Time for an update, and it's gonna be a
doozy, the kind I tend to dwell on a little too much truth told.
First off, It's a real sobering time for us folks at the Happy Cola. So much so, I might need to unpack this over the next few days, if not weeks, because there are a lot of unknowns.
We have issues, and we're not sure where we need to go, but we have to start somewhere, so today the decision was made to completely eliminate our entire strain, from the veg room to Flower Rm 1, a total of around 400 plants, give or take. That in and of itself is a hard pill to swallow, but it gets better. Let me explain.
For those who followed along with us through the good times and bad already know we've had to deal with a pest issue from the depths of hell, one so bad it took out our first two full grows. Truth told, it might has well been all three grows. The "Hemp Mite" issue that never went away
isn't the only problem, though it's bad enough even though at great expense we've managed to keep them at bay, so to speak.
We've also had some pretty serious issues being unable to produce decent "repeatable" terpene ratios, or "smell appeal" and for those who are in the business, you already know nobody gives a hoot about THC levels these days....they want Terpenes, and lots of them, THC be damned.
So the last few weeks I have been traveling the local lands, speaking with as many successful growers what were willing to talk with me and offer their insight. After all, time isn't on our side, and with the millions of possible strains that may or may not be a "winner", we need a sure fire winner, and it isn't easy finding anyone worth finding, willing to share anything resembling a "secret".
One such guy who was willing to take this nobody called "The Happy One" into his world (thanks Max), was willing to offer up his opinion and then some.
*I need to say most of my life when I needed to do something I didn't have the skills or money to pay someone who did, I would usually research someone who had already successfully DONE what I was trying to do and do what they did. Max is one such mentor, and here is what he had to say, in the order I think I remember him saying them in.
1. Genetics. Genetics. Genetics. Max seems to really know his stuff, and freely admitted 75% of his "fly off the shelf bud" he grows is all genetics. The other 25% is just him giving his plants what they need. Even mentioned adding pricey things like "Terpenator, Sweet, ect. wasn't really required. Back to
genetics.
2. Method of Growing. I've yet to find a commercial grower who grows using full hydroponics like we do. My friend is no different, so he couldn't chime in on whether growing in hydroponics was causing seriously reduced terpene ratios in our testing. Frankly, there is very little available in comparisons, though I did find one paper that claimed organic among others grow methods produced the highest terpenes, however on our 3rd grow our Fast Jack clocked in with a 2.21 terp ratio, not outstanding, but not all that bad either, so that was promising, and it
was grown hydroponically.
3. Cure. He suggests hanging the entire plant upside down after harvesting. I agree. We had taken branch cuts and hung them. I think that dries them out too fast.
4. Lighting. He couldn't chime in on LED lighting in the flower room, as he uses conventional HPS lights.
Anyway, it's my belief the answer(s) to our problems are going to be contained within those four areas above, though I cant say for sure which, if any it is. My
hopes are it simply being a matter of genetics.
It's late and I need some shut-eye. Tomorrow will be another depressing day, no doubt, as we have to hull out a lot of plants. Once the plants are all gone, we set off a series of nuclear bug bombs, sprays and treatments both indoors and around the perimeter of the building. Nothing lives. Once that's done, we wipe the gravel and the guts and the spit in the eye and the blood from our noses and move on.
Cajun, got to spend his last few years as a master grower and shared this tip with us:
