After a few weeks in our propagation room, El’s Army advanced to the vegetative stage, or “Veg,” as it is frequently called.
For any Prime ATC cultivar, this process begins on “Transplant Day.” We begin by carefully and lovingly placing each rooted cut into a 1 gallon pot filled with coconut fibers, known as “coco coir.” Coco coir is commonly used in indoor cannabis cultivation as an alternative to living soil because bringing a living soil indoors can introduce pests and pathogens.
After being transplanted, the plant is watered with a special blend of nutrients and supplements to ease its transition into the vegetative stage. Each transplant is given a new barcode to keep track of the plant until it is harvested.
When this process is complete, the transplants move into our triple-tiered “Veg Room.” By using a vertical grow method we are able to fit more plants in Veg with less square footage. The plants may spend as little as four days in this room or up to three weeks, depending on the cultivar. El’s Army spent about two weeks in Veg, where they benefited from higher temperatures, humidity, and CO2 in preparation for the next phase.
Flower Time!
Our El’s Army soldiers are now ready for the final stage of their development: the flowering stage! All new cultivars are flowered in our pods, which are retrofitted shipping containers. Each pod has its own CMH lights, HVAC, and irrigation lines, allowing us to run smaller batches of plants and carefully manage every aspect of the flowering process.
When the flowering stage begins, plants are “necked up.” Lower branches and fan leaves are removed, since these will be shaded out as the plants grow taller.
Soon, these plants will produce beautiful colas! Here’s a preview:
Check back soon for our final El’s Army Blog: Flower to the Dispensary Shelf!
Previous El’s Army blogs:
