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My guest this week is  Dr. James Altland. Dr. Altland is a Research Horticulturist and the Research Leader for the USDA-ARS Application Technology Research Unit also known as the ATRU. Although the role of the ATRU has historically been to develop new pesticide application technologies, it has shifted its focus in the last 5 years to developing CEA technologies. While leading a team of 10 scientists in various aspects of CEA from entomology, plant pathology, engineering, and horticulture, Dr. Altland’s expertise encompasses the development of substrate technologies for containerized plant production.  With collaborations at Ohio State University, this has recently...

My guest this week is Christine DeJesus. Christine operates at the intersection of regenerative organic agriculture and social justice. For five years she’s been perfecting a highly efficient organic cultivation model while managing operations for Galenas Cannabis in Akron, Ohio. Prior she worked in food justice, ran a farm for Great Lakes Brewing Company, functioned as campaign coordinator for Marijuana Policy Project, and co-founded the Midwest CannaWomen. She was featured in the documentary “Polycultures: Food Where We Live,” with Michael Pollan, and at the “My Global Kitchen” exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Christine is a creative writer,...

There's a lot of information available online these days around cannabis cultivation as well as it's potential medical benefits and risks. In this episode, I talk with Christine Goedhart from the University of British Columbia about her recent Biology of Cannabis course and how she created the curriculum and also about how to evaluate an authoritative source of information. We also discuss the myriad of products and marketing that make it difficult to separate really good research from poor quality science. Christine is an experienced educator and educational developer with a specialization in teaching undergraduate biology courses. Currently serving as...

 There are many similarities between the Giant Pumpkin and Cannabis Communities as well as cultivation techniques and fertility. In this episode I sit down with Matthew DeBacco, who founded and teaches the first cannabis horticulture courses at a public university (University of Connecticut) and is also a giant pumpkin grower. Matthew received his Bachelors degree in Pathology with a secondary degree in horticulture, then going on to receive a master’s degree in agronomy 2011 and a masters in education in 2014, both from the university of Connecticut. Then in 2020 he received his PhD from Ashford University. Matthew started the...

Dr. Zarei earned his Ph.D. degree from Leiden University in the Netherlands, specializing in molecular mechanisms governing defense and secondary metabolism in plants. Dr. Zarei spent a decade as a Research Associate at the University of Guelph, where his research focused on stress physiology in plants. His primary passion lies in the study of plant secondary metabolites, many of which possess pharmaceutical significance. In 2017, Adel transitioned to the Cannabis industry, serving as a Scientific Advisor and Cannabis Micropropagation Expert. He played a pivotal role in designing and establishing multiple Cannabis Micropropagation labs for Cannabis Production License Holders. His groundbreaking...

My guest this week is Adam Arnold is a founder/ Owner at Collective Elevation in Bozeman Montana. Collective Elevation is one of the largest living soil cannabis greenhouse  facilities in the country.   Adams been growing cannabis for 20 years, the last 10 at his facilitiy in Bozeman which was designed and built from the ground up by him and his team. Prior to recreational legalization in Montana he built off grid greenhouse facilities in Montana during the medical days and has founded Collective Elevation on a platform of sustainability  utilizing sun assisted living soil practices.  He went to school at...

My guest this week is a returning guest. Dr. Nicole Gauthier is a pathologist, and Professor and Extension specialist at the University of Kentucky.  Her program focuses on disease management of specialty crops, including hemp.  In her Extension role, she develops educational and outreach programs to help growers manage disease through identification, understanding of pathosystems, and integration of management strategies. Her research program focuses on a range of hemp diseases, including Fusarium head blight.  Dr. Gauthier earned her BS in Horticulture Science and her PhD in Plant Pathology from Louisiana State University.  She joined the UK College of Agriculture in...

