Growing Exposed Episode 13—Trail Blazin’

[[Grower Бот]]

In Growing Exposed Episode 13, we take an exclusive look at a cultivation facility producing cannabis year-round as green as “green” can get in the Pacific Northwest. Sustainable gardening practices are a high priority for this aptly named facility, “Trail Blazin'”, as they carve their own path, growing cannabis under 100 percent LED light fixtures.

Trail Blazin’

Owner and operator Juddy Rosellison has heard all the skeptics when it comes to LED and he isn’t bothered by it.

“Who says LED can’t grow big buds?” says Juddy as he reaches into the canopy cradling one of the many chunky white tipped colas.

Juddy goes on to explain his theory of how a magnesium deficiency might be causing his LED flowering rooms to exhibit this phenomenon.  Magnesium is a huge player in the building of chlorophyll, but whatever the reason, I thought it was fascinating and went in for a closer look.

First, I pulled out the macro lens, and it confirmed what Juddy had told me, which is that the trichomes were completely intact.  It was actually quite beautiful. I couldn’t help but think of the fun you could have marketing a bud that was as rare and bleached out as the Kermode bear, aka “spirit bear.”

Another unique thing about Trail Blazin’ is they pride themselves on being a pesticide-free garden.  Juddy explains the only way they can continue this practice is by having policies of who goes in an out, in addition to staff adhering to a strict dress code.  Outside visitors are rare and employees wear medical scrubs and gloves for the same reason hospitals require it, to prevent the spread of pathogens and pests.

Keepin’ It Clean

Not only does Trail Blazin’ pride themselves in how green their facility is, they also take great pride in how clean their facility is.

The cleanest of the rooms I visited had to be the vegetative areas. Here they restock beneficial insects every two weeks, keeping it pesticide free and ensuring that the genetics stay as healthy as possible. Juddy likes to keep around three mothers of every strain that displays a unique spectrum of terpenes.

Terpenes are extremely important when it comes to cannabis, as technology and science have seen. Advancements in the cannabis space, we’ve discovered, go far beyond just cannabinoids.

About Terpenes

Juddy brings up a good point: “If you don’t like a certain strain, you can always look at the strain’s terpene profile.”

Terpenes work together with the THC to drive the high.  This is often referred to as the entourage effect.  What you feel can depend on the terpene profile. If you like a certain strain, you can look at the profile to find other strains that are similar, and you will most likely enjoy those too.

Terpenes are so important these days that companies are now developing additives to help cultivators grow more aromatic and resinous buds.  One such product is called Rezin manufactured by Green Planet Nutrients.

“This is a very unique product exclusive to Green Planet Nutrients,” explained co-owner Justin Cooper.

“Over the last ten years, we’ve really seen a dynamic shift in the industry; growers are now pheno-hunting, or finding the specific traits that really accentuate the aromas and the flavors in the plant.”

Now, as more studies are done with cannabis, either by scientists or by experienced growers, we’re fully aware that we’re growing to create the trichomes.

Trichomes are the small heads or “crystals” when you look at a flower and are really what determines the difference between a low-quality and a high-quality product. When you have a very sticky, resinous, frost-covered flower, that’s what people are looking for.

It’s also worth mentioning that many terpene enhancing products have been pulled from shelves lately due to the fact that they have been found to contain plant growth regulators.  Rezin, on the other hand, enhances all-naturally, using no PGRs, and can be used directly as an add-on to any base so the grower can really push the overall size, aroma and flavor.

Before I walked out of my tour at Trail Blazin’, I wanted to scrutinize the final product. I was presented with 5-pound airtight bins that are stored using Boveda packs to maintain the humidity at 62% during a lengthy cure process.

I opened them to inspect strains like 9lbs Hammer, Pennywise and Space Wrangler OG… which I discovered were all beautiful.   This product was right up there in terms of quality with other world-class cannabis I’ve seen.

Final Hit: Growing Exposed Episode 13—Trail Blazin’

Growing Exposed

What I neglected to mention in the beginning was that one of those skeptics of growing 100 percent LED in flower rooms was me.  Not because I didn’t think it would work at all. I was just skeptical of how the end product would compare with a higher-end product out there on the market.

If you asked me now, I’ll tell you I am a be-“LED”-ver. And I think you will be too after watching Growing Exposed Episode 13.