Another participant in our collaborative series, “Growing Up Dank” is Buring With Byrd. A micro-cultivator with over a decade worth of expereince growing.
Byrd discusses with us how he got into growing, why he decided to participate in our series and what he wants to take away from the moment.
CashColorCannabis: Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.
Burning with Byrd: Hello, I’m Byrd, a single source mico-batch cultivator for my up-and-coming brand, ByrdHouse Organics. I’ve been cultivating indoors in living organic soil here in Los Angeles since March of 2020, but my years of practice, study and research date back 13 years! All cultivars are hunted from seed, and are selected or bred by me. Outside of working I’m also a content creator on my IG: burninxbyrd. I keep up a personal ByrdHouse grow Vlog; give product reviews in my review series “Burnin x Byrd”; and share cannabis news & culture updates. The whole purpose behind all of these creations is to provide a unique, ethereal cannabis experience that enriches the human experience.
CCC: When did you first get into growing cannabis?
BWB: My cannabis grow journey started back in 2010, when I first began trying to grow in the closet in my room and outdoors back home in Williamston, NC. I was all of 15 years old. Later that year in high school I would go on to take Horticulture to get more hands-on experience with plants. While in college I couldn’t grow, but I adamantly researched and kept up with cannabis culture. To further the study, I listened to podcasts, educational YouTube videos on growing cannabis, and I read a plethora of books on soil science, philosophy and plants. These things have kept me going ever since. In 2019 when I moved to LA, I could directly participate in the legal cannabis industry. In 2020, I started as a cultivation tech for Source Cannabis shortly after starting my tent grow. Since then I’ve only invested in myself, gaining more experience with other brands and continuing to expand my tent grows.
CCC: How many times did you mess up before you found a consistent method?
BWB: It took the first two years (about 4-6 grow cycles) before I got a consistent method. Even though I had a plan from the beginning, I was very weary on how to execute and what it would look like indoors, in a 4×4 tent. The only way to truly get an understanding with plants and gardening is through hands-on doing, and then observing the effects of what you’ve just done.
CCC: When you first were asked to take part in this series, what was your first thought? Were you apprehensive at first?
BWB: My homie shared this opportunity with me, and when Suz reached out to me about being selected I was ecstatic! My first thought was just how much of an honor it would be to share my story while also showcasing someone else’s hard work. Seed making isn’t easy, so I love to pay homage to those doing The unglamorous work of breeding and making seeds. I’ve followed Mehka and CashColorCannabis for over a year, so I was never skeptical or apprehensive, as it’s been a goal of mine to work with him. Still, as the series kicks off I’ve gotten just a tad bit of nerves with all the anticipation and excitement about what’s to come of the gear and of this series.
CCC: Now that we are in the first stages of this series, tell us about how you started your process (exp: did you start setting your area? Did you begin by popping seeds?)
BWB: The beginning of my process was sanitizing the 2×2.5 tent where I do my propagation, and simultaneously soaking the seeds. I soaked my seeds for 36 hours and then sewed into a 4” container of organic potting soil. At 5 days in, the seeds achieved 100% germination rate!
CCC: What do you think is going to be the most difficult part of doing this?
BWB: Waiting will be the hardest thing about doing this! During any other growing cycle, waiting and having patience wouldn’t be a thing at all, but with this being a special series, the anticipation at each stage of growth is heightened.
CCC: What do you want to take away from this project?
BWB: My hopes are to gain valuable exposure and to uplift others in the cannabis community with the work done in this project. I wish to cultivate new relationships that may eventually grow into continued collaboration and partnership, across platforms. It will be fun showcasing my skills, but also being able to represent where I’m from, doing what I love in a positive manner.
Watch Byrd as he prepares his grow in the first episode of “Growing Up Dank”