All Natural
Looking through a holistic lens, all living things thrive in their native environments. This rule certainly applies to cannabis, especially as a widely used plant medicine.
Consumers must demand purity of their medicine, that it has a direct connection with a sustainable and natural environment. Sungrown, outdoor cannabis produces superior terpenes developed within the flower. Effects of these medicinal properties and taste of the flower reach their full potential when grown under the sun.
Considering the enormous amount of energy and resources required to grow indoor cannabis, outdoor seems the obvious environmentally friendly choice. We are all part of the greater cycles of nature throughout the days, months and seasons. And responsible growers of natural medicine should harness and respect these natural rhythms. Certainly, the product, consumer and environment will reap the benefits.
Light Exposure
The fact that artificial lighting used for indoor growing tries to mimic the rays and full spectrum of the sun clearly tells us something: The sun is the ultimate giver of life that no simulated light source can hold a candle to.
Grown in the sunshine, plants are exposed to the full light spectrum throughout their life cycle. The sun is a valuable asset to every species and their harmony on earth. We should better manage, distribute and utilize the energy of this ultimate renewable resource. The microclimate of the Mendocino County hills provides long, hot and dry growing seasons, perfect for maximizing the output of the celestial power plant.
As intended by nature, plants in the springtime are exposed to waves of light in the blue spectrum. Blue light is essential for vegetative growth, it is needed to develop lush foliage and strong stalks and stems. Access to adequate blue light prevents a plant from stretching. For this reason, sungrown cannabis always grows proportionally and ultimately produces colas of incredibly dense flowers.
By the arrival of summer the sun is at its peak. In this position, the waves are channeled through the atmosphere in the red spectrum. These waves signal the change in season and promote flower production. Red light intensifies through the fall, naturally guiding plants to a healthy harvest.
Healthy, Medicinally Potent Product
We may hear from sunscreen ads and experts in the media that the sun is some malignant force. This is not only false, but the opposite is true. The sun is the most abundant source of active (and potential) energy in our world. There is no need to block it out or villainize it. Rather, it should be acknowledged for its importance to all living things.
Under outdoor conditions, the plant’s essence can be expressed and reach its peak potential, growing in the sun’s nourishing rays. The trichomes that contain essential oils and terpenes store medicinal compounds innate to the cannabis flower. Sungrown cannabis must endure all elemental factors: Wind, rain, wide range of temperature and duress from pests. Even natural calamities like wildfires and drought are not unheard of. Nature isn’t always cooperative, and rarely predictable. However, these stressors encountered by sungrown cannabis make for a higher content and more complex blends of terpenes.
Cannabinoids, known for their curative properties when interacting with receptors in our bodies, are more present and concentrated when plants are grown under the full spectrum of the sun. CBD (cannabidiol) and other cannabinoids have been found to alleviate many ailments. It is used to treat inflammation, pain, disorders of the nervous system, sleep deprivation and stress.
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the most psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis and often used to treat chronic pain. In sungrown cannabis, THC content strikes a natural balance with the more mellow cannabinoids.
Some strains are grown specifically to push the boundaries of THC content. These unnaturally high levels may be difficult to handle and potentially dangerous to some patients. Cannabis grown under the sun typically produces flowers that feature a harmonious ratio of all cannabinoids.
For over 20 years scientists have been studying a phenomenon known as the Entourage Effect. It is the belief that the intricate relationship among cannabinoids have significant biological effects when in the body. It is to say, cannabinoids are more powerful when naturally working in concert, rather than isolating a single one for its perceived benefits.
Sustainable and Organic
“Right plant, right place” is an underrated expression. When a plant is provided an optimal growing environment it will thrive and naturally ward off pests and disease. It is allowed to flourish and produce abundantly. This simple statement describes the life cycle of an outdoor cannabis plant and its basic and minimalistic needs.
At the most basic level, all that is required to grow cannabis outdoors is decent soil, access to water and seed. All of these ingredients are bountifully supplied by nature.
Some indoor operations become warehouse sized pot factories, looking to exploit the plant for purely economic gains. They irresponsibly consume massive amounts of energy. Chemicals are often used for pest control and sterilization. Plants are denied access to a natural environment with fresh air. Naturally occurring symbiotic interactions are hard to come by. Thankfully, this is not a blanket statement describing the entire indoor industry. Plenty of indoor cannabis is grown conscientiously, well taken care of and proven to produce fine quality medicine.
Yet on the other hand, we have the outdoor model. Sungrown cannabis thriving from natural fertilizer, fresh air and sunshine are a model of happiness and health. They become valuable contributors to their ecosystem. Their majestic presence draws in plenty of beneficial insects and pollinators.
The incredible quantity of flowers, and biomass in general, makes outdoor growing impressively efficient. Farm grown cannabis depletes very few resources. It consumes carbon from the atmosphere, utilizes free solar energy and uses naturally available water.
Healthy Working Conditions
Much like cultivated plants, we humans thrive when spending time outdoors. Our circadian rhythm is dictated by the sun’s daily rise and set times. The sun is inextricably linked to our internal clocks. Its journey across the sky during the day signals to us when to rise, when to work and engage in activity and when to rest. It’s unsurprising that sun exposure on our largest organ, the skin, enables our body to perform critical functions. The beneficial rays that are needed to perform photosynthesis also trigger favorable chemical reactions in the human body.
Physical activity in the fresh air and sunshine is the perfect starting point for a healthy lifestyle. Health and positivity from the sun is transferred through the laborer to the plants. The good energy flows through the workforce and shows in the quality of the final product.
Why Sungrown Cannabis?
The benefits of growing cannabis with authentic sunlight are apparent. Overall, it is kinder to the producer, product, consumer and environment. In our current situation we could use more modes of production that improve the world, instead of detracting from and destroying it.
Different circumstances lead to various preferred growing methods. To each their own. However, respectfully and sustainably utilizing natural resources seems to be a sensible solution to overcome the many problems our world faces. There’s nothing new under the sun, trusting in nature has always been the best method to ethically grow plant medicine.
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