Professional Marijuana Grower March-April 2018 Issue

Feature Article by Dustin Fraser Cannabis Garden Preparation & Set-Up O nce the location for the grow site has been determined and all of the necessary arrangements have been made, then comes the time to begin preparing and setting up the garden. The success of your garden will depend on the sum of its parts. Give every detail, from the min- ute to the grandiose, careful attention. Properly think through each step along the way. Do not cut corners or do anything halfway. The results of a high performance garden will directly reflect the work that went into it. If you want to achieve notable outcomes that are deserving of praise, you need to put in the hard work, time, and effort that excel- lent results require. Some of the hardest work in creat- ing a high performance garden will come at this stage of the endeavor. Preparation and set-up of the garden can be a grueling and bruising task but, when done in a thorough, well thought-out manner can result in the perfect canvas on which to create a masterpiece. Ground Preparation Creating an adequate surface for production is the platform of a successful outdoor cannabis garden. The 50 • Professional Marijuana Grower plants should be grown in Smart Pot ® fabric aeration containers and can easily reach heights of over 10 feet, so it is imperative to find or create the flattest surface possible. There are several reasons for growing in containers instead of the earthen soil. Some terrestrial soils can hold unwanted contaniments such as exces- sive heavy metals or chemical residues from previous misuse and management. Other soils may have an undesired composition like heavy amounts of clay that can lead to poor drainage with a texture that is too dense for delicate roots to effectively traverse through. The best, fool-proof way to avoid these issues is to grow in containers and to know exactly of what the growing medium is comprised. Given the fact that the plants can grow to extreme heights and will be top-heavy come maturity, it is extremely important that the growing surface be flat. Depending on the current lay of the land this may entail using tools or possibly machinery to create the flattest surface achievable. If the ground has a natural slope, it is recommended to utilize a method of creating flat strips of land along the grade of the slope which is referred to as terracing. If this would entail more work than is feasible a grower can make individual flat spots March/April 2018

Professional Marijuana Grower March-April 2018 Issue | Page 50