High Times - April 2024

THE CULTIVATION ISSUE APRIL 2024 USA $6.99/ FOR $6.99 HIGHTIMES.COM APRIL 579 MAX TERPENES WITH LIVING SOIL COMBATING HOP LATENT VIROID SUNGROWN & SUSTAINABLE

6 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 CONTENTS April 2024 // Volume #579 O N T H E C O V E R D E P A R T M E N T S DANTE'S INFERNO CULTIVATOR: HOUSE OF HARA PHOTO: JUSTIN CANNABIS EDITOR’S NOTE INTERNET CANNABUSINESS THMQ Trans-High Market Quotations 8 10 12 14 1 8 3 4 3 6 2 4 1 6 Is Hop Latent Viriod Everywhere? Hop latent viroid, or HLVd, is a devastating disease that causes cannabis plants to experience stunted growth, yellowing leaves, underdeveloped cannabinoids, and other debilitating symptoms, and worst of all, there’s no cure. We explore how the viroid works, and whether smaller or large-scale grows are more likely to be affected. Spring Planting Tips Knowledge is one of the most important tools in your garden when it comes to growing cannabis. This advice will get your 2024 crop started off right. Turn Up the Terpenes With Living Soil Moon Valley Cannabis cultivates extraordinary award-winning flower and hash by feeding the soil with natural ingredients and using “no-till” agricultural practices that allow microorganisms to thrive beneath the surface. Intentional Medicine Sun Roots Farm embraces a hands-off approach to cultivation, letting mother nature work her magic and help the soil to prosper. Where the Sherbwalk Ends Rhode Island-based grower Pleasant Effects recently collaborated with The Book Club to create a unique cannabis drop themed after famous literature. The most recent drop includes illustrations by Trevy Metal, who themed the release around the work of author Shel Silverstein. Knowledge to Grow Eternally captivated by the joy of cannabis cultivation, we all grow with the intention to care for the plant with the hopes that it will thrive. While there’s limitless beauty and pride in growing cannabis there are many challenges, too. Diseases such as hop latent viroid threaten crops of all sizes. But all is not lost—the pages curated for you this 4/20 were designed to give you hope and inspire you to embrace and care for cannabis in all its glory. PHOTOS: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM, COURTESY MOON VALLEY CANNABIS CENTERFOLD: PG. 48-49 PHOTO: NATURE'S CHARM PG. 50-51 PHOTO: CAVAN IMAGES

8 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 HIGH TIMES April 2024, No. 579 (ISSN #0362-630X), published monthly by Trans-High Corporation, 2110 Narcissus Ct Venice CA 90921 • HIGH TIMES and Trans-High Corporation do not recommend, approve or endorse the products and/or services offered by companies advertising in the magazine or website. Nor do HIGH TIMES and Trans-High Corporation evaluate the advertiser’s claims in any way. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase. • Offices at 119 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011 • Periodical postage paid at New York, NY, and at additional mailing offices • Manuscripts must be accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope • All contributions will be carefully considered, but the publishers and editors assume no responsibility for loss or injury to unsolicited material • Copyright © 2013 by Trans-High Corporation. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without specific written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. “HIGH TIMES,” “CANNABIS CUP,” “MEDICAL CANNABIS CUP,” “MISS HIGH TIMES” and “BONGHITTERS” are trademarks and registered trademarks of Trans-High Corporation. All advertising and advertised products void where prohibited. Executive Chairman Adam Levin CEO Shaun Jarvis Vice President of Content Jon Cappetta Editor in Chief Ellen Holland Associate Editor Ashley Kern Staff Writer Benjamin M. Adams Digital Editor Cody Lee Associate Publisher Maxx Abramowitz Creative Director Steven Myrdahl Art Director Frank Max Research Advisor Dr. Mitch Earleywine Director of Competitions Vincent Andrada Client Implementation Director Anja Branković Social Media Manager Leo Rechetniak Chairman Emeritus Michael Kennedy Founding Publisher/Editor Thomas King Forçade (1945–1978) Contributors Justin Cannabis, Jimi Devine, Kyle Eustice, Trevor Johns, Paul Kirchner, Joshua Kissi, Chris Lee, Lindsay MaHarry, Chef Maverick, Mark Miller, Benjamin Neff, Gustavo Pergoli, Amanda Reiman, Harry Resin, Chris Romaine, Sophie Saint Thomas, Anthea Tan. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK THIS ISSUE IS ALL ABOUT CULTIVATION, AND WE’RE LOOKING AT A few different styles. First, we explored a farm that grows cannabis under the sun using regenerative practices. Next, we focused on a California cultivator adopting growing techniques you’d traditionally see outside to create indoor flowers rich in flavor and aroma. We also highlight one of the most devastating things to impact cannabis cultivation in recent times, hop latent viroid disease, to examine whether small, unlicensed grows might be safer when it comes to protecting themselves from the pot plague. It’s springtime, so we are also looking towards the 2024 outdoor harvest around the corner and offering some tips for getting your garden going. We hope you have an amazing 4/20. Ellen Holland Editor in Chief EDITOR’S NOTE

