Photo Credit: Jean-Gabriel Fernandez
With cannabidiol (CBD) products flooding the market in Wisconsin, it can be easy to forget where CBD comes from: it is extracted from the cannabis sativa plant, the same plant that creates marijuana. As such, it is necessary for Wisconsinites to grow cannabis in dedicated farms. These farms are now legal as per the hemp pilot program as long as the plants grown there contain essentially CBD with only tiny amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana.
Cream City Wellness, a recently opened shop in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, processes and sells hemp the owners grew themselves. Operated by the Gengembre family—two brothers and a wife—and a few friends passionate about CBD, the business opened the doors to one of its greenhouses for the Shepherd Express. Within, rows upon rows of vigorous cannabis plants, surrounded in the characteristic, heady scent of cannabis, bathed in the light and warmth—a sight that seemed to be a pipe dream just a few years ago.
‘Labor of love’
“When the hemp pilot program was started, we grew a few acres in the field to test different varieties,” said Cream City Wellness’ co-owner and head grower, Alex Gengembre. “We bought 11 different kinds to see how they would grow, and that was how we started the process. We were very fortunate because everything that we grew passed the state tests and also produced adequate-to-high levels of CBD.”
Their crops are divided between greenhouses and a field, although all of the products currently sold in their store are greenhouse-grown. Growing hemp in a greenhouse allows more control over the plants’ quality and development, which is one of Cream City Wellness’ most important principles—small batches and attentive care to grow the best hemp possible. They do not use pesticides, and they mix their own soil to ensure control over every step of the growing process.
“Greenhouses definitely eliminate a lot of variables. When you’re out in the field, you’re battling elements: you’re battling wind, you’re battling rain, you’re battling pests that you cannot keep under control. In a greenhouse, you’re dealing with a more controlled environment and, in return, you’re able to produce a higher-quality product,” Alex Gengembre explained.
Despite the relatively low number of plants in their greenhouses, those require intensive grooming. “Greenhouse-grown watering is generally done on a daily basis and done by hand, plant by plant. Even when we’re harvesting it and drying it and trimming it, our product is hand-trimmed; it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s a labor of love.” Out in the field, they do not have an irrigation system set up and rely essentially on rainfall and the plant’s natural hardiness.
What does it take to grow cannabis?
Growing hemp for its CBD requires seeking female plants, as male plants produce pollen and die after shedding it. As Alex’s wife, Alli, puts it, male plants can pollenize crops and cause unwanted seed production; female plants “are what creates the flower that is high in the precious resin everyone seeks.”
To start a cannabis culture, two paths are sustainable: seeds or clones. When using (feminized) seeds, one needs to plant them, while clones require a mother plant from which to take cuts—by replanting the cuts, they keep growing into a new female plant genetically identical to the mother. “The starting genetics are very important, and we are fortunate that we got the genetics that we did. In the cannabis plant, genetics dictate everything,” Gengembre said. This year, Cream City Wellness chose to clone a few mother plants, which are kept from flowering all year-round in order to keep them viable. The mother plants keep growing, and the ones handled by Cream City Wellness are significantly taller than the humans who handle them.
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Some of Alex Gengembre's mother plants.
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Some of Alex Gengembre's mother plants.
Light is key when growing cannabis plants, as the flowering and reproductive processes are triggered by the amount of light the plants receive daily. Shorter days will cause flowering—in a greenhouse, this is artificially managed by the farmers, who can choose to use lamps or darken the greenhouse with shades in order to fine-tune the growing process.
The amount of work required is sizable, requiring a team working “from sunup to sundown,” seven days a week in Cream City Wellness’ growing operation. “Daily tasks range from everything from daily watering to pest control to opening and closing our shades systems,” according to Gengembre. “It depends on plant size and where the plant is along the phases of growth. The work also includes overseeing the growing process and looking for signs, whether it is plants asking for water or staying on top of a preventative schedule to avoid pest-related issues.”
Although the cannabis plant itself is quite sturdy and can survive with little effort, the quality of its product is greatly dependent on its handlers’ ability to care for the plant. While the hemp industry does not enforce the same growing standards the medical cannabis industry does, growers like the Gengembres know to put effort and love into the process to get top-quality product.
