Marijuana Business Magazine November-December 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | November-December 2019 166 Stevenson at Bonsai Cultivation hangs his plants for seven days before placing them into mahogany curing boxes from Englewood, Colorado- based Yofumo Technologies. The boxes are temperature- and humidity-controlled and, according to Stevenson, can shave about five days off his curing time. With the expedited process, it takes him about 10 days to cure flower after harvest. Gomez cures on the longer end of the spectrum—from two weeks to a month—with temperatures in the low 60s and relative humidity around 60%. “Cannabis is like wine in the sense that it gets better with age,” he said. P ū rLife uses food-grade bins that are burped regularly, depending on how the flower feels. Every strain is different, Gomez said, but he likes the buds to be spongy to the touch. Keeping the flower relatively dry is paramount, as too much humidity can rot the bud. “From the start of the plant as a clone, our product gets personal attention,” he added. Hand-Trimming Revolution trims by hand to preserve as much trichome content as possible, Shroyer said. Cannabinoids are concentrated in trichomes. “It allows you to create a very high-quality, consistent product,” Shroyer said. Using humans rather than machines also means the flower is inspected again before it’s sent to retail. “They’re definitely triple-checking,” Shroyer said. For Stevenson, hand-trimming is a critical step in landing flower on the top shelf at a retail store. “It’s what the customer demands for the highest-caliber cannabis in the market,” he said. Gomez also eschews machine- trimming as he feels it breaks down bigger buds into “little nuggets.” “What I really like about hand-trim is the personal attention to the prod- uct,” he said. Trimming by hand helps to retain more weight, as a machine can cut off too much and reduce your yield, according to Gomez. “You’ll lose some of the actual product,” he added. Labor Force Revolution prides itself on providing jobs by using human trimmers. The practice also helps them to keep the trimmers employed full time, so the company isn’t relying on seasonal trim crews who might not have as much commitment to the business, Shroyer said. Stevenson recognizes that hand-trimming is more expensive in terms of labor, but he believes the expense is worth it. “It’s the aspect that sets the high- end cultivator apart from the rest of the pack,” he said. His operation trims about 400 plants a week, so his crew never runs out of work. Gomez thinks about labor in much the same way. His full-time trim crew helps with harvest, pruning and cleaning, as well as their regular trimming duties. For every 20 grow lights, he employs three to five workers. Beyond the benefit of PūrLife consistently having full-time employees on staff, Gomez knows that, by being around the plant through harvest and pruning, the workers also become familiar with how each cultivar should express its unique characteristics. “Having them on full time helps them to understand the strain,” Gomez said. This is the final installment in our series “Best Practices In Cultivation.” MJBizDaily will be offering a free, downloadable condensed report of this content. Watch for “Best Practices In Extraction” in 2020. TomStevenson Courtesy Photo Bart Schaneman covers cultivation for Marijuana Business Magazine. You can reach him at barts@mjbizdaily.com . Using human trimmers can help to ensure high quality product as well ensure your facility is staffed full-time. Photo Courtesy of Revolution Enterprises Best Practices In Cultivation | Bart Schaneman