10 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 Study Finds Field Drug Test False Positive Results Lead to Wrongful Arrests If you’ve ever felt cheated by pre-employment drug tests, you’re probably right. Tens of thousands of people are wrongfully arrested for alleged crimes based on false positive results from a field drug test every year, according to a recent study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice. Researchers found that the rise of presumptive field tests in drug arrests is probably the largest known contributing factor that leads to wrongful arrests and convictions of Americans. The study stated that approximately 773,000 drug tests conducted in the U.S. each year are completed via color-based presumptive tests that have known reliability issues, including false positive results that incorrectly indicate the presence of drugs like cannabis. The data suggests that about 30,000 people who do not possess drugs are falsely implicated by the tests each year. Are you mad yet? Furthermore, nearly 90% of prosecutors surveyed by the researchers said that guilty pleas are permitted in their jurisdictions without verification of a field test by an accredited toxicology lab. Researchers wrote that Black Americans are victims of false drug arrests at a rate three times higher than white Americans. Read more at HighTimes.com Report: More Than 2 Million Pot-Related Expungements Since 2018 Overthe last five years, millions of Americans were able to get cannabis-related convictions expunged by state courts, according to a Jan. 9 report from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The findings highlight one perk of adult-use cannabis legalization: states that have ended prohibition and established new laws often include provisions to allow for pardons and expungements for certain cannabis-related convictions. Additionally, President Joe Biden issued pardons in 2022 to individuals with some low-level federal cannabis convictions, but his move fell short of expectations for many. NORML’s report, using publicly available information, showed that state and local courts have taken action to expunge an estimated 2.3 million cannabis-related cases since 2018. According to the report, the states “that have been most active in providing relief to those with past convictions include California, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia—all states that have legalized recreational cannabis for adults.” NORML estimates that state and local police have made more than 29 million cannabis-related arrests since 1965, and that among people who were arrested, around 90% were charged with low-level cannabis possession offenses. Read more at HighTimes.com On Instagram Self-taught photographer Mark Archer (@thecuratorco.me) posted this humorous ode to the Wild West, a fine piece of smokable art made out of three kinds of cannabis consistencies! Imagine the flavors and high you’d get if you smoked this all at once. This friendly cowboy’s body is made from live rosin that was grown and washed by @str8chronic, while the frosty nug they’re riding is Oreoz P2 by @minerva_medicinals. But wait, there’s more! The cowboy’s 10-gallon style hat is made from kief provided by @skunkfoot.farms, who gave some weed to Archer. Archer says he was inspired to make this piece from past creations by @jenndoe420, who is a Cannabis Cup-winning hashmaker. We couldn’t help but feature this beauty of a post. Yeehaw! 10 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK Send your best high observations and comments ourway (@HIGH_TIMES_Mag) for a chance to be featured on this page!And be sure to follow us on Facebook: (Facebook.com/HighTimesMag) and Instagram: (@hightimesmagazine) for all the latest news as it’s happening! @itstiatameraa I DON’T smoke the devil’s lettuce, I smoke the lord’s loud. Reposted by @HIGH_TIMES_Mag @dgtmo420 @DaveIst3D and @HIGH_ TIMES_Mag Big Pharma takeover of the industry. Schedule 3 is only for pharmacies and too dangerous for personal grows, budtenders, and dispensaries. Still a felony possession and they take the market. @BiffMcSkylark Ever get COVID and never feel the same again? You’re not the only one. I myself have only half recovered 4 years later at best. When I gave my interview to @HIGH_TIMES_Mag I was needing naps after a simple round of dishes from standing too long. @GeecheeThreat Replying to @HIGH_TIMES_Mag post of Donny Burger #5 centerfold. Adding this to the compendium of strains on the “Must-Try” list @dropthedot314 @BradForrester13 @HIGH_TIMES_Mag Let’s be honest about what [Schedule III] means for consumers, not a damned thing! Weed is still federally illegal and states can keep cannabis at S1 should they choose to do so. The only winners are licensees who get to deduct business expenses and the employees who work for them. INTERNET

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12 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 CANNABUSINESS BY AMANDA REIMAN // CHIEF KNOWLEDGE OFFICER // NEW FRONTIER DATA BACKTOTHESOURCE THE LOOK IN THE EYES OF NEW GANJIER STUDENTS SAYS it all, a mix of astonishment, reverence, and joy. They come from all over the world: Germany, Thailand, the U.K., and from all over the United States, from Southern California to Maine. They come from places where cannabis is still heavily criminalized, where consumers must still navigate the illicit market with little to no choice in what cultivars or cannabis products they can access. They are all ages, from all walks of life. And yet, they have something in common: their love and respect for the cannabis plant. And as they make the pilgrimage to Humboldt County, California, many taking multiple planes, buses, and rental cars to reach the towering redwoods, they know they are coming to a very special place. They are arriving in the premiere cannabis cultivation region of the country, and likely the world: The Emerald Triangle. The Ganjier is a cannabis sommelier certification program that brings students from across the globe to both be educated and become a part of a community that sees the immense potential of the cannabis industry. As a proud member of the Ganjier Council, I have been present for many of these arrivals. Weary from the trip, yet full of excitement, these Ganjier students take the time and effort to wind their way north because they want to experience cannabis in the context of authenticity and legacy. They know that becoming a “sommelier”for cannabis means that they must connect with the source, and traveling to Humboldt County gives them the opportunity to do just that. Honoring legacy cannabis cultivation through the Ganjier. PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 13 Part of the in-person training for the Ganjier program involves visiting a local farm. There is an array of sungrown legacy farmers in this region, and just like visiting the famous wine regions of France, there is no substitute for what they are about to experience. Avisit to farms such as Huckleberry Hill Farms, home of the famous Whitethorn Rose cultivar, provides an opportunity to not only see a beautifully designed and sustainable sungrown cannabis farm, but to hearfrom Johnny Casali, a farmer who has spent his entire life in Humboldt growing cannabis with his family. He recounts the days of prohibition and having to hide in the woods to escape the helicopters and law enforcement, discusses his time in prison for cultivating, and how the communitywelcomed him back with open arms upon his release. His experience is emotional, and the students feel the magnitude of the place in which they stand. Many students are forever changed by this experience, ready to carry the message of craft cannabis and sungrown plants back to their homes. One of the goals of the Ganjier program is to educate and train those with reverence for the plant on the history, science, and culture that envelopes the plant and her role in humanity. The idea is that providing this experience will spread awareness about what quality cannabis is, and where it comes from. As cannabis continues to move in the direction of an agricultural commodity, we run the risk of seeing its fate go the way of industrialized agriculture, something that has been a scourge on the environment and on the public health of society. With federal legalization potentially on the horizon and with it the potential of interstate commerce and international export, the incentives to produce a lot of product as cheaply as possible will be tough to counter. Small farms like Huckleberry Hill will not be able to easily compete with largescale industrialized operations. Whether or not they survive and continue the legacy of craft cultivation underthe sun will likely depend on you, dearreader. Who do you want to benefit from legalization? Who do you want growing your cannabis? What impact do you want your purchase to have on the environment and on the farmers who have given their lives to the plant? There is still time to ensure the survival of farms like Casali’s, but their success will be up to people like you. People who value sustainability and craftsmanship over high THC. People who value the plant over industrialized commodities. This 4/20, let’s remember who took the risk during prohibition, and give them, and their harvests, the respect they deserve.

