Not only did I-502 change the marijuana world in regards to one of the most important social policy advancements of the past few decades, it gave growers the option of putting environmental practices back to the top of their list of concerns.
During the dark days of prohibition, growing was pushed indoors in response to the need to conceal these activities. This served the community well as a smartly run covert operation was virtually undetectable by law enforcement, but this method of operation came at a high environmental price.
At Natural Mystic Farms, we quickly realized the future of growing weed is in a greenhouse and not in a industrial warehouse. The wasteful practice of using high intensity indoor lighting must be reevaluated. Greenhouse operations at Natural Mystic Farms will displace the energy that could be used to power over 150 residential homes – we are very proud that we a doing our part to keep Washington State green in more ways than one!
Not only is sustainable production the right thing to do, if done correctly, greenhouse grown cannabis in eastern Washington can be of the highest quality available. It does require an extra effort to follow organic practices and to manage the very long summer days of our northern latitude which can impede flowering light cycle requirements. Central to our strategy is the utilization of the light deprivation method which allows our farm to force the plants into flower before poor sun intensity and weather conditions lead to substandard results that are a problem for many natural cycle outdoor grows in this area.
We only use pesticides approved by the USDA Organic Program as well as being OMRI and PICOL listed. Applications of safe pesticides such as mineral oil and horticultural soap keep the plants clean and let natural predators and the expert application of beneficial bugs such as Neoseiulus Californicus, Hypoaspis Miles, and Apertochrysa Edwardsi keep pest population in check.