Upcoming Webinar: Phosphorus and Cannabis - How much is Enough?

April 28, 12:00 - 1:00 pm EST sets the stage for the next webinar in the GrowON series, organized by extension staff at OMAFRA. As the cost of fertilizer increases, greenhouse growers of all shapes and sizes are looking for ways to optimize nutrient use efficiency in order to manage the costs of the inputs. Phosphorus, being an important nutrient for plant production, is the focus of today's talk. Bill MacDonald, the coordinator of the commercial cannabis program at Niagara College, will talk about the results of phosphorus deficiency trials conducted over the last few years in Cannabis. Following this discussion, there will be a review of other nutrition work that has been done to help dial in the ideal recipe for your crop. 

In September 2018, Niagara College became the first post secondary institute in Canada to obtain a Health Canada license specifically to grow cannabis with the intention of training students. Prior to joining Niagara College, Bill MacDonald owned and managed greenhouses, and spent 8 years consulting in the cannabis industry. He has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and a Master of Science in Plant nutrition from the University of Guelph, so he is well versed in all things cannabis nutrition.

If you are interested in learning more about the role Phosphorus plays in your crop, and getting a better idea of the impact of varying nutrient levels on your crop, click here to register for the session. 

Posted by: Talia Plaskett

Cannacopia – Key Concepts for Cannabis Success

 

Introducing the first official workshop hosted by the BloomLabs team! This presentation can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbb-PNiTFpc. Please follow this link if you’re interested!  

Topics of discussion included the following:

Sarah discusses facility and product overview from Olli Brands Inc., a leader in cannabis edibles in Canada, who has tons of great and unique flavours to try! P.S. You may want to try their chocolate brownies or cookies! Sarah outlines new product development processes and how Olli can help you bring your ideas to life.

Mike, from Professional Cleaning Solutions, discussed cleaning in the industry. Sanitation is a key concept for any cannabis producer to mitigate any mould or mildew, including affecting the environment negatively. Mike chats about topics like training, health and safety, environmental impacts, Good Production Practices (in the Cannabis Regulations!), sanitation and environmental programs, and more!

Dr. Punja discusses the various pathogens in greenhouses, which can be compared to indoor growth as well. Diseases infect roots, foliage, as well as flower and are all important when growing cannabis, especially for disease management. Dr. Punja discusses the types of pathogens, as well as biological controls that can mitigate the diseases. If you have powdery mildew, moulds, root rot, etc., check out this presentation! Afterall, it is very common, cannabis is a live flower!

Ricardo, our Senior Microbiologist at BloomLabs, discusses the concerns with bacterial and mould contaminants. Ricardo walks through the types of bacteria and mould we test for at BloomLabs in cannabis. Cannabis can have some anti-microbial properties, but as it is for human consumption, producers must make sure it’s safe for human health. This presentation identifies contamination points during production and discusses services Bloom offers to help mitigate issues, such as air quality testing, environmental swabbing, etc.

Services from the BloomLabs Cannabis Accelerator Team, Talia and Chelsea, include production services, from seed to sale, including irrigation systems, substrate information, pest management practices, and more! We also offer cannabis edible product development, as well as shelf-life studies! We work with clients from start to finish to get their products to the market. BloomLabs can work with you, either on site or online, to grow your company and products

 

BloomLabs had a great time hosting this workshop and we plan to host more of these types of information sessions! We allowed for Q&A period which many viewers got to ask specific questions about products or requirements. Please keep an eye out for our next workshop (we’ll also be sending an email out to our current email list, so please reach out if you’d like to hear from us!)!