George has degrees in Horticulture from the University of Georgia and the University of Florida. He is the GGSPro Technical Services Manager with Griffin Greenhouse Supplies. GGSPro assists ornamental, edible, and hemp/cannabis growers across the country with their cultivation issues ranging from sanitation, IPM, fertility, lighting, and water quality. GGSPro fields over 17,000 grower related calls and emails annually. This amount of valuable interaction helps Griffin collaborate with chemical vendors, academic researchers, and plant producers to implement change within the green industry.   

My guest this week is June Graesch. Julie has 18 years of experience as a biological scientist, practiced in laboratory, greenhouse, and field research as well as technical service support for the integrated pest management industry. She has been with BioWorks for 5 years and has previously held positions at BASF, Becker Underwood, and Iowa State University. Now on to the show!  

For this week’s podcast, we are talking all about water. Dramm is an industry leader when it comes to equipment related to irrigation and horticulture. My guest this week is Les Evans. Les has a degree in Biological Engineering, with a concentration in Water/Soil & Environmental Engineering from NC State University, and 29 years of industry experience helping growers, of all types of crops, with their environmental and water quality challenges. Les’ day-to-day involves supporting the Dramm sales team and their customers with water treatment designs that maximize investment while minimizing environmental impact. When he's not at his desk, he can be found...

My guest this week is Chris Castle. Chris is the co-founder and CEO/COO of Flora & Flame out of California, currently the largest vertical indoor living soil cannabis farm. Chris is a bay area native who has been cultivating cannabis for 17 years, with the last 6 solely on indoor living soil.     

Before starting the podcast I wanted to let listeners know that I plan on adding more interviews of growers this season. While the original intention of the podcast was to bridge the gap between academic research and real life cultivation, I have done a wide variety of interviews of the years and think it’s important to hear how growers are dealing with real day to day issues in their cultivation facilities, as we don’t typically get to grow under perfect conditions and control for every variable. So while these interviews might be slightly less scientific and may contain some personal...

My guest this week is Michael Alden. Michael is the Research Director at Stairway Holding, Inc. and explores methods to improve  efficiency and productivity in cannabis cultivation. He spent the past 5 years as a graduate research assistant with Dr. Jim Faust studying the flowering physiology of poinsettias (M.S.) and cannabis (PhD) at Clemson University. Now on to the show! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqvsF4ntykk    

My guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. Suzanne has been on the podcast multiple times and I highly suggest folks go back and listen to some of her other podcasts if you haven’t already.   

Bryant is a Certified Crop Advisor who specializes in organic cannabis nutrition. He has spent the last 5 years working to combine precision laboratory techniques with data science in an effort to unravel the complexities of cannabis soil and crop nutrition. Along with his work on soilless media, he also helps outdoor cultivators around the U.S. with nutrient management and cover cropping. If you would like to do soil testing, help interpreting a soil test, or are interested in an online course on these subjects, his website is www.soildoctorconsulting.com. If you want to save $100 on his course, you can use the discount...

Bryant is a Certified Crop Advisor who specializes in organic cannabis nutrition. He has spent the last 5 years working to combine precision laboratory techniques with data science in an effort to unravel the complexities of cannabis soil and crop nutrition. Along with his work on soilless media, he also helps outdoor cultivators around the U.S. with nutrient management and cover cropping. If you would like to do soil testing, help interpreting a soil test, or are interested in an online course on these subjects, his website is www.soildoctorconsulting.com. If you want to save $100 on his course, you can use the discount...

By now practically everyone has heard of mycorrhizal fungi, it’s a pretty incredible fungi that forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots of many plants. But I see a lot of misinformation and claims out there about it and I thought it would be a good topic to dive into.

Robert Thomas is the principal scientist at Scientific Solutions, a consulting company that serves the educational needs of the trace element user community. He has worked in the field of atomic and mass spectroscopy for almost 50 years, including 24 years for a manufacturer of atomic spectroscopic instrumentation. Rob has written overt 100 technical publications, including a 15-part tutorial series entitled, A Beginner’s Guide to ICP-MS. He is also the editor and frequent contributor of the Atomic Perspectives column in Spectroscopy magazine, as well as serving on the editorial advisory board of Analytical Cannabis. In addition, Rob has authored 6...

