Inside a Canadian Legal Cannabis Grow

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On July 1st 2018 cannabis will be legal in Canada.  Paradise Seeds has been covering the Canada situation with interest since the Liberal Government of Justin Trudeau announced it was going to legalize marijuana. 
Paradise Seeds has been supplying high quality seeds for cannabis grow use in the Canadian medical sector since the Government began to issue licenses to producers.  Paradise Seeds strains provide the source of the high grade med weed produced by the Ontario based company, ABcann, which recently went public. 

Inside a Legal Medical Cannabis Grow

Jolyon Saville Peck is ABcann’s head grower, and over the years has been instrumental in developing the sophisticated legal cannabis grow operation that supplies Canadian patients with high grade medical marijuana.  ABcann has built a reputation for providing very high quality medical grade organic marihuana that is standardized – delivering the same compound consistency every time. 

Space Age Cannabis Grow! 

For ABCann, growing weed is a serious business.  A big concern regarding medical cannabis is the inconsistency of product.  ABcann are working in partnership with scientists from the University of Guelph to standardize production. 

Speaking on Skype, Jolyon gives an insight into the huge advantages of operating a cannabis grow within a legalized framework.  A key component of the ABcann program to standardize medical cannabis production is a number of controlled growth environment chambers allowing his team total management over all aspects of a cannabis plant’s growth cycle. 

If your experience of a ‘grow environment’ is a tent in the attic or a spare bedroom, then prepare to shout ‘Wow!’,  because these things look like they have come straight out of Star Trek.  The hi-tech cannabis grow chambers were developed as part of an aerospace program to find a solution to growing food on the moon or Mars! ( Yes, we want one too, but let’s just say for the same price you could buy yourself a house…). 

Inside the growth chambers, everything is computer controlled, from lighting (LEDs provide a spectrum of lighting over 7-9 channels) to nutrients and the airtight chambers even permit the analysis of a plant’s gas and osmosis exchanges as they grow.  This specialized environment enables the grow team to manipulate the plant’s development to even control the secondary metabolites – terpenoids, cannabinoids and flavonoids. 

“Let me give you an example,” says Jolyon. “ If there are certain aspects of a plant strain that we like – for example a short, stocky structure or we would like to turn a 10 - 12 week flowering variety into an 8 week cycle to fit into our cultivation schedule, then we can manipulate the growing environment to make these tweaks.” 

Paradise Seeds in the ABcann Cannabis Grow

Jolyon has been working with Paradise Seeds founder and master breeder, Luc Krol, for many years.  He explains that one of the key factors in growing good quality medical grade cannabis is to work with an experienced breeder of strains. “ With legalization, many people are getting involved in the industry,” he says, “but having that relationship with a master breeder and being able to access their knowledge and experience is invaluable.” 

Related to this is the quality of the seed. “ Genetics play a crucial role when it comes to researching and developing medical cannabis strains, and again this is what comes with working with the breeder.  What we are looking for is a stable, consistent product.” 

ABcann works with various Paradise Seeds in its legal medical cannabis grow to produce dried flower cannabis product, which is re-branded for medical use and is currently available on prescription. “ Paradise strains come with their own unique qualities.  For example Wappa is a fantastic Indica.  She is easy to work with, she’s a great producer (yield wise) and so a great all rounder. 

Ice Cream is resin rich and very popular in dispensaries and Nebula II CBD, a specialized medical variety, is a decent producer with a good ‘nose’.  Probably my favourite is Sensi Star.  Easy to work with, a good yielder and she has a totally unique terpene profile, very pungent and a combination of citrus and spice.  Or in simpler terms….  Sensi Star