Who is Rootz?

Tissue culture cultivation represents a transformative approach to propagation in the cannabis industry. The science of tissue culture was commercialized roughly four decades ago and is widely used across many agricultural sectors. Until recently, the technology had not been adopted by the marijuana industry, perhaps due to a lack of knowledge sharing between industries or the long history of legal barriers. Today, the popularity of tissue culture in the cannabis sector is a far different story.

Rootz, a Michigan grower based in Saugatuck, uses tissue culture cultivation to produce their quality flower. The process involves taking a small tissue sample from a mature plant under sterile conditions. This sample, which can be just a few cells, then grows on a culture medium. This culture medium is usually an agar gel that contains a variety of nutrients, hormones, sugar, and other ingredients. Because many plant cells possess the ability to regenerate into an entire plant, tissue culture is a highly efficient growing technique. Some people also refer to the process as ‘micropropagation.’

In the past, cannabis growers had to rely on seeds. They were widely available, sometimes merely falling out of the buds of whatever strain was available. However, using these seeds presented a variety of problems. Firstly, seeds are genetically unstable. This instability means that one batch of seeds could produce plants with different characteristics, some of which might be more desirable than others.

Secondly, unless you purchase feminized seeds, there is a risk that 50% of your plants will be male. Finally, seeds take time to germinate. And that means waiting longer until your crops are ripe and ready to harvest.

Plant tissue culture provides a viable alternative to growing from seeds or cuttings, with several distinct advantages. Not only do tissue cultures produce genetically stable clones, but they also allow whole plants to grow from just a few tiny cells. This unique benefit means that cultivators can keep hundreds of clones in a relatively small space. It also allows them to build up a bank of genetic material with multiple clones from different strains.

“Energetic Light That Keeps a Dark Night Alive.” -Rootz

Next time you make a trip to Light’N Up make sure you ask about the tissue culture flower from Rootz! Ask us about the tissue culture process, we love teaching and learning everything cannabis!