Matt LaScala
Botanist
Adakai
Phoenix, AZ
The propagation room is a very important — if not the most important — area in each operation. It is a place where mother plants can grow and produce viable cuttings without the breakneck schedule and flip associated with flowering or production environments. It’s a place where cuttings can utilize their complete genetic complement, regenerate and make the seemingly miraculous transition into a new, unique plant. Vegetative growth is the name of the game, therefore environmental conditions and nutrient regimes are adjusted accordingly (slightly higher temperature and humidity, increased nitrogen feed) to maximize growth and viability for future generations.
At our operation, mother plants cohabitate the propagation room with our cuttings and starts.
Starting from clones provides a few key advantages for us: it guarantees a female plant and ensures a genetic duplicate of the plant from which it was sourced.
Female plants are an obvious benefit of clones as pollen can wreak havoc in a controlled environment, but the genetic integrity is something slightly less obvious, but arguably more important (especially in a state with a medical program). If a patient finds therapy in a given strain, we as producers want to make sure that strain is consistently available and consistently within spec regarding cannabinoid and terpene ranges.
Availability and consistency are areas of opportunity within the industry and will hopefully become more streamlined with regulation and standardization. That is why it is so integral to engage patients and work closely with the outward face of the operation to help judge market needs and help steer genetics acquisition.