Boone Farms Colorado, established in 2006, has been a cornerstone in Colorado's cannabis industry since the inception of medical cultivation. Founded by Cary L. Carpenter and his son-in-law Jordan Webster, who is now the lead cultivator, the farm has grown into one of the largest and most respected operations in the United States. With deep agricultural roots, the Carpenters bring a huge experience and heart to their work.
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Labor shortage
However, the 2025 season came with a major challenge: a labor shortage put their 16-acre outdoor field at risk on their 80-acre farm. "We were in a tough spot," Jordan says. "We had to find a way to reduce the demand for labor while still hitting our outdoor planting window, which in Colorado is brutally short. If you miss it, you're done."
The solution came in the form of PRO-MIX® HP® AGTIV® REACH™ 3.5-gallon open-top grow bags. Jordan quickly transplanted 300 mother plants into the bags, hoping to generate enough healthy clones to support the entire field. What he saw amazed him.
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"The plants established fast, with no transplant shock," he says. "The dry back, the pH, it was perfect. Within weeks, we had thick, dark green mothers, no burn, no deficiencies."
Rooted clones and transplant shock
With a wave of rooted clones in rockwool, Jordan grew concerned about transplant shock and mortality going into the field. To bridge the gap, he transplanted those rooted cuttings into PRO-MIX® open-top grow bags, allowing them to develop a more natural root structure in peat before hitting the field.
"That move saved them," Jordan says. "We've seen less than 1% mortality in the field so far. We usually plan for 10%. These bags gave us a buffer, and it worked."
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The grow bags not only allowed for rapid development of clone-ready mothers but also served as a staging ground to transition clones gently into the harsher field environment. The rooted plants went into the field healthy, strong, and uniform, despite the genetic diversity across the crop.
"The uniformity of the plants was impressive," Cary adds. "In our field, everything depends on a strong start. You need good genetics and a substrate that matches your growing environment. These bags check all the boxes. They simplify the entire process while setting the plants up for success."
Cary concludes, "We'll be using these bags for every season from now on. PRO-MIX® system doesn't just save labor, it builds better crops. That's what commercial cultivation needs right now, and we are grateful there are companies out there pushing forward with solutions that actually work."
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