FamilyCanna - An Introduction (Long Post Warning)

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FamilyCanna

FamilyCanna

72
33
Greetings fellow cultivators,

I wish my introduction to this community had been on better terms. I turned to it in a time of dire need and the help I received was greatly appreciated.
If you know, you know. But that's not why I started this thread.

This thread is to provide an introduction for myself and to share some of what I've learned over the years of being in the industry.

The Early Days - 2007-2013

I began like all others in this lifestyle who've been around for a while, an outlaw. Through a network of friends, we would utilize closets, basements, bedrooms. Pretty much any space we could get our hands on. Here in lies a truth about Cannabis, there is no ONE way to be successful. Like life itself, if you provide the love, she provides the goods. I moved away from home when I was 17 to "Find Myself"... Ended up in Minnesota - Yay me.

I never purchased seeds via seedbanks in those days, we utilized what we had. I always lived in the ghetto, so packs of really good buds were always present, and occasionally they would contain a bean. We were never 100% positive on what strain we got, the moment a pack leaves the farm, the name changes to suite its customer. One thing I know for certain, is we had a solid supply of GDP clones provided by some Natives who lived on a reservation a few hours away.

Coincidentally - this is the same timeframe when Bitcoin became a thing, which will really helped speed up production, but came with it's risks.

I had many good runs using custom amended soils, and premixes, but eventually I grew tired of dealing with the infinite number of variables that come with "live" soil. Granted, you WILL run into MANY variables in ANY grow style, with enough time. That being said, I chose to go hydro very early on, and haven't looked back.

I have always been truly passionate about aquariums and reef-keeping. Growing up, my family created decorative Koi ponds and had basically a small zoo as a child. For Father's day one year, I gifted my Dad with a pair of baby Alligators. They aint babies anymore lol.

This is all relevant because my knowledge about plant and animal husbandry in the respects to aquatic life, is highly proficient or better. I'm a nerd... Switching to Hydro just made sense for me. PLUS I already had some minor success starting a couple Aquaponics systems for local Kale growers.

One thing they never really talk about, is how f**king sketchy it is to be seen hauling 1000lbs of soil in and out of houses in crowded neighborhoods. They always seem to focus on light-leak and heat-detection. Some would say your electricity bill would tip them, but hell, we were stealing that anyway!! I've known hundreds of people who've been raided, and they've never been taken down like that. It's always dumb luck. Even the grand-master growers who gave us OG-Kush by the Tonne in the late 80's got busted because a cop saw an exhaust for a generator in a goofy place it shouldn't be.

Murphy's Law played out like it always does, and I got hit... Hard... I wont go into details, but it ended a 4-state, 2-country operation. I spent the following 5 years in the system.

Homecoming - 2016 - Present

Once I was a free man and life had bitch-slapped me back to reality, I had made a name for myself as a talented scenic carpenter. Building sets, stages, studios, etc. for film and TV.

Simultaneously, a close friend of mine had been living in California for a few years (since my bump), and had made and name for himself as well, only as a very talented cannabis cultivator. His work is 100% legal and in full compliance with California State-Law, he's the real deal and has a very successful enterprise in the Los Angeles area.

My soon-to-be wife was looking to move to California to further her career in Media, and I figured what the hell, why not go play with the big dogs. I had a real value as a carpenter, and an open-door to learn about how the legal cannabis business is implemented. Away we went.

I wont spend much time on California, as this IS intended to be a grow diary of sorts. What I will add is that we both had great success in California, both in careers, and the knowledge we gained from being allowed to participate.

About 8 months ago, my parent's who live in Michigan had called me to discuss that they were considering retiring, but were uncertain of how or what that would consist of as they are full-time caregivers for THEIR parents.

My brother has been in Michigan the entire time and had been participating in the patient/caregiver program since it's inception. I got my brain to start working on it, and realized what a gem we had.

I could move back to Michigan, partner with my family and start a Cannabis business. Effectively helping my parent's retire, aiding in helping the elderly, giving my brother something to do, and taking a much god-damned needed break from Los Angeles - That place is a modern day recreation of Sodom and Gomorrah.

