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Heal the Land lead us toward true eco-stewardship. When we begin to accept nature as our guru, or spiritual teacher, we begin to unlock the mysteries of becoming a real
Cultivation
A typical cannabis farm, in preparation for cultivation, will first clear the land of all
Keit h Mansu r of OCC is back a s you r ho st!
Any amendment from far away will only detract from this.
“green thumb” and not just someone who is good at buying the right amendments and soil products. We have the ability to create all our own fertilizers, composts, potting soils, etc., without depending on a warehouse full of products that leave a harmful trail back to their creation. We mention this often because we see that most people don’t believe they can grow healthy plants without a lengthy list of nutrients, amendments, and products. The truth is that growing is simpler than we want to believe and everything needed to grow healthy plants is usually a short distance away. When we tap into our ability to see the value in locally available raw resources, we begin to heal our planet, and negate the need to rely on a corporate entity to manufacture fertility. Once we eliminate the need to buy these products, we really start to make a difference and we begin to really put the “place” back into what we grow.
Oregon Cannabis Connection
pre-existing plants and soil life. Then they generally grow their plants in containers or raised beds that are filled with expensive bagged soil mixes that have been created with an array of products and, often, unsustainably mined resources. These standard practices are resourceintensive, expensive, and impede the plants’ ability to develop their terroir (conditions in which a plant is produced and which give the unique characteristics, often applied to wine grapes). A region’s cannabis terroir cannot be tasted from a soil mix. Plants need to be in the ground, in living soil, surrounded by diverse living habitat, in order to achieve a local flavor.
A large cleared space for a single crop can only be harmful to the environment. We like to think that a well-cared-for garden improves a space’s ability to remain fertile without human management. This way, our job as producers becomes a practice of caring for and designing systems that positively impact the future of the space we are caring for. If, and when, we are no longer there, the soil is ideally healthier and more diverse than when we began working with it. In essence, we can heal the land we are growing our commercial crop on—it just takes the intention to do so. © 2016 Oregon Cannabis Connection. All rights reserved.
Check our next issue for more growing advice.