My guests this week are Victoria Holden and Charles Smith with a short appearance by Dr. Ben Higgins. Victoria and Charles are the co-founders of IMIO and in this podcast we discuss their products and research. They currently have brought two products to market, an organic microbial-based rooting powder and a microbial based solution for breaking down biomass faster, which has broad applications. This podcast is over a year in the making, as we wanted to run trials at Gold Leaf Gardens with Dr. Ben Higgins to see how the organic cloning product worked and get some independent data on...

Today’s podcast is a little different. I have been listening to the Andrew Huberman podcast lately, he’s a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University and he does a variety of podcasts related to human health that are worth checking out. Anyway, in addition to his regular podcast interviews, he does this extra series where he answers listener questions and talks more in depth about a variety of topics. The first 15-20 minutes of these podcasts, which he calls “ask me anything” are available for free on the podcast channel, and then you can subscribe to his premium channel if you...

My guest this week is Steve Cantwell. Steve is a former mixed martial artist and entrepreneur known for his time in the UFC and his involvement with Green Life Productions. Steve Cantwell was born in Long Beach, CA. He began training in martial arts at a young age and developed a passion for combat sports. In 2005, Cantwell made his professional MMA debut and quickly gained attention for his aggressive fighting style and well-rounded skills. He amassed an impressive record in regional promotions, which led to his signing with the UFC in 2008. In recent years, Cantwell has focused on...

My guest this week is Steve Cantwell. Steve is a former mixed martial artist and entrepreneur known for his time in the UFC and his involvement with Green Life Productions.   Steve Cantwell was born in Long Beach, CA. He began training in martial arts at a young age and developed a passion for combat sports. In 2005, Cantwell made his professional MMA debut and quickly gained attention for his aggressive fighting style and well-rounded skills. He amassed an impressive record in regional promotions, which led to his signing with the UFC in 2008. In recent years, Cantwell has focused...

My guest this week is Dr. Jack Munz. Dr. Munz has a decade’s worth of experience in the field of plant molecular genetics working on complex gene regulation and nutrient metabolism projects. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Botany from Colorado State University while working as a lab assistant facilitating the development of genetic markers for invasive species. Jack then earned a Master of Science from Illinois State University where he worked towards increasing vegetable oils in temperate grasses like corn for biodiesel production using targeted gene expression. He then earned his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of...

My guest this week is Colin Bell. Colin is most well known in the industry as the co-inventor of Mammoth P. He completed his Ph.D. in Soil Microbial Ecology in 2009. As a Research Scientist at Colorado State University, Colin published dozens of peer reviewed publications that were focused on elucidating microbial mediated processes that enhance plant growth. Colin’s academic research includes long-term multidisciplinary studies in which biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of soils were measured to elucidate soil microbial and plant responses to climate variability. He currently works for Miicrobial Mass, a plant amendment product comprised of several unique...

My guest this week is Cassandra Maffey and she shares her experience with creating and utilizing Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs in your garden. Cassandra is a legacy cannabis cultivator who specializes in commercial scale, organic living soil cultivation. She honed her cultivation skills in the early 2000’s in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle, then relocated to Colorado to co-found one of Boulder’s first licensed dispensaries in 2009. Since then, she has helped clients across the country establish successful commercial scale living soil cannabis cultivation facilities, working with Medical, Recreational, and Celebrity brands. Cassandra’s passion for sustainability and quality has won...

My guest this week is Dr. Michael Brownbridge. Michael is a Biological Program Manager with BioWorks. In this role he provides technical support for the company's catalog of disease-management products, and their utilization in integrated plant health programs. Prior to joining BioWorks in 2019, he was fortunate enough to have travelled the world plying his craft, with research and outreach positions in Israel, Kenya, the US, New Zealand, and Canada, putting new biological control tools and knowledge into the hands of growers. Now on to the show!      

