Marijuana Business Magazine September 2018

root systems that go deep into soil and draw nutrients back into the leaves. One of Simpkins’ favorites is comfrey, which is rich in key nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magne- sium and iron. He also likes stinging nettle for its high levels of nitrogen, calcium and potassium. “These are very powerful plants that have produced great results for us,” he said. ”We’ve been able to keep things incredibly clean. No bottled nutrients or pesticide or fungicide.” However, plants that are high in nitrogen during flowering stage are not ideal, so comfrey and stinging nettle are out. Marigolds, meanwhile, are high in phosphorous and potassium, making them a good choice. To make nutrient ferment, Simpkins cuts down whole plants he plans to use and chops them up.The chopped leaves are mixed with a roughly equal amount of brown sugar, which helps release moisture in the plant and acts as a food source for the beneficial bacte- ria.Through osmotic pressure, the mix releases “a ton of moisture.” To kick that moisture into fermenta- tion, he uses something called Bokashi bran, which is Bokashi inoculated with EM1, or effective microorganisms, a slew of beneficial bacteria contained within the dry bran. Simpkins typi- cally ferments the mix for about three days and strains it through a cheese cloth or cider press. That removes any clumps and ensures easier passage through drip irrigation hoses. Simpkins generally doesn’t add water to the mix, so it’s a very con- centrated solution. When it’s time to feed, the dilution rate is usually between 500 and 1,000 parts water and one part fermentation solution. Simpkins estimates that putting 3 gallons of ferment into one of the 2,500-gallon water tanks is sufficient. “A little goes a long way,” he noted. After the ferments are done, he stores them in 2-gallon and 5-gallon buckets with lids.The sugar in the mix works as a pre- servative, so there is no need to refrigerate. Simpkins doesn’t have a set feed- ing regimen; instead, he observes the plants and gives them the ferments Sacred Flower has on hand. Generally, however, Simpkins runs the ferments through the irrigation lines at least once per week, sometimes twice, depending on what he has stored. Taming Pests and Disease Sacred Flower’s pest and disease control program also depends on farm plants and incorporates predatory bugs that prey on pests. Squash, eggplant and limes were cut up and mixed together to create soil amendments at Sacred Flower Farms. Photo courtesy of Sacred Flower Farms Sacred Flower Farms uses these tanks to create its own compost. Photo courtesy of Sacred Flower Farms 52 • Marijuana Business Magazine • September 2018