Growing, from the ground up
The story of each of our cannabis flowers begins in our home in BC’s Fraser Valley, with a team of dedicated growers who bring together decades of greenhouse experience and cannabis cultivation.
Each and every day, this team is committed to promoting the health of every part of our plants — from the root to the top cola – at every stage of growth. Why is this important? Because we’re devoted to producing flower that is potent, flavourful, and consistent.
Like mother, like daughters
Unlike tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, which are grown from seed, it may surprise you to know that most of the cannabis we consume begins as a cutting (or clone) from a mother plant. Our mother plants are the carefully chosen phenotypes, or genetic expressions, that define the Pure Sunfarms’ collection of flower. We choose our mothers based on their ability to produce buds of an intended size, colour, flavour, aroma, and potency. We also select mothers that are naturally pest and disease-resistant, while being able to prosper in BC’s sun-filled Fraser Valley, a well-known agricultural region famous for its diversity of greenhouse crops. From these mother plants, clones are cut to create identical plants, which guarantee consistency from one batch to the next.
Cut from the same cloth
Each cutting is taken from its mother plant with care and precision. Once removed from their mother, cuttings are dipped in a special rooting powder that allows new roots to form at the cut end. These tender new seedlings are then placed by hand into blocks of spun rock wool, which offer them a place of stable structure, while acting as an excellent medium for water and nutrient retention. The seedlings are collected on trays and gently moved to ‘rooting rooms’ in the Pure Sunfarms nursery and are constantly tended to by our grow team as they settle into their new homes.
Handled with care
After approximately two weeks, strong roots have formed, and our young plants have sprouted new fan leaves. They are then planted by hand into a growing medium of coconut husk fibre or coir. Clean and compostable, coconut coir possesses effective water and nutrient retention properties and is also naturally pest and disease resistant. Each adolescent plant will spend another four weeks of vegetative growth in our light, temperature, and humidity-controlled nursery before they are moved into flowering rooms. Over the next eight or nine weeks, flowers will develop and mature, growing in potency and flavour every day.
The right food at the right time
Cannabis, like all plants, doesn’t need much. It needs sunlight, water, CO2, nutrients, and care. Understanding (and delivering) exactly what our plants need at every step of their development is what our grow team does every day.
Our team mixes our own plant food on-site. This proprietary food includes the three most essential macronutrients (the ones required in large amounts) such as nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K), sometimes known collectively as NPK. These are the same basic nutrients that all fruits and vegetables you consume need to grow – including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and lettuce. The plant food is fed to the plants in liquid form to promote the development of roots, foliage, and flowers. Other key nutrients (those needed in smaller amounts) include calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper, and molybdenum. These nutrients are carefully balanced by our growing team to work together to produce the vibrant colours, aromas, and flavours of Pure Sunfarms’ cannabis.
Happy people, happy plants
Once the flowers are nearing maturity (usually within a week or two of harvest), the plants are carefully ‘flushed’ of excess nutrients by feeding them clean water exclusively. Over time, nutrients can build up in the plant, resulting in surpluses which may reduce quality. Clearing out these excess minerals allows the plants to convert the remaining salts into the necessary energy to form a bud that is rich in flavours and potency. It also provides for a smooth-tasting experience.
Like any other consumable plant, cannabis that is grown under a watchful eye will realize its fullest potential of quality and flavour. With decades of experience in greenhouse operations and cannabis cultivation, Pure Sunfarms produces plants with the flavours, colours, and textures people are looking for. The dedication and care that our grow team brings every day promotes healthy, potent plants – from the ground up.
