the benefits of TC are well worth the challenge

Fungal Frailty

and How To Fight It

FUNGAL INFECTIONS

BY A.C. MOON CAMERON

ungal

infections

can

crop

apocalypse if not understood. These

A.C. Moon Cameron is a 26-year veteran of the horticultural industry and the patented inventor of Croptops Greenhouses. From Northern California, she owns a 40-acre off-grid farm in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range.

bodies of super intelligent beings are

often not seen until it’s too late. What we see with the naked eye is most commonly the fruiting body, or “flower,” of the botanical entity, hidden discreetly below, one of which is controlled by a complex network of mycelia

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and dispersed into the atmosphere via tiny

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spores rather than seeds, as in plants.

Fungal infections can be a crop apocalypse if not understood

This can create many challenges for controlling the cleanliness of your crops in any form. From cannabis to tomatoes, potatoes, and lentils, almost all plant species have a type of fungus that can break them down. It is part of the necessary mechanism of decomposition and life cycles of all things. Many forms are at work in your compost in a positive way, but when you want mold-free cannabis flowers or edible foods, there are many factors to consider when choosing and managing your gardens and farms.

What factors influence the presence of negative fungal spores in your garden? 1.

5. 6.

Relative Humidity/Moisture: Atmospheric moisture content and the density in which it is found. Fog can be considered both dense moisture and heat-induced humidity. High moisture is the perfect breeding area for fungal bodies. Temperatures: Higher temperatures, partnered with high humidity, are destructive to the fungal host, while high heat without moisture can kill fungal bodies. These entities exist and proliferate fastest between 55°F and 89°F. Soil Composition: Higher beneficial microbes translate to fewer negative fungal bodies able to take over areas. Many beneficials, such as Trichoderma, are the source of formulations used in fungicides sold. Air Pressure/Flow: Higher air pressure contains more moisture, thereby increasing the risk of contracting a fungal infection. Areas with stagnant air will contract at a higher rate, while healthy airflow helps reduce the spread of infections. Light Levels and UV exposure: UV can kill most fungal bodies, as well as higher light intensity. Stage of plant growth: Different fungal spores

attack plants at different growth stages; for example, bud rot occurs during the flowering stage, while powdery mildew affects plants at all stages. pH of soil, water, and surroundings: Fungal bodies thrive in slightly more acidic conditions. Monitoring pH and adjusting it to keep it slightly alkaline will help prevent infections from getting out of hand. This includes water as well as soil base.

There are many types of fungal issues that will attack edible and medicinal gardens. They are found in nature and are most often concentrated near water bodies and stagnant air with higher humidity. Again, many of these same fungi break down organic matter in your compost, so keep all compost areas well away from your farming areas. They can overwinter in plant materials and soil, reinfecting the area the following year. The most common of the many fungi that can cause harm are species such as Septoria, Botrytis, and Erysiphales. Each of these families of fungi has thousands of types that can mutate and attack different plant forms. Since the beginning of time, fungi have been the first colonisers of the planet and are one of the most intelligent entities in the cosmos, if not the most intelligent.

FUNGAL INFECTIONS

The most common of the many fungi that can cause harm are species such as Septoria, Botrytis, and Erysiphales Septoria

Septoria can be identified by small, darkened leaf spots up to ¼ inch in diameter that may have a greyish hue with brown edges and a yellowing necrotic halo. During its late life cycle, you can see small black spots, which are the sporulating bodies that will spread the infection through all forms of vectoring.

Botrytis

Botrytis (AKA “Bud rot”) can be identified by premature wilting, leaf loss, flower deformation, and discolouration. The fungal body finishes as a grey mould that forms dense clusters to decompose plant matter. Botrytis can affect any part of the plant, but it is more likely to cause damage in plants with higher Brix or sugar content, such as Indica cultivars. This is the same infection that you may see in a fruit bowl, when a rotten apple causes other fruits to spoil. Moulds feed off plant sugars.