My guest this week is Brandon Hudson. Brandon is a second generation cannabis cultivator with over 35 years of direct experience with this amazing plant. Building on fundamentals learned as a child Brandon has applied a controlled approach to cannabis cultivation starting his first plants his freshman year of college in 1986. He currently works for KIS Organics providing growers with everything from customer support to assistance with nutrients and soil tests. A well rounded and passionate organic grower, Brandon's real passion is in soil chemistry. Most recently, Brandon was the Director of Cultivation and one of four founding members of a minority-owned...

My guest this week is Dr. Nicole Gauthier. She is a Professor and Extension specialist at the University of Kentucky.  Her program focuses on disease management of specialty crops, including hemp.  In her Extension role, she develops educational and outreach programs to help growers manage disease through identification, understanding of pathosystems, and integration of management strategies. Her research program focuses on a range of hemp diseases, including Fusarium head blight.  Dr. Gauthier earned her BS in Horticulture Science and her PhD in Plant Pathology from Louisiana State University.  She joined the UK College of Agriculture in 2011 and began working...

Cari Peters Raymond is Vice President at her family’s company, JR Peters Inc. She is proud to be the 3rd generation of Peters at the company, following both her Father and Grandfather, who introduced the original Peters fertilizers over 72 years ago. At J.R. Peters, Cari is the formulator of all products developed by JR Peters. She heads a hard-working team (the Jack’s Blue Crew) to bring new fertilizer formulas that provide solutions to growers’ nutritional issues. She also manages the J.R. Peters Laboratory & provides tech support – as in, real solutions to growers using the lab or Jack’s products. She has development many formulas...

Bryant is a Certified Crop Advisor who specializes in organic cannabis nutrition. He has spent the last 4 years working to combine precision laboratory techniques with data science in an effort to unravel the complexities of cannabis soil and crop nutrition. Along with his work on soilless media, he also helps outdoor cultivators around the U.S. with nutrient management and cover cropping. If you would like to do soil testing, help interpreting a soil test, or are interested in an online course on these subjects, his website is www.soildoctorconsulting.com    

NOTE: There were some corrections to the podcast that were discovered after recording. Around the 20 minute mark, the nitrogen rate should be 200 ppm and when Patrick references 50 ppm of phosphorus, he meant to say 50 ppm of magnesium. You can refer to the actual paper in the links below to verify the rates and information. My guests this week are 2 awesome cannabis researchers, Paul Cockson and Patrick Veazie. Paul has been on the podcast before on episode 59 talking about his paper on cannabis deficiencies. Be sure to check out that episode if you haven’t already...

My guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. Suzanne has been on the podcast multiple times and I highly suggest folks go back and listen to some of her other podcasts if you haven’t already. This podcast though is a...

My guest this week is my good friend, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans also known by many as The Bug Lady. She is an Ornamental Entomologist specializing in integrated pest management.  Suzanne has been involved in the Green Industry for more than 25 years with a primary focus on biological control and using pesticides properly.  She is a graduate of the University of Florida with degrees in both Entomology and Environmental Horticulture. Suzanne has been on the podcast multiple times and I highly suggest folks go back and listen to some of her other podcasts if you haven’t already. This podcast though is a...

Our guest today is Jeff Lowenfels. I wanted to get Jeff, our very first podcast guest and old friend, back on the show. Jeff is the author of the popular Teaming series, Teaming with Microbes, Teaming with Nutrients, Teaming with Fungi, and now his new book “Teaming with Bacteria which he joins us today to discuss. He also has a book called DIY Autoflowering Cannabis which we discussed in an earlier interview.  Jeff is an extremely respected and popular national garden writer. He is the former president of the Garden Writers of America, Jeff has been a good friend now...

