LIVING SOIL PROCESS
Loud & Local cannabis starts and ends
with living soil.
We believe that a happy, healthy ecosystem will yield the highest-quality flower — not only in looks and that first whiff from the open jar, but in a smooth, enjoyable smoke and potent effect. Nature is the inspiration for our human-made ecosystems.
The Beds
We grow our cannabis indoors in large fabric beds filled with a custom mix of organic inputs and local soil, tied together by a thriving network of beneficial fungi and insects.
Loud & Local has used the same soil in our raised beds since 2018! We started out making our own custom soil mix using locally-sourced inputs, including organic soil from Coast of Maine, Surf ’n Turf compost from Benson’s Dairy Farm in Gorham, and sweet, inoculated goodness from Hidden Forest Soil Company.
The Soil
We carried and mixed every bit of dirt in our raised beds (42 cubic yards) — and now that it’s inside, it’s never coming out!
Because we do not discard our growing media after every harvest, the ecosystem is left intact, and the bugs, fungi, and bacteria are left to thrive, thereby providing more nutrients for the soil to support new plants.
Although we are a “water-only” operation, we use compost teas and organic nutrients to supplement the growing process. Cannabis is an annual, which means it needs a lot of food in order to grow quickly and produce some beautiful flowers.
So what does “living soil” mean?
Living soil is exactly what you think it is — dirt that is home to healthy fungus and bacteria, good bugs, and different beneficial plants like radish and clover, all growing alongside our cannabis.
At its simplest, we try to replicate and recreate a thriving outdoor environment (as close as we can) indoors.
Soil Management & Testing
“If it ain’t measured, it ain’t managed”.
Sustaining an indoor ecosystem requires care and attention, and that includes recurring lab testing.
We test our soil for nutrients at least once every three months in order to meet the specific requirements that our plants need. This includes basic NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) as well as trace micronutrients like boron and copper.
With test results in hand, we can confidently amend the soil in between plantings to ensure it’s balanced, healthy, and ready to rock. This can include gypsum and other rock dust, soybean meal, and kelp. We source most of our amendments from Organic Grower’s Supply.
Recurring nutrient testing means each bed of soil we grow in is customized and unique to what the plants need. It’s both an art and a science, and that’s why we love it!
Processing & Packaging
After a harvest, our flower hang-dries in a cool, dark room before getting hand-trimmed by CMB Trimming, cured, packaged, and sent out to patients and medical dispensaries across Maine. A sample of the final product is sent to Nova Labs in Portland to be tested for cannabinoids to determine the potency of each harvest.
Our flower is packaged in Sana packaging, which is made of 100% plant-based hemp plastic that’s chemical-free, #7 recyclable, and made in the U.S. The stay-fresh wrapper is made of corn and can go straight into your compost!
