Week Two.Brought to you by Learn Sativa University

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BUDTENDER HABITS TO AVOID

Do’s and Don’t of Budtending

Being Impatient or Rude

Don’t Be Impatient & RudeFacebook user Hector Sanchez told us his least favorite budtender habit is:

“When they make you feel stupid when u ask questions about the different strains they have…. When they

try to rush you….”

Budtenders constantly repeat effects and characteristics for products, so it’s easy to forget that each customer is

a unique and fresh interaction. All customers have distinctive histories with cannabis, so figuring out their level

of familiarity is the first step. Avoid coming off lazy to enthusiasts with repetitious call outs, like, “Indica couch

locks you” or “Sativa is more energetic.” Go more in-depth and base your recommendations on what the

customer needs.

Don’t Be Impatient & Rude (cont.)

It’s also important to stay away from the snobby stoner mentality of “knowing it all” and thinking “No one has consumed as long as I have.” Rushing newcomers and looking complacent is the last way to grow your business and customer rapport. Working to teach those who are just exploring cannabis while also furthering experts’ understanding of the product sets the best budtenders apart from the mediocre ones. It’s a tough balance, but making people feel dumb or underwhelmed by your service is bad budtender practice.

Differentiate Between Medical and Adult-Use Consumers

Differentiate Between Medical and Adult-Use ConsumersIn his response to “What budtender habits make you cringe?”, Facebook user Matthew Fairchild said:

“When they treat it like weed and not medicine!”

Differentiating medicine from adult-use cannabis is important for both the patient and general consumer experience.

Feedback showed that a fair amount of medical patients dislike budtenders who treat their medicine as “weed,” whereas

adult-use consumers tend to be overwhelmed by advanced explanations. Customers vary and are often there for different

reasons.

Medical patients can feel a lack of care if budtenders treat the conversation as a smoking circle, and adult-use consumers

can feel alienated by too much expertise. They’re different conversations to which budtenders should naturally adjust their

conversations and level of depth.

Being Inconsiderate of Basic Hygiene

Being Inconsiderate of Basic HygieneIt’s never a good sign when a customer is wary of a budtender’s cleanliness. Facebook user Heather Nicole

Shoemaker agrees. When asked what her #1 bad budtender trait is, she contributed this gem:

“Got to say bare, clearly unwashed hands. One place handed me a bud to smell, with bare hands, instead of

smelling it out of the jar. Then tried to put it back in the jar. Made me cringe so I bought that bud we

touched. I’m a medical patient. I sure hope it’s being better handled where the public can’t see. It’s medicine,

it needs to be handled as such. And then my all-time turn off…Finding hair in my bud. Unsure whether it’s

cat dog or human. That’s a huge no no for me.”

Being Inconsiderate of Basic Hygiene(cont.)

We received a lot comments surrounding the handling of product – from general hygiene to making sure

customers can smell and see the product prior to the purchase. This guideline is simple and similar to purchasing

food from a restaurant or food stall. Patrons expect servers and cooks to have clean hands, hair tied back, and

attractive culinary displays. The same emphasis on cleanliness applies to dispensaries as well.

Budtenders need to pay attention to the way they handle product — use chopsticks, tongs, or gloves to retrieve

buds from a jar instead of your bare hands.

Being Inconsiderate of Basic Hygiene(cont.)Always go above and beyond when allowing customers to see and interact with the product by offering them a

closer peek or the chance to smell the strain’s aromas. Keep in mind that the product is going to be consumed by

someone other than yourself, so don’t hog all the sniffs before allowing your customer to partake first.

Lastly, keep hairs and other contaminants out of your customer’s stash as best as possible. Nobody wants a dirty

product, especially one they’re going to ingest or inhale later.

Lack of Product Knowledge

Lack of Product Knowledge...Lack in product knowledge was our largest “cringe” for working with budtenders, which isn’t

surprising. Facebook user Danny Hempster hates when budtenders aren’t knowledgeable about their

inventory:

“Mainly the lack of knowledge. When you ask if they have 710 specials, and not one of them even

knew what 710 was. Ask about sugar-free edibles and some budtenders give you the dumbest

look.”

Lack of Product Knowledge… (cont.)Budtenders have to learn a lot, from familiarizing oneself with product brands to understanding at the very least

the cannabis basics. If you’re a new budtender who isn’t yet up to speed on industry knowledge, be honest with

your customer and ask a more experienced co worker for assistance. Exhibit your passion for the cannabis

movement and be as helpful as possible and you should be able to win your customer over even if you aren’t the

most knowledgeable.

Cannabis information is only just now being shared actively, so it’s okay to not know everything right off the bat.

It makes customers feel a part of something beyond the transaction when you care for the cannabis movement

and can own up to your lack of expertise in certain areas.

