Shaping Fire

Animals play a significant role in our lives and they are family to many people. When we learn we can reduce suffering in humans using cannabis medicine, it makes sense that we would consider using cannabis to help our animals too. But there is scant research on using cannabis with animals and since they don't speak, we have to be extraordinarily cautious. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with Dr. Gary Richter about using cannabis with household pets and livestock in ways that serve them best.

For pretty much everybody in cannabis except seed makers, male cannabis plants are a scourge. For breeders, male cannabis plants are a joyful thing and essential to the advancement of cannabis genetics and the creation of regular seed. But for nearly all hobby, medical and commercial growers though, males are a threat. Feminized seeds have come a long way since their early days and on this episode of Shaping Fire host Shango Los talks with renowned breeder Caleb Nspecta of CSI Humboldt about the benefits of modern feminized seeds, the process to create them and where his fabulous strain names come from.

Not too long ago, all cannabis business had to be done in the shadows. If you had developed a product for cannabis, you had to market it as something else, and then give a wink that it had "other applications" as well. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los sits down with Fritz Chess, founder of Eden Labs, to discuss what it was like to bring his ethanol extractor to market in the back pages of High Times magazine, how the changing political climate caused cannabis activity to migrate and some insights into ethanol extraction itself.

Autoflowering cannabis plants offer revolutionary new options for home, medical and commercial cannabis cultivators. This episode of Shaping Fire was recorded live on the main stage at Cultivation Classic in Portland. Join host Shango Los as he talks with author Jeff Lowenfels and Seth Crawford of Oregon CBD Seeds about the new wave of autoflower genetics and the extraordinary cultivation strategies they allow. Available as an audio-only podcast episode and also as a video on the Shaping Fire YouTube Channel!

The idea that cannabis enthusiasts are forever couchlocked is myth. We all know people who get high and get active. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los speaks with neurophysiologist Greg Gerdeman, PhD about the interplay between our endocannabinoid system and exercise, cannabis's ability to focus our efforts to reach training goals, and the possibility that the endocannabinoid system evolved, in part, as a response to long distant running of our ancestors.

As cannabis freedoms expand across the globe, more and more cannabis enthusiasts are getting the opportunity to meet each other and learn each others' cultures and traditions around cannabis. Because access to technology, information and fertilizers vary greatly, cannabis culture is unique everywhere you go. In this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los speaks with Colin Bell, co-founder of Mammoth Microbes about what he has seen traveling the world in search of cannabis growers everywhere.

Sharing cannabis seeds is essential to the preservation of the plant and our access to it. Forces are gathering to make legal challenges to many of the present over-broad cannabis patents. While others are looking at ways the cannabis community can agree to informal, yet legally enforceable public patents to help defend heritage chemovars. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los speaks with Alan from Strainly about cannabis seed sharing, alternatives to USPTO plant patents and a new online community of seed traders.

Historically, indoor cannabis growers relied on bottled nutrients and often hydroponics, but there is a new wave of indoor growers who are bringing the insights of living soil and polyculture to indoor cannabis. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with cultivator Joshua Steensland about using robust microbe communities, wildcrafted nutrients and companion planting when growing cannabis indoors under lights.

As new states begin to normalize cannabis, the latest phase of the cannabis industry is rapid brand expansion. There are many ways to crash your cannabis brand as you attempt to expand into other states, and perhaps new product categories, by working with corporate partners. Too many entrepreneurs take action based on their hunches and not factual knowledge. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with Kris Krane of 4Front Advisors about the intricacies of cannabis brand licensing, some best practices for moving into new states, and some common pitfalls to avoid on your way to becoming a national brand.

Growing cannabis in greenhouses offers the best attributes of both indoor and outdoor operations. However, because it is a combined solution, it can suffer from the challenges of both growing methods too. On this episode of Shaping Fire, host Shango Los talks with cannabis greenhouse expert Eric Brandstad about crop-saving techniques to rescue your greenhouse operation when it takes a turn for the worse and preventative techniques to stop it from ever getting that bad.