Behind-the-scenes: Dutch Passion’s autoflowers grown legally in The Netherlands

Take a step inside the newly legal world of Dutch commercial-scale cannabis growing and see how & why Dutch Passion are so heavily involved. The Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment is a Dutch Government program which allows a selection of the 500+ coffee shops in The Netherlands to buy legal high-grade weed from licensed professional growers rather than black market suppliers.

Dutch Passion have collaborated with Aardachtig, who are fully licensed by the Dutch Government to grow and supply cannabis to coffee shops in 10 Dutch municipalities as part of the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment.                     

Aardachtig grows Dutch Passion autoflower seeds under optimised conditions by a specialist team that includes expert geneticists and nutrient professionals. For the first time, the inside story of this project can be told….

The Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment explained

●    The Dutch “legal weed experiment” is officially known as the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment. It’s the first of its kind in Europe. Progressive to some, controversial to others but undeniably a potential game change for European cannabis supply.

●    Under this Government-supervised trial, coffee shops buy their cannabis from fully regulated growers instead of the black market. The process is tightly controlled and carefully scrutinised at all stages from seed germination to point-of-sale. One of the main benefits will be increased public safety.

●    A significant weakening to the tax-free finances of criminal networks alongside reduced crime will be one key benefit of the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment. Extensive lab testing and strictly-enforced cultivation rules mean that both quality & purity levels from the legally grown crops are now significantly higher than those from unregulated black-market suppliers. Public health increases since the cannabis is free from contaminants and impurities. The consumer benefits with safer, higher quality cannabis grown to the highest standards.

Aardachtig applied for, and received, a Dutch grow license. After a lengthy period of planning, preparation & investment Aardachtig are now operational and producing cannabis for numerous coffee shops.

Aardachtig are a multi-disciplinary team of grow experts. They have fully indoor grow areas as well as a large fully environmentally controlled greenhouse fitted with supplemental self-adjusting LEDs (variable light output depending on sunlight intensity) to ensure plants are always bathing under maximum light intensity even on cloudy days. This approach significantly reduces electricity usage without affecting quality.

Nutrients come from BioTabs, these are slow-release fully organic nutrients with a great reputation in the cannabis grow community over many decades. BioTabs supplied some expert plant nutrient specialists as part of this historic collaboration. Dutch Passion are proud to be the cannabis seed supplier and genetic consultants. Autoflower seeds are proving particularly popular with the Aardachtig team.

Aardachtig have invested heavily in people, training, compliance, infrastructure, genetics and technology to allow them to produce the finest harvests possible. They hope to become known as the highest quality cannabis producer within The Netherlands.

The main goal of Aardachtig is to see the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment succeed. If this happens, it should allow The Netherlands to become a major new quality-leader in the emerging world of legal commercial cannabis production.

As you can see from the pictures, major progress has already been made with additional new grow modules planned for further expansion. Crops thrive under the ideal grow conditions offered by the Aardachtig team.

The first Dutch Passion autoflower cannabis seeds grown legally

A few questions were put to the Aardachtig management team:

Question: Why did Aardachtig focus so heavily on autoflower seeds?

 “We tested and grew many feminised seed varieties too, but autoflower seeds are so fast to grow with surprisingly heavy yields. Straight-forward too, so easy to grow. Often 100g+ (~4oz+) per plant in around 10-11 weeks.

Autoflowers proved to be the obvious choice, especially when we saw the repeatable high-end THC lab results and rich terpene profiles from the Dutch Passion varieties. In a commercial setting like ours, we sell to the registered coffee shops. They insist on the finest quality levels - dank, potent and aromatic. If they don’t like it, they don’t buy it. It’s that simple!

The demand levels are high and at times they are difficult to keep up with. So autoflower seeds were the natural choice for fast & heavy Grade-A harvests. We can harvest plants every 75 days or so, allowing roughly 5 auto crops per year.

"Quality is absolutely key in this new world of legal large-scale growing. Without it, you lose your reputation. Regular lab testing is part of the process, and we are pleased to see THC levels at 20% and in many cases well above that with our autoflower crops."

The consistency and repeatability from autoflower seeds has surprised us. Our customers, the coffee shops, love the various colours and flavours on offer from the more exotic Dutch Passion autos too.”

Question: What can you tell us about the grow conditions and why did you choose them?

“At Aardachtig, we started with a fully organic mindset. The coffee shop buyers strongly prefer that too. We grow in a light-mix coco/soil blend with added BioTabs slow-release nutrients. For most of the time, we just add water to the plants.

This increased simplicity allows significantly less scope for errors. This improved consistency results in the best quality buds for our customers.

The input from Dutch Passion has been all about a tight focus on the genetics. Starting with the best cannabis seeds, growing them to perfection, checking the results. Document, repeat & improve the process - measuring & recording everything. Meticulously.

We invested heavily in premium SANlight LED grow lights for the interior areas with impressive results. This allows us to hit the desired 20-25%+ THC levels alongside top-shelf terpene profiles. A strong focus on autoflower seeds made sense for quality reasons as well as commercial reasons. Side by side, no-one can tell the difference between buds from quality feminised seed varieties vs well-grown autoflower seed varieties. 

Autoflower seed varieties are fast, simple and so easy to grow in our system - with reliably heavy harvests and 20%++ THC levels. Autos make a lot of sense for us.

To reduce electricity consumption, we use the greenhouse with supplemental LED lighting which auto-brightens according to overhead daylight conditions. Quality levels are excellent, and energy usage is minimised due to the long hours of daylight (almost 17 hours in summer). Again, perfect for quality autoflower cultivation.

In the indoor grow areas, the plants are cultivated in long rows in large containers using drip-fed irrigation, with lavish amounts of LED and professional air-extraction/climate control. The team really are obsessive and passionate about their work. None of them treat it as simply ‘just a job’. We feel this is what sets Aardachtig apart.”

Dutch Passion also routinely supply a number of other licensed, legal growers with their autoflower seeds and feminised seeds. Pure Healing, Portugal, are one of many growers seeing THC levels regularly exceed 25%.

Aardachtig x Dutch Passion x BioTabs

Aardachtig are a team of cannabis professionals with expertise in all areas. They succeeded in their application for a grow licence for the Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment and have built state-of-the-art premises built according to demanding regulations from the Dutch Government.

All elements, including LED lighting, cannabis seeds, environmental control (air flow, humidity, temperature…), nutrients etc have been carefully selected for maximum quality and highest simplicity. Strict process-control is in place, using best-practice principles and continuous improvement. Dutch Passion have been highly impressed with Aardachtig’s professionally organised commercial-scale cannabis grow. Easily on-a-par with the best of the professional USA/Canadian growers.

Dutch Passion and BioTabs are pioneers with 35+ years of satisfied repeat customers in the cannabis world. Both companies are respected for their innovation, product quality and customer service - making them natural collaborators on this prestigious project.

BioTabs deliver the modern fully organic approach favoured by most cannabis consumers. The BioTabs ‘water-only’ approach greatly simplifies cultivation, reducing human effort significantly. Dutch Passion have supplied large quantities of their commercially available cannabis cup winning autoflower seed varieties as well as extensive support and grow expertise.

The combination of Aardachtig x Dutch Passion x BioTabs has been a highly successful one. All collaborators bring together their own specialist expertise. One of the reasons that the Aardachtig project has had such a positive start is thanks to the upfront design & investment in the grow facilities. All team members are experts in their own fields - able to work in a great cultivation environment where all that really matters is the quality of the harvest.

Be sure to check out the Dutch Passion blog for further updates and news of Aardachtig’s bold new step into the world of legal European cannabis cultivation!