Lack of Product Knowledge… (cont.)Ultimately, however, budtenders need to get up to speed on their cannabis knowledge in order to do their jobs well and help

as many patients and customers as possible. Knowing cannabis holidays, cultural references, and general cannabis 101 is a

must for successful budtenders. Be in the know, and learn as you go. It builds trust and makes customers feel like they’re

being taken care of.

For cannabis business owners, training budtenders to embody these qualities is essential. It’s hard to teach someone

passion though, so selecting budtenders based off their interest and desire to learn is a safe bet.

Lack of Product Knowledge… (cont.)Budtenders have to learn a lot, from familiarizing oneself with product brands to understanding at the very least

the cannabis basics. If you’re a new budtender who isn’t yet up to speed on industry knowledge, be honest with

your customer and ask a more experienced co worker for assistance. Exhibit your passion for the cannabis

movement and be as helpful as possible and you should be able to win your customer over even if you aren’t the

most knowledgeable.

Cannabis information is only just now being shared actively, so it’s okay to not know everything right off the bat.

It makes customers feel a part of something beyond the transaction when you care for the cannabis movement

and can own up to your lack of expertise in certain areas.

Stages of Cannabis Growth

Stages of Cannabis Growth

Cannabis plants, like all living things, go through a series of stages as they grow and mature. If you’re interested in cultivating cannabis, it’s especially important to understand the changes a plant undergoes during its life cycle, as each stage of growth requires different care.

Different stages call for different amounts of light, nutrients, and water. They also help us decide when to prune and train the plants. Determining a plant’s sex and overall health rely on stages of growth as well.

The life cycle of cannabis can be broken down into four primary stages from seed to harvest: germination, seedling, vegetative, and flowering.

Ideal equipment and pricing for seedling environment...

T5 LIGHTING SYSTEM OR LED

Seedling Heating Pad $10-15

Humidity Dome Kit $15-20

T5 Lighting System $100-150

Place 8oz pot containing seedling in humidity dome.

T5 LIGHTING SYSTEM OR LED

Seedling Heating Pad

Humidity Level: 70%+Temperature: 68-77°FMedium/Soil: Fox Farm Ocean Forest

Keep in humidity dome for 1 - 2 weeks

T5 LIGHTING SYSTEM OR LEDNOTE: Lighting schedule will be set to…

ON: 18 HoursExample: 7:00am - 1:00am

OFF: 6 HoursExample: 1:00am - 7:00am

See “Timers Section” for more information on automating your grow...

Vegetative Stage (2-8 weeks)The vegetative stage of cannabis is where the plant’s growth truly takes off. At this point, you’ve transplanted your cannabis into a larger pot, and the roots and foliage are developing rapidly. This is also the time to begin topping or training your plants.

Spacing between the nodes should represent the type of cannabis you are growing. Indica plants tend to remain shorter and denser while sativas grow lanky and less dense in foliage.

Be mindful to increase your watering as the plant develops. When it’s young, your plant will need water close to the stalk, but as it grows bigger and roots grow outwards, start watering further away from the stalk so the root tips can absorb it more efficiently.

Using Drip Fed Irrigation

Air Line

Air PumpAir Stone

Nutrient Pump’

½” Nutrient Line

Drip Stick

Nutrient Plug

⅛” Drip Line

5 Gallon Bucket

Keep in Veg for 2 - 8 weeksNOTE: The length of this stage really depends on the size of the plants you want.

LIGHTS ON: 18 HoursExample: 7:00am - 1:00am

LIGHTS OFF: 6 HoursExample: 1:00am - 7:00am

PPFD: 400-600 (Ignore Light Distances & Wattage, focus on PAR levels)

SPECTRUM: Blue

TEMP: 70-80°F (20-26.6°C)

HUMIDITY: Lower 5% each week (40-70%)

LED LIGHT

Flowering Stage (6-8 weeks)The flowering stage is the final stage of growth for the cannabis plant. Flowering occurs naturally when the plant receives less than 12 hours of light a day as the summer days shorten (or as the light cycle indoors is reduced). It is in this stage that resinous buds develop and your hard work will be realized.

There are a number of changes to consider once your plant goes from its vegetative stage to flowering:

● First, your plants should be pruned no more than two weeks into the flowering stage as it can upset the hormones of the plant.

● Next, the plant should be staked and trellised so that the plant can support the buds as they develop.● Finally, consider feeding with blooming nutrients, and generally refrain from increasing the amount of

water given to the plants.

Once the buds have reached full maturation, it’s time to harvest.

Flowering Time Depends on StrainsNOTE: The length of this stage depends on the strain - typically 8-16 weeks / watch trichomes.

LIGHTS ON: 12 HoursExample: 7:00am - 7:00am

LIGHTS OFF: 12 HoursExample: 7:00am - 7:00am

PPFD: 600-900 (Ignore Light Distances & Wattage, focus on PAR levels, use PAR meter)

SPECTRUM: Red

TEMP: 70-78°F (20-26°C) Lower Temps = Better Oil Production

HUMIDITY: Lower 5% each week (40-50%)

LED LIGHT

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