Tell Us About Your Journey In Cannabis

I’ve been immersed in cannabis culture for decades, first experiencing its effects in 1984.  As a legacy consumer and grower I’ve watched the stigma slowly lift and the conversation shift overtime.  Although we produce cannabis in a larger scale facility now, my roots are in classic homegrows. I started growing Skunk #1 and a Haze cultivar in my small bedroom closet grown in earth and watered by hand.  

After picking up a grow book and moving to a bigger apartment I switched to the "sea of green technique" by utilizing flood and drain in rockwool cubes on tables.  This method proved to yield much more than previous harvests, and after flying to Amsterdam to see the ‘95 Cannabis Cup, I had fully cemented my passion for cannabis. 

 As I started honing my craft I found success in teaching others how to set up grows of all sizes and selling Northern Lights clones from my mother room. So, when Francis called and asked if I would be interested in a job on the cultivation team for a new licensed producer in a state-of-the-art greenhouse...are you kidding me???? It was a no brainer, and a dream come true for a legacy guy like me.  ‍

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Tell Us About Your Role As A Grower In Greentone

Originally, I’d been hired by my good friend Francis to help plan a layout and workflow for Greentone’s not yet constructed greenhouse in the summer of 2018, and would go on to conduct pheno hunts, which led to our discovery of Garlic Z, Sundae Strudel, Dosidos, and MAC, now fan favourites amongst our crew.  I currently help lead the cultivation team.

Greentone is such a great company to work for on all levels.  It's so much fun to see the enthusiasm and pride our floor staff have for our products.  When you love what you do it shows- from production, to mother room, to harvest, to trim, to sanitation, to packaging, to warehouse.  

In the office, I'm really lucky to be a part of such a great team where there’s a balance of mutual respect and hard work from everyone. We all come together, and I couldn’t imagine a stronger, more unified team. I love the challenge of controlling the environment of all plant inputs throughout their growth cycle, and adapting the system to optimizing the environment in all 4 seasons.  There's nothing more beautiful than healthy plants glistening with trichomes in the morning sun on a clear day.  

My favorite aspect of this job is pheno hunting, and seeing the development of different cultivars, their unique characteristics, and ultimately selecting winning, unique genetics for the market. With our state of the art greenhouse and our extensive library of genetics I can see Greentone emerging as a leader in the Canadian cannabis market for sure. Because of the expertise we have at our disposal, and by harnessing the power of the sun along with our active cooling and heating systems, I can't imagine a better, more efficient way to grow consistent, quality cannabis.‍

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Richard- Tell Us Why You Love Garlic Z

I love Garlic Z because of its unique terps that give the cultivar that garlic, mothball smell with super heavy gas undertones. It hits just as hard as other cultivars I've tried produced at higher THC percentages.  I also love its dense, tight, rock hard nugs that are completely covered in trichomes.  

The strength and gas of the GMO, with the terpy Zkittlez influence in the OZ kush really combines well, and I somehow never develop a boredom or resistance to it the way I have with other genetics.  Darkhorse really knocked it out of the park with this one- we were very lucky to find it.‍

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What Does 'La Vie En Vert' Mean To You

To live life by the plant- I’ve been lucky enough to have my passion drive my career, and to celebrate cannabis out loud with zero repercussions reminds me of what I’ve fought for as a legacy grower, and what we still must fight for within the legal market.