Everyone active in the cannabis industry knows the role that California has played in the sector. Here, indeed, there is the notorious Humboldt County, the spearhead of the Emerald Triangle. Many growers are located here, on the one hand because of the history of the location, and on the other hand because of the favorable growing conditions. Yet, there is an even better location to grow cannabis in California, and this is the second sunniest city in the US: Redding. Specifically one grower based there is leveraging the culture of the place to grow high quality cannabis in a sustainable and eco-friendly way. “We use different types of technology that are environmentally friendly, and we grow the happiest flowers,” Arthur Moore with AJ Budz explains. “One of our main goals is to bring some change into this industry and show people that it is important to care about what we put in our body. That’s why we strive to make the cleanest medicine possible.”
Top priority: being eco-friendly
This approach has been applied from the get-go. “We truly love the plant and its medicinal values,” Arthur continues. “We have done a lot of research which led us to develop proprietary whole plant technology that truly makes our cannabis unique.” AJ Budz grows its cannabis indoors in a hydroponic system. “We use flooded trays, and all the water we utilize is purified and goes back into the reserve, which conversely we use again in the facility.”
Setting up such a facility surely wasn’t an easy task, and Arthur had to take into consideration the complexity of large-scale cannabis cultivation. “It’s important to find people that can put that scale together,” he explains. “We can have all ideas in our heads, but it’s hard to know if they’ll work until you hit the ground. We have to make sure that all the systems are tested, that they can work when are put together.” The careful planning that Arthur mentions has been instrumental to the success of his grow. “For instance, we have developed this technology that uses electrolysis to create nanobubbles in the water reserve, which boost the growth of our plants,” he remarks. “Currently, we are using HPS lights, but I am going to switch to Fluence LEDs soon. We want to do that because not only we think we can get even better superior quality, but also because it aligns more with our environmentally friendly approach. In addition to this, California is coming out with laws that would oblige cannabis growers to use LED lights because they are indeed more eco-friendly than HPS.”
Keeping pathogens at bay
AJ Budz has an eco-friendly approach also when it comes to fighting and preventing pathogen outbreaks in the grow. “If you grow outdoors, especially here, you have a lot of problems,” he says. “There is a lot of wind, and then you have to deal with russet mites, aphids, and so on. The issue is that you need to find solutions that won’t cause any harm to the end consumer, and it might be particularly challenging when an outbreak is ongoing.”
Yet, growing indoors saves him from having to deal with such annoying things, at one condition though. “It is critical to use preventative measures,” he says. “And the way to do it is to focus 100% on creating the perfect environment. It’s just like with humans: we all enjoy staying in a clean environment, and if no pathogen is introduced, it’s really difficult to get sick. The same applies to indoor cannabis growing: if you create the most beneficial environment for the plants, and you keep it as clean as it was a laboratory, then you don’t have to worry about pathogens at all. That’s also why we don’t grow in soil, as the whole situation might get rather dirty thus facilitating pathogen outbreaks.”
With a new government at the head of one of the biggest cannabis markets in the world, things are expected to change in the US. At the same time, Arthur believes that a future federal action on the cannabis industry should pay attention to the small players as well. “Big players have a lot of opportunities,” he says. “But they are also showing that being successful in cannabis is not easy. A lot of them are indeed navigating particularly troubled waters, and are unwilling to make that change and listen to the right experts. The current administration has made a lot of promises, and as far as I can see, opportunities are going to be there as there is going to be a need to clean and safe medicines.”
For more information:
AJ Budz
10339 Porta Dego Way, Redding, CA 96003
Tel: 530-722-7694
ajbudz.com