Erysiphales

Erysiphales (AKA “Powdery Mildew”) can be identified through the powdery sugar dusting erupting from the leaf and stem surface. First signs of it can look like dust. Easily spread through wind and barometric pressure exchanges.

High moisture is the perfect breeding area for fungal bodies. 72

FUNGAL INFECTIONS

How can we minimise damage to our plants? 1.

3. 4.

Remove all infected debris immediately. This is not a time to chop and drop, but to control any and all waste. Burn if possible or completely remove from the area. When dried, the spores will become airborne again and reinfect the space. Remove weeds a minimum of five feet around your growing areas, with ten feet being safer. Remember, this exists in nature everywhere. It’s about controlling its destructive potential. Make sure there is plenty of airflow. Leaf and thin out any plant growth, making sure you can see through it from all angles. Greenhouses with stagnant areas can be a breeding ground for infections. Add additional airflow if needed. Allow for UV exposure. UV can kill it on surface areas. Sterilise all tools and yourself. Clothing, animals, pests, and lawn mowers can all be vectors for the spread of disease. Pest Management is essential! Insects and pests can be major vectors of spores. Controlling pest infection thresholds can better put you in control of any fungal fragility. Raise pH. Fungi thrive in slightly acidic conditions. Raising the pH can dissolve and kill moulds and mildews immediately. Use organic sprays. Copper, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, potassium bicarbonate, beneficial microbes such as Trichoderma and Bacillus subtilis, and vinegar can be used topically to eliminate spores, thereby reducing their ability to infect. Water the soil, not the plants! Making sure water splashing is kept to a minimum can help reduce issues. Overhead watering can be destructive. Mulching. Layering hay and other neutral organic materials can minimise the spread of infection and disease, as well as splashing.

Remove all infected debris immediately. This is not a time to chop and drop, but to control any and all waste

Many fungal bodies can overwinter and hide in soils and tucked-away spaces, reinfecting gardens and growing areas for years. Making sure you have a clean, buffered cultivation site is the general key factor to maintaining control over these potential problems. There is never a cure-all; just conditioning your environment and how you maintain it. 3

n a l P a s a H e n o y Ev e r

t e G y e h T l i U nt

d e h c n u P e c a f e h t n i

DIRTY OLD GARDENER

Planning and Predators: Gardening on the Defensive

itting

atop

little

BY REGI ONETON

mountain

overlooking my humble acre, planning. The nights have been cold, and it’s

enough to make a man want to knit little sweaters for all the struggling babies in the garden. The grubs established some sort of metropolis over the winter in my yard, and that created a giant buffet for the skunks. Their burrowing and insatiable hunger have my lawn now looking like it hosted a Rugby match. I keep catching the deer eyeballing my garden beds early in the morning. I suppose they are

Regi Oneton is a multi-disciplinary artist and daytime executive. He’s been a member of Socan since his first album release at the age of 20 and is a selftaught audio engineer and self-proclaimed studio rat. Regi is a late-blooming street artist and painter whose works can be found hanging in the offices of Burton and Vans Canada. Long-time contributor to the Under Pressure Graffiti Festival and lover of the Arts. As the years plow forward, he has added botanical enthusiast/plant father to his litany of passions. His interests include writing and spending too much time looking at his phone.

checking what’s ready and planning a heist. I don’t know if I should protect the crop out of some misplaced sense of masculinity or let

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them have at it for wholesome entertainment. I planted a cacophony of spicy offerings this year; it’s going to blow their freaking antlers off. No need for me to do it.

