Simple Yet Efficient Auto-Flower Production for Green Thumb Gardens
Key Results
By growing auto flowers, and pursuing a two-crop rotation rather than the one-crop photoperiod rotation, Green Thumb produced double the amount of biomass, increasing their production capability by 50%.
OCC’s speedy turnaround meant that Green Thumb could harvest both crops before a bout of Oregon winter weather arrived, which would have caused extreme harvest loss due to mold and freezing temperatures.
When Green Thumb Gardens approached Osovksy Cannabis Consulting to seek guidance on optimizing their production model and costs for maximum efficiency, we immediately put our expertise to work.
We knew prioritizing auto-flower varieties would give Green Thumb a competitive advantage, allowing them to produce their cannabis in challenging climates and at a fraction of the cost of full-season plants. With weekly in-person meetings, OCC and Green Thumb collaborated to create and implement a streamlined, cost-effective growth plan.
A signature part of the OCC approach is offering hands-on guidance to ensure our strategy is implemented correctly at every stage. Plus, a high level of involvement allows OCC to respond quickly to challenges and adjust plans based on real-time observations.
Gaining the Confidence to Buck Growing Trends
Cannabis businesses can have a narrow vision when it comes to their production varieties and style. It’s tempting to follow the crowd and ride annual trends, but an unfocused approach can often cost you valuable resources through inefficiencies and unsold material.
Many cannabis farms grow their product and then look to sell it, which is the inverse of typical successful agricultural models. Most agricultural ventures (say strawberries) sell their product before growing it so they know exactly where it’s going. We encouraged our clients to look past what everyone else was doing and implement a production model more similar to conventional agriculture so they would know exactly where their harvest would go. We also selected auto-flower as the plant to hone in on.
Auto-Flower Production: The Basics
Cannabis auto-flower is a type of cannabis plant that starts flowering (producing buds) on its own, without needing changes in light. Most cannabis plants are "photoperiod," meaning they need specific light cycles to trigger flowering—usually more darkness as the days get shorter. However, auto-flower plants begin flowering after a certain amount of time, typically within 2-4 weeks from planting, regardless of the light they receive.
This makes auto-flowers a popular choice for growers who want faster harvests and easier growing conditions, especially in places with short summers or unpredictable weather. They also tend to stay smaller, making them easier to manage in limited spaces. We knew that focusing on auto-flower would give Green Thumb a strong competitive advantage in an oversaturated market.
Maximizing Auto-Flower’s Versatile Uses
We favored auto-flower for Green Thumb’s needs because cannabis grown from auto-flower varieties can be consumed as usable marijuana flowers AND used for extraction purposes. We did two things to maximize usage:
We sold the usable marijuana flower as an inexpensive flower option to retail stores, enabling retailers to share those savings with consumers. Retailers were particularly interested in these varieties for their ounce specials or pre-rolls.
We grew the products under pre-arranged brand contracts to create concentrates or extract products.
Leveraging the Right Connection
Green Thumb needed guidance from auto-flower experts. Leveraging our established connection with a reputable auto-flower breeder, we provided Green Thumb with top-quality, auto-flower seeds. We also used this crucial connection to offer valuable advice on how to integrate auto-flowering varieties into Green Thumb’s strategic growing plan.
Implementing a Simplified Growing Style
Our strategic growing plan allowed Green Thumb to grow two crops per production cycle on one tier 2 outdoor license in a 40,000 sq. ft space. This was a tried-and-tested model that OCC has implemented and seen work successfully in similar operations. By mirroring conventional agriculture practices, we helped Green Thumb shift to a model that decreases overall risk with a “sell then grow” formula. This approach significantly reduced overhead costs, leading to greater revenue after harvest. No surprises here, but the entire Green Thumb team was thrilled with the results!