Potentially getting hired as Head Grower for small legal micro-grow. Need advice/clarification on some stuff.

ComfortCreator

Well-Known Member
To avoid failing heavy metal testing, you need to see reliable 3rd party tests on every single nutrient/supplement you use, including media. Here is one such place to look https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/fertilizerproducts/. You need to follow your state guidelines when you set up a grow, most of the time you'll have to pass a state inspection. To avoid failing microbe tests, you need to keep a clean room, not clean like "sweep up the hair off the floor" but more like wear tyvek suit/mask, have proper air filtration and machine trim. States make it as hard as possible for small growers to be able to set up in such a way they can pass these tests simply due to the great expense involved, but some states are much more lenient than others.
I have never seen anyone more committed to this concept that you R. Kudos and you are imo the go to person on this site expertise-wise. The lengths you have gone to document your inputs is or at least should be, legendary.

That was some thread!
 

skitownsnucka

Well-Known Member
My 2c is that I do believe that in order to stand out the company has to do something different!

The obv problem with soil is it is slower, and so logically that is why they dont plan to go that way.

However as a supersoil grower who does water only I do believe that it is something few people ask about because in general people know it is grown fast in hydro form...or just don't know. The terps from an organic soil grow are killer.

Since you have expertise in soil and PJ is questioning your confidence in RDWC...what if you floated the idea to the team that in order to stand out, you want to run 25% organic supersoil to see if you can create a market for it. What price the market would offer is not well known.

But imo, that is the one thing I dont see offerred. And in todays very green world with lots of people wanting organic...it is just a matter then of acquiring the right clones to run.

Maybe DrOGKush from Cali can comment...is there known organic cultivators separating themselves from the standard market and charging for it? (Anybody with knowledge is welcome to answer)
That's why i was going to suggest to them to do one flower room organic soil to make sure we've got quality terps for the flavor snobs like myself, and then a rdwc flower room to be able to keep production high. Maybe even charge a little less for the rdwc because i can comfortably crank out 4 runs a year. And then yeah, if people aren't buying up the rdwc and all the organic stuff is flying off shelves, to make a change. Really appreciate the input!
 

skitownsnucka

Well-Known Member
Also worth mentioning they plan to do BHO extractions but i'm going to suggest they do fresh frozen rosin instead. All will be produced in house and i think it'd be better to do the rosin because it will be less equipment and safety regulation. This company is trying to become a local staple for boutique cannabis and they are in an opportune area of town compared to the other places that have been popping up.
 

skitownsnucka

Well-Known Member
Another thing worth mentioning as well is this. I believe because it is a micro business license they can't supply other dispensaries so everything produced at the facility needs to be sold in the front. I've spent time months ago studying the business model for this and if you just grow rdwc I believe you will actually overproduce given the population for this area, which is 170k for the entire county, and about 40k for the city.
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
I live in an area where there aren't a lot of options for people to hire with degrees in plant sciences. They need someone with experience with cannabis, which I have.
Ive had success growing with no-till organics, organic super soil mixes, as well as growing in just plain hugo blocks in addition to 8 years non-stop of current culture.
Whats your definition of a "master grower"?
Dr. Bruce Bugbee
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Quick rundown: 150-300 plants total. Two flowering rooms, one veg/mother room. Not sure of their plans for lighting as of yet but i'm familiar with LED/HPS/CMH and would assume they'll end up with a combination of them all. They are trying to maximize yield given their small allotment (in comparison to the bigger liscenses) of plants allowed. I am very well experienced in growing RDWC using House and Garden Aqua Flakes, Hydroguard (because i'm on well water and REALLY need preventative measures) Big Bud wk 2-5 Flower then switch to Shooting powder (or MOAB), Sugaree, and Bud XL (H&G) the last weeks of flower. I had an interview at a place where the guy mentioned they don't use bloom boosters, and i forget why, either because of not passing for heavy metals or because of yeast/mold/bacteria testing failures.

The facility will be on city water so I think i can cancel the Hydroguard and maybe instead use Cultured Solutions UC ROOTS (or calcium hypochlorite if its all the same). My biggest concern for this place is passing testing and still keeping terpenes as high as possible while still growing using hydroponic methods. They mentioned they plan to grow in rockwool but i don't think they know much about RDWC, but they are open to trying stuff out. I've been able to get 3-5 lbs off a plant in rdwc with the proper strain and with vertical bulbs on the four corners of the plant. Could something like that be achieved without doing RDWC but instead filling a 20 gallon pot (because i need these things to get big fast) with rockwool chunks and just feeding like I normally would with my H&G Aqua Flakes? I'm hesitant to suggest RDWC because of all the extra equipment required and initial investment, in addition to having ~200gallons of bubbling water in the system and that creating extra humidity thus creating the potential for molds/yeasts/bacteria growths.

