a couple months ago i mentioned i knew folk in the commercial growing world. i wanted to follow up on their growing practices related to this topic and a couple other things. this is what i learned.
to begin : they do not comment. it's simply not in their interest. it isn't about trade secrets, it's more about managing their time. there are plenty of other information sources. then he answered my questions anyway lol.
tours : they do not allow general public tours of the facilities. even media (the reporting kind lol ) has to jump through a pile of hoops to get in. it's more about gov't rules than company policy.
media : they are using a promix type "soilless soil". same as over 90% of the growers here. this means they are on hydro principles and use salt based fertilizers. they bring media components in and mix them in house. essentially just inert soil and perlite. nothing fancy.
organics : they are exploring different media on a cost benefit basis. there was a plan to try an organic approach, with composting of waste plant material being part of the proposal. turns out this is outright illegal. any unused organic material has to be cataloged, weighed, and destroyed (incinerated). other organics are perfectly fine, but it is very difficult to do a closed loop organic grow with the current rules. they are exploring outdoor growing as it becomes legal, even that won't be 100% organic.
nutrients : salt based. everything is brought in and nutes are compiled in house. they do not purchase or use any pre-made nutrients. essentially they make their own mega crop. they use RO water. not sure how it is ph'd.
flushing : definitely. described as
standard industry practice.
everything grows on a set schedule. there are set days when they flush. once between seedling and veg stages, once between veg and flower stages, and at harvest. harvest flush is described again as standard industry practice.
how they flush : the exact same way we would
water. there is no pouring of water 3 or four times the bucket capacity to wash the media. it's more a withdrawal of nutes for a few days. they don't call it flushing. they have no term for it. the plants are just "on water". harvest flush is the exact same as between plant stages.
@TheMadDabber described why they harvest flush to a T.
it is both a cost saving function, and critical to the way it is cured.
harvest trim and cure : at harvest the plants are watered only for a few days and left standing. this starts the harvest/cure process. the plants are left standing until the media has begun to dry after the final water ( note water, not flush ). then they are cut and the buds loosely trimmed. the buds are immediately fed to a mechanical trimmer for final trim, and from there go on to drying racks for final dry and cure.
the final dry and cure takes place in a very controlled environment. it sounds like they only cure them a couple wks. after a dry, the buds are vacuum bagged for longer term storage, and i assume they may cure a bit in the bag. RH percentages are super important at this time. bagging at the wrong rh will promote mold etc, destroying the harvest. if one bag tests positive, all have to be destroyed.
important to note this is an
industrial process. i wouldn't grow tomatoes the same as a commercial greenhouse. home practices generally result in better produce. this is merely how the industry approaches it.
Nice post thanks for the info.
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