14 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 MARKET ANALYSIS HIGHEST 10 STATES LOWEST 10 STATES WINNERS LOSERS Leave it to the high holy month of April to shake things up when it comes to the price of pot across the U.S. Large upswings in the cost of cannabis in both the Western market, up $21 to $307, as well as the East, which rose ten bucks to $315, saw the average ounce of pot in America ascend to $302, rising above the $300 threshold for the first time in 2024. Among the Highest 10 States, at $852, Sinmint is one of the most extravagant strains ever recorded for a single ounce in THMQ history, aptly named for coming from Las Vegas, Nevada, aka Sin City. That was balanced out by the insanely inexpensive Blueberry Scone in Washington state, at only $72 for an ounce. Also appropriate for April is the inclusion of Jack Herer in the Top 5 strains. The real-life hemp activist Jack Herer, featured on the cover and in the pages of High Times on numerous occasions, who sadly passed away in 2010, was one of the pioneers in establishing modern-day cannabis culture, as embodied by nationwide annual 4/20 celebrations. TOP 5 STRAINS 1 Jack Herer 4 @ $209 2 Super Lemon Haze 3 @ $323 3 Funky Charms 2 @ $380 4 Green Crack 2 @ $188 5 Bruce Banner 2 @ $158 STOCKS REPORTED JAN. 18, 2024 AbbVie Inc. Jazz Pharmaceutical PLC Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Canopy Growth Corp. Constellation Brands, Inc. Altria Group Inc. Corbus Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc. GrowGeneration Corp. Leafly Holdings Inc. Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. NYSE: ABBV NAS: JAZZ NYSE: SMG NAS: CGC NYSE: STZ NYSE: MO NAS: CRBP NAS: GRWG NAS: LFLY NYSE: IIPR $163.30 (+1.26) $115.19 (-2.62) $58.39 (+0.93) $4.44 (-0.24) $253.65 (+0.99) $40.44 (-0.28) $6.92 (+0.77) $2.34 (-0.17) $4.70 (+0.13) $91.72 (-0.09) +5.76 -2.45 MARKET THMQ // BY MARK MILLER 14 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 NEVADA Sinmint $852 MISSOURI Grape Runtz $523 WEST VIRGINIA Grape Cake $484 ILLINOIS Refined Taste $440 MARYLAND Funky Charms $440 MICHIGAN Runtz $429 FLORIDA Afternoon Delight #4 $400 MONTANA Golden Goat $379 NORTH DAKOTA Pineapple Express $360 MISSISSIPPI Who Dank $357 WASHINGTON Blueberry Scone $72 TENNESSEE Jack Herer $100 TEXAS Green Crack $100 OREGON Ya Hemi $120 MASSACHUSETTS Candy Jack $130 VIRGINIA Bruce Banner $150 COLORADO Bruce Banner $166 MAINE Shokies $180 LOUISIANA Crescendo $190 CONNECTICUT Jack Herer $192

16 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 BRAND SPOTLIGHT 16 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 PHOTO: CHRIS LEE, @GONZO_PHOTO_ 3(50$1(17 0$5.(5

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 17 $ 5+2'( ,6/$1'%$6(' &8/7,9$725 5,))6 21 $ &/$66,& %\ %HQMDPLQ 0 $GDPV $ fruity yet spicy rendition of Permanent Marker from Pleasant Effects is boosting the profile of the Rhode Island-based grower across the East Coast, as is its eye-catching and artistic packaging including a nostalgic take on a Shel Silverstein classic. Sam, one of the co-founders behind the brand, gained non-cannabis know-how at a local hydroponics company that was designing large-scale hydroponic produce farms. There, he was a head grower, putting together hydroponic systems, but for edible plants. “Growing cannabis is always what I’ve loved to grow the most. I’ve always been passionate about it,” Sam says. “We competed in the East Coast Zalympix in New York City last year; that was definitely one cool moment.” Recently, Pleasant Effects executed a collaboration with The Book Club, which releases curated cannabis drops, all styled after books and designed by glass artist and illustrator Trevor Johns, aka Trevy Metal. The drop with Pleasant Effects was inspired by the whimsical collection of poems by Silverstein, specifically a play on his classic, Where the Sidewalk Ends.“Where the Sherbwalk Ends”is a collaboration with Pleasant Effects, based off of Sherbanger #22, and lists a fictional author, Sherb Silverstein. “We’re pretty much showcasing the love for literature,” says Trevy Metal. “Every book that we chose has somewhat of a nostalgic factor to it. Like this one in particular, I was like a huge fan, as I was inspired by all illustrations from Shel Silverstein growing up.” The homage is fitting given that Silverstein wrote a series of poems and songs about pot, quaaludes, and other drugs. These references can be found in his famous poem “The Smoke-Off” (1978) which describes smoking in San Rafael, California or the song “I Got Stoned and I Missed It” (1972). ILLUSTRATIONS: TREVOR JOHNS, AKA TREVY METAL

18 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 ILLUSTRATIONS: GUSTAVO PERGOLI, @GUSTAVOPERG

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 19 “Because infected plants can be asymptomatic, the lack of information on the viroid combined with minimal screening practices led to widespread contamination among truly elite cuts.” - Dan Adler-Golden WE EXAMINE WHETHER SMALLER, ISOLATED GROWS MIGHT BE SAFER WHEN IT COMES TO SPREADING DISEASE. BY JIMI DEVINE Hop latent viroid (HLVd) is one of the most devastating things ever to hit cannabis, with researchers estimating it could be costing the industry up to $4 billion per year in financial loss. But are the streets safer than the recreational mega-farms that were decimated in the transition to legalization? We reached out to some hitters from both sides of the fence to see if HLVd has had the same impact on the underground cannabis market that it’s had on the recreational market. For those not in the know, HLVd is one of the worst things to happen to cannabis since the creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Currently, the viroid is considered one of the biggest threats to both the global cannabis and hop industries. Viroids are the smallest known infectious agents that can cause diseases in plants. The first viroids were found in potatoes in 1971, and then eventually, HLVd was reported in two out of three varieties of hops in Spain in 1987. Many plants affected by the disease are also asymptomatic, meaning there are no symptoms or signs of infection early on. Later, the viroid will fully express itself and ruin a plant’s yield and vigor. In the case of cannabis, this prevents a plant from reaching its full potential when producing cannabinoids and all the other good stuff. HLVd’s costs to the cannabis industry have now run well into the billions at this point, and it’s fair to think that the loss may even be over $1 billion on the trap side of the market, too. ** HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 19

