People are loving the salves that CANNA-FUSION has been putting out. They are actually flying off the shelves. We get comments like, “I love the soothing scent,” to “I really like the feel of the smooth silky texture,” to “The instant pain-relief it provides is absolutely amazing.”

What makes these salves so unique? We invite you to listen in on a recent conversation we had about growing our cannabis.

 

Cheryl: How did you become a gardener?

Jim: We had a garden growing up. When I was a kid we had a garden and then as I grew older, I kind of got more interested in growing.   I started  putting in lawns, planting  trees, and I started getting more into it.  I got interested in growing cannabis. I started growing cannabis and I got more interested in plant physiology, understanding soil science and nutrient uptake, pH levels, and the whole physiologic process that plants undergo when they photosynthesize. So, that’s kind of like a progression and now I feel like I have a decent knowledge of plant physiology. The great thing about plants is that you don’t have to rely strictly on book knowledge; you get to work with the plant. The plant becomes sort of a medium for expression,so that’s kind of where I’m at right now.

Cheryl: That’s interesting.   We have an organic garden. How was it different to grow cannabis versus the vegetables in the gardens?

Jim:  In a certain sense growing tomatoes is the same way as growing cannabis, carrots,  potatoes,  onions or whatever. But,in a certain sense, cannabis stands out because it’s a medicinal plant.  Other plants have medicinal properties like tomatoes have lycopenes, and  brassica have sulphur compounds that are healthy and a lot of nuts have healing properties  within them. With cannabis  I get to see the effects of the cannabinoids on people. People use cannabis topicals for pain and they take or  do whatever, however they experience their cannabis.   It has a lot of healing properties to it that stands out in a different way from other plants.

Cheryl: Sometimes  I go out to the gardens to see what you are doing and I notice that you are in the zone, like what’s going on when you are out there in the gardens?

Jim: Well, the greenhouse is, at least at the early part of the year sort of like an incubator. I make my own seed starting mix and I pick out the seeds.  I put a lot of thought into it. In January and February I’m already planning what I am going to plant in March and April.   If I need to order seeds, I will do that early in the year.  When I’m in the green house and I’m working with the seedlings, it really feels like I’m nurturing life. Last year, I gave away 100  starts, but this year, I kind of cut back because I wanted to have a more moderate spring time as far as work goes.

Cheryl: The starts as far as what plants?

Jim:  Basil, tomatoes, egg plants, and  those sort of plants.  I think we gave away probably 30-50 tomato plants, eggplants, basil plants, pepper plants to people.  I just give them away to people and I have an interesting way of doing it. I go to the parking lot of Shop’N Kart, ’ a grocery store in Ashland which has a sort of an eclectic clientele.  I think that’s a general description of Ashland.  The people are interesting and  they appreciate  life in a kind of a broad sense.  They are very receptive to getting plants around planting time that are free, well taken care of, and that are organic. That kind of fits the bill for a lot of people in that area as far as what they desire to plant. So when I give away the plants, that  fulfills my desire to see these plants end up in a healthy environment.   When I’m planting cannabis seeds, growing clones, or whatever I  am doing, that sort of fulfills that part of it.   I  feel like these plants are dependent on their environment.   I’m in control of the environment so they are dependent on me and how well they do is a reflection of the quality of the job that I do.

Cheryl: Seems you have a really intimate connection with the growing

Jim: Well, like I said, I think it’s nurturing life. So if I’m planning it;  mixing my own seeds,; starting my own mix,  I’m intimately involved in every step.   I’m totally involved in the whole process from picking my seeds, to dirt, to plant, to harvesting, to trimming, to extraction or making the end product. I really feel I nurture life each day, but it’s a different kind of nurture. I nurture my seedlings in the spring time.   I take care of my plants in the summer time.  I nurture them a little bit more towards harvest time in the same way that I take extra care of my tomatoes and peppers.  I make sure they get calcium, micro nutrients, and have all the their  nutritional needs.  Cannabis  has a special nutritional needs for flowering and you have to switch  your fertilizer regimes.  Its kind of cool how you can coax the plant into producing its complete genetic potential.

Cheryl:  It sounds like there’s a certain relationship between growing  cannabis and the effects the plant has when you’re making it into a product. Does that make sense?

Jim: There’s a relationship between growing a plant and making it into a product?

Cheryl: You put so much into it.  You put your whole self into it.

Jim: Right.  Like we were discussing it the other day.   I try to identify plants that meet the needs of the business as far as what strains to  produce.   The question is what  CBD, THC, or CBD-THC  molecules or combinations are we’re looking for?   Whatever we are looking for to put into a product, I try to find a plant that does that and then nurture it to get it to express its full genetic potential. So that hopefully, it’s a beautiful  and healthy mature plant that you can harvest and then make use of.  Then we are drying it and taking care to make sure it’s in a clean environment.  We take great care to make sure  its drying properly and not getting dried too quickly or too slowly.  We are careful that there is no mold.  There is  a whole process of drying and curing.   After drying and curing the cannabis, either you do the extraction or you trim.   Some of the flowers I give to my patients.  It all ties together; it’s a continuum

Cheryl: It is. It’s a great outlet for you.

Jim: It is.  I’m a kind of a creative person and so  it’s just an avenue for me to express that.

Cheryl: Well, thank you for sharing that with me.

Jim: You’re welcome.