The Homegrown Helpers

Maria Swansen joins me from the farm in Washington where she's recently taken over a problem project and turned it around in just a few short months. As a friend of a previous guest Erin Lapsansky, I knew that Maria was gonna drop some knowledge on the show for all of you. She details her history with cannabis gardening and then dives right into practical advice that you can immediately put to action in the garden.

Maria grows in a 300 sq. ft. garden right now, and has 15 flowering plants in 10-gallon pots in that space which is a pretty nice space for that garden. She grows in Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil and uses only intake and exhaust to manage the temperature and other environmental factors. She grows with LED lights now and says that just reducing the temperature in her grow room after changing from HPS bulbs increased her yield 50% or more.

Maria's advice for improving the health of your plant? Get your environment dialed in. Balance out your temperature and humidity to ensure your plant growth is optimized and protected all at the same time. We dig into it around 14 minutes, listen up. Maria also discusses VPD fairly in-depth and how to use the chart when it comes to growing cannabis at 15 minutes through 18 minutes.

At 18 minutes we start to discuss how a grower can improve their yields off limited plant counts. She first states that environment is first on the list, but then goes on to discuss other pieces of advice. She discusses the importance of scrog'ing and how manganese impacts yields and when to use it to maximize yields.

Just before 25 minutes, we start to discuss the next question and her Integrated Pest Management practices. She tries to stick with organic microbial products, and only spray things within the first 4 weeks trying to stay on top of and prevent any issues from springing up. Procidic is something she suggests using every 6 days to keep the powdery mildew at bay and then goes on to suggest getting an industrial paint sprayer to expedite and improve the task of spraying large gardens.

Maria suggests growers should keep an open mind in order to be as successful as possible. Any time she has felt confident in her abilities she seems to come across a small problem that humbles her, and she encourages every grower to be humble and be willing to learn and try new things.

Maria's last bits of advice: Get your environment dialed in and then pay attention to your plants every single day. Once they are healthy, set a baseline and ensure that you start to react and improve if your plants start to look anything less than perfectly healthy.

Connect with Maria @mariaaajuana_chronicles on Instagram or reach out to us and we'll help make an introduction if you'd like to hire Maria to help you improve your garden, set things up or troubleshoot any problem you might be having. If you liked this interview, and want to hear more from this week's Homegrown Helper please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and download the rest of the show!

Our MyGrowPass.com partners for the show are Cultilux and Green Craft Distribution. Sign up today to get discounts from these and so many more partners, along with quarterly giveaways, resources and exclusive audio content.

Cultilux save 10% using code GROWCAST10! Cultilux makes interchangeable Ceramic Metal Halide bulbs and fixtures make it easy to upgrade to bigger, broader lights without completely changing out your fixtures. Grab a 315w, 630w or the industry-leading 1000w bulb at cultilux.com using code GROWCAST10, or become a member and save 25% on all your CMH needs!

Green Craft Distribution is the only distributor in the United States of Buddha's Tree, one of the leaders in hydroponic gardening on the international market. They also carry Kushley's, Canna-Tie, Stash Logix and so many more – including a few premium CBD brands. Use code GROWCAST for 10% off on all their brands, and members get a discount code for 25%. Check out greencraftdistribution.com for more info.

Nathan Lou joins me from his spot in California, rocking it at Lou Family Farm and Nursery. With 15+ years of experience under his belt, he feels confident in his abilities and wanted to share his knowledge with growers new and experienced to help them elevate their grow to the next level. Nathan covers his background and why he feels he's uniquely qualified to be your Homegrown Helper.

Nathan's current grow setup gets discussed around 11 minutes, where he talks about setting up grow tents versus setting up and sealing off a whole room to grow in. He prefers a 4.5'x4.5' grow tent so he can fit a 4'x4' tray in there to catch water and still have some space on the outside. He also suggests using Radicle Bags for their functionality and ease of use. He typically uses Roots Organic soil, along with some Malibu Compost or Royal Gold. Typically he likes to use slow draining soils in veg and fast-draining soils in flower. This helps him feed more frequently in flower, giving the plants more food and more timely feedings, listen in at 16 minutes to learn exactly what he's talking about here.

Nathan and I discuss his practices of up-potting so frequently, and specifically in flower. We talk about the benefits and potential downsides to such frequent and late up-potting, and I think you'll enjoy the conversation right around 17 minutes.

