At Flora Arbor, a small craft grow operation out of Elgin, Illionis, every step of cultivation is meticulously designed to deliver the best quality flowers. "It all starts in the pump room, the heartbeat of the facility," says David Myrowitz, Director of Cultivation at the company. The reverse osmosis system filters water, which is then stored in holding tanks. "We mix the water with nutrients using our fertigation machine, making sure everything is right for each room."
David explains the importance of environmental control in their facility. "We have moisture sensors, soil temperature sensors, and canopy sensors to dial in the perfect conditions." With their 5,000-square-foot grow space, they know that "any grower would say the number one thing is a good HVAC system." The small size means they can control every detail, but it also means every round needs to be successful.
At Flora Arbor, they harvest every three weeks across three different rooms. The process begins in the mother room, where genetics are housed. "We keep moms in different stages of growth—young moms on one side, mature moms on the other. We replace them on a six-month schedule to keep things fresh and get the best quality cuts." They only take the tops of the plants for propagation. "We make sure the tops are healthy before they go into the propagation room under domes, keeping the moisture in."
Once the clones are ready, they are moved to the veg room. "We use crop steering to stimulate their growth, making sure the moisture content in the grow bags is perfect. We check every day to validate that they're getting the exact amount of water." They also use a second net if the plants grow a bit taller, ensuring airflow between the canopy.
"We're running a dual-tier system," David says, explaining how they group plants based on height. "Bottom racks are for taller plants, top racks for shorter ones. By grouping them like this, we make sure each plant gets exactly what it needs—light intensity, irrigation—without creating microclimates."
Flora Arbor grows different strains in each room to offer diverse options to dispensaries. "It's important to have representative genetics for different flavor profiles. Consistency is what the market needs right now. When you buy from a brand, you want to be sure you're getting the same quality every time."
One of the advantages of their small grow rooms is the attention they can give to each plant. "We can focus on making sure everything is perfect—there are no outliers to throw off quality control." With small batch harvesting every three weeks, the product is always fresh. "You're not getting something that's been sitting in a vault for months. There's always something new coming out."
Post-harvest is where the final touches happen. "We hand-trim everything to make sure each bud is perfect for packaging," David says. The post-harvest team carefully sorts the buds, ensuring only A-buds go into premium packaging. "B-buds and trim go into different bins, so everyone can try our products, not just those who can afford the premium."
For more information:
Flora Arbor
1300 Abbott Dr, Elgin, IL 60123
847-504-8450
[email protected]
floraarbor.com