Top O' the season to ya! Here in the Grower’s Grove last month, we started to look at the relationship between the aromatic compounds, or terpenes, in Cannabis and the other active compounds such as THC and CBD. Current research shows that terpene compounds play a significant role in altering the effects of medical cannabis. The amazing range of different effects from varying types of cannabis can now be seen in a framework much larger than basic cannabinoid ratios or a simple sativa vs. indica dichotomy. In addition to these factors, how the plant smells affects the character of the medicinal effects – sometimes quite significantly. Since aromatic compounds are already capable of producing physical effects in small amounts simply by being inhaled, the process of cannabis patients sniffing varying jars in a dispensary to help determine which strain to get may be a more complex relationship between patients and their medicine than previously thought.

Keep Your Crop Clean with Organic Controls

As the weather turns cold, plant eating bugs seek out warmer locales to feast on plants. When they find a nice, temperate grow room full of sweet sensimilla, it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet at a resort for them. Mites, thrips, white flies and other foliage-eating pests can set up camp very quickly in the absence of preventative controls. While there are a number of beneficial insects and other non-spray methods of pest control out there, simple canopy sprays are still a mainstay of most gardeners’ pest control programs. By using organic products such as plant based oils on a regular program of preventative sprays, growers can keep their crop completely free of pests and diseases without the need for harsh chemical controls.

Once upon a time...or maybe twice...there was a plant. The plant was full of properties: therapeutic properties, emotional properties – even some philosophical insights. But, behind the scenes, certain chemical properties in the Cannabis plant have been undervalued in their roles as medicine. Until recently, the focus on the Cannabinoids themselves (such as THC and CBD) have left the chemistry of terpenes largely overlooked.