So here we are, FamilyCanna, and it is nice to finally say hello in a manner in which should hopefully, at least, be a good read. 🖐😎

We are currently in our final few months of our first official grow as a Class-A grower and have secured funding to upgrade to a larger, more permanent greenhouse. Licensing is taking forever in Michigan and is only exacerbated by the fact that regulations are being updated weekly without proper education to the public.

We are running top-feed recirculating hydroponics, utilizing gravity for added waterfall aeration within the individual buckets. We have been experimenting with various nutrient systems, but currently my initial thoughts from 10 years ago are still proving to be outstanding winners. Utilize nature to recreate a living ecosystem that benefits the plant. This CAN be done hydroponically, and Organically. It just isn't easily available for most growers in the same sense that Grass-fed beef isn't sustainable. Location, Location, Location.

Once establishing a healthy aquatic ecosystem, which can take months, you then have the ability to introduce livestock/flora and manipulate as you please, as long as you play within the parameters of the ecosystem you've created. I will do a separate write-up on Aquaculture techniques, it's a long thread on it's own.

All that being said, we are currently working through all our inventory to eventually only offer the organically-aquacultured line of products. It just takes time, and time I have in spades.

A few things I've noted about growing in Michigan VS California/Colorado - Mold and bugs are wild here. Even in the winter I was changing HEPA filters weekly to combat WPM. Additionally, I create my own amendments via another hobby of mine - Steelhead fishing. Using their carcasses in compost to create my own natural amendments. But let me tell you, Even in a compost tea, eggs and larvae will eventually show up no matter how cautious you are. Your best line of defense is to always be present in your garden and observe. 9/10 times you can catch issues that could potentially destroy your investment, by simple being present.

As this is a family enterprise, I will have to let everyone know about this, and will need their blessing before I post any photos.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Nothing good happens fast.

Live by these words.

Peace and love.

FamilyCanna
 
sambapati

sambapati

2,174
263
Greetings fellow cultivators,

I wish my introduction to this community had been on better terms. I turned to it in a time of dire need and the help I received was greatly appreciated.
If you know, you know. But that's not why I started this thread.

This thread is to provide an introduction for myself and to share some of what I've learned over the years of being in the industry.

The Early Days - 2007-2013

I began like all others in this lifestyle who've been around for a while, an outlaw. Through a network of friends, we would utilize closets, basements, bedrooms. Pretty much any space we could get our hands on. Here in lies a truth about Cannabis, there is no ONE way to be successful. Like life itself, if you provide the love, she provides the goods. I moved away from home when I was 17 to "Find Myself"... Ended up in Minnesota - Yay me.

I never purchased seeds via seedbanks in those days, we utilized what we had. I always lived in the ghetto, so packs of really good buds were always present, and occasionally they would contain a bean. We were never 100% positive on what strain we got, the moment a pack leaves the farm, the name changes to suite its customer. One thing I know for certain, is we had a solid supply of GDP clones provided by some Natives who lived on a reservation a few hours away.

Coincidentally - this is the same timeframe when Bitcoin became a thing, which will really helped speed up production, but came with it's risks.

I had many good runs using custom amended soils, and premixes, but eventually I grew tired of dealing with the infinite number of variables that come with "live" soil. Granted, you WILL run into MANY variables in ANY grow style, with enough time. That being said, I chose to go hydro very early on, and haven't looked back.

I have always been truly passionate about aquariums and reef-keeping. Growing up, my family created decorative Koi ponds and had basically a small zoo as a child. For Father's day one year, I gifted my Dad with a pair of baby Alligators. They aint babies anymore lol.

This is all relevant because my knowledge about plant and animal husbandry in the respects to aquatic life, is highly proficient or better. I'm a nerd... Switching to Hydro just made sense for me. PLUS I already had some minor success starting a couple Aquaponics systems for local Kale growers.

