Several years have passed and a change of facility has happened since the last visit to TerrAscend’s grow. Now nestled in Hagerstown, their 25,000-square-foot facility is pumping out an impressive amount of delicious flower and concentrate on a regular basis. They have around 35 strains in rotation at the current moment, which is surely enough to keep the connoisseurs of Maryland happy. TerrAscend has long been known and loved for staple strains like Afghani, Apple Crisp, Bubblegum Wedding and Peanut Butter Pie, but they have so much more cooking that it’s truly inspirational to see. Some of the brands grown in-house at TerrAscend’s facility include Kind Tree, Legend and Cookies. With a library of strains and brands this deep, the team tries to really hone in on what they know is good medicine and what works in their facility.
Entering a grow room is like stepping into a different world. The environment is carefully controlled, with optimal temperature, humidity and lighting conditions. The air is filled with the sweet, citrusy, gassy and earthy scent of different Cannabis plants intertwining. As soon as I stepped into a flowering room my nose was flooded with scents of Dirty Kush Breath, Lemon Splash, and Cherry Slushee.
Grow rooms are divided into different zones, each with its own specific purpose and set of smells. The vegetative zone is where the plants spend their early stages of growth. Here, they are given plenty of light and nutrients to help them grow strong and healthy. You can’t really smell any specific terpenes at this stage, but TerrAscend had one of the cleanest and most organized veg rooms I’ve ever seen.
Once the plants are mature enough, they are moved to a flowering room. Here the light cycle is typically 12 hours on and 12 hours off. This triggers the plants to start producing buds. Different strains go through various time periods in the flowering stage. Hence the importance of growing plants with similar life cycles, making it easier to take down entire rooms at once during a harvest. The terpenes in a flower room are overwhelming, but the feeling of being overcome with the fresh smell of terpenes is one of a kind.
Once the plants reach peak maturity, they are harvested, cured and dried over several weeks. This not only locks in and increases flavor but, if not done properly, it can negatively affect the potency. The grow team here works meticulously to ensure their plants are getting the level of care they need from the seed in the dirt to Cannabis going out to retail locations for sale.
A grow room is a complex, delicate environment that can be learned but not mastered. It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to grow Cannabis successfully, and the journey is part of what makes it so fun and special to be able to see. When done with passion and an intense desire to create a quality end product, the results can be amazing. The folks at TerrAscend are passionate about all facets of the plant and have been a breath of fresh air for me in the industry. Shoutout to Malik, Jessica, John, Nolan and the rest of the staff who made our visit so special!
