While most of Northern California is now sweltering in the dry summer heat, the month of June began quite cool, with even some frost which luckily did not harm the young girls in the garden. Then mid-month we were blessed with very rare rainfall for two nights which the plants absolutely loved! If only that could happen all summer long ...
Thanks to the Gender ID Testing we did with
Leafworks, we were able to get all our plants in the ground this year much earlier than usual, which can make quite a difference. The boys were separated from the girls, and as it became obvious which male plants were the strongest, we saved at least one male of each cultivar. Those boys were taken into quarantine - far away from the girl plants - for future breeding later in the season when the pollen comes out.
Irrigation drip lines were set in place for the season and compost teas and foliar sprays applied to the growing girls as they begin their vegetative journey. It is required that we track every plant from seed to sale, and so blue labels were placed on each plant, and lots of information entered into the Metrc System. And looking ahead, as the girls will grow fast now, we have begun to prepare and clean the bamboo for trellising to hold up their branches. Companion plants, all part of integral pest management, have begun to be planted around the cannabis while hungry weeds are removed.
But as they say, all work and no play is not a good thing. That's why we hosted a gathering of local licensed cannabis craft farmers in early June to take a day off and simply enjoy being together. We shared great food, lots of laughs and let it all out on the dancefloor, with music provided by our very own Mendocino grower band Seed707 and dj/farmer/activist Mo Marie. Being a legal cannabis farmer is not an easy path, and we all spend far too much time dealing with permits and politics, so this was the perfect antidote!
As summer progresses, we must be vigilant about possible forest fires, and to that end, our preparedness never stops. We have cleared dead trees, cut low-lying limbs, and made sure the roads are in good shape in case of necessary evacuation. At this point, there remains refreshing water in the creeks and we are saving every precious drop of irrigation and household water that we can.
Of course, we pray that all will be well with clear skies and no fires this summer, but likewise we know it's better to be safe than sorry. And just to be double sure, the statues here at the ranch/sanctuary have been dressed and honored for the hot and dry summer and autumn seasons ahead.
As we begin to re-balance time on the farm and in the gardens with time on the road and in our favorite dispensaries, we have decided to host our last Seshin' with Swami event for the summer on Zoom on July 15th.
It is always a delight to share time with our wonderful guests and friends from all around the world to learn about various facets of the cannabis world, and the July 15th event will be all about
YOU! We want to hear from all of our regular guests as we all share stories of our experiences with the cannabis plant and the culture at her roots.
This past month we were proud to host cannabis attorney Heather Burke as well as Chris Van Hook, the founder of the Clean Green Certified program. Be sure to check out the
Swami Select Events page on our website and register for the remaining shows and perhaps we can pick it up again in the fall.
For now, it's time to get back to the garden.
Peace & Love to all
Swami & Nikki