Marijuana Business Magazine April 2019

On the flip side, don’t rush the drying and curing stage, Perret Gentil added. “When that product is dried and cured at a rate that is much faster than what it should be, yields don’t see as much of a return,” he said. “Understanding that drying and curing should take place over a two-week process is very important.” Pest Management is Key What pesticides you apply and when you apply them can have a major impact on your plants at the end of the growth cycle. Perret Gentil said he’s seen a drop in resin production and yield for concentrates when a cultivation facility experiences powdery mildew or mite infestations. He advises against the use of citric acid on cannabis plants. “It actually melts trichome heads,” he said. Acreage tries not to use any pesticides at all, according to Hague. Very heavy botanical, oil-based products tend to hamper the extraction process, he added. “Not only are you extracting the terpenes and cannabinoids from the plant,” Hague said, “you’re also pulling that excess oil out, and it becomes a part of your extraction.” Sunniva also stays away from some approved pesticides and fungicides because of the damage they do to the product, according to Thorne. For example, potassium bicarbonate can be sprayed up to the day of harvest, but it lessens the quality of the extracted material, he said. “We’re making oil,” Thorne said. “We want it to be super clean.” Harvesting early can help preserve the terpene profile in cannabis extract. Courtesy Photo Manage your cultivation and extraction operations in one system Connect directly to state and Canadian regulatory systems Track your plants with barcoding and RFID Manage your entire business, including POS and payroll Runs in the cloud on any device nextecgroup.com/mjbiz