Quest Dehumidifier’s John Pratt shares ways cultivators can eradicate humidity issues with better air movement.

Botrytis. Also called “bud rot,” this term can sound like a curse word for the cannabis cultivator. Because this moldy disease begins inside the bud, it can be difficult to identify during a routine inspection. But once it’s present, the bud can take on a brown-grey color, and then the mold quickly works its way outward to all other plant parts, and then, devastatingly, through the rest of your crop.  

“There are always going to be spores of different molds and diseases,” says John Pratt of Quest Dehumidifiers. “Even at low humidity levels, if you have no air flow and your grow room is stagnant, bud rot can proliferate fairly easily. To break the cycle of mold growth, you want to break up that environment.”

When it comes to air flow, the motto should be, “more is better,” Pratt says, meaning: provide as much air flow as possible without actually damaging the plant. While too much air movement can cause steam breakage, leaf tearing and growth in different directions, Quest’s recommendation is you should always have a steady air flow in your grow up to that threshold.

Quest Dehumidifiers can be placed in both indoor and greenhouse grows to prevent stagnant air. But Pratt says there are a few dehumidification-regulating tips you’ll want to follow:

For more information on Quest Dehumidifiers' air mover products, please follow this link.

Photo at top: A Quest dehumidifier mounted near the ceiling at a Rhode Island cultivation center.

The site has also suspended some users' accounts.

For the past two years, Michael Zaytsev has sold tickets to the New York Cannabis Film Festival on Eventbrite. The yearly event shows off films that span from entertaining comedies to educational documentaries in Brooklyn's trendy Wythe Hotel. But this year, Eventbrite abruptly pulled the event from its platform and suspended Zaytsev's account.

As to why the event platform would suddenly take issue with the film festival, Zaytsev surmises that it may be due to a reference of CBD-infused popcorn.

CBD aside, other cannabis-related events have also been experiencing problems with Eventbrite.

The Southern California Cannabis Business and Investment Group holds events for professionals in the cannabis industry. "We don't sell cannabis. We just do a business meet-up," said James Jordan, one of the organizers of the event.

Jordan had been using Eventbrite for a year and a half before getting frozen out of his account. The offending listing? A finance panel featuring executives from cannabis-focused investment firms. He had sold 11 tickets on Eventbrite before he lost access to his account.

"I don't know what happened to the 11 payments," said Jordan. "I had to honor the tickets personally without receiving [the money]."

A CBD retailer queried the tax department about the issue after some initial confusion.

Retail outlets should be charging sales tax on products made from the hemp-extract cannabidiol, the Vermont Department of Taxes said in a recent ruling.

Ceres Natural Remedies, a CBD retailer with locations in Burlington and Brattleboro, queried the tax department about the issue after some initial confusion. 

“We wanted to make sure we were doing everything in accordance with the law,” David Mickenberg, a lawyer representing Ceres, told Seven Days.

STATE BY STATE: Vermont Cannabis News

As a result, Mickenberg said the Ceres store will charge 7 percent state and local sales tax on its over-the-counter CBD products, which include pills, salves and patches designed to offer pain and anxiety relief.

Ceres was initially charging sales tax but paused after numerous complaints from customers who said that other retailers were not charging sales tax, according to Mickenberg. The company then sought the guidance of the Tax Department, he said.

Green State Gardener, another Burlington outlet that sells CBD products, has been charging sales tax on such items and will continue to do so, according to general manager Kelsy Raap.

Top image: © Zerbor | Dreamstime.com

The bipartisan effort will establish a regulatory structure for legal marijuana sales and cultivation, and sets a timeline for implementing the voter-approved initiative.

AUGUSTA, Maine — On Oct. 23, Maine lawmakers approved a bill that would establish regulations for the legal marijuana market, with the House voting 81-50 and the Senate voting 22-9 before both chambers passed the measure in an “under the hammer” or unanimous vote. This omnibus bill, LD 1650, was the culmination of nearly seven months of work by the Marijuana Legalization Implementation Committee. The bill creates the rules for licensing and regulating marijuana producers, processors and retail establishments; sets the tax rates for adult-use marijuana; and will delay marijuana consumption social clubs until the summer of 2019, according to a press release.