Just before 25 minutes, we shift to the next question and the overall health of the plant. Nathan's answer was to ensure the biodiversity of your soil was on point, as that is the home of the roots and the feed to your plants. Without happy roots, you won't get amazing fruits so your soil needs to be healthy and clean. Nathan is really passionate about his soil, and he's spot on with a lot of what he has to say.

At 30 minutes we start to dig into how to increase yields off your limited plant counts. Nathan's solution here is pruning, based on his background as an orchardist. He wants to pay attention to a solid plant structure, and he accomplishes that with early and frequent pruning of the lower and inner nodes and only keeping the strongest branches. He also goes on to discuss the need to bump up your potassium and phosphorus feedings during week 5 through 7 of flower to help deliver bigger yields.

Just before 37 minutes, we dig into Integrated Pest Management and Nathan's practices in his gardens. He starts off plugging Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap and the all-natural benefits of a nice soap spray for your plants and then discusses predator mites and biocontrol products. He gives a tip of dropping your flower room temp down to 55-60 degrees which should eliminate any pest population.

What type of character traits should growers cultivate within themselves in order to succeed? Inner diligence is one that Nathan suggests. Take your time to learn, read everything, and participate in the process of your plants growing. Be willing to take risks and try new things. Mistakes will happen, and we can learn the most from failures rather than successes.

Just before the 50-minute mark, Nathan suggests that everyone try growing their own cannabis. His last tips are that growing cannabis is a lifestyle change and one that will make you a better person and in better health.

Connect with Nathan at mongoltribe.org, @mongoltribe or @loufamilyfarm. IF you liked the way that Nathan talked about growing cannabis, you can reach out directly to him or us here at The Homegrown Helpers by emailing [email protected] and asking for your very own Homegrown Helper.

If you want to hear more from Nathan grab the bonus content from him and all of our other Homegrown Helpers. It's 5 more questions where we get a little more personal, a little hypothetical and then finish with what their biggest mistake has been and how they recovered it. Really great content, make sure you download today!

Our MyGrowPass.com partners for this show are Humble Garden, Green Craft Distribution, and Dealzer.com! Check out the listener discounts and the benefits that they offer to our members.

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Sohum Living Soils is the best water only soil on the market, mentioned in this episode. Giving your plant all the nutrients it needs for an entire growth cycle right in the bag, all you need to supply is water and you don't' even need to PH it! Growcast10 gives you 10% off all your soil orders and you can get 20% after you become a member at mygrowpass.com!

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Alexandria Irons joins me for a great interview from her home and business location in Nevada County in Northern California. After a long history of self-medicating with cannabis, she decided to start a cannabis brand and pursued a cultivation license under the brand Royal Crest Cannabis, she's now out on her own and helping cultivators with all facets of business but has found a niche in helping homegrowers achieve success in the garden.

Alexandria starts off telling us about her current grow of 3 large plants (check out her Instagram to see some great pics of her garden) and how important it is for her to grow plants in full sun, planted right in the soil. She wants the macro and micronutrients that the earth's soil provides with minimal amendments. We go on to discuss plant energy and root growth when planting directly into soil. Right around 13:30 she shares her process for planting directly into mother earth and more thoughts on the importance of doing so,

What's Alexandria's tip for improving the health of your plant? Listen in just before 17 minutes to hear about her observational and journaling practices. She encourages you to track all your inputs, but also take notes on plant structure, root structure, leaf color, shape, and size. The more you can notice about your plant the quicker the journey will be to gaining experience in your garden.

At 19 minutes we dig into Alexandria's tips for increasing yield off your limited plant counts. Of course her first tip is to put your plant into the ground, however, that isn't always possible when you grow inside. Her indoor garden tip would be CO2 enrichment. She shares some science behind why CO2 is so imperative for your cannabis plants and the yields you're able to achieve. She shares that she'd like to harvest CO2 from her soon to be built mushroom room, as mushrooms breathe oxygen and give off CO2 so the two make a perfect pair.

Right at 31 minutes, Alexandria discusses one of her passions, Integrated Pest Management. Her first tip to every gardener is to keep people out of your garden, and always shower, change your clothes and shoes before entering your gardening space. She then goes on to discuss biological practices and her favorite fungus. Tune in at 33 minutes to hear exactly what isaria fumosorosea is and how she uses it!

At 35 minutes I ask Alexandria what type of characteristics make the best growers. Her answer was keeping a beginner state of mind. Don't get stuck in a certain way, and ignore what might be a better solution. Keep an open mind and understand what you're doing and why you are doing it.

Alexandria's last bit of advice for every grower is to stay positive. Your plant absorbs your energy so stay positive in your garden and tell your plants that you love them and that they are beautiful. I add that you should tell that to all the ladies in your life, not just your plants. Right, Danielle?

