As the South African Cannabis industry opens up and comes online, there will be a seizable need for personnel who have comprehensive knowledge around growing at scale. Joining a course like this will not qualify you as a “master grower” (which takes many years of experience) but it will equip you with the foundational knowledge needed to be able to begin your journey into the commercial grow space.
Our Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Course is designed for farmers / serious hobbyists, entrepreneurs and corporate investors looking to grow Cannabis on a commercial scale. The course takes place over 3 days and covers all aspects of large scale Cannabis production, the value chain from farm to consumer, where they intersect and how they influence each other.
The course takes place monthly alternating between Johannesburg and Cape Town. There is an option to book this course include or excluding accommodation. The course cost also covers a visit to a SAHPRA licensed farm.
Outcomes:
On completion of this course attendees will have a fundamental understanding of how growing Cannabis fits into the Cannabis supply chain and what is needed to grow Cannabis on a commercial scale both in and outdoor. Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance on completion of the course.
We also facilitate an ongoing support service through our partners to those attendees that require assistance and support with bringing a facility online. Onsite training can also be arranged should this be required and can be stipulated on the application form.
Please note:
This is not a beginners course and any of the below will be beneficial to get the best value out of the course.
- 2 or more years experience in Cannabis growing
- 2 or more years experience in commercial farming
- An agricultural qualification or background
- A commercial interest in opening a Cannabis facility as an entrepreneur or investor
Course duration:
3 days
Course Cost:
R10,390 - lunch only, no accommodation
Accommodation:
You will have to arrange your own accommodation, but we are happy to recommend a few places in Cape Town and Johannesburg that are in the vicinity of the course location.
'I wish I had done this course earlier. It would have saved me a lot of money and trouble'
Hein Klingenberg (Feb 2022)
Johannesburg Location
Cape Town Location
JOHANNESBURG COURSE (3 days):
This course is an immersive experience that takes place at the Jazzfarm, headquarters of Fields of Green for All, in Lanseria, Johannesburg.
The course includes:
- Lunch
- Site visits to a SAHPRA registered facility
- T-shirt
- Notebook
- USB with content
This course will give you the opportunity to expand your network with fellow growers and facilitate peer to peer knowledge exchange.
JOHANNESBURG DATES:
7th - 9th May 2025
20th - 22nd August 2025
CAPE TOWN COURSE (3 days):
This course is an immersive experience that takes place at the Sustainability Institute in Stellenbosch just outside of Cape Town.
The course includes:
- Lunch
- Site visit to a SAHPRA registered facility
- T-shirt
- Notebook
- USB with content
This course will give you the opportunity to expand your network with fellow growers and facilitate peer to peer knowledge exchange.
CAPE TOWN DATES:
5th - 7th March 2025
22nd - 24th October 2025
Natie Ferreira:
Natie’s 18 years of experience in the green industry as a beautifier, project manager and producer has brought him to the place where horticulture and agriculture meet. He has extensive knowledge and experience of farming and growing Cannabis and is a driving force in the industry. His participation in Cannabis-related organisations include being a founding member and treasurer of the Cannabis Industrial Development Cooperative of the Western Cape (CIDCWC), a founding member and chairman of the Association of Compassion (AOC) and the owner of Tamatie - Growing Master Grower - who we partner with to deliver advanced grow courses.
Natie’s ability to assemble and manage a professional team has led to the successful completion of many large and smaller scale projects across the Western Cape. Through his mentorship program, Natie unlocks the potential of previously excluded people, bringing them into the mainstream economy.
Merge his instinctive understanding of the Cannabis plant in all its phases with his knowledge and green fingers, and you have a deep source of Cannabis know-how. It is this intuition and intelligence, coupled with his empathy and understanding of people, that unleashes the power of Cannabis to bring people together.
Ashley Lurie:
Ashley Lurie was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Druids Garden, a SAHPRA licensed Cannabis growing facility under Druids Holdings (Pty) Ltd and is responsible for the entire Cannabis grow operation from seed to harvest. He has in depth knowledge of a wide range of medicinal Cannabis cultivation models and understands the intricacies of site selection, facility design and layout as well as cultivation and processing methodologies.
Ashley Lurie, now runs the consultancy company Seed2Ash that assists clients in legal Cannabis Cultivation with a focus on licensing, compliance, various cultivation models, procedures and systems, local and international market access.
