At CANNA we’re excited to share passionate grower stories from across Canada that resonate with our community and inspire us to “grow big or grow home”.
GROWER SPOTLIGHT
My name is Mark Vist and I'm one of the owners and founder of Life Cycle Botanics. Life Cycle is based in the Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island. We have a 12.5 acre property, multiple buildings, and two of them which are production buildings. We have approximately 14 strains in production at all times, and we're able to produce anywhere from 12 to 1600 units from every strain, and we can keep a continuous rotation of new genetics coming in.
Give us a glimpse into the making of Life Cycle Botanics
Mark: Well, it's been a long, long journey. We actually got our micro production license three years ago at our first facility, and used a lot of that knowledge and advanced into our nursery as well. So we actually have two companies. One that we use for a lot of pheno-hunting, genetic trials, and then the nursery for clone production and teens.
How has your Passion evolved through your journey with Life Cycle Botanics?
Mark: Oh, it's grown a lot because it's just becoming so much more advanced now. been set so much higher than it was. So we're very passionate about always looking for better genetics and keeping our clients supplied with the best genetics for them.
Which phase of the cultivation journey do you enjoy most?
Mark: I think I like that it's always new. We're always dealing with something different. You're always analyzing your plants. It's a living plant, so it's changing all the time. And when it comes to nutrients and everything that comes with growing, it's always, every day is something new.
From nurturing the soil, conditioning the plant, to team collaboration & industry movements, how important is consistency in shaping success?
Mark: Well consistency is everything for a nursery. We have to make sure that we consistently provide high quality products to our clients, making sure that we're always offering grower support on different genetics that will help the clients have a better harvest. So consistency, it's very important for all aspects of the nursery, whether it be the plants or all the way down to the deliveries and organizing cut dates of when the plants are ready for regeneration. There's a lot of moving parts to a nursery.
Reflecting on your journey, what achievement stands out as a proud moment for Life Cycle botanics?
Mark: We're very proud of the clientele base that we have for the industry. We work hard, we are owners and operators, and if we have to work, you know, 12-hour days and work around plant schedules or client schedules, and that's what we do, and I think it shows, Our dedication is there.
In the Life Cycle Botanics startup chapter, what seemingly simple task took a surprisingly intricate turn?
Mark: Batch records are definitely a lot for a nursery. There's so many batches and I think that was something that's a little bit overwhelming at first, but we definitely worked that out now where we have a good program. And just the demand and the level of quality that's expected in today's market. I guess it's not surprising, but it's very demanding.
What's your next big green dream?
Mark: Our recent goal is just launching our teams. So we just completed our upgrade last week with our facility, and I'm really happy with the way the rooms are running, and we actually have our first two sets of plants in there now. And that's one of our main goals is to offer our clients another product, which would be an established team plant and help with their efficiency because lowering offering costs for them will help success for them and for us because we work together as a nursery, we need our clients to succeed for us to succeed.