20 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 Last year, researchers in Canada and Japan consolidated all the known data about HLVd to get the clearest picture yet. The research, published in the scientific journal Viruses, cited a 2021 survey conducted by Dark Heart Nursery. Dark Heart’s founder, Dan Grace, was quick to agree with the idea that HLVd had to come out of the trap. “All the genetics we have now came out of the illicit market, that stands to reason,” Grace told High Times. “It’s just a matter of historical facts. The virus was all overthe place way before 2017. I mean, we learned about it in the Emerald conferences. Maybe like [in] 2013, people were calling it PCIA for ‘Putative Cannabis Infectious Agent.’” Grace said people at The Emerald Conference—a cannabis science and psychedelics science event put on by MJBiz Science—were presenting qualitative data at that time when no one knew what HLVd was. Dark Heart’s 2021 survey “showed that it had been growing for years at an exponential rate, as one would expect from a virus,” Grace said, noting HLVd is now everywhere. “But to the question about the illicit market or regulated market, I mean, I guess all I can say is that back when all of us operated in the illicit market, none of us knewwhat it was or had the resources or anything else to figure out what it is. It’s onlywith transparency and very transparent, honest communication that we can start to solve the problem.” Dark Heart was one of the first organizations to identify HLVd in 2019. Two years prior, the nursery began working with Dr. JeremyWarren, who oversaw the study of intentionally infecting healthy plants with HLVd and analyzed the symptoms of sick versus healthy control plants. Warren confirmed that HLVd was the cause of“dudding” symptoms, such as yellowing leaves or stunted growth. Dark Heart research included an examination of 100 California cannabis cultivation operations between August 2018 and July 2021 and discovered that in 90% of those grows, one-third of the plants were infected with HLVd. More research would be necessary to truly understand the scope of HLVd across the thousands of licensed cannabis cultivators in California. Still, it became clearthat it was, and continues to be, a serious problem. Many have attempted to cull plants infected with HLVd, but in reality, a grower’s best bet is to start with clean clones from scratch. To do that, companies reach out to specialized nurseries to buy cuttings started from tissue culture that are ultra pristine and free of disease. One of the popular providers of these cuttings is Node Labs in Petaluma, California. Given their expertise on the issue, we asked Node Labs’s co-founder and Chief Business Officer Dan Adler-Golden if he thought the compartmentalization of the trap scene from the legal market makes it saferfrom hop latent viroid. He argued the opposite. “The trap scene is where hop latent initially thrived and was unknowingly proliferated with some legendary strains for years,”Adler-Golden told High Times. “Because infected plants can be asymptomatic, the lack of information on the viroid combined with minimal screening practices led to widespread contamination among truly elite cuts.” It’s not crazy to think that as California nurseries transitioned to the legal era, the infected mother plants they brought into the newly birthed rec market came from the unregulated market. It’s not like everyone hunted new genetic stock to go legal at the end of 2017. Adler-Golden explained that Sour Diesel was a famed cut known to have been circulated widely after it was infected. “It is only in the last few years that pathogen testing has become widely available, and stock can readily be screened,” he said. We also asked Adler-Golden whether he thought the smaller selection of clones available when the market went rec had the biggest impact on the spread to so many cultivation sites. “When the market initiallywent rec, there was a brief window of time when many nurseries were operating and even supplying their clones at retail, resulting in lots of great options for consumers,” he replied.“However, pathogen screening was not common practice, so cultivators would inadvertently introduce the viroid into their stock by purchasing clones from different nurseries.” Adler-Golden closed, noting thatwhile general pathogen screening services have improved, there are fewer operating today than a few years ago. It’s very difficult for a professional operation to survive handing out dirty cuts anymore. HLVD TAKES OFF 20 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 21 Popular NorCal cultivator Paki Grower believes small isolated unlicensed grows like his have a slim chance of getting infected. “[In] isolated environments such as homes or small personal gardens, you would think that there’s less possibility if you’re taking your own clones and growing from seed,” Paki Grower told High Times. “That’s very situational because it can jump from room to room and grower to grower so easily. It just depends on who is messing with whose cuts.” Paki Grower noted that a lot of the genetics he works with are sourced directly from Wyeast Farms. Wyeast is testing all of its cuts every few months. In recent years, researchers found that crossing an infected parent with a healthy one can spread HLVd in the seeds. Tests found the viroid on the outer shell of seeds made from infected parents and within the seeds themselves. “Wyeast is testing everything he takes into quarantine, and with guys like him having a large collection of heirloom cuts that he might not be able to replace, it’s that much more important to him,” Paki Grower said. He went on to note that even though he believes he is in a more protected situation, the recreational market is starting to take a better course of action. Things like bleaching tools are an important step, given how easy it is to spread HLVd. Imagine that the first clone you take with a fresh razor is infected; how heartbreaking are those trays of cuts going to be? And part of the problem is just knowing what you’re looking at. It’s difficult to identify HLVd until it’s too late. Testing is cheaper than ever, but you’ll still need a refined eye. “I mean, I guess from a grower standpoint, you’re just going to have to pay a lot of attention to detail in the room,” Paki Grower said. “Yes, things can slip by. They can maybe fail to have been detected. Maybe they can pass testing and be hiding and come up at a later time. So the best thing that growers can do is to make sure that every plant that he has is healthy, and if anything is looking out of health, you need to analyze to make sure that it’s not a number of things that aren’t related to that virus.” Just presuming everything is related to HLVd will make your room susceptible to a host of other issues. You should ensure all those other boxes are checked regularly before presuming your weak crop is infected with the viroid. But if all those boxes are checked, and you believe your room to be pest and stress-free, it might be time to get some testing done. At least that’s more affordable than ever. We asked Paki Grower if he felt there was the same level of fear in the underground economy as the recreational market when it came to HLVd. “It’s funny you say that because I’ve worried about it for the last couple of years a lot. And every time I see a plant that’s in kind of crappy health, it could be a user error, it could be an environmental disadvantage. I’m always stressing out about that, dude. That it could be the viroid,” he replied. But it is admittedly a background concern that pops up instead of a feeling of inherent threat given his practices. “I still don’t feel threatened because I deal with kind of just a very select few cuts, and I haven’t seen it in my area here, but we’re talking about, you know, smaller spaces,” Paki Grower said. “We’re not talking about big facilities with margins.” Paki Grower went on to make another interesting point about the famous strains we no longer see in the marketplace. He believes many of the genetics that wore out over time were victims of HLVd. If anything, it’s pretty clear that HLVd has transcended all types of cannabis cultivation operations regardless of their legality or scale. It comes down to sourcing the genetics you’re selecting for your closet, greenhouse, or warehouse from reputable places and implementing the best practices to keep them free of the viroid. At the very least, it’s cheap enough to quarantine any new cuttings you bring into the mix and get them tested these days. You only need a little tent and an LED panel to keep it away from the rest of the kids. Then, just hope the test is negative for HLVd. Hopefully, as cultivators continue to learn more about the disease, even more cost-effective solutions will be discovered. INFORMATION & PREVENTION HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 21