“We commend the legislature for supporting the will of the people by passing this bill to implement a regulated marijuana market without further delay,” said David Boyer, Maine political director for the Marijuana Policy Project. “This bill was created transparently and inclusively, and while it may not be perfect, it essentially does what Maine voters wanted when they approved Question 1 last year. It is time to start working toward that goal of getting the marijuana market out of the hands of criminals and under the control of the state and legitimate businesses.”

Last week, Gov. Paul LePage and House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport) announced legislation that would further delay legal marijuana sales and cultivation until 2019 — three years after voters approved Question 1, which made marijuana legal for adults and regulated similarly to alcohol. This moratorium bill was defeated in the legislature on Monday. Gov. LePage has also threatened to veto the implementation bill.

“As long as this obstruction continues, Maine will continue to fall farther behind the other states that are successfully regulating marijuana for adults,” Boyer said. “We know how to proceed with this market. Waiting around only benefits drug dealers, while hurting consumers and taxpayers. We will continue working to make sure the legislature takes appropriate action without further delay, regardless of the Governor’s actions.”

Jacobson is to lead the company's sustainable operations.

DENVER (October 23, 2017) – L’Eagle Services, a retail cannabis dispensary specializing in clean cannabis, has announced the appointment of Phillip Jacobson to Director of Cultivation. In this role, Jacobson is responsible for running L’Eagle’s cultivation facility with the highest standards in sustainability, using OMRI-rated products and producing the finest clean cannabis on the market, according to a press release.

“Over the last twenty-four months we have scaled our grow to meet the demands of our business,” said John Andrle, co-owner, L’Eagle Services. “Phillip joins L’Eagle at a time of substantial growth and brings with him an unparalleled breadth of horticultural experience and knowledge. He will lead the team with environmental expertise and move L’Eagle’s mission to meeting rigorous sustainability standards forward while cultivating high quality clean cannabis,” Andrle added. 

Jacobson has been cultivating cannabis for almost two decades. Prior to joining L’Eagle, Jacobson owned and operated PGJ Enterprises, an independent consulting business. Since 2004, Jacobson has built and managed numerous commercial cultivation facilities, directing and managing grow operations including a 296-light recreational OPC grow, an 86-light medical OPC grow, and working with Dominion Extracts to increase the size for their grow three-fold. Prior to starting his own business, Jacobson worked with Natural Resource Logic on wind farm development. Jacobson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology and Environmental Studies, as well as a Master of Science degree in Geological Science from University of Colorado Boulder. Throughout his studies Jacobson was chosen to perform research under a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA). He was also the recipient of a Shell Research Grant. 

As Director of Cultivation, Jacobson will train and supervise department staff and oversee the plant health program. He will work closely with the production team to optimize plant production while implementing sustainable methods and technologies for reducing environmental impact while ensuring the quality and health of the plants. 

L’Eagle subscribes to a rigorous integrated pest management system rooted in non-synthetic pesticides and clean cultural practices. L’Eagle creates low stress environments, sterilizes all areas between batches, and never treats plants after the onset of buds. L’Eagle believes that healthy plants are still the best defense against pests and disease and treatments include Organic OMRI certified oils, bio fungicides/insecticides, bactericides and beneficial insects. L’Eagle is highly respected for its flower which is one hundred percent clean, free of synthetic pesticides and cured for a minimum of three months. 

In addition to ongoing cultivation management, Jacobson’s plans include the verification of a Clean Green Certification for L’Eagle’s grow, as well as the transition from mineral-based nutrients to a fully organic nutrient regimen, further validating L’Eagle’s mission to provide safe, clean, healthy cannabis for its customers while doing good for the environment. 

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Chloe Steerman at 484-751-8387 or chloe@rosengrouppr.com.

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