( RV ) Please explain the amazing IPMs you use to keep your gardens so clean you can eat off the floor .
( RV ) What is more important when hunting phenos / genetics — THC or Terpene percentages ?
( KW ) Prevention and scouting are key here ! We prefer natural pest prevention methods , including the regular release of beneficial insects and drenches / sprays using biological control agents . We absolutely do not use any pesticides , as we feel that this compromises the quality and integrity of the flower . Additionally , while we do have dedicated cultivation custodians , every single team member does their part here to keep their work areas ( tables , floors , walls , etc .) meticulously clean and free of debris , especially following plant work .
( RV ) What percentage of your flower is hand trimmed versus machine trimmed ?
( KW ) Hand trimming is roughly 50 / 50 ; our premium , top-tier strains are meticulously hand-trimmed and designated for the Vivid brand .
( RV ) How long do you cure your product before it gets on the shelf ?
Kerrin Wuchter
( KW ) While THC percentage is a pretty important factor in the Missouri market ( strains that test below 20 % tend to have a difficult time selling ), I strongly believe that Terpene profile and percentages are equally , if not more , important to patients .
( RV ) What breeders ’ genetics do you run ?
( KW ) We ’ re running a variety of different breeders ’ genetics at the moment , but some of our more popular and numerous strains come from Capulator and Jungle Boys . We also run genetics from the likes of ThugPug , SeedJunky , 3rd Coast , Honey Sticks , Bloom Seed Co , and Dying Breed , to name a few .
( RV ) Are they your own selected phenos ?
( KW ) Most of our current strains on the market were hunted and selected by our previous team back in Maryland , and I had the pleasure of helping to start a lot of those hunts while working as Veg supervisor . We ’ ve just recently started our own pheno-hunting program here in Missouri , and we ’ re super excited to bring some interesting variety to the market ! In addition to that , we have a few cultivars on hand that are “ breeder cuts ,” which are phenos hand-selected by some of the most well-renowned breeders in the industry .
( RV ) How often do you look for new cultivars ?
( KW ) We are constantly on the lookout for new genetics ! We ’ ve built up our library with a good artillery of seeds that we are itching to pop , but we already have a bunch of genetics in the pipeline that we plan on testing and perfecting before starting new hunts .
Kerrin Wuchter inspects plant prior to harvest .
( KW ) Our product is cured for a minimum of two weeks before it ’ s weighed , packaged , and sent to dispensaries .
( RV ) Do you use your own proprietary nutrient mix ?
( KW ) We use a combination of Jacks fertilizer as our part A , with additional salts and iron as our part B . It ’ s a tried-and-true recipe that we ’ ve had great success with in the past and works quite well in combination with crop steering .
( RV ) What ’ s your highest terpene cultivar testing right now ?
( KW ) Our Florida Kush pretty consistently tests in the high three percentile , sometimes pushing almost four percent , depending on the batch .
( RV ) What do you see as the next phase in large scale commercial cannabis ?
( KW ) Vertical growing ( on multi-tier racks ) is going to be huge ! While our flower rooms are currently single-tier , we ’ ve just started utilizing the second level of our Veg and Mother rooms . Those racks are definitely a space-saver .
( RV ) Could you explain to our readers the benefits of nitrogen packaging in which all Vivid flower is packaged ?
( KW ) When cannabis is exposed to oxygen and other gases , THC and CBD oxidize , thus decreasing the overall potency and effectiveness over time . Nitrogen packaging stops the oxidation process and ultimately preserves the freshness of the final product . Many coffee roasters use a similar process when packaging to keep their beans fresh for longer .
Check out Ryan Van Horn ’ s IG @ Budtesters420 . ( All photos courtesy Show-Me Organics .)