My guests this week are 2 awesome cannabis researchers, Paul Cockson and Patrick Veazie. Paul has been on the podcast before on episode 59 talking about his paper on cannabis deficiencies. Be sure to check out that episode if you haven’t already and also this is a good one to go to the podcast page at kisorganics.com, just click on the learn tab then podcast. I will have links to all the papers so you can follow along as well as a link to their new website that shares all their research in one central location, it’s a great resource....

My guest this week is Dr. Daniela Vergara. She is an evolutionary biologist, data analyst, educator, scientific writer, and public speaker. In addition to her multiple publications, she founded and directs a non-profit organization, the Agricultural Genomics Foundation (AGF; AgriculturalGenomics.org). AGF aims to make hemp and cannabinoid science available to a broad public. Dr. Vergara recently joined the Harvest New York Extension Team from Cornell University as an ‘Emerging Crop Specialist’ to help hemp farmers with their crop. Dr. Vergara’s scientific publications include the comparison of the cannabinoids by the federally produced Cannabis to that produced by the private market. These results...

My guest this week is Dr. Monique McHenry Monique is a botanist with a background in plant diversity and evolution. She is the director of the University of Vermont Cannabis Science and Medicine and Plant Biology Certificate programs, director of the Medical Cannabis Center for Research and Education, and co-director of the cannabis pharmacology course at the University of Vermont Medical School. She is also Co-Founder of the CASE Institute, a plant-based pharmaceutical research enterprise. Dr. McHenry completed her Bachelors and Master’s of Science at the University of Colorado and her Ph.D. at the University of Vermont. Now on to the...

This episode is a bit different. I didn’t know what to do for our 100th episode and my friend Suzanne, who you all know as the Bug Lady, convinced me to let her flip the tables and interview me to share a bit more about myself, how this podcast came to be, and some of what I’ve learned from the many amazing guests I’ve had the privilege of interviewing over the past 4 years. When I first started the podcast, I didn’t really know if anyone would tune in to listen. As of writing this introduction, we are almost at...

My guest this week is Steven Arthurs. Steven graduated from the Imperial College London with a Masters of Science in Plant Protection and Integrated Pest Management. He also received a Diploma in Applied Entomology and went to get a PhD in Insect Pathology. He did his Post Doctoral work at Texas A and M researched biological pest control for thrips on ornamental plants and investigated insect/virus interactions while conducting greenhouse trials to evaluate new insecticides. From there he worked as a research entomologist with the USDA for 5 years before becoming an Assistant Professor in Entomology at the University of...

My guest this week is Dr. Wendy Zellner.  Dr. Zellner received her Doctorate ifrom the University of Toledo in 2012 where she trained in molecular and cellular biology, focusing on the role of silicon in plant defense responses.  Upon graduation, she pursued a four-year postdoctoral position with the USDA-ARS, where she continued studying the role of silicon in alleviating both abiotic and biotic stress in tomato and tobacco.  Her current studies are to design standard methods for quantifying the uptake of silicon from fertilizer material in addition to identifying uptake mechanisms for silicon in model species and testing for similar...

My guest this week is Dr. Ethan Russo. Dr. Russo is a board-certified neurologist, psychopharmacology researcher, and author. He is the Founder and CEO of credo-science.com. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania (Psychology), and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, before residencies in Pediatrics in Phoenix, Arizona and in Child and Adult Neurology at the University of Washington in Seattle. He was a clinical neurologist in Missoula, Montana for 20 years in a practice with a strong chronic pain component. In 1995, he pursued a 3-month sabbatical doing ethnobotanical research with the Machiguenga people in Parque Nacional del Manu, Peru. He...

