Growers As Artists?
You know, when I close my eyes and think of an artist, the classic image of a painter lost in a world of colors and a canvas comes to mind. But life has a funny way of challenging our perceptions. And guess what? Some of the most dedicated artists I’ve come across are nowhere near a paintbrush. They’re knee-deep in soil, cultivating cannabis–ganja.
How could cultivating a plant be an art? If we consider art to be the shared experience of one to another through channeling, then surely the sensory perceptions a grower receives from a plant and then shares with another through careful selection and manipulation should be considered an art. We even dare call it a craft as the process is assumed to be repeated over and over and over. Extraction artists take this even a step further with their refinemand remixing of a grower’s (artists) work.
Seeing Beyond the Leaf
Talk to a cannabis grower. Really talk to them. You’ll soon notice the twinkle in their eyes when they speak of plant traits. Just like how a musician hears notes in everyday sounds, these growers see potential in every tiny seed or fresh clone. Each strain is like a story waiting to be told – a dance of aroma, flavor, visual beauty, and effect. Picking and combining these strains isn’t just science; it’s intuition, experience, and a refined sense of preference towards nuanced traits which only comes through experiencing thousands of flower samples and finished plants.
Grow Rooms: Not Just Four Walls
Imagine walking into an artist’s studio. You’d expect to see paints, brushes, canvases, right? Now, step into a cannabis grower’s ‘studio’. You won’t find brushes, but you’ll see a symphony of lights, fans, and carefully chosen materials. There’s so much love and attention in those rooms. Setting them up isn’t about following a manual. It’s about understanding the plants, listening to them, and giving them a home where they can thrive.
The growers task tilts from artistry to tradesman as they construct artificial environments based on the needs of these plants. Being able to build a resilient space which provides for these needs, and does it reliably is no small task. These plants have every single need attended to them, 24/7, for months at a time. One small mistake could cost a crop, and potentially the business.
From Seed to Smoke: A Labor of Love
If you’ve ever tried your hand at gardening, you’ll know plants have personalities. Growing cannabis is like scripting a play where each plant is an actor, evolving and growing into its role. And when the curtain falls, knowing when to harvest is pure intuition. It’s that inexplicable gut feeling that tells them, “Now.”
But the performance doesn’t end there. Drying, curing – these are the encore. It’s where the flavors deepen, the aromas waft, and the entire essence of the bud comes into its own.
A proper post harvest process is one of THE most important parts of the grow, and may often be overlooked or not taken seriously enough. Plants drying and curing must also fit a strict set of parameters, and if one is step goes awry, the final outcome suffers a serious degradation in quality as perceived by more sophisticated smokers.
Wrapping It Up
So, next time you light up and take a moment of peace, remember the artist behind that experience. The world of cannabis is not just about consumption. It’s a world teeming with stories, passion, and unsung heroes who put their heart and soul into every leaf and bud. Cheers to the ganja growers, the true artists behind the scenes.