24 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 Sun Roots Farm puts nature in charge. By Lindsay MaHarry 24 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 M E D I C I N E I N T E N T I O N A LPHOTO: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 25 “I love learning from the plant and building the wisdom I gain from it every year. In the same way that it grows, I grow too.” –Forrest Gauder HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 25 SUN ROOTS FARM CO-FOUNDER FORREST GAUDER SMELLS THE FLOWERS.

26 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 Entering the gardens of Sun Roots Farm in Covelo in Mendocino County is like entering a botanical fever dream. Giant purple cannabis plants rule instead of humans, and weed flowers the size of buildings sway under the weight of their own colas. Below their sticky canopy, medicinal and edible companion plants twist, bloom, and communicate in soil alive with insects and mycelium. This sungrown Eden is a place where cannabis is encouraged to express her wildest potential. According to Forrest Gauder and Patricia Vargas, the husband-and-wife team of regenerative farmers who founded Sun Roots in 2015, the less human intervention on this potential, the better. “The plant has its own potential that is not influenced by humans,” Vargas said. “When it’s exposed to a multitude of beneficial components, such as high-quality soil, the energy of the sun and the moon, clean water, clean air, and the intention we put into caring for it, everything works in synchronicity.” Sun Roots is a regenerative farm, meaning its practices are centered around healing and regenerating life on earth by improving soil health, bolstering native biodiversity, carbon sequestration (capturing and storing carbon dioxide to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere), water conservation, and enriching the health of the overall Covelo community. As opposed to the extractive farming practices often employed by cannabis farms, in which pesticides kill everything in proximity to the plants, poisoning the environment and sometimes even the consumer, regenerative agriculture uses a closed-loop system of cultivation that produces no waste and nurtures the environment while doing so. While Vargas grew up in urban Connecticut and Gauder in the hills above Covelo, California, a shared belief in the power of plants ultimately led them to one another. Vargas’s ancestors were tobacco farmers from Puerto Rico, with her mother often in the garden as she was growing up. She attended Keene State College in New Hampshire, which she describes as “super hippy dippy.” After 10 years of working on farms in the area, she traveled to California through WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) to grow vegetables year-round. Gauder is a second-generation cannabis farmer who grew up in the self-reliant culture of the traditional market. “We were taught by my father to grow our own food on an off-grid apple orchard, homestead-style,” he said. “I’ve always been drawn to the cannabis plant. I love learning from the plant and building the wisdom I gain from it every year. In the same way that it grows, I grow too.” Shortly afterVargas moved to Covelo to work on a mutual friend’s weed farm, she and Gauder found each other one summer night on a full rose moon. “I decided to go to a drum circle, and Forrest ended up being there,” she said. “We immediately walked up to each other like magnets. We just knew.” At that time, Covelo was a different place. Like all corners of the Emerald Triangle, the endless pitfalls of legalization drastically altered the existence of cannabis farmers. “When I came here, there were so many people from all PHOTO: BENJAMIN NEFF, @BNEFF420 PHOTO: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM FORREST GAUDER CLIPS OFF A COLA AT SUN ROOTS FARM. SUN ROOTS FARM CO-FOUNDER PATRICIA VARGAS.

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 27 over the world,” said Vargas. “There was such a robust culture and an energy of excitedness and abundance. The wildlife was so healthy, and the landscape was so beautiful.” When state voters approved a legal adult-use cannabis marketplace in 2016, things began to change. “Prices just started dropping,” Vargas said. “Now your profit wasn’t as high because you’re giving all your money to compliance people or taxes. Everybody’s getting a cut. Things went from being amazing, feeling like we were on top of the world, to feeling like we had a ball and chain attached to us.” The “green rush” and its subsequent fall negatively impacted the environment of Covelo, aswell. Due to its rural, secluded location, people began implementing extremely destructive farming tactics to turn a profit as fast and as recklessly as possible. They burned through the valley, leveling huge swaths of forest for makeshift mega-grows, siphoningwaterfrom the river, covering mountaintopswith plastic tarps, and leaving the trash when theywere done. “We were all like, ‘This is the dark side of this whole culture,’” Vargas said. “That’s why a lot of us going legal were pushing for environmental rights because we saw it happening in our own community.” ** PHOTO: BENJAMIN NEFF, @BNEFF420 THE SUN SETS ON A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT SUN ROOTS FARM.

28 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 Undisturbed Soil The reason Covelo is such a hotbed of cannabis activity is because of its ideal soil. Covelo is located in Round Valley, which is exactly what it sounds like: a big round valley with a flat bottom and hills extending up from its perimeter. It used to be a swampy floodplain for Round Valley Creek that ran through it until colonizers built an outlet that drained the valley in the 1920s. “The mountains drained into the valley, creating these deposited silt beds that are particularly rich in the area beneath our farm,” Gauder said. “There are three to four feet of chocolate-colored soil. It’s really beautiful, full of worms and bugs and life and nutrients. Just think of all the stuff that’s been deposited there throughout the years. “Ourfarm is one ofthe best spots in the valley. Some parts are too rocky or sandy or densewith clay. Butwherewe are, it’s a perfect top layer of dirt for growingweed and food, then underthat, it turns to rocks and sand, so it drains reallywell.” Sun Roots Farm is the definition of true “living soil,” a hallmark of regenerative agriculture, which has become a buzzy marketing term for greenwashing brands in the industry. While we often see the term applied to indoor grows who put a couple of earthworms in their pots and then dump the soil after harvest, true living soil is cared for and nurtured like a living organism. “Anyone who’s dumping every year, that’s not living soil,” said Vargas. “Living soil is living. You continue to work with it. You don’t just throw it away. You feed it through compost and biomass and PHOTOS: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM THE SOIL QUALITY AT SUN ROOTS FARM MAKES A HUGE IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF FLOWER.

