Marijuana Business Magazine April 2019

Marijuana Business Magazine | April 2019 106 C ultivating marijuana that’s ideally suited for extraction requires a specified approach beyond simply growing the best pos- sible plants. A grower looking to dial in best practices when optimizing plants for oil production should consider: • The quality of the source mate- rial and genetics. • Which cultivation methods cre- ate the desired plant and extract. • How the plant is harvested, trimmed and cured. • Pest management and how that can influence resin production. “It’s really about doing justice to the plants and making sure you’ve got the cleanest expression of their qualities,” said Jeff Thorne, cultivation manager for Calgary, Alberta-based Sunniva, a provider of marijuana ser- vices and products. “Fire in, fire out. You can make distillate from really poor-quality flower, but what’s better is to have really high-quality goods that you make an even better-quality oil out of.” Go for Good Genetics At multistate cannabis company Acreage Holdings, based in New York City, Director of Cultivation Philip Hague focuses on selecting strains that produce a high amount of resin, which contains the cannabinoids, terpenes and raw material desirable for quality oil. “We’re working with a deep group of genetic material,” he said. “We’re able to grow lots of seeds and find plant materials that lend themselves more toward the extraction process.” For a strong resin output, Hague likes strains of the Kush variety, pro- vided they’re the real deal from South West Asia and not the California-style Kush plants. How to Grow Better Cannabis for Extraction Genetics, cultivation conditions and pest management play a role in successful oil production Best Practices In Cultivation | Bart Schaneman Cultivators growing cannabis specifically for raw material to be extracted into marijuana oil need to consider the following factors: • The proper sourcing of seeds, clones and genetics is vital to crop quality. • Certain cultivation methods work better than others. Acreage Hold- ings, for example, fresh freezes cut plants immediately by placing them in a freezer rather than drying, curing and trimming. • Harvesting plants a little early can lead to higher terpene content in the extracted oil. • It’s important to properly manage pests or contaminants because they can have a negative impact on the overall oil yield. Several cultivation specialists told Marijuana Business Magazine that Kush and OG strains are favorable for extraction. Courtesy Photo