Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

My guest this week is Dr. Adel Zarei. Dr. Zarei earned his Ph.D. degree from Leiden University in the Netherlands, specializing in molecular mechanisms governing defense and secondary metabolism in plants. Dr. Zarei spent a decade as a Research Associate at the University of Guelph, where his research focused on stress physiology in plants. His primary passion lies in the study of plant secondary metabolites, many of which possess pharmaceutical significance. In 2017, Adel transitioned to the Cannabis industry, serving as a Scientific Advisor and Cannabis Micropropagation Expert. He played a pivotal role in designing and establishing multiple Cannabis Micropropagation labs for Cannabis Production License Holders. His groundbreaking work in this field garnered multiple Government grants and led to the development of commercial-scale cannabis micropropagation techniques. The results of this research were published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, including In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant and Plants”. Throughout his scientific career, Adel has authored more than twenty-two peer-reviewed articles covering topics such as plant stress physiology, secondary metabolites, and plant pathology.

Dr. Zarei is an integral member of the PharmaCrop team, serving as the Chief Operating Officer at PharmaCrop Pty. Ltd. in Queensland, Australia. In this role, he oversees operations that encompass every stage of the process, from seed cultivation to the final production of medical-grade cannabis products. Dr. Zarei has successfully transferred his extensive knowledge and experience in the cultivation and processing of medical cannabis into Australia burgeoning industry. Now on to the show!

My guest this week is Adam Arnold is a founder/ Owner at Collective Elevation in Bozeman Montana. Collective Elevation is one of the largest living soil cannabis greenhouse  facilities in the country.   Adams been growing cannabis for 20 years, the last 10 at his facilitiy in Bozeman which was designed and built from the ground up by him and his team. Prior to recreational legalization in Montana he built off grid greenhouse facilities in Montana during the medical days and has founded Collective Elevation on a platform of sustainability  utilizing sun assisted living soil practices.  He went to school at the university of Idaho for Conservation Biology and Natural Resource Ecology and worked in wilderness management for the Forest Service prior to working in the Cannabis industry.

I had the pleasure of visiting Collective Elevation last year and filmed my tour, which is available on Youtube, I highly suggest checking it out. It’s one of the nicest facilities I’ve ever seen in person and I’m honored that they have been using our soils in their greenhouses for a few years now. Anyway, now on to the show!

My guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. Suzanne has been on the podcast multiple times and I highly suggest folks go back and listen to some of her other podcasts if you haven’t already.

Has cannabis cultivation evolved to where cannabis-marketed bottled nutrient companies are becoming outdated? Hear my conversation with Nelson Lindsley of Poetry of Plants on the subject. 

Also an exciting new collaboration and podcast announcement!

https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-34

Entomologist Suzanne Wainwright Evans comes back on the podcast to talk about what she's seen over the past year consulting on cannabis farms, including advice on scouting, sticky cards, and much more!

https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-33

Chris Trump explains Natural Farming, KNF and the philosophy behind the these methods for growing plants using locally sourced microbes and inputs. He is a Master Natural Farmer certified by Master Cho of Korea. He has also studied microbiological analysis under Dr. Elaine Ingham.

His family’s farm is currently the largest natural farm in America growing over 800 acres of Macadamia Nuts. They have returned sick trees to vital health completely eliminating 3 fungal diseases that academics said was impossible.

https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-32

The giant pumpkin community has a lot in common with cannabis growers. Both are pushing the envelope to maximize plant health and yield. Hear from one of the best about how he grows some of the largest plants in the world every year! 

https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-31

Mold and Mildew are such a problem for many growers. In this podcast, Travis describes how these pathogens work and how to best manage them through environmental controls.

Travis Higginbotham is the new director of Cultivation Support for Fluence. Prior to working at Fluence, he worked at a state of the art environmentally controlled greenhouse covering 50 acres where he was the head of research and development. They grew annual and perennial crops for big box retailers supplying the NE united states. His focus was on rearing beneficial insects, IPM protocols, disease testing, and trialing new genetics from around the world.He recently received his masters horticulture from Virginia Tech. This resulted in equipping irrigation booms with lights for photoperiodic flowering applications to a controlled environment which propagated over 1.2 million perennials from stage 3 tissue culture per year. He also has a bachelors of science from Clemson University.

https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-30

Learn about the importance of selecting the right equipment for spraying your crop from Kurt Becker, the Executive VP for Commercial Products with Dramm. Kurt is a genius when it comes to spray applications and I was so excited to pick his brain on the subject.

We also discussed some of the dangers of using RO water, better options for sanitation and improving water quality for beneficial microbes. If you want to improve the efficacy of your foliar sprays this is "must listen!"

What's the difference between fish emulsion and fish hydrolysate? Are these products sustainably made? Where are the fish coming from? We tackle these questions and more in this week's episode with Casey Schoenberger, the Director of Sales for Dramm Corporation's Fertilizer and Farm Segments.

https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-28