Cultivating Quality Cannabis: Inside Our Pheno-Hunting Process at The Pass

When it comes to cannabis, everyone has different preferences regarding flavor, aroma, and effects. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all option, which is why there are so many flower strains to choose from out there.

Selective cultivation of plants has been happening since the beginning of civilization — for example, farmers have always selected certain plants for their traits and qualities in the interest of getting better yields, sweeter fruits, or bigger vegetables. Did you know these methods of breeding apply to cannabis, as well? It’s how cultivators find the strains with those sought-after flavors, aromas, and effects. 

This process is called pheno-hunting, and it’s something we do right here on-site at our Berkshires cultivation facility. Ready to learn more?

 

Understanding Pheno-Hunting in Cannabis Cultivation

Just like those other types of crop farmers, cannabis cultivators will identify and isolate specific qualities they would like to reproduce on a larger scale. For example, one cultivator may be looking to find a strain with a high amount of CBD in ratio to THC, while another may be more focused on finding a particularly popular flavor profile amongst consumers in their region.

Then, they’ll intentionally breed two existing strains of plants together that already exhibit those qualities, with the goal to harness, or even amplify, those traits from both parents into an entirely new strain. But how does it all work?

The Science Behind Cannabis Pheno-Hunting

When a female cannabis plant produces seeds, those seeds eventually grow into plants. Each of those new plants will have its own slightly unique and specific characteristics of that particular strain or cultivar). For example, even though two seeds may come from the same Sour Diesel plant, one of the new plants may end up being more citrus- and fruit-forward while the other is a little more sour and less fruity. 

This is due to the specific cannabinoid and terpene content in each individual plant, and can also be influenced by environmental factors such as sunlight and what type of nutrients the plants are fed. Each of those new plants with its own genetic expressions is what is defined as a unique phenotype. 

Essentially, while all the phenotypes might come from the same cultivar, they harbor an array of characteristics from their lineage — much like us and our relatives. Consumers will prefer certain characteristics over others, and therefore seek out strains or products that have them present.

 

The Pheno-Hunting Process at The Pass

Here at The Pass, we grow premium cannabis utilizing a combination of indoor, greenhouse, and farm-field cultivation methods. Our facilities are meticulously maintained and managed to develop and maximize the desired characteristics of our carefully curated strain library in order to ensure purity and consistency with every plant.

Recently, our cultivation team studied their genetic library and took plant type, terpene expression, yield, and much more into account when they decided to begin an exciting new pheno-hunt for Jealousy, Government Oasis, Gelenade, Jersey Juice x Sour Diesel, and Glitter Bomb.

For the past several months they have been growing and analyzing multiple phenotypes of these same cultivars, evaluating every aspect of their physical and chemical composition in order to find a phenotype that we would be proud to put our name behind. 

Luca Boldrini, our Head of Cultivation, had this to say about our pheno-hunting process: “We’re trying to find the perfect balance of TAC and terpenes in some new genetics that have come to market. We’re constantly looking for new strains so the menu is reflective of the most recent trends.”

Selecting the Winning Phenotypes

This process is so exciting because when pheno-hunting, you’re able to see all the different traits and variabilities just one plant can produce. This allows a grower to take the vast and unique complexities of a plant and shape it into its peak desirability. Luckily for us, our cultivation team found quite a few winning phenotypes in a variety of strains that will be coming to our flower menu soon! 

 

Next Steps in Pheno-Hunting

So, where do we go from here? Because our team wants to be as precise and definitive in their decision as possible, they will clone, plant, and grow each winning phenotype once again. This will help us to decide once and for all which will become the mother plants that we will continue to clone and grow for production in the future. 

Customer Involvement 

In the meantime, the harvested winning phenotypes of these new strains will be sold in 1g tins in retail, so that our customers can experience and have actual input into this hunt for a new phenotype. The whole process feels like a science experiment, a puzzle, and of course, a hunt all wrapped in one! We love getting your input on these phenotypes and sharing the results with our community. 

While they’re eager to have a new strain hit the menu, the hunt for the perfect phenotype seems to be the most exciting and engaging part of the process for the cultivation team. It will remain a fond reminder of all the hard work gone into their craft when they finally hold the packaged product in their hands.

 

Experience The Excitement of Pheno-Hunting at The Pass

This pheno-hunt is certainly not the last. We’ll be continuing the hunt for primo versions of new and exciting strains here at The Pass. View our menu for the latest flower offerings, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to get exclusive announcements about new genetics!