Living Soil and the Art of Cannabis Cultivation

Cannabis cultivation has transformed since the industry moved above ground; the days when consumers had no clue where their cannabis came from, what kind of pesticides or growing methods were used in the process, or even what strain or the type of high to expect are over. And while “craft cannabis” is gaining popularity, unfortunately so is the crop’s negative impact on the environment. Luckily, innovators in the industry are beginning to explore greener methods to produce organic, “craft cannabis,” and the process starts in the soil.

INTRO

The marijuana industry has recently come under fire for the alarming impact the crop has with regards to energy demand and the climate. By some estimates, indoor cannabis cultivation produces fifteen million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, which is equivalent to the amount produced by three million American cars.

As the industry continues to expand and flourish, there’s an increasing amount of opportunity for the community to reexamine growing methods and take a closer look at what can be done to make this crop more sustainable.

Today, a select group of growers in the cannabis industry are straying away from the commonly used Hydroponic method and opting toward an organic Living Soil system for indoor cultivation. This Living Soil approach draws on principles from horticulture, botany, biology, soil science, traditional agriculture, and organic farming. This method of cultivation not only helps produce award-winning strains of craft cannabis, but it also helps combat the highly resource-intensive nature of indoor cultivation.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY

It is estimated that the cannabis industry currently consumes at least one percent of the entire nation’s electricity, with annual energy costs reaching $6 billion dollars, according to Gina S. Warren, author of the article “Regulating Pot to Save the Polar Bear: Energy and Climate Impacts of the Marijuana Industry” that was published by the Colombia Journal of Environmental Law in 2016.

Indoor grow facilities require this colossal amount of electricity for high-intensity lighting, ventilation, and heating and cooling in order to maintain optimal temperatures and humidity levels that create ideal growing conditions. Growers often achieve large yields by manipulating light, soil, nutrients, temperature, and airflow. Large volumes of water are also required, around twice the amount required to grow wine grapes. For reference, it takes 872 gallons of water to produce one gallon of wine.

“There’s really no wrong way to grow a plant. There are just different approaches, some more sustainable than others,” says Alex McGavoc, an expert in Living Soil cultivation at Denver’s 710 Labs, one of Colorado’s award-winning hash production facilities. Located in a discreet warehouse on the outskirts of Denver, 710 Labs currently utilizes both the Living Soil method as well as a Hydroponics System.

HYDROPONICS

Hydroponics refers to growing cannabis by using any growing medium other than soil. These soil alternatives most commonly include gravel, sand, a coconut by-product called coco coir, peat moss along with several other options. Growers typically choose from a wide variety of potting soils that can be bought from different distributors.

However the defining characteristic of the Hydroponics System is the way in which the plants receive their nutrients; the plant is fed by way of its water supply. In the natural world, plants absorb their nutrients from the soil through their roots.

Hydroponic cultivation consumes alarming amounts of electricity and water. “A dining table-sized hydroponic unit yielding five one-pound crops per year would consume as much electricity as the average U.S. home,” according to Warren.

The Hydroponic System also requires the use of mineral nutrient solutions to feed the plants with a major emphasis on nitrogen-based fertilizers and pesticides to aid the growing process. These solvents are more often synthetic chemicals that have noted and large negative impacts on the environment.

A 30-year study on the benefits of organic farming compared to conventional farming conducted by the Rodale Institute found that conventionally grown corn uses 71% more energy than organically grown corn. Forty-one percent of the energy used comes from nitrogen based fertilizers.

Nitrogen based fertilizers are remarkably energy intensive due to the manufacture and transport of synthetic nitrogen, which requires an abundance of fossil fuels, most notably oil. While it is important to note that conventional farming methods for corn differ from conventional (hydroponic) cannabis cultivation, specific data on resource usage in the cannabis industry is one it’s “most highly guarded secrets,” says Corey Desloge, 710 Labs’ head of cultivation operations.

Across the hall from 710 Labs’ hydroponic room is their newest and proudest undertaking, their Living Soil room.