Please connect with Alexandria pretty much everywhere by searching Queen of the Sun LLC. Instagram, YouTube, a website and in-person consultation all under that brand name.

Have you enjoyed today's show? Grab a few more minutes with Alexandria and all of our guests at http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and then you can get episodes and the bonus content delivered straight to your inbox.

Need a bit more help in the garden than we can provide in the podcast? Need someone to come to your house and help troubleshoot a problem, set up a room or watch over your plants while on vacation? We got you covered with one of our fine consultants here at The Homegrown Helpers. Just email [email protected] and I'll make an introduction for you.

This weeks MyGrowPass.com partners that make the show possible are Suite Leaf Plant Nutrients and Fish Head Farms. Grab amazing discounts from these partners as well as a dozen more, gain access to exclusive audio podcasts and get entered in to our quarterly $5k giveaway by becoming a member at MyGrowPass.com for as little as $14.95 a month!

Suite Leaf Plant Nutrients offers listeners 15% their full line of veganic nutrients by using code Growcast15 at checkout, or members gain 25% off from within their member portal. With many happy customers, and great testimonials, this nutrient line has also won several awards for how amazing their product is. Several High Times Stash Awards for their Cal-Mag Maximizer and other additives, you know you're getting a premium plant nutrient when you choose to go with Suite Leaf. Grab yours today at suiteleaf.com.

Fish Head Farms and their product Fish Shit can be yours with Growcast at checkout for 10% off or become a member for access to a 25% discount code. Fish Shit is a nutrient maximizer - helping increase yields, cannabinoid, terpene, and flavonoid production, Fish Shit is great for your plants from clone all the way through the flush. An ecosystem in a bottle, aquaponics on the go making all your nutrients more bioavailable. Grab yours today at fishheadfarms.com!

This week Christian Ballard of Missouri Caregivers Alliance joins me on the phone to talk about his past in the NFL and why medical cannabis has such an impact on his life now. He's passionate about helping new growers figure out how to grow cannabis at home, as well as helping athletes realize how cannabis can help them heal, mentally and physically.

With a sorted past in and around sports, depression, and drugs Christian made the tough decision to give up on a sport that he grew up playing and eventually decided to follow his passion and get into the cannabis industry. Christian gives us a good rundown of the Missouri State cannabis laws between 10 and 13 minutes in, check it out if you're curious.

Christian's current grow set up is within the legal limit of Missouri, with 6 flowering plants inside a 4'x4' tent. He started off growing in coco but has now switched to a more peat moss base with some organic amendments with top dressing and compost teas. He sticks to a 3'x3' for his veg tent and works hard on low-stress training to maximize his yields and grow those plants for 6 or 7 weeks if possible.

Environment is key when it comes to the health of your plants, as we've heard before, but Christian echoes these sentiments around 14 minutes. He advises his clients to try to mimic nature as much as possible because that's where the plant is meant to grow. Check out the specific settings he suggests right around 15 minutes through 17:30.

What's the key to bigger yields off a limited number of plants. Christian goes back to ensuring that your environment is dialed into perfection. Make sure your plants are happy and healthy, and they will reach their full potential. He suggests to new growers to start off with autoflower strains to eliminate chances of failure. Right before 20 minutes, we get into a discussion about topping vs pinching. He is totally against cutting the plant due to the recovery time and leans towards a twist and pinch motion to change the direction of growth.

How does Christian keep his plants clean and healthy? Grandevo is his go-to preventative, but he's used other products like Regalia as a root drench and foliar spray. He's also used Azamax and Pyganic. He goes on to talk about the importance of how to spray your plants over what to spray on them between 26 and 29 minutes.

What are the character traits that make the most successful cannabis growers? He suggests that it's a fine line between understanding and ambition, someone that's enthusiastic about gardening but can take things slowly and not over complicate things. He goes on to say that a grower must be ok with failure, and keep at the process in order to succeed. He urges all his new clients to read the Jeff Lowenfels series of "Teaming With..." which includes microbes, nutrients, and fungi.

I talk about the Regenerative Organic Cannabis Conference and how important spaces like this are to the future of our cannabis industry. They have 4 conferences scheduled From California, Canada, Michigan, and Maine but also plan on some live stream of the events as well, so if you can't make it make sure you sign up for one of those. This team is doing amazing work, and we fully support their mission.

