We’re thrilled to celebrate one of our own, Adam Scher, who has been recognized as Maryland Leaf Magazine’s Maryland Budtender of the Month for February 2024! Adam joined Trilogy Wellness when we opened our doors in 2018, and over the years, he’s become an integral part of our team and a familiar face to many of our customers. Known for his expertise, compassion, and dedication, Adam has a way of connecting with each customer and helping them find exactly what they need. His knowledge and passion for cannabis have made a genuine difference in the lives of those he serves as a Maryland Budtender.
This recognition is well-deserved, and we couldn’t be prouder to have Adam on our team. He exemplifies the values and commitment to quality service that we strive for at Trilogy Wellness every day.
Adam’s journey with Trilogy has been one of growth, as he’s continually expanded his knowledge and refined his approach to customer care. He doesn’t just provide product recommendations; he takes time to listen to each customer’s unique needs, creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for anyone seeking guidance or advice. This personalized approach has built strong relationships with our customers, many of whom come back regularly to consult with Adam specifically.
His passion for helping others shines through in every interaction, whether he’s assisting a new patient exploring medical cannabis for the first time or supporting a long-time customer looking for a new product to try. Adam’s dedication reminds us all why we’re here: to create a positive, supportive experience for everyone who walks through our doors.
At Trilogy Wellness, we believe our team is what truly sets us apart. Each of our team members is a valued part of our success, and Adam’s recognition as Budtender of the Month is a wonderful reminder of the difference that compassionate, knowledgeable staff can make. We’re honored to have Adam with us and look forward to seeing him continue to make a positive impact on the lives of our customers. Thank you, Adam, for your hard work and commitment to excellence!
By: Dan Taylor Marketing Coordinator, Trilogy Wellness
ELLICOTT CITY, MD-The Boomer generation may have led the cannabis craze in the 1960’s and 1970’s, but this time they’re returning to the plant and consuming it without ever having to light up.
According to the Sleep Foundation, some 30% of adults 60 and older deal with sleep issues. Boomers are now relying on edible cannabis or gummies, to alleviate the issue.
According to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of cannabis users who are part of the ‘boomer generation’, has tripled since 2009. The number of boomers who tried cannabis for the first time in 2021 reached 35%.
Medical professionals who recommend or prescribe the plant, say patients who ingest edibles where the ratio is 1:1, or one part THC and one part CBD, respond the best. CBD helps to ease anxiety and inflammation and THC then helps as a muscle relaxer that also elevates your mood.
One of the big issues that seniors need to take notice of when consuming cannabis for the first time, is that they’re in safe space. Doctors advise older Americans to leave a nightlight on in their bathrooms and make sure there is a clear path.
But with ingestion of edibles or tinctures comes risk of taking too much too quickly. But patients who go ‘low and slow’, have the best results. Health care professionals say as we age so too does our metabolism. That means 2.5mg of THC or perhaps 5mg of THC may be all a patient needs in an edible to get that relief.
In August I had a wonderful opportunity to tour the growing facilities at Grow West. The tour was very impressive and left a great impression on me. Grow West by far sets the standards in my eyes on how flower should be grown in a mass production setting.
Stop 1. Mother Room.
The first room on our tour was the mother room. At Grow West they use clippings from the mothers to start their new plants–they do not grow from seeds. These mothers are rotated every 4-5 months with new mothers replacing the old ones. They feel that after 4 months the plants start undergoing more stress from growing which effects the quality of the cuttings they are trimming to create new plants. Keeping a steady stream of younger plants is leading to better quality sprouts from the cuttings. After being trimmed, the cuttings are transferred to an “Aeroponic” tub to stimulate healthy root growth.
Stop 2. Aeroponics.
The difference between aeroponic and hydroponic is that with “aeroponics” the roots are suspended in a pocked of air above the water instead of being submerged in the water. The “aeroponic” beds have misters built in that spray the roots of the plants with water from the bin as well as enzyme that are added to help stimulate growth. I believe the grower said they prefer using aeroponics because it leads to better quality roots and faster. As you can see in the photo below, the roots of this cutting are white and healthy.
Stop 3. Young Cuttings.
When the roots of the cuttings have grown out and are healthy–its time to get potted. In the next part of the tour we were taking to a room with young cuttings.
Stop 4. Warm LED Lights.
During this early stage of growth, the plants are being grown with LED lights in a large warm room with high humidity. The growers work very hard to inspect all plants making sure there are no insect infestations, molds, or fungus. At each stage of growth the plants are giving a specially designed blend of water with enzymes to help promote growth and production of colas.