Organic Solutions: Brewing Up Dookie Tea

A healthy amount of preparation can help you get through any number of botanical boxing matches. It’s not how hard you get hit; it’s how hard you get hit and still get back up. After a few strolls through the garden, it becomes clear there is much to check off on the To-Do list in order to ensure I don’t get slapped around too hard in the field this season. Store-bought nitrogen supplements are a bit out of the price range again, so I am perfecting my organic Dandy Dog Dookie Tea. Trademark is in the works, so don’t even think about it. All jokes aside, spring clean-up has been fruitful. If the fruit was dog shit. The fertiliser tea consists of one large bucket of rainwater with one handful of doggie plop plops; add two fistfuls of dandelion plant, and let sit for a few days. Preferably in the sun to accelerate the process. If you are feeling fancy, toss in a couple of tablespoons of wood ash. What you are left with is a slurry that any plant would chug like a frat-house alcoholic. Your garden beds get sucked dry housing plants; it’s important to rejuvenate parched soil. Preparation through poop and degrading plant matter. Delightful.

The grubs established some sort of metropolis over the winter in my yard, and that created a giant buffet for the skunks Rebuilding Year: Strategic Plant Placement

It’s a rebuilding year here at Casa Oneton. Like a sports team in the rebuilding process, we are taking time to look around, shift some positions, and realign our priorities. Planning out where your plant life will flourish is almost more important than the dog turds. Knowing where the sun will be and knowing which plants even want to be there will make you more successful. Research your plants’ needs properly and shift them into new positions. Pull the goalie if necessary and add that extra skater to score. A simple move from one corner of the garden to the other can offer exponentially better results. I’m tracking the sun like I am trying to tell time the old-school way. I’m not out there with charts in my hand, but the neighbours wouldn’t be surprised, as I have been seen walking around the garden with crazier things in my hands. They’ve seen me making the Dookie Tea.

75 75

What's quietly costing you yield Powdery mildew. Biofilm. Root browning. Contaminated irrigation lines and surfaces don't fail loudly - they slowly erode yield, quality, and consistency. When margins are tight, small hygiene failures become expensive ones.

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Supports clean leaf surfaces and stable foliar programs without harsh residues.

Sanitises high-touch surfaces and work areas to keep environments compliant.

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DIRTY OLD GARDENER

Store-bought nitrogen supplements are a bit out of the price range again, so I am perfecting my organic Dandy Dog Dookie Tea.

Preserving the Harvest—and Sanity

It could be fun and rewarding preserving your harvest. Mason jars clinking and the smell of vinegar in the air is soothing. However, preserving your sanity all season long can be a bloody nightmare. Between my Golden Retriever, Aka “Poop Machine,” helping himself to a salad whenever he pleases, and the deer walking their sassy asses through my yard, dropping ticks like they own the place, it’s fair to say it’s all a bit stressful. To preserve my sanity, I close my eyes and pretend I am a child at Disneyland getting scolded for being a brat; my mother says, “Are you going to be a good boy and have fun like everyone else?” I open my eyes and look at the soil and ask myself the same thing: am I going to dig the fucking hole or not, and am I going to be happy doing it? Is a couple of puppy pruned plants worth crying over? Am I really angry at the majesty of a couple deer blessing my acre? A bottle of Brandy and a half pack of cigarettes and I will be right as rain. I’ve been a real downer lately. The early spring flowers are bending over for me, and that’s helping morale; sanity may be gone for good, as I have been dissolving dog crap in rainwater rather than buying a 4-dollar bag of compost. The bluebird in my heart remains singing, I assure you.

The Perks of Perennials: Nature’s Reliable Friends

Something that facilitates my garden preparation for the season is the healthy number of perennials scattered all over the property. If there was some freak accident that took my arms and legs and I couldn’t

somehow chin my way to the garden, they would still look pretty damn good with all the annual comeback stories sprouting. A lazy gardener’s best friend. Some of my best specimens come in annually without any effort whatsoever; I have a Rhubarb with stalks like baseball bats. My chives always come in early and are the first item cooked; they help wash the taste of winter from one’s palate. My parsley is not far behind, but who eats that shit anyway, right? Although not a perennial, the garlic I planted the previous fall is always the star of the show. The 20-squarefoot garden bed that houses the garlic patch has one of the best returns on investment I have. You want to see me get excited? Come around during garlic scape harvest. It’s enough to make a man want to step in the ring and garden another day. Some of these plants offer memories; there are flowers and climbing vines planted by exes and plants I put in the ground my first year owning this money pit. I can look around and get flashes of memories both good and bad, like walking through a field of old polaroids.