Christian's parting shot: Just keep going. You'll make mistakes, you'll want to stop, you'll want to make it easy and go buy your own product. Don't. Keep going, and keep improving and you'll get it dialed in and you'll be really happy with the results.

Our GrowPass partners for this show are Sohum Living Soils and Cultilux! Grab discounts from each of those great brands by using the listener codes or becoming a member at mygrowpass.com and becoming a member to save up to 25%. Also, thanks to the Amazing Doctor Zymes for allowing us to give away some samples of their great product at growcastpodcast.com/zymes, grab yours today!

Sohum Living Soils was created to take the thinking out of growing clean quality cannabis. With all of the liquid fertilizer on the market, consumers can be afraid to try and be a chemist when mixing nutrients. No need for that with Sohum. Just add plain water, you don't even need to PH it. That's it! They have a super useful chart that shows you the proper size container to ensure you get enough food to the plant for a full flower cycle with just adding water. The soil is designed with beneficial bacteria and fungus as well as all the macro and micronutrients that your plant needs. Set it and forget it. It's that easy. Grab yours today with code GROWCAST10 to save 10% off all your Sohum products! Members receive a code for 20%, which makes the switch to organics even easier!

Cultilux makes premium Ceramic Metal Halide fixtures and bulbs, and the fixtures are designed to provide our customers with an easy and inexpensive option to upgrade. The 1000w Series DE CMH Lamps can be interchangeable with the DE Series fixture, and most DE CMH fixtures. The 315w and 630w are the industry's highest producing lamp at their respective levels. These results and features allow our customers to grow as we grow. Many growers start out as a small-scale operation with the intention to expand. Our unique features allow our customers to keep their initial fixture investment and upgrade to higher wattage options without having to change the fixture or ballast. Upgrade your lighting to Cultilux by using code GROWCAST10 at checkout for a 10% savings, or become a member of mygrowpass.com and save yourself 25% on a new CMH bulb and fixture!

This week's Homegrown Helper is AJ Ortenstone. AJ joins us from Truly Oreganic farm in Oregon where they specialize in an ocean grown style, where they harvest all of the rainwater to feed their living soil fed plants. We discuss what it's like harvesting rainwater so close to the ocean and some precautions that one might need to take if they choose to harvest their own water.

The grow that we dive into details about at the 17-minute mark is the grow that AJ currently manages. It's 3000 square feet of full light dep, with 25-gallon living soil pots right on the ground. AJ says his biggest struggle with being in a fully light dep facility is controlling the humidity levels, and he has plenty of de-hus (dehumidifiers) rocking in the facility. They never put anything synthetic on their plants, and try to take the all-natural bio-control approach with their IPM practices as well.

Right at 20 minutes, we discuss AJ's tip for growing the healthiest plants, which is getting a PH meter and properly adjusting the PH of your water/feed to ensure that it's within appropriate levels and keeping your soil PH on point as well. AJ goes on to talk about liquid/synthetic nutrients and ensuring that you follow the directions on the bottle, as well as ensuring they do actually "buffer" the PH if that's a feature that they offer. Always test the mix before putting on your plants.

We go into how important it is to grow organically for all phases of health, including my own and my experience with Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome. I reference the article Radioactive Buds on Big Buds Magazine and AJ shares a story about a fellow gardener using rat poison around his grow and then the poison becoming systemic within the plant and causing it to fail tests in the bud.

What should growers do in order to increase yield from a limited plant count? At 29 minutes AJ suggests paying attention to your water practices. Ensure your grow media is drying out properly and allowing the roots to breathe, but not allowing your plant to wilt. He suggests picking up your plant pot every day to learn where the sweet spot is to water your plants each time.

Diving into IPM at 35 minutes, AJ strongly suggests getting a small jeweler's loupe or a handheld microscope to identify pests within your garden. Pay attention to your plants and if you find a problem, you can pull the leaf off, stick it in a Ziploc bag and use the scope to get a good picture of it. Then use the handy dandy Google to start to identify the pest. If IPM is your thing you should listen in at 38 minutes to hear AJ's specific bugs that he uses in his garden.

What are the character traits that AJ thinks make the most successful growers? At 41 minutes, AJ says it's the ability to ask questions. Asking questions is really the only way to learn what other people think and different ways to do something in the garden.

AJ's last bits of advice for all the homegrowers out there are to have persistence and open-mindedness with this process. Keep going, we're all learning, and we've all had the problems that you're working through right now. Don't be afraid to ask questions in order to gain knowledge. Be sure to connect with AJ @ajortenstone on Instagram and follow along in his grower journey.

