Do plant needs really vary that significantly? We are working in the age of highly evolved genetics. We have bred plants for extremely specific yields, THC percentages, terpenes, flavonoids, pest and mold resistance, and ease of growing. If you are raising your plants from seeds, you may expect variations especially if they are not inbred or rebred to promote genetic dominance of any specific trait. If you are cloning your plants from a mother, you would think each of the “children” would be identical. Well, not necessarily…..
You can observe the phenomena just by looking at a large family. With the same mother and father (i.e., same DNA inputs), you would think their children would be extremely similar. However, genetic diversity takes over. Some of the children are smaller, less active, and require less calories and nutrients. Similarly, a larger, more athletic child will require significantly more or completely different foods. There have been studies of identical twins growing up in different environments. While they share many characteristics, they exhibit significantly different traits. That’s a result of the environment that raised them.
As cannabis cultivars have advanced, they have similarly unique needs. Some cultivars are naturally short, bushy and provide massive flowers. These are typically indicas. Indicas are commonly bred to incorporate some of the sativa smells, flavors while protecting the yield. Conversely, sativa or sativa dominant hybrids are commonly bred to express their traits in shorter, bushier plants with less flower time. Beyond cultivar development, the practice of cloning should provide an identical genotype (which many growers assume will eliminate variation). However, plants adapt to their environment as much as possible. This is known as phenotypic plasticity. A phenotype is a plant’s “expression” of the genome and its response to the environment.
A set of clones (same phenotype) grown in different environments will result in different variants. So to provide a reliably excellent product, the environmental controls need to be dialed-in just as tightly as the genomic development. This includes the soil type, nutrient mix, watering regimen, temperature, humidity, lighting and trimming schedules. Any small variation will result in a different outcome. That may be expressed in yield, THC level, terpene or flavonoid content (just to mention a few).
As medical use becomes more refined through research, the product consistency will become extremely critical. Beyond medical use, adult use consumers are becoming extremely selective. They are focused on the flavonoid and terpene profile. If the product is inconsistent, they may move on to a more predictable producer quickly.
What’s the best approach to growing a consistent phenotype? Your head grower needs to use “recipes” to experiment with each of the variables, record them, optimize them, and ultimately repeat them. This level of success requires a mix of systems. It starts with a system that captures the core recipe variables by phenotype. For every phase of the plant growth, the environment controls, nutrients and hydration need to be recorded. Through side-by-side (A/B) testing, they can be optimized. Once you’ve found your optimal “recipe”, the system needs to repeat that “recipe” to control your environment. For environmental systems that can’t be directly controlled, you can rely on integrated monitors and alerts that let you know if your environment is varying from your recipe. The capstone of your technology should be an application that constantly monitors and proactively alerts you to any departure from your recipe.
You don’t need to struggle with environment controls, monitoring or alerting. Greenest Grow developed a platform specifically for your needs. We have even extended it to side-by-side (A/B) testing of recipes as well as automatically repeating them. Our system will help you develop your technique to produce a consistent, high-quality product. Check out Greenest Grow when you’re ready to get to the next level.
