to hear all about how she sets it up. How does Erin think about overall plant health? Listen up around 13:30 to hear about good watering practices. She thinks people overthink additives, sprays, and water timing. Regularly people overwater their plants, and she advises that roots need to breath and allow the soil to dry out in between waterings. Maybe add some extra perlite to ensure the roots have room to breathe and loosen up the soil. Around 18:40 we discuss increasing yields. Her tip is straight-up lollipopping your plant or shaving the legs as Wolfman puts it regularly. Reduce the amount of energy that the plant invests into growing small wispy buds, and have it focus on just the top 4” of growth and ensure that you have a nice full canopy. Right at 20:20 she discusses her feelings on full defoliation, or schwazzing as it’s been referred to in the industry. Around 23 minutes we get into plant energy, schwazzing, tall plants and how the plants reach to such tall, full plants. She doesn’t think that yield will increase with growing such tall plants without proper airflow, light penetration, ability to spray, etc. She does think that growing such tall plants without any actual plant material on them is a waste of plant energy, but she also doesn’t blow any wind on her plants and allows them to strengthen on their own. It’s also a labor nightmare, in her words! A bit after 29 minutes, we discuss IPM in an indoor garden. She tries to mimic the outdoors as much as possible, and she focuses on microbes for all-natural pest management. She relates the plant to a dinner table, listen in right at 30 minutes to hear how she discusses beneficial microbes and filling up the table with them! If necessary, she’ll bring in insects to help control the problems, but she knows how hard it can be to keep them alive and kicking around your grow room. What type of traits does Erin think make the most successful grower? Open minds are the ones that are going to succeed, you simply can’t know it all and think that the way that you’ve done it is the right way because there is always room to improve. Don’t be afraid to be wrong. “Stop buying cartoon labels on products for your cannabis plants” is her last words of advice for all the listeners. She discusses more at 35 minutes, but essentially it boils down to not treating the cannabis plant so differently than other plants that have been grown for production value. While we’re learning to grow a new plant, there is a foundation of research done on all other plants that we can all learn from and then expand upon with cannabis. Connect with Erin @erin.cascadia on Instagram or email her at erin.lapsansky@gmail.com. If you like what Erin is about, or any of our other guests on The Homegrown Helpers you can book them through me at rob@thehomegrownhelpers.com. We will do the work for you to find the right consultant for you, your task and your location. If you liked this interview, and want to hear more from this week's Homegrown Helper please head over to http://thehomegrownhelpers.com/bonus and download the rest of the show!  Our partners today are Danny Danko and The Amazing Doctor Zymes. Danny has just written a new book, "Cannabis: a beginner’s guide to growing marijuana". Even experienced growers know that you need to continue your education in order to continue improving. Our bloom members get their book signed by the author himself by contacting us and allowing us to help you place the order Also, we have The Amazing Doctor Zymes. Use code Growcast10 at or become a member of mygrowpass.com to get 25% off. It’s a revolutionary green solution that kills soft-bodied insects, molds and mildews that is handcrafted to ensure quality control Many growers have experienced a yield increase due to not having to use any harmful sprays or oils. OMRI approved for organic gardening practices, you can use The Amazing Doctor Zymes all the way through flower.