If you liked this interview, and want to hear more from this week's Homegrown Helper please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and download the rest of the show! Also, please take a moment to leave us a 5 star review on whatever podcast app you are listening on!

Ready to hire your own Homegrown Helper? Email me at [email protected] and let me know what you're in need of, and I'll do my best to find you a consultant that fits your needs, location and personality.

Our MyGrowPass partners for this show are Harvest Mutual Seed Bank, Danny Danko and The Amazing Doctor Zymes.

Danny has recently written the book "Cannabis: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Marijuana" which is a great book for beginners and experienced growers alike. Check out growcastpodcast.com/danko to grab your book today. If you are a bloom member Danny will sign your book and ship it directly to you from the High Times offices.

Harvest Mutual Seed Bank is your choice for premium strain selections from the world's top breeders. Regular seeds, feminized and autoflower, they have it all! Grab yours today and use code GROWCAST for free shipping, or become a member of mygrowpass.com and save 10% as well as the shipping charges! https://harvestmutualseedbank.com/

The Amazing Doctor Zymes Eliminator is an all-natural fungicide, pesticide and overall plant protector. Killing soft-bodied insects in their tracks, stopping molds and mildews before they can get started and giving you peace of mind, The Amazing Doctor Zymes has you covered. Use code GROWCAST to save 10% off your entire order, or 25% after becoming a member at mygrowpass.com. https://www.doctorzymes.com/

This is my solo episode; I hope you enjoy it! I had a lot of fun recording this and sharing all of my thoughts as I've gone through the last 6 months of recording this podcast. I've learned a lot from our guests and changed my opinions on some of our questions as this project has progressed. I'm excited to share my thoughts with you in greater detail.

Right at 7:00, I start off sharing more details about my background and history within the cannabis space. I know a lot of people have heard me on episodes of Growcast or have followed my entrepreneurial journey with Atlas Plant Trainer but I've never really shared the full details of our grow before. So this is the opportunity to hear in greater detail exactly how the rooms and business were set up.

I then move onto discussing what to pay attention to in order to improve overall plant health. While lots of guests have said environment, and I couldn't agree more, I talk about the time you spend in and attention you pay to your garden and your plants. Check them over regularly, take pictures, make notes and you'll be quick to notice differences in the plant. Spotting problems before they get out of hand is key in order to prevent them from getting out of hand.

Of course, I discuss Low-Stress Training and how critical it is to increasing bigger yields. I try not to go on and on like I can do, when discussing low-stress training. Reach out to me if you'd like to have a more detailed explanation of low-stress training emailed to you.

Right around 27 minutes I discuss my IPM protocols from my previous grows and what I've changed from learning more about biocontrols and natural, organic gardening practices. I share my experience with Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome and the potential for pesticides and even heavy nutrient usage being a lead cause of CHS. Neem poisoning has been linked directly to extreme vomiting but doesn't seem to have the same resolution as CHS. I also suggest using The Amazing Doctor Zymes and Mammoth Bio Control as two products I would trust on the market right now.

Persistence and patience are the two character traits that I think every grower needs to possess in order to grow some truly amazing cannabis. We're all going to make mistakes in the garden as we learn, hell, we're gonna make mistakes when we're learning anything. Have patience with yourself and don't get frustrated or overwhelmed.

The last words of advice that I share at 42:30 is to not forget that there are still many people that are still not able to grow cannabis legally and we have to fight for our rights to grow. Even against other people in the legal cannabis industry, as they lobby to reduce or eliminate our rights to grow a plant at home and provide medicine for ourselves. Don't stop fighting, or supporting those that are fighting for the rights of home growers everywhere.

A brand-new partner for today's show is Growhouse.supply. a fully stocked online hydroponic store with over 10,000 items in stock and ready to ship. From grow media, containers, lights, controllers, tents, tools and everything else you'll need in order to succeed, grab your supplies today at Growhouse.supply and save 10% on your entire order, and if you order over $200 worth of gear you can save 15%. Go to growhouse.supply/growcast to have that happen automatically.

Our 2 mygrowpass.com partners for today's show are Rooted Lyfe and Atlas Plant Trainer.

Grab your high quality, broad-spectrum CBD products from Rooted Lyfe at a great discount of 20% after joining mygrowpass.com for as little as $14.95 a month. You can count on this woman-owned and led company that believes in providing premium CBD products and educating their customers on how it can help them. Use code GROWCAST at checkout at rootedlyfe.com and save yourself 10% on all orders or grab 20% after becoming a member.