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 29 mulching, and the plants that you create. If you dump it, how are you honoring the life of your soil?” “Because you’re adding more decomposing matter every year, you build it with the aim of disturbing the soil as little as possible,” added Gauder. “The less you disturb it, the more mycelial networks that are going to be present, the richer your soil, and the greater the ecosystem.” This idea that the plants, the soil, and the ecosystem they create thrive in the absence of human intervention is integral to the Sun Roots Farm philosophy. Their hands-off approach to cultivation is born from a deep trust in nature and her ability to do what she does better than we can. The thing about plants is that without them, we die. But without humans, plants thrive. Humans often interpret cultivation as manipulating the plant to make it do what we want. Sun Roots does the opposite. “It’s about allowing things to be their most natural and not interfering too much,” said Vargas. “I think with cannabis, a lot of us think—or the habit has been—to go out and buy soil or buy these products for this, to manage this, and control that. What we’ve learned in our practices is that nature is the ultimate teacher. Nature knows what she’s doing. Leave her alone, and let her do her thing.” ** “The plant has its own potential that is not influenced by humans.” –Patricia Vargas SUN ROOTS DRIES AND STORES A VARIETY OF HERBS AND FLOWERS GROWN ON THE FARM. SUN ROOTS FARM INCORPORATES LIVING SOIL TECHNIQUES. THE ROUTE TO COVELO ROUND VALLEY ALONG THE MIDDLE FORK OF THE EEL RIVER.

30 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 Alpaca Helpers One of the most beneficial components of Sun Roots’s regenerative, closed-loop system is their herd of alpacas. Not only do they help control various plant populations on the property, assisting with fire suppression, but their manure is an incredible fertilizer for the cannabis. “Part of regenerative agriculture is stacking functions, so when we invest in something, we need to make sure it has many uses,” said Gauder. “We’re using their manure as our main fertilizer for all of the crops. They have super hygienic dung piles, so it’s easy to collect, which means that we don’t have to run tractors or burn fossil fuels. They also slim down the brush to a certain height, creating a perfect distance for fire suppression.” Instead of ripping out plants by their root systems like many other livestock, alpacas maintain the seed cycles of native plants on the farm through rotational grazing, composting them in their stomachs, and redistributing the seeds back into the earth through their manure. “We also use their shearings as mulch on the earth, which creates a nice layer of fiber and moisture barrier for decomposing nutrients,” said Vargas. “The mycelium love it. Then we’re able to draw in species like edible mushrooms that feed us and the bees and can also be put into fertilizer teas. The cycle continues in a circular motion where everything is in constant use, and nothing is ever wasted.” ** “This is intentional medicine for spiritual health.” –Patricia Vargas PHOTOS: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM ALPACAS HELP TO FERTILIZE PLANTS IN A CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM.

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32 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 A Focus on the Flowers Sun Roots flower is a culmination of intention, highvibe growing practices, and, of course, a little magic. Famous fortheir sparkly, dark purple nugs and fruity, complex terpene profiles, their flower has an energetically dense high that transcends just getting stoned. They specialize in aVelvet lineage, which started as the sister plants (or different phenotypes) of Jah Goo, a cross of Purple Jasmine and Afghan Goo that is a uniquely acclimated cultivar made in Covelo. Two plants in particular stood out overthe years, with which they have continued to create seeds. The first is the crystal-laden Velvet Purps, with its magenta trichomes, neon leaves, and a high that leaves you happy, buoyant, and at ease. The second is their Magu’s Fruit, a personal favorite of mine for her uplifting and effervescently creative energy, originally dubbed Silver Goo for the silver gown of buds that cascade down the giant plants. These varieties, as well as a number of crosses like Velvet La Flor, Magu’s Velvatron, and Velvet Citrine, are available through retail shops such as Redwood Roots and Solful. “This is intentional medicine for spiritual health,” said Vargas. “It’s not just recreational. I’m here to get stoned, yes, but a lot of us are using this for our mental health. So we make sure that we’re putting positivity into this. We need more positivity in this world. We need more love in this world. For us, to be growing a plant that we get to share with the world is an honor. Our greatest hope is that people will feel the medicine behind it. That they will take that seed they’ve been given, and they go on and share it with others.” PHOTO: BENJAMIN NEFF, @BNEFF420 PHOTO: BENJAMIN NEFF, @BNEFF420 PHOTO: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 33 V E L V E T P U R P S PHOTOS: COURTESY SUN ROOTS FARM

34 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GROWING A HAPPY AND HEALTHY PLANT. By Harry Resin PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 35 Spring is a time of rebirth, and the planting season is always fun as you sow the beginnings of a journey that ends in fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers like cannabis. In certain parts of the world, like California, the spring planting season comes early. This can be both a blessing and a curse because, depending on where you are located equatorially, supplemental lighting might be necessary to keep your plants from going into flower too early. Since cannabis is photosensitive and some types begin flowering when daylight hours change, you could have plants that start flowering in April and May, leading to stunted and dwarfed plants by September or October. Even worse, your plants could finish early, producing little to no buds and unripened trichomes with low THC. When it comes to maximizing your plants’ potential, an early spring can be an advantage since they can grow for a longer period. This long vegetative cycle will promote a large root zone and robust, bushy plants. The key to the success of this is multiple transplants or repotting. By gradually increasing the size of the container in which the plant is growing, you will be forcing its root mass to grow as well, promoting a thicker main stalk and bigger plant. Stick to a simple nutrient regimen and use a well-balanced, pre-mixed soil. Two common problems that growers run into are pests (specifically caterpillars) and powdery mildew. Thankfully, there are many organic solutions to address both of these issues, which are readily available—just make sure to spray early and consistently. When spraying your pest management regimen, start once the sun has begun to set, as direct sunlight on the sprayed plants could burn them. Now, with the advent and further development of autoflower cultivars, the spring planter is faced with two choices: either plant two cycles of autoflower crops, which will be ready for harvest sooner, or run one crop of autoflowers and then plant a full-term crop. Autoflower strains are genetically bred to flower without the 12-hour photoperiod that is typical of cannabis plants. Initially, these plants were somewhat lowerin yield and often did not have the vast amount of flavors available in phototypical plants. Now that has changed, and many growers are discovering the advantages of growing these new autoflower varieties. This is especially true of growers who specialize in growing for extraction and only use fresh frozen material. Since these growers usually harvest on the earlier side to preserve terpenes, these types of plants are ideal for biomass. However, it wasn’t until recently that autoflowering plants were high enough quality to produce great hash or extracts. Once you’ve selected your genetics and figured out your daylight hours, it’s time to get started. Given a choice, begin with well-tested and vetted seeds since you will get a more robust plant and, in some cases, yield almost 20-25% more than mystery seeds. It’s very important to seek out good genetics as you really want to have almost 90% or greater uniformity in your plants. Companies such as the Humboldt Seed Company are currently working on several F1 seeds, which will ensure you get the most uniform crop possible. Then, it’s time to really begin; the best advice is to keep things simple. Don’t overdo it with nutrients, and don’t overwater. Pay close attention to the packaging of your nutrient of choice—it will tell you exactly how much to apply and how frequently to do so. The best way to not overwater is to get into the habit of feeling the weight of your plant at various moisture contents—if it’s heavy, it has soaked up ample water, but if the plant feels too light, it could use more thorough watering. With these tips you should have a bountiful harvest. HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 35