Round After Round: The Gardener’s Ongoing Fight

Well, my little bean sprouts, hopefully your respective boxing matches with your gardens are going your way, and you don’t get knocked out cold. Remember to rest between rounds and stay hydrated, both you and the plants. The brandy and nicotine have worked their magic, and I am off to work the shovel a bit with a big smile on my face. Just an old garden geezer putzing around making Dookie Tea. If you need me, I will be chasing my own dog off my crop, his lust for salad unabated by my screams. He’s fast, and I’m old; I won’t be winning this fight. 3

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Beyond C A d r a d Stan for Innovative Solutions

y it il b a t S m o o R w o Gr

TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY CONTROL

The Challenge of Temperature and Humidity Control

or many growers, the idea of maintaining a

stable

temperature

and

relative

humidity is merely a dream they have

pursued throughout their careers, yet it seems increasingly elusive. Most old-school grows are equipped with standard off-the-shelf commercial 5-ton air conditioners, and they have very poor

BY ADAM CLARKE

Adam has provided planning and design services for cannabis and hemp cultivation and processing facilities over the last seven years with Stratus. His projects involve outdoor cultivation, indoor cultivation, drying, processing, extraction, storage, bottling and packaging, and more. Living on a hobby farm, Adam loves all plants, including flowers, vegetables, and microgreens, but is most passionate about hemp and is in awe of the fast-growing plant and all of the benefits it offers to humans and the environment alike.

WANT TO READ MORE OF ADAM’S WORK? SCAN THE QR:

control for a grow facility. When a 5-ton unit turns on, they typically go to full speed right away, as the compressor is simply controlled by an on/off state. If you need to control temperature, these units are an excellent option because they are designed for that purpose. The average 5-ton AC unit is meant for cooling an office space where humidity can be variable and not bother the people inside. In a growing environment, this type of control tends to cause relative humidity to crash, which negatively affects the plants.

The Relationship Between Temperature and Humidity

Temperature and humidity are directly related. As the 5-ton unit cools the air, the air on the cooling coil drops below the dew point, causing water to condense. This is great as long as you don’t remove too much water from the grow room. Unfortunately, often the space gets too dry too quickly. This problem is compounded with the dehumidifiers in the space simultaneously removing water. Many people have found workarounds that offset the setpoints on all the ACs/dehumidifiers so they don’t react at the same time. This cost-effective approach helps the problem, but it doesn’t do enough, and the swings persist.

Innovative Solutions: The Refrigeration Valve Approach

After watching this scenario play out over and over again in many grows, I went searching for a solution and happened to come across a refrigeration valve that effectively works like a 3-way valve for refrig-

erant. This gadget allows us to bypass refrigerant around the evaporator, so we don’t do as much cooling, or more importantly, we don’t lower the air to a super cold temperature. A normal 5-ton unit is typically designed to deliver 55°F air the entire time it’s running, which in many cases is too low a dew point for a grow room, and water removal will occur as well. We have accomplished varying the cooling coil temperature so that water does not drop out while still providing the required cooling.

Results and Improved Environmental Stability

With these changes, we can run the same grow room at 82°F/75 % RH in veg, or at lower RH conditions without major swings. We see a change from rooms swinging 3-10°F and 5-10%+ RH to rooms that are within 1°F and 1-2% RH. The key to this is the ability to vary the evaporator coil temperature, thereby preventing excessive moisture removal. This will also decrease runtime and improve your system’s efficiency.