Atlas Plant Trainer provides you will a customizable plant training and support solution. It will be the last and only plant training device or tool that you will need. With just 4 easy steps, click, connect, clip, and bend you'll gain 20% to 50% over your previous yields. Atlas Plant Trainer takes the stress out of low-stress training – just one click a day for bigger yields. Learn more at atlasplanttrainer.com.

If you liked this interview, and want to hear more from this week's Homegrown Helper please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and download the rest of the show! Also, email me if you're ready to elevate your grow to the next level and hire a consultant to solve the problems you haven't been able to. Hit me up at [email protected]

Buddy joins me on the phone from Ontario, Canada where he's recently started Canadian Cannabis Consulting Company in order to spread his extensive cultivation knowledge as well as his passion for activism. Buddy has been a part of the cannabis movement in Canada for many years that has helped push the legalization bill forward in Canada.

Right around 8 minutes, we discuss Buddy's current grow set up. He has 4 outdoor plants in 65-gallon smart pots in his own soil mixture including peat, perlite, limestone, compost, and a couple of other additives. He's growing some classic strains with GG #4, Sour Diesel, Blueberry and a Cheese variety, which is what he advises his clients to do. Get reliable genetics and keep the process simple, especially when helping a new outdoor grower.

What are Buddy's tips for ensuring the best health of your plant? Right at 13 minutes, he states that improving root growth and paying attention to the health of your roots is his #1 tip. Then, in an indoor grow setting he wants people to also ensure cleanliness and airflow around your room.

At 17:00 we start to discuss exactly how to increase yield off a limited plant count. Buddy goes back to using smart pots and a healthy root zone. He had previously used clay or plastic pots and always had unhappy, unhealthy bound-up root zones for his previous grows. Since he's made the switch, he's seen much bigger yields due to improved root zone health.

At 19:20 we start our discussion on Integrated Pest Management in an indoor garden. His tips include using a predatory bug such as ladybug's, ensure that temp and humidity are dialed in, and keep your space clean. He likes grow tents because they can be separated from a space and easier to keep them clean opposed to a larger room like the basement.

Just before 22 minutes, we discuss the most critical characteristics a grower must possess to be successful. Buddy says it's as simple as common sense and patience. Pay attention to your plant, watch when it changes, look for bugs and color changes. He also states that it's a MUST to spend time with your plants in order to see these changes.

What are Buddy's last thoughts (26:30)? Have patience and do your part to bring cannabis responsibly into our society to negate the negative perceptions that still oppose us and our industry.

If you liked this episode please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and listen to the next 5 questions that we ask Buddy! Also, if you'd like to enlist the services of any of our Homegrown Helpers please email me [email protected] and I'll help make an introduction.

Connect with Buddy at http://www.canadiancannabisconsultant.com, give his YouTube channel a follow or find him on Instagram @canadiancannabisconsultant.

Many thanks to Sohum living soils was created to take the thinking out of growing clean quality cannabis. With all of the liquid fertilizer on the market, consumers can be afraid to try and be a chemist when mixing nutrients. No need for that with Sohum. Just add plain water, you don't even need to PH it. That's it! They have a super useful chart that shows you the proper size container to ensure you get enough food to the plant for a full flower cycle with just adding water. The soil is designed with beneficial bacteria and fungus as well as all the macro and micronutrients that your plant needs. Set it and forget it. It's that easy.

Use code GROWCAST10 for 10% off, or members gain access to 20% off at https://sohumsoils.com/

Also, thank you to Mammoth Microbes for partnering with us to give away more than $500 worth of product and swag to our members in our upcoming $5k Quarterly Giveaway on October 1st.

Made from a specialized blend of a thyme compound, Mammoth Biocontrol Preventative Insecticide keeps your buds safe by preventing an attack and repelling and suffocating mites and thrips. MB-PI is an all-natural, 25(b) EPA exempt, plant-derived solution recommended for application throughout vegetation and is safe for testing. Check both of their fine products out at mammothmicrobes.com or at a local shop near you.

David Kurth, CEO and head grower at U-Bud Cannabis Services helps brand new growers in the Toronto, Canada area get their feet wet with marijuana growing and have a successful first harvest! With cannabis being legalized nationwide in October 2018, you can imagine that there is lots of opportunity for an entrepreneurial grower like David to capitalize on his skills and knowledge while helping growers learn the ropes. I know I relied on my friends in much the same way, thankfully they didn't charge me.

Typically, David can visit his clients one or two times after the initial setup visit, and with the help of technology and a well laid out plan sees many of his customers have a bountiful first harvest. After that, they can renew the contract, purchase the equipment and continue on their own, or pull the equipment out.

