And So It Begins…
During 2022 we officially became Cannabis sativa L. growers. While Cannabis sativa L, is also known as hemp, it is a cannabis plant that contains less than 0.3% of THC AKA Tetrahydrocannabinol.
Given that we were granted a growers license at the end of May, we scrambled to find viable seeds for the season’s grow.
What a rush to the finish line!
To begin with, we had to identify and prepare a sunny-spot. Fred and his trusty excavator carefully prepped the area. Being that cannabis leaves are very appealing to the local wildlife population, several safe-guards, such as fencing all had to be sourced and erected.
The field: Before it was prepped. Lots of work required to get it flat e.g. removal of trees, rocks, leveling etc.
4th July 2022
Seedlings transplanted into their location for the season.
The Long Hot Summer
Thankfully, our seedlings took a month to grow into the appropriate size for planting. As a result we were able to work diligently to research and install an irrigation system. (In any case, you don’t want to have to water lots of plants three-times a day by hand)!
Albeit a rush to get everything for the grow situated, the seedlings got moved from the greenhouse, to their new home on July 4th.
Of course, farming isn’t easy, especially during a hot summer coupled with extreme drought and 100+F consecutive dog days of summer. In essence the plants require more water and in this situation watering three times a day.
By and large we were concerned that the well would run dry. At any rate, we became very conscious of our water use, e.g. short showers, limited dish/clothes washing machine runs, no car washes etc.
Water Preservation
To ensure water conservation, we grew our plants horticulturally, that means: in special pots. This ensures that optimal amounts of water and nutrients are absorbed by the plant and not wasted in the surrounding soils.
Nevertheless, we got through the oven-like summer, spending hours scouting our cannabis field. Generally we loved spending time checking on the plants, it is after all very therapeutic. (Furthermore, as the plants grow soooo quickly it is a rewarding process).
Scouting
Regular monitoring of every plant. Every day. Fred in action.
Scouting
Meanwhile, the hours spent scouting during the summer paid off, we didn’t get inundated with pests. Checking leaves for spider mites, thrips, aphids, corn borers, caterpillars, beetles etc. took time, but who wants plants/flowers crawling in pests? We don’t!
JinG our Trusty Companion
Great rodent and bird deterrent.
Lots of Rain and Damp
As we moved into September, the rains came. What’s more, the rain continued, day in and day out. In short, continuous rain is an alarm bell for farmers, especially when the crop is flowering/maturing. Not only does rain bring continual dampness, but it also create conditions conducive to molds/fungi. Namely, Botrytis and Powdery Mildew.
In reality, we spent hours in the rain, ensuring that any damage to any plants would be mitigated. We did have one casualty, we called her Queen Elizabeth, (due to the death of the UK Queen around that time). To summarize, spending time outside in the rain and damp isn’t that much fun.
Fred and Natasha In The Rain
Rain puts a dampner on the whole process.
Early Frost
However, we (and the plants) survived the damp phase, only to get hit with early, hard frosts at the end of September. On the whole, plants can maybe survive a couple of gentle frosts. In this case, the frosts were brutal. To be sure, early frost is definitely a significant farmer’s fear.
Not to mention, that we were running around like headless chickens, trying to erect pop-up canopies to protect our plants from the cold.
Frozen
While pretty, frost can cause severe damage.
Frostie
Ice Crystals Form on the Flower Buds Eek! Immediate action is needed to prevent damage.
Natasha and Mom
Croptober - means lots of trimming and even more trimming.
Trim, trim, trim
Unquestionably, one of the more time consuming aspects of growing cannabis plants is the trimming of the large fan leaves. Blimey this takes hours.
(To that end, we were lucky as my parents visited from the UK and mum helped out as much as she could tolerate). In this case, it seemed like a month-long process. Indeed, once the leaves were trimmed, the plants were hung in a controlled environment and dried.
Natasha's Dad Trimming
Rare event - dad (82 yrs old), trims a few leaves.
Respect for Farmers Everywhere
By the time Thanksgiving came round, we had finally trimmed the flower bud from the dried stems and stored them in our curing tanks.
On account of the uncontrollable weather, we have to say our respect goes to the farmers who work tirelessly under wildly, ungovernable heat/rain/frost to get their crops to market.
Flower Bud Close Up
Once dried the flower buds are cured - how wonderful they look!
Let’s Do It Again
At any rate, even after all of the potential challenges and risks, and the fact that there is a glut of mass-farmed poorer-quality hemp flower out there, we have planted this year’s seeds…Follow our progress here, on Facebook and Instagram.
Fred and A Rather Large Plant
Fred carries the plant to the controlled drying environment.