This place is looking to craft quality flower to help stand out against other places popping up. I love growing in the undercurrent/rdwc a lot but always feel it's lacking terps compared to my organic super soil grown flower. Was even thinking of suggesting to do one flower room organic super soil and the other room either RDWC or a 20-30gallon rockwool so that at least half the stuff is STELLAR in the flavor department.

Too Long Didn't Read?

1. Looking to grow big plants to be able to compete (a little bit at least) with the bigger license holders.
2. Need to make sure i'm passing testing (molds/yeasts/bacterias/heavy metals) Need to know what products are ok and what ones to stay away from.
3. Need to make sure terps are high and preserved (keep leaf surface temperature low? Stay away from phosphorus or potassium boosters? Keep EC low? (have heard a lot of people have good success with just Aqua Flakes all the way to the end but haven't tried it yet. Have read mixed stuff on flushing hydro and it reducing terps and it only being necessary if you've overfed a bunch.

If you have worked for, or know someone who has worked for a commercial facility that has to pass testing, I want to hear from you. Also, looking for recommendations from people that have experience with Jacks 321 and how the end product compares with terps from other bottled nutrients. Any and all suggestions/clarifications/advice are welcome and I thank anyone in advance for taking the time to help me. At the end of the day, i'm trying to keep things as simple as possible using the least amount of inputs while still putting out high terp flowers.
They must be desperate or really tight with money if they're considering hiring you as head grower. I mean seriously now.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Another example of money meeting cannabis and by damn I should know by now. Been in legal states since 2015.

No banking. No credit. So hello, rich fucks. Rich fucks. What rich fuck knows how to do a god-damned thing? Their expertise is $$$$$$.

They got it in part by fucking people and using them. So cannabis big potential boom. Lol. But they're going to try and after all other expenses are in there's only one place they have a chance of having it their way - cheap labor.

Standard practice is hiring a true expert and some helpers. Milk the expert for everything he's worth and then run his ass off. Then one of the side monkeys takes over.

At least this place sounds like they're cutting to the chase scene right off.
 

visajoe1

Well-Known Member
Another thing worth mentioning as well is this. I believe because it is a micro business license they can't supply other dispensaries so everything produced at the facility needs to be sold in the front. I've spent time months ago studying the business model for this and if you just grow rdwc I believe you will actually overproduce given the population for this area, which is 170k for the entire county, and about 40k for the city.
Coco and Peat is considered organic mediums, they can basically function as hydro, without the multiple daily feedings and all the 24/7 monitoring that goes along with RDWC/Rockwool.

For example, Pro Mix (peat) may get you some organic flavors, with some hydro-ish growth, and soil-like wet/dry cycles
 

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
Another example of money meeting cannabis and by damn I should know by now. Been in legal states since 2015.

No banking. No credit. So hello, rich fucks. Rich fucks. What rich fuck knows how to do a god-damned thing? Their expertise is $$$$$$.

They got it in part by fucking people and using them. So cannabis big potential boom. Lol. But they're going to try and after all other expenses are in there's only one place they have a chance of having it their way - cheap labor.

Standard practice is hiring a true expert and some helpers. Milk the expert for everything he's worth and then run his ass off. Then one of the side monkeys takes over.

At least this place sounds like they're cutting to the chase scene right off.
lol thats capitalism in a nut shell..not a growing indsutry curse.

all grows that last are built on volume production as lowest cost, that just being efficeint. who would pay more then they need to for anything

ive worked at a few greenhouses and fields and horticulture places, its all the same...

legalization was about people not being prosecuted so an eilite group can make as much money as possible while its illegal
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
lol thats capitalism in a nut shell..not a growing indsutry curse.

all grows that last are built on volume production as lowest cost, that just being efficeint. who would pay more then they need to for anything

ive worked at a few greenhouses and fields and horticulture places, its all the same...

legalization was about people not being prosecuted so an eilite group can make as much money as possible while its illegal
No it's an industry curse. If the average guy could get some basic financing a lot of us would be blowing the rich fucks out of the water or forcing them to pay more for help and to appreciate it.
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Name another industry that can't bank, that is forced to pay all taxes in cash and in person and which no landlord with a mortgage will rent to even with a years rent paid up front.

Pot growing commercially? Call the mortgage. Running a whorehouse with limo service? Maybe be fined. Maybe.
 

Samwell Seed Well

Well-Known Member
you blame the indsutry, when its' simply a victim of the federal tax code , that does not allow banking for schedule 1 narcotics

just my take. they literally cant do a number of those things legally.

you have to have large amounts of money, at least in Wa, vetted in a bank just to start a farm so the banking thing is only a fed issue.

their are 2 banks in wa that work with Rec weed and they are both in olympia

my farm vetted 250k, required by the LCB just to appove our 6 month plan, we pay taxes we have a bank account and do direct transfers...

its an industry where what you have is what you made...its honest as fuck right for me.

i come from WASDA and fed training from greenhouses, i do the same for my farm. the LCB doesnt require that, its a standard you bring and uphold... or dont. blame the people not the game
 
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