Currently, David is helping people grow their legal 4 plants in a 4x4 grow tent, with oversized carbon filter and exhaust fan. The lighting varies a bit between a 315w Ceramic metal halide or a full spectrum LED light, they do offer an advanced grow with 2 LED lights within the same tent. They also provide super soil and 2.5-gallon pots for each of the 4 plants. Providing donated seeds to each customer, he helps to get them germinated on the customer's kitchen counter. Providing a complete tutorial to help them be successful is also a key component to the business' success.

With David's business, he tries to keep the variables small and the things to pay attention to minimal. He has his new growers watch temperature and humidity to ensure the environment stays dialed in. Beyond that, he asks them for simple observational health of the plant. Color and shade of the leaves, any blemishes or signs of bugs, changes in the top of the dirt and any anomalies from one plant to the next. They also encourage having customers send pictures if they're concerned about a plant and even have some setups with cameras within their tent.

What's David's advice for increasing yield off each plant? He suggests more lighting to his customers and putting those 2 LED lights in each tent to maximize the wattage and spectrum available to the plants. Typically, they don't encourage plant training to new customers but work with a few experienced customers to teach them the sea of green technique.

What's David tell his customers about Integrated Pest Management? Keep your outdoor pests outdoors, and you'll prevent them from being in your indoor garden. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in their small setups. If there are signs of problems, he suggests an essential microbe spray, EM-1 from Stepwell Super Soil on the leaves to help with powdery mildew and bug prevention.

What types of character traits does David love to set up a new grow for? For them, it's as simple as following a process. They have simplified the first grow for customers so well that as long as they can follow directions, they see close to 100% success rate. After the first grow, he does help growers experiment a bit but encourages everyone to keep it simple and not to get too far ahead of their abilities.

David's parting words: don't cheap out when purchasing equipment or accruing knowledge. Quality comes with a cost, but if it's truly quality it will return dividends time after time.

Check out U-bud.ca to connect with David and his team, or find them on any social media platform that you frequent. You can also find them at a few places in Ontario if you're in the area, reach out and check it out! If you liked this interview, and want to hear more from David please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and download the rest of the show!

After you check out the bonus information, if you need a little more guidance or help setting up a room, troubleshooting a problem or whatever you need in the garden – reach out to me at [email protected] and I'll do some research to help you find the right consultant for the job, your location and your personality.

This episode is brought to you by 2 MyGrowPass.com partners.

Dealzer.com is a full service online hydroponic shop. Use "Podcast10" to save 10% on your entire order, or become a member and gain access to that exclusive 15% off code. Dealzer has your entire supply of hydroponic needs from pots to lights to tents. Grab your entire shopping list at dealzer.com and save 10% using "Podcast10" during checkout at dealzer.com.

We also partnered with Green Craft Distribution who offers lines like Kushley, StashLogixx, Buddha's Tree and more, along with several lines of CBD products from several quality lines sourced from around the country. Use code "Growcast" to get 10% off or become a member and gain 25% at greencraftdistribution.com.

We're replaying our most popular episode for you today from one of my first interviews with a cannabis consultant, Miami Mango. We're bringing you this today as we are running out of guests! Can you believe it? There are not as many consultants that are helping people learn how to grow at home as I thought there would be, so I need your help!

If you know of anyone that is currently teaching other people how to grow at home, and gain the confidence it takes to grow great cannabis on their own then I want to talk to them.

Don't worry, we probably have a month worth of fresh episodes still to release, and these ones won't dissapoint. I'm committed to bringing you great content to help you learn how to grow your own marijuana at home, we won't slouch on our quality of guests and the content we release. However, you're help would be appreciated in making this happen!

We did switch up our GrowPass partners for this show. They are Humble Garden and Suite Leaf Plant Nutrients!

Humble Garden is the makers of the first ever HPS filter that fits on any smart phone! Slide this thing over your camera and it immediately turns that yellow light white, giving you higher quality pictures of your hard work. No need for people to guess what your plants actually look like with Humble Garden. Grab yours today at humblegarden.co and use code GROWCAST to save 15% off your products, or get 25% off your filters after becoming a member at mygrowpass.com!

With Suite Leaf Plant Nutrients, you will use less nutrients and gain more from your plants. These are smart nutrients, for smart growers - as described by Elaine Keevin, co-founder of Excelsior Extracts and guest on Growcast.

"I call Suite Leaf smart nutrients or plant steroids because of how amazing the plants look! I've used every nutrient on the market, but have never achieved total plant success like I do with SuiteLeaf."

