Learning How to Grow Cannabis with Agtech
This is series documenting the experiences of a new home-grower. She’s growing cannabis outdoors in San Francisco and is incorporating sensor technology as she grows.
I haven’t really grown my own plants before. I’m not sure why that’s the case. Time? Convenience? Lack of knowledge? Maybe a combination of all three. But as the agriculture technology industry continues to grow, it’s becoming easier for non-traditional growers to get their hands dirty, too! Handheld, consumer-based agriculture technology (agtech) has finally arrived. Perhaps now, many of the hurdles that have hindered people from growing plants in their own backyards have been cleared away.
RESEARCH: Thinking about growing cannabis for the first time can definitely feel a bit intimidating. Amazon to the rescue! I bought a copy of Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Grower’s Handbook. After reading through the first few chapters, I decided to grow outdoors. The weather is getting warmer and sunnier in San Francisco (fingers crossed that it will continue), and I’d rather not increase my electricity usage.
Did you know that legalized indoor marijuana-growing ops currently make up 1% of the total electricity usage in the US?! Growing cannabis indoors makes sense. You can grow in private and fully control your growing environment. But now that the recreational use and cultivation of cannabis is legal in eight states, growers in these states have the opportunity to shift from growing “in their dark, hidden closets” to growing more sustainably outdoors. Solstice Farm is a phenomenal example of this shift. Hopefully we’ll start to see more growers follow in Solstice’s footsteps soon.
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