Our collective connection to cannabis goes back, way back, some 12,000 years. Suffice
to say, there have been some major advancements to its cultivation in that time. Here,
we’re going to dissect modern cultivation methods and delve deeper into perhaps the
most innovative – and definitely the most sustainable – way to grow cannabis:
aeroponically.
Aeriz has run a 100% aeroponic operation from day one. Since their inaugural harvest
in 2017 in Arizona, they’ve expanded operations to southern Illinois, and soon, to
California. After speaking with the Head Grower, Director of Cultivation, and Director of
Operations, it’s apparent that aeroponically grown cannabis isn’t exactly the easy route.
But the consistent result – a more premium product – is worth the toil.
So, how does Aeriz master the art of aeroponic cannabis? Let’s take a journey – from
soil, to water, and finally, to air.
FIRST THINGS FIRST: SOIL CULTIVATION
Chances are you’ve grown a plant or several in your life and are therefore familiar with
soil-based growing. Maybe you’ve killed a few in your day and, like this writer, cannot
figure out what you did wrong this time. That’s the takeaway with soil-based growing:
too many variables that make it difficult to pinpoint what went wrong – or right.
Aeriz’s Head Grower, Kevin Maloney, notes that soil is the most basic way of growing,
the most forgiving even, but there are many “buffers for error.” Because soil varies
greatly, and increases the likelihood of gnats, pests, and fungal contamination, it’s
extremely “difficult to manage nutrition in an optimal fashion,” as Director of Cultivation,
Stacy Tollefson, puts it simply for us non-PhD folk.
So, imagine these dilemmas on a large scale – a field of cannabis with multiple roots all
searching and struggling for proper nutrients, water, and oxygen. When the plant itself
does all the work to survive and thrive, its fellow brethren in the field may not fare as
well. While cannabis can and does grow in soil within many operations throughout the
world of course, the outcome is – quite frankly – lower-grade, dirtier weed in less
bountiful quantities.
THE HYDROPONIC HERO
Enter the precise, green-thumbed (after much trial and error) humans. To help plants
prosper more effectively, a variable was removed from the equation – soil – and the
more advanced growing system of hydroponics was born. While you may be imagining a giant, lab-like facility with clipboards and white coats, the
basic idea of hydroponics originated thousands of years ago – the Hanging Gardens of
Babylon and the Floating Gardens of China being two shining examples created well
before Christ. Since then, and within the world of cannabis, highly advanced hydroponic
growing systems are wildly prevalent today.
Essentially, hydroponically-grown cannabis works like this: the plant sits in some type of
medium (often spun limestone, rockwool or coco coir), which is then suspended in or
dispersed with – you guessed it – water. Within the water are all the fertilizers and
nutrients the plant needs to grow, resulting in a larger yield, less contamination, and
better-quality cannabis than soil cultivation.
Sounds great, right? It is – for the cannabis. However, it yields a lot of waste. Dr.
Tollefson points out that most of the mediums (also referred to as “media”) used are not
reused or composted: “Reusing the media can present a problem with pathogens and
contaminants re-entering the system, so commercial growers are constantly buying new
media.” Plus, “in many cases, the nutrient solution goes through the media once, then to
the sewer, wasting a lot of water and fertilizer.” While the cannabis may be more
plentiful and promising, landfills and natural resources pay the price.
EARTH-FRIENDLY AEROPONICS
Sustainability is at the core of everything that Aeriz does. Their enduring efforts to
minimize waste in their cannabis cultivation actually produces a more premium product.
Cannabis patients and enthusiasts consistently seek purity, and Aeriz delivers on that
from start to finish. As the largest commercial aeroponic cannabis grower in the world,
their perfectly precise process is no small feat.
In contrast to hydroponics, aeroponically grown cannabis is suspended in air with only a
small amount of media present in the process. In Aeriz’s case, the plants are started by
“hanging a cutting in a neoprene collar and misting the roots,” Tollefson explains. The
rooted cuttings are then “transplanted into a small amount of clay pellets in a net pot to
give the plant an anchor” to stand up straight. “Roots emerge from the bottom of the net
pot and are misted with a nutrient solution” at exact intervals, 24/7. The solution is “re-
circulated, rather than thrown down the drain,” resulting in 30% less water usage than
hydroponic growing or 95% less than soil. Furthermore, the hovering roots are exposed
to more oxygen and an increased “bioavailability of nutrients.” So, plants grow faster
while still retaining their natural cannabinoids – you know, the stuff that makes each
strain so uniquely delightful.
Maloney equates the process to taking care of ourselves: “if we work out and eat right,
we look and feel our best…we’re doing the same with cannabis using aeroponics.” By
delivering the “most precise amounts of nutrients in short bursts and sprays,” they give
the plant “exactly what it wants when it wants it, providing the environment is correct.”
Explaining the arduous task of perfecting their aeroponic environment would be arduous
in and of itself. Both Maloney and Director of Operations, Reece Roder, note that other
cultivators are intimidated to switch to aeroponic cannabis because they’re under the
impression that “this is the harder way to grow.” With pride, Roder emphasizes, “but you
end up with a more premium product,” free of contaminants.
And that brings us to arguably the most important part of Aeriz’s process: the complete
flush. While other grow operations may skimp on this part, for the last 7-10 days of the
growth cycle, Aeriz puts nothing but water through the system, “forcing the plant to
deplete its nutrient levels inside itself.” In layman’s terms: what’s left is “the most natural
version of itself, as if it was grown in the wild. And that’s the goal – to be one of the
purest products you can have.”
WORTH THE EFFORT
“It’s not easy and we take pride in doing it the hard way so customers and patients can
have that premium bud and enjoy it without worrying about contaminants,” Roder
declares with the utmost sincerity. It’s clear that the Aeriz experts put heart into every
part of the aeroponic process. From the sustainably-sound, closed-loop system that
uses less resources, to the final flush that results in zero contamination, Aeriz cannabis
is cleaner by careful design. And the high? As Mother Earth intended.
To learn more or try Aeriz aeroponically grown cannabis yourself, visit Aeriz.com.