The Kings Of Cool

20

“Hydro,” of course, means water, and there are many advantages to growing cannabis in water instead of in soil.

(For those of you paying close attention-it’s tetra- hydro cannabinol, remember?)

You get higher, faster yields because hydroponic cultivation bypasses the root web. A crop is usually ready in twelve weeks-four harvests a year-and you control your own “sunshine” and “weather.” Therefore, you can rotate your cultivation from grow house to grow house so as to have a continuous yield.

You don’t have soil-borne pests and parasites. You don’t have to worry that you’re going to wake up one morning and find that three months of work is being eaten or dying of a communicable disease. Ergo, you’re not going to spray your plants with toxic pesticides and other shit.

Because it’s more automated, hydroponic cultivation requires less labor. The greater automation requires a higher start-up cost, but it can be amortized over several years, and the higher yield more than makes up for the initial outlay.

Ben also had a philosophical reason for going hydro.

“Human beings are mostly water,” he told Chon and O. “So it’s like the hydro is going home.”

“That’s sweet,” O said.

“Or stupid,” Chon added.

In any case, it took a lot more than just water to get the business started.

It took money, and a lot of it.