LIVING SOIL

The Living Soil approach has a variety of “green” benefits. Many are arguing that it also increases the quality and quantity of cannabis; all achieved through processes that can be found in a high school Biology textbook.

The concept behind Living Soil is nothing more than an intricate, naturally occurring soil food web made up of billions of different microscopic organisms, which are called microbes or microorganisms. By mimicking an ideal outdoor ecosystem, these microorganisms have been proven to improve the soil’s ability to support plant growth by playing a key role in making nutrients available to the plants.

There can be anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 species in less than a teaspoon of soil. In that same teaspoon, there are more microbes than there are people on the earth. These microorganisms, such as bacteria, protozoa, arthropods, nematodes, fungi and more, play a key role in cycling nutrients and water to our plants.

These microorganisms, along with visible earthworms, beetles and other creepy critters crawling in the dirt, help to decompose dead organic matter in the soil. After consuming the organic matter these organisms more or less pee out nutrients, through a process known as mineralization.

This “invertebrate, microbial or fungal pee” is then absorbed by the plant roots and in turn feeds the plant, details Tim Seastedt, a Biology professor and soil specialist at the University of Colorado. Opposed to the synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizers used in the Hydroponic System, nutrients for the plant in a Living Soil system are made available through entirely natural and sustainable processes.

Most of the dead organic matter in the soil comes from a cover crop, which is generally a thick layer of diverse clovers, beans, and grasses that grow alongside the cannabis plants. Naturally nitrogen-rich compost, or decayed organic material, is used as a plant fertilizer as well.

After harvest, the soil alternatives used in a Hydroponic System are thrown away. However with a Living Soil approach the soil is kept, re-amended with natural additives and compost, and used again. “We’re keeping the same soil, cycle after cycle, so we can harvest our plants multiple times out of the same exact dirt making it much more efficient, affordable, and sustainable,” says McGavoc.

Along with information regarding their resource usage, 710 Labs keeps the yields of each room a highly guarded secret as well. “If people knew which [method] yielded more, the answer to maybe the most important question in cannabis cultivation would be out. We don’t want people finding out our trade secrets and we certainly don’t want big corporations coming in and profiting from all the hard work and time we’ve spent perfecting our situation here,” says Desloge.

While agricultural studies show conventional farming yields surpass those of organic systems, these statistics are based on land-use, which is not an issue for indoor cannabis cultivation. The microorganisms and biological processes that make Living Soil more sustainable also create near-perfect growing conditions to help the cannabis plant reach it’s “maximum potential for genetic expression,” says McGavoc.

“The [hydroponic] room produces great quality flower and has a quick turnover, it can be set up to harvest every two weeks even and in this industry its’ hard to say no to that profit,” says McGavoc. However, he explains one serious downfall to growing plants with this method, apart from its unsustainable tendencies, is a weakened immune system.

“The nutrients in the Living Soil help provide natural protection, making plants more resilient to diseases and even structurally stronger,” says McGavoc. “In our hydroponic room the plants are only exposed to what we add into the water, so basically just Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. So if a foreign pathogen gets in then the entire room is going to get wiped out most likely.” For a cannabis cultivator, this is one of the worst things that can happen.

CONCLUSION

When it comes down to it, both the Living Soil and Hydroponic methods produce award-winning cannabis. Many growers have a hard time straying away from the hydroponic method due to its quick turnover, yet with the crop’s highly intensive nature when it comes to resources like energy and water, more growers should opt toward sustainable options like Living Soil.

Unfortunately, many of the less resource-intensive methods such as Living Soil tend to be more costly. Innovators in the industry are continuing their aggressive research to help make sustainable methods of cultivation more cost-effective and widely available.

Until then, heeding the example of 710 Labs and the advice of McGavoc will have to suffice. “I believe the organic approach is just a nicer way to produce a high-quality product, you know you can produce a high-quality product with pretty much any way of farming, but it’s how you do it and also how you dispose and recycle everything that you’re using not only to lessen your carbon footprint, but also your to reduce your harm to mother nature because in the end she’s the one that’s going to make us or break us.”