Growing the Plant
Growing our plants...
Everyone knows how plants are grown in soil. Growing in soil is the most common method and easiest method of growing cannabis. Quinton Farms owns hundreds of acres across the country dedicated to growing cannabis plants. Different strains grow best in different climates and soils and we take advantage of the diverse climates we possess land in. The plants start as very small plants that are grown in our nursery from seeds and from stem cuttings of mature plants. When they are the right size for planting outdoors they are planted and then monitored throughout the life of the plant and harvested when they have reached maturity. But we also grow them in water.
Growing them in water? That requires a sophisticated environment where we control temperature, quality and quantity of light, water temperature, water pH, air movement, music (yes, music!) and other factors. How is this done? Actually it's a pretty interesting process.
How cannabis is grown in water…
To grow cannabis in water, we use a closed organic system inside of our building. We have four large beds to grow plants and each bed contains approximately 40 floats. Each plant is placed in a float with nine to 18 plants in each float. The plant’s root system extends below the float and into the water but this is not ordinary water.
The water system contains 21,000 gallons of water. Each bed has a dedicated 400-gallon tank with approximately 300 tilapia (a fish native to Africa and the Middle East) living in each tank. The fish produce waste that supercharges the water with nutrients and fertilizer. The water then flows from the fish tanks and through a bio-filter system to ensure water stays clean and is optimum for growing plants.
Water quality is monitored and adjusted as needed for the perfect levels of pH, nitrates, and nitrites. As water flows from the filtration system, it passes from one end of the bed to the other end while providing nutrients to the plants and then returns to the fish tank and the process begins all over again
While the organic process is in motion, a complex system of LED lights set up by a lighting engineer to the perfect photometric values is used for the best growth. Fans are employed to move air to prevent the lighting from burning the plants.
Lastly, classical music is played at a low volume to stimulate the plants. Sounds crazy? It works and it's proven – the plants grow best with music. We take every step to ensure the best quality for our plants.
