Growing Cannabis is 10% Cultivation, 90% Cleanliness: The Hidden Battle Against Contamination

Growing cannabis isn’t just about cultivation—it’s about maintaining a pristine environment to prevent contamination. From hand washing and glove use to the hidden dangers of cellphones and nutrient mixing, this guide dives into the critical role of cleanliness in producing healthy, high-quality plants. Learn how small oversights can lead to major issues and how to implement strict hygiene protocols to protect your grow.

Growing cannabis is 10% growing and 90% cleaning.

Hand Washing

• Extremely important to wash hands regularly to prevent cross contamination of bacteria, viruses, algea, mould, chemicals and other nasties we don't want on ourselves, our equipment and our plants.
• Video showing how quickly bacteria can spread - imagine this is algea on rockwool cubes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVnvOFcD5xY

Wearing Gloves

• We wear gloves for two reasons:

1. To project ourselves from harmful chemicals
2. Project the plants from us, carriers of bacteria, mould and algea

There is no point wearing gloves if we don't wash our hands thoroughly first.

Correct Hand Washing Procedure

• When to wash hands
• How to wash hands

The Microscopic World of Cross-Contamination

Understanding cross-contamination in a medical cannabis grow facility requires appreciating the microscopic scale at which bacteria and other microorganisms operate.

How Much is Needed?

It's crucial to understand that it takes an incredibly small amount of bacteria, fungi, or viruses to start a contamination event:

• A single bacterium can multiply to over 8 million cells in just 24 hours under ideal conditions.
• Some plant pathogens, like those causing powdery mildew, can spread from a single spore.
• Viruses can infect a plant with as few as 10-100 particles.

This means that contamination can occur from amounts invisible to the naked eye.

Scenario: A Day in the Life of Contamination

Let's walk through a scenario to illustrate how easily cross-contamination can occur:

1. Morning Inspection:
2. • A grower enters the veg room after checking their phone. Unknown to them, their phone harbors bacteria from their morning commute.
   • They adjust a plant with their bare hands, transferring some of these bacteria.
2. Nutrient Application:
3. • The grower mixes nutrients for the plants. A tiny splash on their gloves goes unnoticed.
   • They move to the flowering room, still wearing the same gloves.
   • While adjusting plants, the nutrient residue on their gloves contacts several plants, potentially causing chemical burn.
3. Pest Check:
4. • In the flowering room, they spot signs of spider mites on a plant.
   • They quickly check nearby plants with the same gloves, unknowingly spreading mites to previously uninfected plants.
4. Lunch Break:
5. • The grower checks their phone again before lunch, transferring microbes from the grow room to their device.
   • After lunch, they return to work, bringing new bacteria from their lunch and phone back into the grow room.
5. End of Day:
6. • By day's end, what started as a few bacteria on a phone has potentially spread throughout the facility, compromising plant health and product quality.

This scenario demonstrates how easily contaminants can spread through a facility due to seemingly minor oversights in hygiene protocols.

The Cellphone Conundrum

Cellphones are ubiquitous in modern life, but they pose a significant risk in sterile environments like medical cannabis grows.

Why Cellphones are Problematic:

1. Bacterial Reservoirs: Studies have shown that the average cellphone carries more bacteria than a toilet seat. In a grow room, this means introducing a host of potential contaminants.
2. Frequent Use: We check our phones dozens of times a day, making them a constant source of hand-to-surface-to-hand transfer.
3. Difficult to Clean: The intricate design of phones, with their many crevices, makes them challenging to sanitize thoroughly.

Best Practices for Cellphone Use in Grow Facilities:

1. No-Phone Zones: Designate certain areas, especially those with exposed plants, as no-phone zones.
2. Sanitization Stations: Provide UV sanitization boxes or alcohol wipes at entry points for cleaning phones before entering sensitive areas.
3. Protective Covers: Use disposable, sterile covers for phones that must be used in grow areas.
4. Hand Hygiene: Always wash hands after using a phone and before interacting with plants.
5. Education: Train staff on the risks associated with cellphone use in sterile environments.

