From the outside, it looks like any typical building, but after taking two steps into Verano’s grow facility, it’s apparent that this place is far from ordinary.
Dusty Barth, cultivation manager, walks through the building with a look of pride on his face, admiring the plants and people he oversees. He has come a long way since popping his first seeds 25 years ago.
It’s crazy to think that Barth almost left Maryland to move out West, if it weren’t for a friend linking him up with Verano and its Maryland team. April will mark eight years that Barth has been with the company, which is more than enough time for him to have a massive influence over the flower coming out of Verano’s grow.
The facility operates exclusively under LEDs and even uses under-canopy lights for two reasons. The first reason is an increased plant load because more light means more production can take place. The second reason — and an unexpected benefit — is these lights’ ability to lower the humidity level in the room, making it easier to control and dial in. Verano uses mostly Gavita and Fluence for overhead lighting, while Maryland company JumpLights makes its under-canopy lights. The Verano crew is also testing out Faven and Fohse brands. Utilizing one lighting company for an entire grow is convenient, but to optimize growth and output, it can take an army.
One way this grow saves time and maximizes efficiency is by using prefilled biochar coco mix bags from Bio365. Employees at this facility don’t have to spend countless hours filling grow bags. Instead, they can focus their energy on other elements of the plants’ life cycles. This method also enables Barth and his team to fine-tune the fertigation and irrigation techniques they employ. Cannabis can be fed consistently throughout the day, adding an element of much-needed precision to a vital part of determining how plants will end up expressing themselves.
The cleanliness of this grow is remarkable, with the reflection of the LEDs bouncing off the spotless floors in every room. There are two levels of plants in various stages of life, making the pristine conditions in every room all the more impressive. Going from one floor of grow space to two enabled Verano to double its canopy square footage. This type of environment empowers the Verano crew to pull down 1.6 million grams a week in wet weight, which translates to around 220,000 grams of dried, finished flower weekly (or around 82 grams per square foot of the facility). With that much flower, the team at Verano has to be extra conscientious about handling plants with an intention to retain terpene levels.
For the last few years, Verano has debuted around 10 strains a year. Before that, the crew focused on phenotyping their favorite strains to dial them in, but they didn’t have a ton of new strains in the works regularly.
Barth and his team have a strong passion for Cannabis, so they will always have something fresh up their sleeves. Some strains currently under research and development at Verano include Flying Dutchman, Rainbow Chip, Mega Squirt, Dreamsicle and Runtz Muffins. Be sure to keep an eye out for those strains and more to hit the market this year in Maryland.