36 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 PHOTO: CHRIS ROMAINE, @KANDIDKUSH NEON PANTHER

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 37 BY ELLEN HOLLAND Opening up jars of Moon Valley Cannabis is almost sickening. The aroma coming off of these buds is so strong it’s hard to take them in all at once. I’m gagging on pure terpenes after trying to sniff a few cultivars in the Moon Valley line-up: Modified Grape, Unicorn Runtz, Watermelon Zonkers, and their first in-house breeding creation, Neon Panther; they all smell incredibly intense. The experience is like walking into a smoothie bar, buying citrus at the farmers’ market, or spending a few hours inside a dimly lit tiki lounge. Cannabis growers have long searched for the best cultivation methods to grow the most aromatic, flavorful, and potent flowers. Now, science is showing that microscopic organisms—namely beneficial bacteria and fungi found in soil—are key players in producing cannabis with extraordinary fragrances, tastes, and effects. Since its leap into the adult-use cannabis market in 2021, Moon Valley has made a name for itself amongst the most discerning weed smokers and racked up an impressive number of awards for its indoor soil-grown cannabis. With sustainability in mind, Moon Valley does things like using reclaimed water to make its ice water hash and rosins, but the main thing that the cannabis company uses to market itself is “living soil,” or soil that contains a dynamic living ecosystem. And the growing methodology at Moon Valley appears to be working; their flowers take the trend in sweet fruit-forward cannabis into a place so far away from the others in the pack that it’s beyond the gravitational pull of Earth. This begs the question, will we bring weed with us to space? I’d stash this pot in my cosmic go-bag. ** MOON VALLEY CANNABIS PRODUCES BLINDINGLY AROMATIC BOUQUETS OF FRUITY FLOWERS. HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 37

38 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 NATURAL FARMING ipping my nose through Moon Valley’s selections, the scents alone provide a feel-good charge similar to walking outside and taking in the smells of herbs and plants in the air after a cold winter rain—there are wetted leaves of orange and grapefruit trees and blue rosemary blossoms sprinkled in crystalline raindrops. By now, savvy cannabis consumers know that terpenes—the chemical elements of cannabis that produce many of its flavors and aromas—join together with cannabinoids such as THC and CBD to produce weed’s effects. A 2021 study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research shows that the biology present in living soil increases the number and diversity of cannabinoids and terpenes. This happens, the study explains, due to an interplay between microbes within the soil that open biochemical pathways, stimulating their production. Tobacco with broad leaves and a small pink flower, lamb’s ear-shaped comfrey leaves, blooming purple-flowered basil, and tropical white turmeric, all sorts of plants are growing in 18-inch beds filled with nutrient-rich soil that’s feeding the cannabis growing under LED lights at Moon Valley. Farmers do not till living soil but build upon it year after year, an action aimed at improving its health in several ways. Compost, filled with fungal life that helps it decompose, is used to help the soil retain water and nutrients. Beneficial insects like earthworms help with things like aerating the soil and provide an additional source of fertilization through 38 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 PHOTO: COURTESY MOON VALLEY CANNABIS BEDS FILLED WITH NUTRIENT-RICH SOIL FEED THE PLANTS AT MOON VALLEY CANNABIS.

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 39 their waste. This “no-till”farming style also involves other sustainable agricultural practices such as using cover crops, or plants that are not grown to be harvested, but to enrich the soil and promote biodiversity. My tour of Moon Valley’s Santa Rosa, California grow was already pretty unique for an indoor cultivation facility, before I reach the fermentation area. There, Production Manager Josh Wegleitner is cutting up two large piles of winter squash, readying it to ferment into a vinegar. Later, he’ll combine that with a natural calcium-rich offering like eggshells and blend it with a compost tea to charge the cannabis plants with nutrients. Fermented plant juice contains microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and yeast. The pumpkin he’s chopping smells as sweet as a honeydew melon, and the comfrey he’s fermenting with sugar smells like fresh cucumbers. Creating fermented plant juice is one of the techniques in Korean natural farming, a cultivation practice that includes extracting nutrients and minerals for plant health from different types of fruits and vegetables. Wegleitner says he feels like a chef creating food for the cannabis plants as he and founder Eli Buffalo open up various tubs of fermented plant juices for me to smell. The plant juices they’re crafting at Moon Valley Cannabis—made from things like ginger, garlic, and orange blossoms—smell almost as delectable as their award-winning cannabis flowers. “We chop up all sorts of stuff,”Wegleitner says when I meet him mid-cutting pumpkins and collecting their seeds. He’s standing under an outside patio near a container of spent beer mash from a local brewery and a blend of sprouted beans. “This is a seed blend we’re doing sprouted-seed tea with. Those different plants that are growing in there, the fava beans and bell beans, we’ll sprout those, and then we’ll blend them.” Moon Valley feeds its plants by feeding its soil. “I don’t know what the plants want and when they want to eat it, so we’re just trying to provide them with a buffet, and whenever they want it, they can take as much as they want,” Buffalo says. “We’re trying to make sure that what we think the plant wants is within the soil.” Back in the grow room, Buffalo points out the comfrey growing near his award-winning cannabis, including a fruity cultivar called Hawaiian Snowcone, a collaboration from breeder Tiki Madman and Big Al’s Exotics that’s a cross of Detroit Runtz and Hawaiian Plushers. This strain smells and tastes syrupy and sweet, like a bright red tropical fruit punch. “We turn those into, basically, in-house made nutrients,” Buffalo explains. “The comfrey plant has a lot of well-balanced nutrition. It’s got a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. We’re extracting those minerals and nutrients doing that Korean natural farming prep and basically just mixing it with sugar. And it creates an osmotic process that pulls those minerals and nutrients out of the plant matter, and then we can water that back in with our compost teas and put it back in the soil.” Buffalo says cannabis grown in living soil provides a smoother, more potent, and “cleaner” smoke. “I honestly think that outdoor living soil is the pinnacle of cultivation,” he says. “But, for me, we can cultivate year-round, we can have multiple harvests consistently and be consistently putting out stuff that’s pretty similar.” ** PHOTO: CHRIS ROMAINE, @KANDIDKUSH NEON PANTHER IS MOON VALLEY'S FIRST STRAIN BRED IN-HOUSE.

