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Puro Organics
Crop Type
Licensed Medicinal Cannabis
Products
Challenge
Puro is pioneering the licensed medicinal cannabis industry in Australasia.
The cultivation team needs accurate and reliable tools to measure pH, temperature and conductivity (EC) at each stage of the grow cycle.
Solution
Bluelab products support accurate measurements throughout the growing cycle.
Results
In 2022, Puro Organics exported licensed medicinal cannabis biomass to Australia, the first of its kind in New Zealand history.
Better plants from seed to sale, with fewer work requirements and less fertilizer
Puro Organics is New Zealand’s largest cultivator of licensed medicinal cannabis. In the two premium cultivation sites, they have constructed New Zealand’s largest licensed medicinal cannabis drying facility, and now offer premium biomass and dried flower to global partners.
With a focus on cultivation, seed production, and licensed cannabis genetic breeding and research, the team at Puro is developing the business for global success. In just four years, Puro has gone from securing land to becoming one of the largest producers of licensed organic medicinal cannabis and the only organic grower in Australasia. The company is leading the industry with its work in the plant's genetics and seed production.
The team at Puro has relied on Bluelab technology since inception. The accuracy and reliability of the Bluelab monitors and controllers help the internationally experienced cultivation team to grow a premium organic product and ensure a profitable future harvest.
With over ten years of experience in cultivation, Max Jablonski is the Indoor Cultivation Manager at Puro. His team is responsible for cloning and breeding, mother plant care, and nutrient and supplement uptake. “My focus is to create novel cultivars and stabilized F1 hybrid seed. I’m looking for specific traits and accumulating data on large batches of phenotypes. From there, we can create seed and eventually create a good hybrid line of seed that will be of great strength and value.”
“Decisions on plant health need to be scientific and data-driven. Bluelab is some of the most important equipment we have on-site.”
Max Jablonski, Cultivation Manager, Puro Organics
Correct pH and conductivity (EC) levels are vital to successful cultivation. Max uses Bluelab tools to ensure that fluctuating levels do not negatively impact plants at every stage of growing – from mixing potting media to fertigating adult plants. “Decisions on plant health need to be scientific and data-driven,” says Max. “Bluelab is some of the most important equipment we have on-site.”
“If people don’t monitor pH and EC, they will inevitably deal with a large range of issues on a regular basis. Chlorosis, necrosis, toxicities, deficiencies, and inadequate flower formation are all possible if pH and EC are not monitored.” (Read more about nutrient deficiencies.)
"Chlorosis, necrosis, toxicities, deficiencies and inadequate flower formation are all possible if pH and EC are not monitored.”
Healthy media for potting and germination with the Bluelab Pulse Multimedia EC/MC Meter
With the dedication to growing strong, healthy plants, the team at Puro ensures the media they use is of the highest quality and meets the high sustainability bar. To achieve this, the team mix the media on-site, then check and record the soil conductivity (EC) with the Bluelab Pulse Multimedia EC/MC Meter.
During potting-in, Max relies on the handheld Bluelab Pulse Meter to ensure that the conductivity (EC) is stable as they are mixing, preventing plant harm and ensuring successful rooting. “When we purchase our coco coir, it can be very unreliable in terms of pH, and it can have contaminants, so, we push water and hypochlorous acid through it every time.” After the mix is washed, Max says, “We use a 50/50 coco chunk and coco pith with 100% coco pith. We add organic materials, a mycorrhizal fungi, and also a phenomenal root accelerator from the USA.”
"We use the Pulse Meter to ensure that our EC isn’t creeping into an area that is dangerous.”
When mixing organic germination mix for 4,500 clones, Max also found a reliable and accurate way of measuring conductivity (EC) in the Bluelab Pulse Meter. “We bought the germination mix, then added compost tea. If the EC was too high, there’s a good chance that they wouldn’t have rooted adequately. The Pulse Meter was very important to that process.”
“If the EC was too high, there’s a good chance that they wouldn’t have rooted adequately. The Bluelab Pulse Meter was very important to that process.”
Successful seed production with the Bluelab Pro Controller
Successful harvest depends on a successful seed. With the Bluelab Pro Controller, Max can manage the quality of seeds grown in the large-scale on-site seed facility. Like many organic liscened medicinal cannabis cultivators, the team at Puro Organics uses salt-based fertilizers with organic amendments in the reservoir.
“We have a modest tank that is set up with a Bluelab Pro Controller.” Says Max. “Organic amendments always mean that we get shifts in our pH. We’ll pH the tank to 5.7 pH. By the time we come in, the pH rises to as high as 6.4 pH overnight. The Pro Controller is very important for keeping on top of that.”
Always ahead of pH drift with the Bluelab Combo Meter
The Bluelab Combo Meter is the most utilized tool in the Puro facility and paves the way for a healthy flower export. Even with automated fertigation, Max conducts daily checks on the drip and drain systems – an essential part of producing a quality flower.
“With daily checks on pH and EC, we get a snapshot of where the plants are. It allows us to switch things up before we get to the point where they are negatively impacted.” Max says. Before the Bluelab Combo Meter, the team had no visibility into issues like salt accumulation, “but now, we’re always ahead of it. We’re always able to see it coming before anything hurts the plants.”
Every morning, the cultivation team runs the fertilizer through the plants, then uses the Bluelab Combo Meter to measure and record the pH and conductivity (EC) of each room. The team is looking for salt accumulation and pH drift. “The Bluelab Combo Meter makes this process seamless.”
One of the main benefits of the Bluelab Combo Meter is how quickly measurements can be taken across a large growing area. “It's like seeing into the future and stopping a problem before it occurs. For our entire facility this daily occurrence takes about two hours, maximum, and we use two Combo Meters across two growing areas (seed production area and phenotype research area).”
The team uses the Bluelab Combo Meter to:
- Determine if they need to increase or decrease the amount of fertilizer so the plants get what they need, with little to no wastage.
- Determine if they are getting salt accumulation, which negatively impacts the pH of the system.
- Cross-reference the drain statistics with the automation system to ensure effective dosing.
Supporting the pioneers of the licensed medicinal cannabis industry with Bluelab
Now an award-winning licensed medicinal cannabis facility, the team at Puro Organics uses Bluelab tools and technology to grow quality products and produce research that is pioneering an industry. As a company-wide tool of choice, Bluelab helps to bring Puro’s core values to life, including sustainability.
Using Bluelab technology to monitor pH, conductivity (EC), temperature and moisture means Puro Organics can grow healthier, better plants from seed to sale, with fewer work requirements and less fertilizer.
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