One thing they never really talk about, is how f**king sketchy it is to be seen hauling 1000lbs of soil in and out of houses in crowded neighborhoods. They always seem to focus on light-leak and heat-detection. Some would say your electricity bill would tip them, but hell, we were stealing that anyway!! I've known hundreds of people who've been raided, and they've never been taken down like that. It's always dumb luck. Even the grand-master growers who gave us OG-Kush by the Tonne in the late 80's got busted because a cop saw an exhaust for a generator in a goofy place it shouldn't be.

Murphy's Law played out like it always does, and I got hit... Hard... I wont go into details, but it ended a 4-state, 2-country operation. I spent the following 5 years in the system.

Homecoming - 2016 - Present

Once I was a free man and life had bitch-slapped me back to reality, I had made a name for myself as a talented scenic carpenter. Building sets, stages, studios, etc. for film and TV.

Simultaneously, a close friend of mine had been living in California for a few years (since my bump), and had made and name for himself as well, only as a very talented cannabis cultivator. His work is 100% legal and in full compliance with California State-Law, he's the real deal and has a very successful enterprise in the Los Angeles area.

My soon-to-be wife was looking to move to California to further her career in Media, and I figured what the hell, why not go play with the big dogs. I had a real value as a carpenter, and an open-door to learn about how the legal cannabis business is implemented. Away we went.

I wont spend much time on California, as this IS intended to be a grow diary of sorts. What I will add is that we both had great success in California, both in careers, and the knowledge we gained from being allowed to participate.

About 8 months ago, my parent's who live in Michigan had called me to discuss that they were considering retiring, but were uncertain of how or what that would consist of as they are full-time caregivers for THEIR parents.

My brother has been in Michigan the entire time and had been participating in the patient/caregiver program since it's inception. I got my brain to start working on it, and realized what a gem we had.

I could move back to Michigan, partner with my family and start a Cannabis business. Effectively helping my parent's retire, aiding in helping the elderly, giving my brother something to do, and taking a much god-damned needed break from Los Angeles - That place is a modern day recreation of Sodom and Gomorrah.

So here we are, FamilyCanna, and it is nice to finally say hello in a manner in which should hopefully, at least, be a good read. 🖐😎

We are currently in our final few months of our first official grow as a Class-A grower and have secured funding to upgrade to a larger, more permanent greenhouse. Licensing is taking forever in Michigan and is only exacerbated by the fact that regulations are being updated weekly without proper education to the public.

We are running top-feed recirculating hydroponics, utilizing gravity for added waterfall aeration within the individual buckets. We have been experimenting with various nutrient systems, but currently my initial thoughts from 10 years ago are still proving to be outstanding winners. Utilize nature to recreate a living ecosystem that benefits the plant. This CAN be done hydroponically, and Organically. It just isn't easily available for most growers in the same sense that Grass-fed beef isn't sustainable. Location, Location, Location.

Once establishing a healthy aquatic ecosystem, which can take months, you then have the ability to introduce livestock/flora and manipulate as you please, as long as you play within the parameters of the ecosystem you've created. I will do a separate write-up on Aquaculture techniques, it's a long thread on it's own.

All that being said, we are currently working through all our inventory to eventually only offer the organically-aquacultured line of products. It just takes time, and time I have in spades.

A few things I've noted about growing in Michigan VS California/Colorado - Mold and bugs are wild here. Even in the winter I was changing HEPA filters weekly to combat WPM. Additionally, I create my own amendments via another hobby of mine - Steelhead fishing. Using their carcasses in compost to create my own natural amendments. But let me tell you, Even in a compost tea, eggs and larvae will eventually show up no matter how cautious you are. Your best line of defense is to always be present in your garden and observe. 9/10 times you can catch issues that could potentially destroy your investment, by simple being present.

As this is a family enterprise, I will have to let everyone know about this, and will need their blessing before I post any photos.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

Nothing good happens fast.

Live by these words.

Peace and love.

FamilyCanna
SOUNDS like you have a lot of soul man. Great to have you on the farm
 

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