40 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 A RISING MOON ocated in Santa Rosa, California, near the Sonoma Valley, Buffalo named his cannabis company after the city of Sonoma, where he grew up. The name also came via his father who played with the Steve Miller Band for 37 years and started a music label called Moon Valley Music. Buffalo started cultivating as a non-profit under Proposition 215 in 2015 on a 12-acre ranch a bit further north in Lake County, where he and Wegleitner—a friendship that goes back to kindergarten—grew greenhouse and outdoor flowers and began making ice water hash. When it came to looking towards getting licensed in the adult-use cannabis market that state voters approved in November 2016, Buffalo switched gears, obtaining his current facility and growing all indoor cannabis with a 3,000-square-foot canopy while building a micro-business that’s completely in-house in terms of processing, manufacturing, and distribution. The venture officially began in September 2021, and since then, Moon Valley has racked up an impressive grouping of awards for its flowers and hash. In 2022, Moon Valley Cannabis took home first place in the Environmentally-Friendly Indoor category at The Emerald Cup—a competition that began to 40 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 PHOTO: COURTESY MOON VALLEY CANNABIS MOTHER PLANTS IN THE MOON VALLEY CANNABIS FACILITY.

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 41 advance the concept of sustainable outdoor farming and has since evolved to include indoor entries—and eighth place for its Strawberry Banana rosin. In 2023, Moon Valley won third place in the Ice Water Hash category at The Emerald Cup for Super Boof. At the 2023 Northern California Rosin Championship—a competition where entrants all wash the same material— it won multiple awards. Moon Valley placed at the 2023 California Ego Clash and King of Z Hill competitions. They also won a silver medal at the 2023 California State Fair for Candy Rain and took home the top prize at Jimi Devine’s 2023 Transbay Challenge Final with Hawaiian Snowcone. “It really buried all the challengers,” Leafly’s cultivation expert and Transbay Challenge judge David Downs says of Moon Valley’s Hawaiian Snowcone, a cultivar he describes as tasting as creamy and very sweet like a snowcone with blue and red syrup and a condensed milk capper. “Moon Valley Cannabis grew it in soil indoors in small batches, and it was perfectly cured, as opposed to newer, more hype strains that just weren’t ready for competition.” Moon Valley also recently released the first cultivar they made in-house, Neon Panther. Neon Panther smells like pink grapefruit with an energizing burst of orange and pineapple flowers. It’s a project they’ve been working on for a few years and involves generational crosses of Blueberry Muffin, Sticky Papaya, Pink Runtz, and Super Boof. “The smoke is a sharp citrus delight,” saysRachelleGordon, editorofthe cannabis-focusedwebsite Greenstate.com. ** PHOTO: CHRIS ROMAINE, @KANDIDKUSH PHOTO: COURTESY MOON VALLEY CANNABIS MOON VALLEY BUDS ARE TRIMMED DURING PROCESSING. NEON PANTHER

42 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 “WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE THINK THE PLANT WANTS IS WITHIN THE SOIL.” - ELI BUFFALO 42 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 HA W AIIAN SNOWCONE

44 HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 SUSTAINABLE SONOMA nown for its world-class wines and temperate climate, Sonoma County has a history in sustainable farming, beginning with native Pomo, Coast Miwok, and Wintun peoples who named the area Sonoma, orthe Valley of the Moon. Internationally famous author Jack London took the name for his book The Valley of the Moon and became an early adopter of sustainable farming on his 1,000-acre Beauty Ranch located on Sonoma Mountain in Glen Ellen. London had learned farming techniques as a war correspondent in Korea and spent the last years of his life on his venture at the ranch. “I am not using commercial fertilizer,” London wrote, as documented in the book Jack London Ranch Album. “I believe the soil is our one indestructible asset…” Today, Sonoma continues to boast a number of eco-friendly farms and is a leaderin the biodynamic winemaking movement. Before cultivating cannabis, Buffalo worked as a mechanic building custom motorcycles and then got a job managing a repair shop for a biodynamic grape grower, which is how he started his journey learning about soil biology. Before Moon Valley, Wegleitner worked in production at a winery where he learned about fermentation. In sustainable farming methods—such as Korean natural and biodynamic farming—the focus is on healthy soil that contains a diverse web of organisms. “A diverse soil full of beneficial organisms provide a complex and varied diet that cannot be replicated by synthetic or narrow spectrum organic fertilizers,” says Shango Los, host of the Shaping Fire podcast. While many cannabis growers and cultivation experts, including Los and Buffalo, believe that outdoor cannabis grown in living soil under natural sunshine produces the most extraordinary flowers, the number of indoor growers cultivating in living soil is on the rise. “We’re bringing the outside indoors,” Buffalo says. INDOOR PLANTS GROWING IN SOIL. PHOTOS: COURTESY MOON VALLEY CANNABIS

HIGH TIMES // APRIL 2024 45 WHITE TURMERIC SPROUTS FROM A SOIL BED AT MOON VALLEY CANNABIS. MOON VALLEY FOUNDER ELI BUFFALO WORKS WITHIN HIS HASH MAKING ROOM. PRODUCTION MANAGER JOSH WEGLEITNER PREPARES COMPOST. SOIL BEDS HOST A DIVERSE WEB OF LIFE.

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