Business View Magazine | September 2020

101 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 www.klasmann-deilmann.com Perfect match! The Growcoon propagation system and substrates by Klasmann-Deilmann The Growcoon is like basketball: the basket itself is already fascinating. But it gets even more exciting when something gets inside it. After all, it is above all the combination of Growcoon and selected substrates from Klasmann-Deilmann that creates perfect solutions for horticulture. The Growcoon is as effective as a three-pointer. It convinces in sowing and rooting of cuttings, in the grafting and growing-on of young plants from tissue culture as well as in vertical farming and hydroponic systems. DARK HEART NURSERY BVM: How did the business evolve from there and what were the pitfalls? Grace: “It’s hard work in every respect and that was really the learning curve for us from that first grow. The epiphany was that cannabis growers have all the same problems that normal farmers have: crop loss, pests, diseases, low yields, commodity pricing fluctuations in the market, equipment failures. On top of that, we had all these special cannabis grower problems like maybe, at the time, you’d be arrested by the police; maybe a neighbor would steal your flowers; maybe a retailer would rip you off; maybe you’d have your bank accounts closed. “In our ecosystem, here in the Bay area, growers were especially exposed. Whereas some retailers had local licenses, growers ended up being on the front lines with the least amount of protection. So, we got out of that first grow with barely the shirt on our back. And as we were reflecting about whether this was something