Grab your Suite Leaf Plant Nutrients for all your gardens, not just the cannabis one, at suiteleaf.com and use code GROWCAST15 to get 15% off, or gain access to a 25% off coupon code after you join up at mygrowpass.com!

Kyle Hamilton joins us from just outside of Boston where he is very involved with the cannabis industry as a home grow consultant as well as consults for products and dispensaries in the area. He has over 10 years of growing experience to share with you today, from a variety of sizes and styles throughout his past.

Currently, Kyle has a few small spaces that he grows in. One has a 3'x3' indoor grow tent with a bunch of flowering plants for a pheno hunt where he likes to experiment with different setups of soil and nutrients to find what works best. Currently, he's using a few of our GrowPass partners in Buddha's Tree and Fish Shit. He prefers to grow under LEDs due to the power output as well as the ability to keep his rooms cool. Along with his outdoor grow in living soil with all-natural inputs, he manages to keep several grows and many plants well kept and producing.

What's a grower supposed to pay attention to when it comes to overall plant health? Starting with the basics, he wants to get a feel for room environment and inputs. He strongly suggests keeping a journal of all of this stuff on a daily basis to track your inputs and results so that you can spot problems before they get out of hand. This is Kyle's suggested starting point as it will help you learn what your plants are telling you early on.

What can a grower do in order to achieve the best yield off a single plant? Kyle suggests ensuring you have a quality light to start with. Kyle talks about photomorphogenesis around 13 minutes, which is how plants grow in response to light. He talks about ensuring that your plants are a proper distance from your lights to ensure that a good amount of nodes are forming, a good distance from each other to maximize the number of bud sites available on the plant. Around 15:30 we get into the importance of low-stress training, be sure to listen in to hear Kyle's tips.

Kyle and I go off the rails a little bit around 18 minutes and talk about plant energy, since you know I'm so passionate about the topic. He shares that sequoia trees actually stop drawing up water and nutrients from the soil after they get to a certain size and then only absorb water from the air. Amazing stuff!

What is Kyle's Integrated Pest Management solution? Right at 22:30 we get into his solutions, and his first tip in mindfulness. He wants you to keep your rooms clean, and be aware of what you are bringing in to your house or grow space. Be mindful of walks outdoors, hanging with your pets, or hitting up the grow store as those are all problem places that can bring a host of issues into your grow room. Further, he is a fan of biocontrols such as ladybugs and praying mantis'. He gives some tips on how to apply biocontrols in your rooms, listen in to learn.

What type of person is the most likely to succeed in the grow room? The type of person that can make a plan and stick to it. Don't change too many variables because you really don't know which variable is making the desired impact. So decide how you want to grow, but don't be afraid to pivot if there are problems.

Kyle's last words of advice for the audience is to always keep an open mind. Don't be afraid to try new things, as the industry and the science is evolving as the industry grows. If something didn't work for you a few years ago, things may have changed and LED's (for example) continue to improve.

Connect with Kyle @imonfirecc on Instagram or @heylookimonfire which is his personal account. You can email him [email protected], you can reach out regarding growing, a variety of cannabis products, or his performance theatrics if desired.

Ready to hire on a consultant to help you take your grow to the next level? Reach out to us here at [email protected] and we can ensure you get the best Homegrown Helper for your needs!

If you liked this interview, and want to hear more from this week's Homegrown Helper please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and download the rest of the show!

Today's show is brought to you by Cultilux and Fish Head Farms, both partners of GrowPass give away 25% to our members!

Cultilux is a leading supplier in the industry dedicated to providing lamps and fixtures. See, plants require a variety of specific needs to grow to their full potential. They have managed to design a lighting source that will deliver exactly what the plants need, while eliminates lighting that the plant does not need. With their industry-leading 315watt, 630watt and brand new 1000w Double-ended CMH bulb, Cultilux has the right fixture and bulb for your needs. Grab them today at cultilux.com and use code GROWCAST10 to save 10%.

Fish Sh!t is a full spectrum microbial product, an ecosystem in a bottle. Fish Sh!t can be used from seedling all the way through flush. It's an ecosystem of microbes work to make nutrients more bio-available. Promoting sustainable growth throughout its life cycle and even breaking down salts when used as a flushing agent. Their beneficial microbes aid in bud development, overall yield, terpene production, aroma, and taste.

Grab your fish shit at fishheadfarms.com and use code GROWCAST at checkout to save 10%. Fish shit - bring life back to your media.