My guest this week is Michael Wilson. Mike is the owner and head cultivator of Maine Craft Cannabis, a cannabis cultivation company licensed under Maine’s medical cannabis program.  Maine Craft Cannabis grows organically in living soil beds, and I met Mike when he reached out 2018 regarding consulting and dialing in the program in his facility. We’ve stayed in touch ever since, sharing ideas and test results as we continue to learn. Before joining the cannabis industry, Mike had a career in Mechanical engineering designing industrial centrifuges and x-ray machines. If you want to learn more, you can check out...

My podcast this week is a bit unique in that we will be discussing how to diagnose deficiencies in cannabis and how to use a dichotomous key. We have a new document available on our website that has the dichotomous key we reference in the podcast as well as images showing the deficiencies related to each mineral we discuss. So if you wanted to follow along to the podcast with visuals you can check it out here. My guest this week is Brandon Hudson. Brandon is a second generation cannabis cultivator with over 35 years of direct experience with this amazing plant....

Our guest this week is Jeremy Plumb. Jeremy was the Director of Production Science at Pruf Cultivar, one of the most technologically advanced cannabis cultivation facilities in North America. At Pruf, Jeremy combined decades of cannabis horticulture experience with cutting-edge technology to deliver previously unattainable consistency in both product quality and consumer effect. Prior to his leadership at Pruf, Jeremy was a co-founder of Farma, recently acclaimed by Rolling Stone as one of Oregon’s top dispensaries. Jeremy has served as a cannabis consultant to Israel medical cannabis researchers and as a cannabis policy advisor for US members of Congress. He...

My guest this week is Ryan Lee. Ryan is an educator, breeder, and researcher specializing in the chemical and genetic diversity of the cannabis species. Ryan comes from a background in neuroscience focusing on the endocannabinoid system, but later focusing on plant breeding technologies and the study of the molecular aspects of the cannabis genome and how we can use science to shape and improve the plant. Now on to the show!      

Samuel Hoefler is a 10-year cannabis industry professional and current Head Grower of Prūf Cultivar. Sam is finishing an agronomy at Oregon State University and focuses primarily on nutrient management, irrigation techniques, and cannabis crop production. Sam has created a novel cultivation model at Prūf Cultivar while building one of the most advanced and informative data sets on cannabis nutrient values to date. Sam’s long term goals include establishing optimal nutrient ranges for cannabis, creating an open platform for industry professionals to share knowledge, and to continue pursuing a lifelong passion for researching cannabis cultivation. Elevated Phosphorus Fertility Impact on Cannabis sativa 'BaOx' Growth and Nutrient...

My guest this week is Dr. Heather Grab. Dr. Grab is a Senior Lecturer at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the School of Integrated Plant Science. In this role she teaches multiple courses focusing on Cannabis cultivation and processing and mentors students in Cornell’s Hemp Master of Professional Studies program. In collaboration with Cornell experts and industry partners, she delivers best practices for the cultivation and processing of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp to professionals in the Northeast and beyond. Prior to this position Heather was a USDA NIFA post-doctoral researcher in the Entomology Department at Cornell...

My guest this week is Rufus Akinrinlola. He is a Ph.D. Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant in the Entomology and Plant Pathology Department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. He works in the research programs of UT Specialty Crops and Field Crop Pathology, focusing on Sustainable Disease and Integrated Pest Management Systems, where he’s co-mentored by Drs. Heather Kelly and Zachariah Hansen. Rufus has an MS degree in Agronomy (Plant Pathology) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a BS degree in Microbiology from Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria. His areas of interest include management of field and specialty crops with emphasis...

My guest this week is Dr. Anna Paltseva. As an international urban soil scientist and assistant professor, Dr. Anna Paltseva's mission is to educate communities about the critical importance of soil health in growing nutritious food, supporting healthy ecosystems, and helping to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. Her expertise is in helping people identify and remedy soil contamination in urban gardens. She has a passion to help others to understand the impact of heavy metals on the health of soils and the best ways to improve soil quality. https://geology.louisiana.edu/soils-lab