Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

it doesn’t endanger others around it, Andrle said. That kind of vigilance is important, she said, and it requires educating your cultivators to know the difference between a potential disease and something that’s normal, such as browning on a leaf. “Scout and don’t be afraid to cull,” she said. “You have to consider what it saves you in the long run.” Managers can’t be afraid to remove certain strains from a grow because they may be more susceptible to disease, Andrle noted. They also should require cultivators MAKING LEMONADE FROM LEMONS E ven cultivators with a sophisticated grow can have product fail state testing. But not all is lost. When cultivators don’t have the means to process the failed flower through extraction or distillation, the product is in high demand by infused-product makers. “Our need for product exceeds what we produce our- selves, so we have to buy flower, trim, crude or distil- late in the secondary market,” said Jerry Velarde, president of Nevada’s Evergreen Organix, which grows and processes cannabis. The company also makes edibles, topicals and vape oils. Velarde is particular about how he uses the failed product. It’s stripped down to pure THC through CO2 extraction and later has terpenes reintroduced. The resulting product is used exclusively for Evergreen’s line of vape oils. Velarde won’t use failed flower in the extractions for Evergreen’s edibles; those are made only with organic seed- to-sale plants that come from its own grow, he said. Nevada’s cannabis market is tight- knit, so cultivators and processors tend to know each other. Such relationships are helpful when a cultivator has product fail, because it makes it easier to find a processor willing to purchase it, Velarde said. Nevada’s labs are also good at connecting cultivators with proces- sors in need of flower or trim, he said. In addition, cultivators can use hydrogen peroxide, ozone therapy or ultraviolet light to eliminate biological contami- nants in failed product. But that may break down cannabi- noids and terpenes in cannabis, reducing its quality, said Ian Barringer, founder of Rm3 Labs in Colorado. Solvent-based extraction and short-path distillation – an extraction method that allows processors to rein- troduce terpenes later – also are viable options for salvaging product that fails testing. “Some product may be so contami- nated that a smell will carry through even a solvent extraction,” Barringer said. “An isolation or distillation pro- cess may be able to rid it of that.” Whether cultivators follow solvent- based extraction with distillation is based on economics. In other words, they must determine whether the price for distillate is worth the additional pro- cessing costs. In many cases, wholesale oil used in edibles is priced quite a bit lower per gram, he said. Growers must determine whether remediating or processing failed product is worth the added cost, Barringer said. “Economically speaking, (cannabis) is a valuable crop, and cultivators do what’s necessary to decontaminate the product and turn it into something valuable,” he said. – Joseph Peña and guests to change their clothes or wear protective layers before entering the grow to prevent cross-contamina- tion, she added. Investing in a high-quality HVAC system checks a lot of boxes, too, Andrle said. It’s energy efficient and better for the health and wellness of the plants. L’Eagle has invested in beneficial insects for its grow because they prey on mites and aphids and provide a good “first line of defense,” Andrle said. L’Eagle uses predatory mites in its facil- ity, but ladybugs and praying mantises are beneficial, too. Andrle suggested growers create a healthy environment for the insects by using safe, nontoxic sprays and oils that won’t kill the beneficial bugs. L’Eagle’s cultivators use Venerate, a bioinsecticide that’s nontoxic to most beneficial insects, including predatory mites and honey bees. While such investments may seem costly, they can save money in the long term. “Part of why we grow the way we do – work so hard and take the extra time, spend the extra money and invest in the product – is because it’s a long-term return on investment,” Andrle said. ◆ Nevada’s Evergreen Organix uses remediated cannabis that is stripped down to pure THC through CO 2 extraction and later has terpenes reintroduced for its line of vape oils. Photo courtesy of Evergreen Organix 54 • Marijuana Business Magazine • July 2018