Let’s Get Started: Cultivation Corner with Robert Stewart of the Weed Squad

As more and more residents become legal patients in Missouri the number of questions continues to grow. As such Greenway has reached out to industry experts to field questions for patients concerning every aspect of the newly legal medical marijuana market in Missouri. With licensed businesses still several months out many Missourians are applying to cultivate cannabis at home and grow their own medicine. Like many amateur gardeners, the questions are plentiful. So, Greenway spoke to Robert Stewart, COO of the Weed Squad, to get answers to our most common questions.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to comment below or email us to see them featured in the future.

I want to cultivate at home, but I have no idea how to get started. What do I do?

First start by purchasing Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Grower’s Handbook and determine if growing your own medicine is right for you. Then procure some seeds (preferably feminized) and give it a try.

Lucky for you winter is coming. It is cheaper and easier to set up and run a small closet grow in the winter rather than the summer simply because it’s easier to heat a small space than it is to cool it.

Leaves are turning yellow – what have I done wrong? How do I fix this? Is this bad?

There are separate answers to these questions depending on the stage of the grow. So, you might or might not have done anything wrong.

If yellowing occurs during the vegetative growth you need to increase the nitrogen. Do this slowly to avoid burning the plant. If it starts to happen on the lower leaves about half way through flower it is normal and okay, but not up around the top flowers.

How do I know when it’s time to harvest?

Using a 40x jeweler magnifier look at the trichomes (crystals), on the flowers. Optimal harvest time is when they are 50% cloudy and 50% clear.

Hint, always harvest in the wee hours of the morning. That is when the trichomes are the most ripe. This is one reason I always run my lights from 7pm to 7am so I can harvest in the late afternoon. Also, electricity is cheaper at night.

Is there a best way to cure after harvest?

There are several methods and the answer to this question depends on who you ask. And that goes for all cannabis cultivation methods. So what you are going to get here is my opinion and how I do things.

I cut my plants into manageable sections and remove the fan leaves. Then I trim off the tips of the remainder of the leaves while not cutting too close to the bud. Hang or place in an herb drying basket in a dark room our area until medium thickness sticks snap easily. After that you do the final trimming down to the bud. Save that trim and make some butter or oil. Then place the dried flowers in wine or file storage boxes at a depth of about 6 to 8 inches for 5 to 7 days. Gently tumble daily.

Ideal drying environment is 70 deg / 50% humidity. Try to stay as close to this as possible. Remember, cold and wet equals mold, hot and dry locks in chlorophyll.

Is it true unused plant waste is good for composting into the soil of the next grow?

If you are talking about having a composting pile and composting your cannabis plant waste, then yes, of course. If you mean just shoving the plant waste into the soil, well, I don’t know anything about that. I even tried looking it up on line with no results. The only thing I know of that comes close to your question is in the case of no till farming using living organic soil. When you harvest, you cut the plants down at the base and leave the roots in soil bed.

Robert Stewart is the Chief Operating Officer of The Weed Squad LLC.  Stewart has been cultivating cannabis for over 12 years, his extensive plant knowledge and career background in construction and engineering make Stewart a trusted name in cannabis cultivation consulting.