mishigami bear

You're welcome. I found that graph to be very informative too. There has to be a bottom, minimum price per pound, taking into consideration electricity, real-estate, nutrients, grow labor, trim labor, insurance, etc. But there is so much money going into "cannabis investments", that many operations will operate at a loss, just to establish market dominance. There is no way to compete with an operation that can operate at a loss for many years, simply because they have the capitalization. I think Michigan can get things right. Our individual count (12 plants) are as good as it gets, compared to other states. Washington residents can't homegrow. That blows!

You may find this 6 minute Vice report on the over-saturation of the Oregon cannabis market to be informative:

The folks who made money during the California gold rush were the ones who sold the pick axes, the maps, the denim jeans, etc. Very few miner '49ers got lucky and actually made money themselves. T-Pain's advice about opening a hydroponics store is very good advice. There is so much money going into grow businesses, dispensaries, cannabis stocks, etc. There will likely be overproduction (like in Oregon), with razor thin profit margins. I wouldn't try to compete, either as a grower or as an "investor". Look at niche markets that support the main grower market. A hydroponics store is one idea. Also think about setting up a testing facility, if you have the lab skills. Or become an edible maker, buying other growers' shake for a song. For myself, I am looking to breed special strains of cannabis and make high-quality Indica-dominant seeds (and maybe clones). I am also looking at producing earthworm castings in bulk.

I like the taste. The spicy, nostril-burning essence is pleasant to me. It lets me know that the stuff is real.

Yes. Agreed. Start very small and "introduce" it into your system. The first few times may be very powerful. Make no plans and be prepared to sleep for 10+ hours solid. The goal is to be able to take larger and larger amounts, without feeling those overwhelming effects that you felt the first few times. You want to build up a tolerance, so your body can take in a "medical" dose of oil. Currently, I can take a pretty large dose during the daytime and show no real signs of being "high" or impaired. No red eyes, no dry mouth, full energy and cognition, etc. The medicinal effects seem to be delayed until I finally go to sleep at night. [your mileage my vary, I'm not a physician, etc. etc.]

Yes. You want "cannabis oil", not CBD oil or hemp oil. It is sometimes called improperly called RSO (for Rick Simpson Oil), but no matter. You want an extract of the resin from high-THC cannabis flower that has been decarboxylated. Look for a small needle-less syringe containing 1 gram of a black, tar looking fluid. The key to properly ingesting the oil is to place a rice-sized piece on your tongue (better yet, under your tongue) and try to absorb as much as you can through your mucus membranes. That way the THC-9 goes directly to your bloodstream. Some of it will get swallowed, in which case it gets converted to THC-11 in the liver. Both THC-9 and THC-11 have health benefits, so you want them both. But large amounts of THC-11 alone often results in strong psychoactive effects that some people experience (and dislike) after eating an edible. The goal is to take the oil daily, in increasing doses, so that your body gets used to it. People talk about high tolerance as a bad thing, but that really is the goal. To be able to intake a higher doses of oil, without being affected. I'm to the point where I don't really feel the effects of the oil at all when I am awake. But when I go to sleep, I sleep very deeply. That is the best medicinal effect of oil in my opinion - the high quality, restful sleep followed by an invigorating wake up.

Looking at that photo of the room full of plants and lights... no way can the grower quickly spot pests and disease (which can manifest overnight) on every single plant. They are too jam-packed. I don't see any aisles.

Cool. Whitmore Lake sounds good. A weekend day would be best for me. Let's make it a seed and clone exchange. I like to grow from seed (strong tap root) and to have the ability to keep males for breeding.

I'm a fruit grower too, so I'm praying that El Nino doesn't bring us an early spring.

Here is some more inspiration. Imagine having this in your backyard. Just keep it to 12.

Any weight limits are for dried product. Weight does not apply while on the living plant or while in the process of drying/curing. Honestly, the 12 plant personal limit is a much better thing than a weight limit or a light wattage limit. There is nothing preventing you from creating something like this:

I am planning on opening my first MMA Dōjō, just as soon as I can take my some lessons and schedule my first fight. Can you guys give me some guidance on what weapons I should place on the back wall? What should I charge for tuition?

I would veg them from seed until they reach the 4th or 5th set of true leaves. Then I'd switch to 12/12 right away. The plants will continue to grow taller, even well into flowering. You really want to limit size, especially in a tent. Remember that you will need to leave room for the lights and filter/fan. I would try to limit the top of the plant to less than half the height of the tent. In your case that would be 40" from the floor. Subtract at least 12" for the pot. That leaves you with 28" of plant length. Most plants will naturally try to get larger than that. It is your job to train or prune the plants to stay within their desired size.

Good lord... what a takedown! I imagine that there will be Cannabis stock scams that will dwarf the dot-com stock scams of the late 1990s. Any farmer knows not to jinx himself by making promises about a future crop (coming in a few months).

Thanks for the updates on LED grow light technology. I'm glad to hear it. I'll probably take the plunge and buy something in the next year or so. Any particular manufacturers that you recommend?