Conclusion

Cross-contamination in a medical cannabis grow facility can occur from the smallest oversight. A single bacterium, spore, or virus particle can quickly multiply and spread, potentially compromising entire crops. By understanding the microscopic nature of these threats and implementing strict hygiene protocols - including addressing often-overlooked sources like cellphones - growers can significantly reduce the risk of contamination and ensure the production of high-quality, safe medical cannabis.

Case Study: The Contaminated Stock Tank

Scenario: Nutrient Mixing Gone Wrong

Let's follow a hypothetical situation in a medical cannabis grow facility:

Day 1: The Mixing Process

1. Initial Setup:
2. • John, an experienced grower, prepares to mix a fresh batch of nutrient solution for the flowering room.
   • He sets up his mixing station with various salt nutrients, a large mixing container, and stirring equipment.
2. The Oversight:
3. • John washes his hands but forgets to sanitize the scoop he uses to measure salts.
   • Unknown to him, the scoop has traces of organic matter from a previous use.
3. The Mixing:
4. • As John measures and adds different salts to the water, he introduces a small amount of contamination from the scoop.
   • The warm water in the mixing container provides an ideal environment for any bacteria present.
4. Transfer to Stock Tank:
5. • After thoroughly mixing, John transfers the solution to a 500-gallon stock tank.
   • He doesn't notice any immediate issues and considers the job well done.

Days 2-4: The Unseen Growth

• The stock tank, kept at room temperature in the nutrient room, becomes an ideal breeding ground for the introduced bacteria.
• The nutrient-rich solution provides ample food for bacterial proliferation.
• No visible signs appear yet, but the bacterial population is doubling every few hours.

Day 5: First Signs

• John notices a slight cloudiness in the stock tank but attributes it to undissolved salts.
• He stirs the solution and continues to use it for fertigation, unknowingly spreading the contamination to plants.

Day 7: Visible Problem

1. The Discovery:
2. • Upon entering the nutrient room, John is hit with an unusual odor.
   • Inspecting the stock tank, he sees visible slime and cloudy patches floating in the solution.
2. The Realization:
3. • John now understands that the tank is severely contaminated with bacteria.
   • He immediately stops using the solution and begins to investigate the cause.

The Consequences

1. Crop Impact:
2. • Plants that received the contaminated solution show signs of stress and potential root problems.
   • There's a risk of pythium or other water-borne pathogens affecting the crop.
2. Financial Loss:
3. • The entire 500-gallon nutrient solution must be disposed of safely.
   • Time and resources are wasted in cleaning and sanitizing the entire irrigation system.
   • Potential loss of affected plants or reduced yield quality.
3. Operational Disruption:
4. • Fertigation schedules are disrupted while the system is cleaned.
   • Additional labor is required for thorough sanitization of all equipment.

Root Cause Analysis

Upon investigation, it was determined that:

• The unsanitized scoop introduced a small amount of organic matter containing bacteria.
• The nutrient-rich, warm environment of the stock tank provided ideal conditions for bacterial growth.
• Lack of regular sanitization of mixing equipment contributed to the issue.

Lessons Learned

1. Equipment Sanitation: All tools, including measuring scoops, must be thoroughly sanitized before each use.
2. Regular Monitoring: Implement daily checks of stock tanks for any signs of contamination.
3. Temperature Control: Consider cooling systems for large stock tanks to inhibit bacterial growth.
4. Hygiene Protocols: Reinforce the importance of strict adherence to hygiene protocols, even for routine tasks.
5. Training: Conduct regular training sessions on contamination risks and prevention methods.

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how a minor oversight in hygiene practices during nutrient mixing can escalate into a significant contamination event. In a medical cannabis facility, where product purity is paramount, such incidents can have far-reaching consequences. It underscores the critical importance of maintaining rigorous sanitation practices at every step of the cultivation process, from the smallest tasks to facility-wide operations.