Home Grow chronicles Dianna’s personal journey as a medical cannabis patient who registered and was approved by the Canadian government to grow cannabis in her home. Dianna’s experience is one grower’s point of view. Her ideas are neither the best or only proven methods for growing medicinal grade cannabis.
When we first caught up with Boveda blogger, Dianna Donnelly, she was transforming a closet into a grow room for her medicinal cannabis plants. Next step? Nosing out where to buy her budding start-ups for her home grow. Dianna did the virtual legwork, here’s what she found.
As mentioned in my first post, home cultivation is an added bonus for patients in Canada’s most recent legal cannabis program. Once a patient receives a prescription for medicinal cannabis, she can also submit a separate application to grow her own. (Like me!)
Patients need to ask the prescribing cannabis clinician to write an additional prescription. That second prescription is mailed with this application for home cultivation to Health Canada. Sounds easy enough but not all doctors are eager to support home cultivation. It is a patient’s right, so be diligent. FYI: Canadians are grabbing hold of this right and applying to home grow by the thousands!
The application requires a patient to specify whether the flower garden will be indoor, outdoor or a combination of the two. (Mine is indoor.) For every 1 gram of product prescribed per day, a patient is allowed to grow five indoor plants or two outdoor plants. The processing times for a license to home grow ranges from three to six months. (Mine took five months.)
No green thumb? You’re in luck. In Canada, you can also designate an existing legal patient and grower to be your designated grower. With more than 11,640 Canadian patients allowed to grow their own, bet you can find someone who’s willing to add your greenery to their own crop.
Next step? Find my babies!
CANNABIS SEEDS VERSUS CLONES
WHY I CHOSE CLONES OVER SEEDS
Originally, I was going to start from scratch with seeds. The only legal producer to offer seeds didn’t have any strains containing cannabidiol (CBD), which is a cannabis chemical compound in my daytime medicine. So seeds were out. (Also not every seed germinates, so it only takes a few duds to turn a home grower off of seeds and on to clones.)
Clones also offer a home cultivator a head-start. The plant has already powered through those awkward, overly fragile germination and seedling stages.
WHAT IS A CANNABIS CLONE?
A clone is a cutting from an existing adult plant. The cutting is dipped in root stimulating hormone, nestled into growing medium and covered with a propagation dome. In 10 to 14 days, roots appear and that clone is now an independent, self-sustainable plant.
WHERE CAN CANADIAN HOME GROWERS BUY CANNABIS STARTING MATERIALS?
Like so many other aspects of the law, where a patient can legally buy garden start-ups is evolving. Although it’s still a grey area, it’s kind of cool patients have legal options after years of prohibition.
Licenses to grow were administered before LPs could begin selling seeds and clones. So many patient/growers opted to buy seeds and clones the old way–from a head shop or online. (Or acquire them from a buddy.) Health Canada recommends that patient/growers purchase starting materials from one of the licensed producers (LPs) who offer them.
WHY BUY FROM AN LP VERSUS A HEAD SHOP OR A BUDDY
- Legal
You can only legally obtain starting materials from LPs. Health Canada has authorized about 30 legal sources to sell seeds or clones. - Genetics
Legalization has given cannabis patients more access to CBD. For 16 years, I purchased cannabis from illicit sources and never once did I come into contact with CBD, a medicinal compound in cannabis. Head shops and online seed dealers often limit their offerings to THC-only because that’s what has sold–up until now. I find more medicinal benefits from combining THC and CBD compounds than separating them. So shopping strains is thrilling for a medicinal cannabis patient like me. Canada is in the midst of a cannabis evolution. The demand for CBD-only and 1:1 equal THC/CBD strains are on the rise. Seed dealers are now beginning to breed those seeds. - Safety
To meet Health Canada’s standards, LPs are tightly regulated. Their propagation areas are well-maintained and clean. No more risking your health by buying from someone who may cut his clones in his moldy basement. - Guarantee
The LPs live through Canada’s erratic winter weather conditions right along with home growers.
To ensure your plants’ delicate needs are met, LPs follow shipping guidelines, which include:
1. Nestling plants in special shipping materials
2. Using priority shipping, so there is a 2-day guarantee
3. Halting delivery if the temperature is below -10° C (14° F)
4. Holding clones at sorting facilities for pick up, so those plants aren’t bouncing around in a truck all day.
5. Offering a 24- to 48-hour guarantee on the life of each clone.
WHERE TO BUY CANNABIS SEEDS AND CLONES
The first horse out of the gate was a producer from British Columbia–Whistler Medical Marijuana (WMMC). Initially, it appeared that WMMC priced their clones NOT to sell!
