Like most crops this year, cannabis cultivation is a few weeks behind, but the wait may be worth it for a “remarkable” crop, Sonoma Valley grower Mike Benziger said. Sonoma Valley cannabis farmers adjusted their farming practices throughout the summer to counter a cooler-than-normal growing season, and the suspense to harvest the crop lingers with the threat of wet weather.
“What we decided to do early on is we decided had to open the plants up and remove leaves so that we can get more sunshine into the plants to be able to control, you know, any kind of disease pressure,“ Benziger said. “We probably pruned off about 25% of our crop back in July when we saw how far behind we were.”
Benziger cut the secondary and tertiary buds to fortify the remaining plants against disease, but the fruits of his labor are showing promise with his signature strain of La Bomba, which is developing an especially flavorful profile this year. While cannabis is farmed on less than 50 acres in Sonoma County, it remains one of its most lucrative crops, producing more than $122 million in gross value in 2021, according to the Sonoma County Department of Agriculture crop report.
At Benziger’s business, Glentucky Family Farm in Glen Ellen, the slow maturation of plants now puts him on a razor’s edge, set between high-quality buds typically harvested into October and the early rains, which could disrupt his crop. He’s preparing tarps that can cover his outdoor crop in the event of rain.
Read more at sonomanews.com