It ’ s a hobby , a passion , my work , and probably a pain in my wife ’ s ass .”
grow AND TELL
Where Maximum Yield readers share their grows and growing tips . Featuring Dan Vaillancourt from Victoria , B . C ., Canada .
When did you get into growing and what attracted you ?
The passion for plants and the science behind hydroponics began early for me around 1997 . When on hikes with the family I would take cuttings of plants and root them on the windowsill . In 2001 I began growing cannabis and quickly moved on to designing and building advanced automated hydroponics systems and mastering the art . To date , I have designed and built hundreds of growing facilities as well as grown thousands of plants myself and spent countless hours consulting and in the growroom . I own a company that designs and constructs grow facilities for both ACMPR as well as recreational ( Micro-cultivation , LPs ) and am proud to be shaping Canada ’ s cannabis industry .
What are some of your hobbies outside of growing ?
My hobbies outside of growing are building my business , 4 Trees Cannabis Building . It involves daily SEO work on the website , graphics design on Photoshop , and customer relations . I know it doesn ’ t sound like a hobby , but I truly enjoy work . I do what I love , so it ’ s not the same as “ work .” My wife and I hike the gorgeous island we live on ( Vancouver Island ) with our Arctic Wolf and Husky who need lots of exercise .
How has growing shaped your lifestyle ?
Growing has completely shaped my lifestyle . It ’ s a hobby , a passion , my work , and probably a pain in my wife ’ s ass .
Seeds or clones ?
It really does depend on the scenario . A large-scale commercial grow would be best with specific moms , cloning , or tissue culture . However , for an ACMPR or smaller-scale grow like your four-plant legal limit , seeds have a better root and growth structure as well as overall strength in genetics . Yes , some may be more varied in height , but the difference is not usually much and the canopy can easily be leveled with some low-stress bending or training techniques . However , sometimes there is a certain phenotype you want to hold on to , in which case taking a mother and cloning is the only way .
When starting off the first time I would strongly recommend growing your crop from seed opposed to getting clones from a friend . You will avoid getting bugs , molds , or harmful pesticides that often come hitching a ride on people ’ s clones . You can then clone off your seeds before they flower ( you have until day 14 of flower usually ) for the next crop .
Any grow secrets you have that you want to share ?
I think the most important secret out of all of them is in plain sight : hydroponics . Many people don ’ t go down that road because they feel the soil is a more forgiving method or easier . I would urge everyone to at least try hydroponics once and remember there are many methods . Don ’ t jump right into Deep Water Culture or Fogponics if you don ’ t have the experience . The best method for beginners coming into hydroponics is a drain-to-waste Rockwool growing system . This is because the pH and PPM ( parts per million ) that you set your feed tanks to is exactly what the plants drink . There is no extra pH adjusting or fertigation control needed like with recirculating hydroponics . This is similar to soil but with a different pH and a different medium . When your roots can grow faster like with hydroponics methods , then your above growth will too . You will also have precise control over your root system with lowered labor and reduced risk of molds or bugs . Veganbased or organic nutrients can still be used in hydroponics , but the other big secret for any method of growing is less is more when it comes to nutrients .
How big is your garden ?
My garden is a sealed 20x20-foot , cold CO 2 saturated automated drain-to-waste Rockwool / high-flow recirculating Deep Water Culture system illuminated by Gavita 1700e LED lights .
Indoors or outdoors ?
Indoors is preferred for quality and control . Outdoors too for the love of the plant !
54 Maximum Yield