After growing about 10-12 inches, the plants are transported to the next room. This room uses LED lighting with a warm temperature but with slightly lower humidity. Throughout the growth cycle the humidity will gradually be decreased. While the plants are young, the higher humidity helps the plants to take in more water and enzymes through their leaves which will help the plant further develop. Decreasing humidity is also important as it can help prevent mold and fungus from growing. As the plant is growing and the leaves are getting bigger, there is more area for mold and fungus to grow on making it very important to control the humidity levels.
As the plants grow, they are trimmed from bottom up. This helps the plant save energy to focus on growing healthier leaves and flowering. I tried to get a nice shot but these two kept getting in the way!
Stop 5. Middle Growth Stage.
In the next room, the plants were put under a different style of lighting that removes blue spectrums. This room also happened to be very warm. The different phases of growth do best with different styles of lighting.
During this middle growth stage the plants branches are spread out using the wire that runs across the grow troughs. What they are doing is spreading the leaves out away from the center so the main stem area gets more lighting. They are also working on getting the plant to grow out wide rather than tall.
Middle Growth Stage
In the photo below we can see the plants are in their flowering stage. The colas on the plants were very thick and some were dripping with resin. Despite the yellow from the lights, it was quite a sight to behold. And very smelly.
Stop 6. Pre-Harvest.
The next part of the tour was the rooms in which the plants undergo the last part of their growth cycle before being harvested. In this room the plants were put under white led lights and a cooler temperature. The focus is making sure the plants are focusing their energy on growing and maintaining the colas. As you can see, the plants have grown in a short and wide manner due to having the stems spread out using the wires running across the troughs. The colors and aromas from these rooms was mesmerizing.
Stop 7. Drying, Curing & Storage.
After the plants are harvested, its off to drying and curing. During the first part of the drying process, the stems are hung from a wire with a colas dangling down. They will remain in this dry room for up to a week before the final cure and trim processes. After drying its off for trimming then finally to storage. I did not take any photos of the employees trimming. They were using a variety of techniques such as hand trimming and using a tumbler machine for their gold bags. After trimming it was off to storage. So many bags of flower! It was quite a sight to see so much cannabis being stored in a room. One part of the tour I was not allowed to take pictures of was bubble hash room. Grow West is currently working on producing bubble hash which they hope will be available soon. The employees were making hash from several different strains. The end result looks like piles of sludge. It was quite interesting. Look forward to trying the product in the future.
Stop 8. Outdoor Grow.
The last part of the grow tour was the outdoor area which will be used for concentrate production. The head grower who led the tour was not in favor of selling outdoor flower for smoking insisting there’s too many issues such as insects, molds, and fungus that are hard to manage and that only a select few of the outdoor plants would ever be good enough in his eyes for smoking. He does not believe Maryland has the climate for growing outdoor cannabis to the quality it needs to be for smoking. On an interesting note, he did mention that outdoor plants actually tend to have higher THC percentages partially due to the amount of sun the plants get.
This was a very educational and interesting tour. Learned a lot about Grow West and I came away appreciating their products much more. Overall I felt that they were a good company and it looked like the employees were enjoying working there – lots of smiles. Grow West is one of the largest employees for the town of Cumberland, they play an important role in that community. If you look behind us, you may notice a hill – that hill is West Virginia! They were located right on the border of MD & WV, I thought that was cool. There is so much more to their grow process than what I can remember. I would encourage every to try to go on the next tour and please make sure to carpool – it was a long drive but the education was worth it. SHOP GROW WEST HERE.
This October we are hosting a Warm Coat Drive and collecting new and gently used/clean coats for Community Assistance Network (CAN). Community Assistance Network is a Baltimore County based non-profit organization that was established in 1965. Their mission is simple – to provide programs to help low-income families become self-sufficient. CAN relies on community partnerships such as our own to help sustain their mission.
This is our second time hosting a Warm Coat Drive with Community Assistance Network. Our Warm Coat Drive in 2019 was one of our most successful Community Drives at Trilogy to date – THANK YOU.
Our goal is to put AS MANY warm coats on backs as we can this winter season. What could be lurking in the back of your closet that’s out of fashion or doesn’t fit anymore? Donations are accepted at Trilogy Wellness: 9291 Baltimore National Pike Ellicott City, MD 21042 through October 31, 2021
Earn Extra Points: earn 15 xtra loyalty points per coat donated (100pts max)
GRAND PRIZE: every coat donated is an entry ticket into our raffle to win 20% off the whole month of December!