Johan Pieterse:
Johan Pieterse is the owner of Travsec, who specialises in security, risk-management and compliance services to stakeholders in the regulated cannabis industry. By providing clients with acomplete suite of ‘seed to sale’ security solutions at all stages of the cannabis value-chain, Travsec looks to set the global standard for security across the cannabis markets in South Africa and Africa.
Travsec is actively involved at Druids Holdings (Pty) Ltd, one of the first Cannabis farms to receive their SAHPRA license.
Nico Kriek:
The Cannabis Compliance Bureau has been leading the way in Cannabis compliance and licensing, focusing on helping cultivation and processing facilities achieve full compliance, preparing them for a medicinal Cannabis cultivation license application through SAHPRA. Over the past five years, they have provided their expertise to more than 40 farms, facilitating their license applications.
DAY 1:
Cannabis Industry Overview:
- An overview of the cannabis supply chain from seed to sale
- Grower vision, why do you want to grow and what do you hope to achieve
- Licensing, regulation and legal status
- Deciding what to grow - strain selection (genetics) - THC, CBD complex, hemp, yield, growth habit, personal preference, flower to calyx ratio
Growing Outdoors:
- Financial modelling - budgets and generating ROI
- Capacity - size of grow and personnel and expertise needed to deliver
- Cannabis plant - growth habits and requirements vs other conventional commercially grown annual crops
- Site selection - accessibility for staff, climate, security, fencing, access control, proximity to market, latitude (daylight cycle, temperature range, sunlight)
- Water - (source, quantity, rainfall, quality, analysis, filtration, irrigation systems and design (fertigation, EC, pH, precipitation rates), scheduling, automation
- Plant material source - seed, clones, tissue culture
- Growing Style - pots vs soil, pH, plant spacing, soil and growing medium analysis, water holding capacity
- Infrastructure - tunnels, shade-netting, open-air, design and layout (pros and cons)
- Environmental Control - relative humidity, pests and disease control, biological / conventional, temperature, light cycles – across all developmental stages of the plants growth and their effects on the final product
- Nutrients - feeding schedules, overview of macro and micro elements and their role in the plant at various growth stages, organic vs chemical, bioaccumulation, heavy metals, companion planting
- Harvesting - outdoor considerations
- Manipulations and effects - LST, HST, monster cropping, light deprivation
- Certification - traceability, GAP, GMP, responsibility, C.O.A
DAY 2:
An Introduction to Medical Cannabis Cultivation Licensing & Compliance Orientation
- SAHPRA High-THC Medical Cannabis cultivation licensing requirements
- Scope, plan and design
- Build and setup
- SAHPRA License application process
- ISO:9001 vs GACP vs GMP
- C15 QualityOne - Quality management systems overview
- SOP's (Standard Operating Procedures)
- Staff and training
- Quality assurance and risk management
- What to expect on inspection day
- Staying compliant
Growing Indoors (facility):
- Financial Modelling - budget, ROI, grower vision, capacity – personnel, expertise level
- Capacity - size of grow and personnel and expertise needed to deliver
- Site selection - security, location, existing infrastructure and conversions
- Infrastructure overview - different rooms / areas required
- Water - source, quantity, quality, analysis, filtration, irrigation systems and design, EC, pH, scheduling, automation
- Lighting - PPFD, PAR, DLI, spectrum, LED vs HPS, running costs, maintenance
- Grow cycle scheduling - dedicated vegetative facility, flowering facility
- Growing style - pots vs DWC vs aeroponics vs growslabs
- Growing medium - coco peat / perlite, organic soil, rockwool
-Environmental control - temperature / air circulation (HVAC), CO2 enrichment, relative humidity, pests and disease control – biological / conventional, light cycle scheduling, filtration
- Nutrients - feeding schedules, overview of macro and micro elements and their role in the plant at various growth stages, organic vs chemical
- Sustainability - using solar power, energy efficiency, rainwater harvesting and recycling
- Harvesting - timing, labour, trimming – hand vs machine, drying, curing, storage
- Manipulations and effects - LST, HST, monster cropping, SOG, SCrOG
- Certification -traceability, GAP, GMP, responsibility, C.O.A
An Introduction to Extraction and Testing:
- Different methods of extraction
- The importance of testing and testing methodologies
DAY 3:
- Site visit to a SAHPRA registered farm