Whistler Medical Marijuana
Whistler, British Columbia
3 Strain Choices
$750/starter pack of 5 clones of the same strain*
Additional clones within the same strain: $20 each
*Includes taxes & shipping
Within a few months, seven other LPs started showing their support for legal growers by offering seeds and clones. Pricing is all over the place. Before placing an order, check if shipping and handling are included. Both can be hefty add-ons, which includes the cost of the clone shipper.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
4 Strain Choices
$250/starter pack of 5 clones of the same strain*
Additional clones within the same strain: $20 each
*Includes shipping, not taxes
Hope, British Columbia
3 Strain Choices
$175/2 clones*
$240/4 of same strain*
$315/4 of 2 different strains*
$455/6 of 3 different strains*
Additional clones: $175, sold in groups of 2 only.
*Includes shipping, not taxes
MariCann
Burlington, Ontario:
3 Strain Choices
$75 each*
$68 each if you buy 6*
Additional clones: $40 each*
*Includes taxes & shipping
Stayner, Ontario
1 Strain Choice
Maximum purchase: 5 clones/patient
$75 each*
Additional clones: $50 each*
No online pricing available, must email LP for details.
*Does NOT include taxes and shipping
THC BioMed
Kelowna, British Columbia
21 Strain Choices
$20 per clone*
*Does NOT include taxes and shipping
Smith’s Falls, Ontario
10 Seed choices
$30/3 seeds*
$45/3 seeds*
$55/3 seeds*
*Does NOT include taxes and shipping, which is a standard $4 with Tweed
Tweed Main Street’s original headquarters is located a half an hour from where I grew up. It’s the only legal source for seeds. Formerly, this facility was a Hershey’s® chocolate plant. When I was a child, you could score a free chocolate bar with each purchase. (I’m pretty sure you’ll see TMS follow that lead once recreational use is legal next year. A free gram with every purchase? Sweet!)
Aylmer, Ontario
6 Strain Choices
$100/3 clones
Additional clones: $10 each.
*Does NOT include taxes and shipping
WHICH LP I CHOSE & WHY
THC BioMed
Attractive prices. When I added in shipping and handling, each clone totaled about $55.
Variety of strains. I could create my own starter pack with different strains.
Break on my medicine. While my beauties mature, THC BioMed is providing my interim supply of cannabis at the incredibly low price of $4.20 per gram!
WHAT CLONES I CHOSE & WHY
20+ THC & <1 CBD
Haze is a Sativa dominant strain.
Sativas tend to be more cerebral in their effect, which opens up my mind up to very productive writing sessions.
7% THC & 9% CBD
Durga Mata is almost equal parts THC & CBD, which makes it a great strain for morning and daytime use.
The CBD mitigates any sedation I may feel from the THC, which keeps the urge for a siesta at bay.
12 THC & <1 CBD
Sweet Purple just sounded awesome to me. Doesn’t it sound incredible to you?
Purple is my favorite color (and my mom’s too). For esthetics, I really wanted at least one purple flower in my closet!
20+ THC & <1 CBD
Sensi Star is heralded by its original breeder (Paradise Seeds) as the strongest Indica around. (I’m not sure if that’s still the case.)
Because of its higher THC content, I’ll be able to use fewer buds to make my homemade cannabis oil.
To my friends of the flower in the United States
I’m a Canadian, so this series is about my experience as a legally registered cannabis patient who is approved to home grow her own herbal medicine. However, I did some digging to see if home cultivation is allowed in the United States. Turns out 16 states and Washington D.C. allow some form of restricted home grow. Leafly updates this list and includes links to each individual state’s resources: Here’s an overview of Home Cannabis Cultivation Laws: A State-by-State Guide. Good luck, my friends. If you have questions about home grow, please reach out.
Dianna Donnelly is a cannabis educator, blogger, and freelance writer living in Kingston, Ontario. She counsels new patients on the safe and effective use of medicinal cannabis and believes that with enough time, cannabis, and coconut oil she can heal the world.
Dianna Donnelly’s posts are being provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Boveda of any of the products, services or opinions of Dianna Donnelly. Boveda bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of this post or links to the posts. Contact Dianna Donnelly for answers to questions regarding her content.
Home Grow #3: Clones Come Home
