When Mario Guzman, the creator of cannabis genetics Gelato and Sunset Sherbert, travels to Europe for events, he looks forward to meeting up with longtime friends and exchanging seeds.
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“All of our global friends come, and we share genetics and talk about what we’re all planting for the following year,” Guzman told MJBizDaily during a recent phone call.
He likens the experience to the seed market that has existed for decades in the coffee shops of Amsterdam.
“They were really the culture of it: The passionate backbone of all seed sales in Europe,” Guzman said of Amsterdam-based growers and seed breeders, adding that until the medical marijuana market got a toehold in the United States, legacy growers brought seeds from outside the United States that later became the bedrock of today’s regulated market.
Popping seeds
While demand for product uniformity requires most licensed cultivators to produce marijuana from clones, growers’ affinity for sharing genetics through cannabis seeds is alive and well in today’s regulated market.
“I still get excited when I pop a three-pack of seeds as opposed to a clone,” said Justin Sheffield, director of cultivation at BeLeaf Medical Co. in Missouri.
“To have something new, something proprietary, something that you know your team started from seed that no one else has? That still gets us excited.”
BeLeaf operates three cultivation facilities in Missouri with tens of thousands of plants in various stages of cultivation at any time.
Nonetheless, Sheffield said, “We always have a pheno hunt in the works.”
Bag appeal
Reggie Harris, co-founder of Kansas City, Missouri-based cannabis genetics company House of Kush, said most of his clients are asking for “good, hearty plants that aren’t difficult to grow.”
He believes seeds have become more popular in recent years as companies have become more concerned with disease and pests in the regulated U.S. marijuana market valued at $112 billion.
“The thought before was that having a clone saved time from having to pheno hunt and let the plants grow out – but if you weigh the cost between potential lost crops or the extra time it takes to grow, seeds make sense,” Harris said.
“It may take a little longer to get a new strain to market, however the risk/reward is worth weighing.”
There’s no question, however, that flower “has to look and smell the part” to keep consumers loyal to your brand, Harris said.
“With the number of choices out there, cultivators are looking for hits.
“If you can consistently deliver them, they’ll keep coming back for your genetics.”
International cannabis market
When it comes to what cultivators should look for when vetting potential partners for cannabis seeds, Eugene Boukreev, chief marketing officer at Barcelona-based seed bank Fast Buds, said “detailed information about the genetic stability and quality of the seeds should be provided.”
He also recommended that growers ask for:
Confirmation that seeds are tested for germination rates.
Reviews, including references or testimonials from other cultivators.
Boukreev told MJBizDaily that North American marijuana cultivators have different preferences than their European counterparts.
“North American growers favor genetics with high THC content for more potent flower, optimized yield, unique terpene profiles that allow for marketplace differentiation,” Boukreev said, adding that resistance to disease and pests also are key priorities.
“European growers’ priorities are a little different.
“They must remain compliant with stringent THC limits and local regulations, so we see a higher demand for limited-THC strains as well as strains with specific medicinal properties.”
The Vault at MJBizCon
Voice of the Plant is bringing best-in-class genetics from Europe and the United States for a first-of-its-kind collaboration with MJBizCon, taking place Dec. 3-6 in Las Vegas.
“The community coming together, that’s the most important part,” Guzman said, “and pushing the culture forward.”
To accomplish that, Voice of the Plant (VOP) is curating The Vault at MJBizCon, a section of the trade show floor where seed breeders hand-selected by VOP will offer cash-and-carry genetics for the first time at the world’s largest cannabis business conference and trade show.
“True geneticists aren’t just botanists; they really are artists,” Deych said.
Winning cannabis genetics
For Guzman and Deych, comparing how genetics perform with other cultivators in their circle is part of the experience they seek to replicate through The Vault at MJBizCon.
“Everyone involved in The Vault, we’re going to open up the best of our genetic libraries to the world,” Guzman said.
“Our hope is to create an environment for people to openly share, like they have been doing in Europe for decades, but now on U.S. soil.”
Guzman and Deych said genetics enthusiasts big and small will appreciate the thought leadership they’re assembling for The Vault, including representatives from:
Abstrax Terpenes of Irvine, California.
Barney’s Farm of Amsterdam.
Conception Nurseries of Sacramento, California.
Sensi Seeds of Amsterdam
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