Growing and Producing Medical Marijuana

A lot of people have wanted to grow medical marijuana...

and many have tried, but few do it right. I have known a good number of people that thought they could grow it like any other plant and soon gave up only to ask someone else with more expertise and experience to produce there medical supply for them.

There is both an art and a science...

to being able to grow and produce top quality medical marijuana. It can be learned but you must have a knowledgeable teacher and reputable sources of information. As you may expect, there is a lot of bad information and even worse advice out there. Even many "experienced" with many years of growing are often stuck on certain ideas that they will defend to the end, but that aren't always accurate.

The proof is in the end product...

I have personally been known to produce some of the highest quality and most potent medical marijuana in the world for my own personal supply over the years. I am now willing and able to help you learn some of what I know.

My System

Start with the highest quality genetics. This will be a combination of the most potent cannabinoid profile combined with the traits you personally need most dominant.
Grow and Harvest it Properly. If it's not grown properly even the best genetics will still lead to junk bud. On the other hand, with good growing techniques even bad bud genetics can be brought to life. The crystals on my plants tend to be much more predominant then even those from the breeders. As a rule of thumb, start with the best genetics possible though. You put a lot into growing your buds and if you limit yourself with bad genetics you're starting with a bad foundation already. When and how you harvest makes a dramatic difference in the qualities and potency of the bud.

Handle and Store it Properly. The main point of everything from start to finish is the cannabinoid filled trichome crystals. That means first producing them through the use of good genetics and growing techniques, and then preserving them. This means not touching them with your fingers. Oils in your skin can dissolve the crystals off the bud. You end up with sticky fingers and less crystal. Try to leave a small stem on each and hold by that when needed. Always store in a structured container that will not allow them to be crushed or broken off. Baggies are for commercial junk. Use jars and plastic containers. If bud is still somewhat fresh and not fully dried/ cured yet, utilize cardboard containers.

Use it well. When packing a bowl, I will often place the unbroken up bud in the bowl and use scissors to break it up while in the bowl. Any crystals that break off will be in the bowl.

Summary: First focus on creating your trichomes, then on preserving them until use.

Yield Vs Quality

It's the old quality versus quantity. You can have one but not both. To produce more yield you nurture the plants. On the other hand, to produce quality you must disrupt the plant and cause it to respond. Cannabinoids are produced as a sort of defense mechanism. Stress to the plant, including but not limited to physical damage and UV radiation, is one of the factors that increases potency and stimulates release of more potency. These techniques reduce yield. This means that people that produce the highest quality bud get less yield.

This literally means that those that produce the lowest quality product can actually make more money, as compared to those that go all out with the best techniques, knowledge, and apply this through extra effort to produce the highest quality. The only way to compensate for this literal loss is to charge more. The moral of the story is that those who produce the highest quality have to charge more just to break even: hence, they must surround themselves and deal only with those who are willing and able to pay for the quality. This of course includes patients a caregiver selects as a longer term business plan.

For example, some smokers believe that everything should be for $10 a gram. These nickel and dime types of people are the sort you send somewhere else and avoid having as your patient. If a patient doesn't want to compensate there caregiver a little extra then what the guy down the block is selling there ditch commercial for, then they can go down the street for there discount product line. Don't ever feel guilty for this. As a producer of the some of the highest quality product in the world, modeled after our system and techniques, you deserve to be compensated more then the guy down the street with the brown. It may be a temporary loss to weed out bad potential patients, but in the end you will be surrounded and do business with those who are willing and able to acknowledge and appreciate the work and knowledge you put into producing the highest quality medicine.

The other option is to offer an alternative line, IE grown by a lesser skilled grower. Now your patients have the option. They can get the cheap stuff, or the higher quality product. They pay for what they get and can't complain much: if they still do, feel better knowing you will be far better in the long run sending them elsewhere.

Differences between different buds

Even the same strain can turn out differently, depending on...

how the genetics come together similar to you being different from your brother and sister despite having the same parents;

how it is grown;

and even at what point of maturity the plant is harvested.

These differences can be minimized by cloning plants from a known to be desirable mother plant, harvesting at a known best for desired effect point of maturity, and producing/ handling the end product in a consistent manner.

Different Strains, Different Uses and Effects

According to your needs and desired effects, some strains will be found to be optimal, and others not the best, You must find the strains best for your own specific preferences, and have them available for use when needed.

Large user review libraries are available that allow you access to reports from other users of what effects certain strains have had for them personally. Leafly offers one such library that can be quite useful. They also have apps for use on your cell phone.

(In the process of adding content. Check back for updates.)

Finding Good Genetics/ Seeds or Clones

Coming Soon!

Growing

Coming Soon!

Harvesting

Coming Soon!

Preparation

Drying and Curing

You will not have top quality buds, with out proper drying and curing. It brings out the taste and potency of your buds. If done right it enhances them, or done wrong can destroy even the best quality. A quick overall guide can be found here: https://www.dinafem.org/en/blog/drying-and-curing-of-fresh-cannabis-buds/