Shane Hutto owns Horticultural Solutions, a consulting firm for cannabis growers based in Colorado, specialised in high-tech and large-scale warehouses. He formerly worked at Grodan, where he developed the company’s cannabis irrigation strategies on a global level.
“After five months since leaving Grodan, I have consulting contracts in nine states and Canada”,affirms Shane.
Shane Huto of Horticultural Solutions Ltd.
He says that the current status of cannabis cultivation differs depending on the state. “Each state has different regulations, so that’s definitely one of the most complex aspects. Every state has about 100 pages of regulations and I surely spend a lot on legal fees.”
“I visit the growers every other week, depending on the state and how often they need me, but I make the most profit from site visits and on-site consulting, analysing aspects such as nutrition, irrigation strategies and agricultural methods; a knowledge which comes from the commercial greenhouse tomato industry,” explains Shane.
A 7 acre tomato greenhouse converted for cannabis cultivation
Transferring aspects from the tomato industry to the cannabis industry has been vital. “An extremely large cannabis greenhouse in Arizona, with 7 acres, is an old tomato farm that we are converting, so we definitely see those veggie guys migrating to this crop,” states Shane.
Cannabis is not free of the threat of pests. According to Shane, some of the main issues that growers must face include powdery mildew, mites, fusarium, botrytis and aphids. To tackle them, “We use biological crop protection programs, similar to those in commercial greenhouse cultivation.”
The industry, in any case, is growing very rapidly. “So much so, that we cannot keep up,” says Shane. “The thirst for knowledge really drives my business, and the fact that there are so few consultants with a true horticultural background has allowed us to see astronomical growth.”
Horticultural Solutions is available for all kinds of retrofits, modelling and layout designs. “We try to offer a full service package, helping with every aspect of the growth, including staffing, nutrition management and even operation management. You name it, we can help,” concludes Shane Hutto.
For more information;
Shane Hutto (e-mail)
Horticultural Solutions Ltd.
Owner/Lead Consultant
Ph:+1 720-498-5463
Former Grodan consultant Shane Huto thrives in upcoming marjiuna industry