Implementation and Retrofitting with Modern Controls

To implement this solution, however, you will need a refrigeration mechanic to install the valve and a control system. I am biased as part of Stratus Designs; however, with reliable controls, we have been able to seamlessly implement this change across many grows, and, in fact, it has become a significant new source of interest within the growing community. Rather than replacing equipment at high cost, we are retrofitting old gear and making it work better than ever. 3

WAYS to Plan, Preserve, and Prepare for the Next Harvest

arvest is one of our favourite times in the garden! After many months of work and TLC, it’s finally time to enjoy the homegrown food, medicine, and flowers you’ve nurtured all season. But it isn’t just about reaping the rewards. This is an excellent time to reflect and

celebrate what worked, preserve the bounty of the current harvest, and prepare the garden for the next success. And you thought you were done? Far from it! Here are 5 Cool Ways to Plan, Preserve, and Prepare for the Next Harvest.

1 Conduct a ‘Garden Review’ As the garden winds down, grab a notebook and write things down while your thoughts and produce are still fresh! Consider it a wish list for future gardens. Did you grow multiple varieties of a certain crop? Which tasted best? Invite friends and family over for a harvest tasting to help you determine which plants were worth the space and time as you plan your next garden. Compare yields between varieties, especially if you rely on your harvest for longterm storage. Jot down whether the garden was overcome with pests and diseases or if there were specific crops that were more resistant; you’ll want to grow the latter again. Finally, take note of which plants preserved well and how you did it. You say you won’t forget, but trust us, you will.

2 Save Seeds and Organise Stock Some plant varieties do better than others; when you fall in love with one, preserve those genetics and save the seeds for future grows. This is an essential homesteading skill that not only helps you preserve specific traits from your best plants but also allows you to become more independent in case of another seed shortage (remember 2021?). You won’t have to buy new seed packets in future growing seasons either! Research how to save the seeds of your chosen crops so they’re viable the next time around. Properly label them; it’s no fun looking forward to a bumper crop of spaghetti squash and getting Pattypan instead. Finally, setting up a seed library in the right conditions is an absolute must. Although many seeds have an expiry date, they can last for years when properly stored.

GROWING ADVICE

3 Prepare Garden Beds You nurtured your food, medicine, and flowers all the way to harvest, but the real work doesn’t end now. In fact, some might say it’s only just beginning (yikes!). What you do post harvest significantly impacts your success in future grows. After harvest, testing soil fertility is a good idea; apply slow-release mineral amendments based on the results. A thriving soil biology will help future crops produce and protect them from pest and disease pressure. Regenerative growing practices build resilience, so plant cover crops to provide extra nutrients and prevent erosion. Add a thick layer of compost, and perhaps some fermented plant extracts to feed the microbiology. Cover garden beds with mulch to feed the soil.

4 Preserve Future Meals Blanching, peeling, and simmering tomatoes for hours before canning dozens of jars may not seem like the most perfect way to spend a weekend (or maybe it does?), but you sure will appreciate it while enjoying homemade sauce in the months to come! There is something satisfying about preserving a harvest and becoming a little more self-sufficient. Why not learn a new preservation technique? Try freezing fresh herbs in oil cubes or turning all that basil into several meals’ worth of pesto. Ferment surplus vegetables for gut-friendly snacks and make dried soup mixes. Blanch and freeze greens, corn, and other surplus vegetables. If preserving food becomes a regular part of your harvest routine, consider investing in equipment such as a pressure canner or, for larger harvests, a freeze-dryer. The world of food preservation is exciting, and many options for long-term storage exist; make sure your chosen method is well researched for your safety.

5 Plan and Prepare Now, Preserve Your Sanity Later Putting some effort into planning and preparing your next garden now will lead to a less chaotic start next time. Map out the future garden space; do you want to expand your composting system or build new beds? Getting the grunt work done now means you’ll be ready to get growing sooner. Empty and store rain barrels and irrigation hoses when not in use; any leftover water will likely damage the equipment. Wash pots, seed-starting trays, and garden tools (sharpen if needed), and store them where they’ll be easy to find. A little planning and preparation now means less scrambling later —and more time to enjoy the next season. 3

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