‘Challenge Our Own Thinking’

In December 2023, I had the opportunity to visit two cultivation operations headquartered in Akron, Ohio, just down the road from where Cannabis Business Times is based. I had asked the cultivation directors, Christine DeJesus of Galenas and Mike Lentz of Klutch Cannabis, for insights on mother plant and room management for an article about best practices for maintaining these critical spaces housing prized genetics and plants that will produce the next generation of crops. (Read more on this topic in Quick Tips.)

Though they both have their own cultivation practices and styles, something that resonated with me during each visit was how both DeJesus and Lentz are continuously fine-tuning their operations and searching for ways to improve. Before sharing a tip or suggestion, they noted that they used to do things differently—for example, DeJesus used to grow mother plants in larger containers and keep them longer—but they’ve since changed that.

Although they have close to two decades of commercial cannabis cultivation experience between them, they never stop questioning if they can do things differently—and better.

Albert Einstein once said, “The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.” Throughout the articles in CBT’s first print issue of 2024, you’ll find many examples of experts in the field doing just that, fine-tuning their craft and generously sharing what they’ve learned with CBT.

This includes university researchers. The team from North Carolina State University, led by Brian Whipker, Ph.D., details findings from a study of how nutrients in pre-charged substrates affect plant growth, and how growers can adjust protocols to account for this.

Lighting is another area growers and researchers continue to explore. Travis Higginbotham, VP of Cultivation for StateHouse, based in Salinas, Calif., explains why the company embarked on intercanopy lighting research, and the basis for its hypothesis that having fixtures surrounding plants can improve both yields and quality.

Lume Cannabis Co. Chief Cultivation Officer Kevin Kuethe, who is featured on the cover, dedicated an entire space in the company’s Evart, Mich., grow facility for research and development, specifically around mechanical infrastructure and environmental control technology. The results were so successful that it was used as the foundation for the facility’s expansion. The story of Lume’s journey in the Michigan market is featured in the January/February cover story.

And CBT columnist and industry pioneer Kenneth Morrow, who has been growing cannabis for more than 30 years, explains why commercial growers may want to consider growing shorter plants in his Tomorrow in Cannabis column. While he used to believe growing massive plants would produce the largest yields, he says he has learned through his experience that is not necessarily the case.

As Higginbotham writes in this issue: “Commercial cannabis growers face an ever-evolving market and constant uncertainty. As a result, we must continually challenge our own thinking and build upon what we think we already know about growing. … It is essential to explore ways to build awareness and encourage the sharing of scientifically valid and commercially proven information within the cannabis community and industry to further advance the market as a whole.” 

And Cannabis Business Times will continue to be a resource where that information is gathered, vetted and shared.