Cannabis Conversations: Orion F1 Trials at Bioleaf Health

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As one of the first cannabis F1 hybrids, Orion F1 has impressed countless home growers across the world with lightning-fast yields and unparalleled uniformity. Encouraged by her stellar performance, commercial-scale growers are running trials using the variety as a potential replacement for clones. Ideal for large-scale cultivation, Orion F1 and other F1 hybrids can help large operations, such as those at Bioleaf Health, to cheapen production costs and streamline cultivation. To find out how they’re getting on, we sent our master grower Max Majot to investigate as part of our Cannabis Conversations series. Find out what he discovered below!

The Setting: Bioleaf Health

Nestled in the countryside of the Alentejo region in Portugal, Bioleaf Health kick-started its operations back in 2021 with the aim of establishing an environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to medical cannabis production. Recent research highlights the impact of marijuana agriculture on the environment, with effects not limited to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions^[1], the destruction of sensitive habitats, soil erosion, and water pollution^[2].

Fully aware of the environmental impact of large-scale weed growing, the team at Bioleaf Health operate with an ethos that puts nature first. Aiming to harmonise with nature, the company employs sustainable cultivation methods that respect the environment and minimise the ecological footprint of cannabis production.

In pursuit of the eco-friendly production of the best flower possible, Bioleaf Health sought market-leading genetics to realise their vision. Recently, they’ve decided to trial RQS’s own Orion F1 variety to reduce their dependence on agricultural inputs, reduce growing times, and enhance crop uniformity. Before we find out how they’re getting on, let’s quickly go over the concept of F1 hybrids and get to know Max, our man on a mission, a little better.

RQS F1 Hybrids: From Theory to Reality

Our F1 hybrid cannabis seeds first hit the shelves in 2023. After years of hard work behind the scenes, our breeders finally brought this agricultural technology to the cannabis sector. By creating and crossing highly pure inbred parent lines, they created offspring with hybrid vigour. This trait guarantees superior pest and disease resistance, increased potency, and rapid growth. On top of this, F1 hybrids offer the uniformity and consistency of clones without the additional work of keeping a mother plant alive.

Since their release, home growers worldwide have reaped the benefits of our F1 hybrids. Countless growing reports testify to their superior performance and rewarding yields. After taking the world of small-scale cultivation by storm, large commercial growers now realise that F1 hybrids offer a suite of benefits. With the proper setup, they are the perfect fit for widening profit margins and improving customer satisfaction.

Meet Our Master Grower Max

When sending someone to check on Orion F1’s performance at Bioleaf, we could think of nobody better than our master grower, Maxence Majot. As our Technical Manager and Grow Expert, Max currently oversees production at our growing facility and store in Thailand.

However, his role as an investigator and interviewer in our Cannabis Conversations series has him travelling worldwide, including Portugal. Max’s thorough knowledge of the cannabis plant and unmatched cultivation skills make him the ideal person to visit different growing operations across the planet. So, without further ado, discover what was waiting for him at the Bioleaf Health growing facility in Portugal and what he saw regarding their Orion F1 project.

The Greenhouse: Thriving Canopies & Rapid Growth

Upon arriving at Bioleaf Health’s Alentejo facility, Max was greeted by Vladimir, the company’s Director of Production. After shaking hands and introducing themselves, the pair donned lab coats, gloves, hair nets, and masks and entered the production space. Upon swinging upon the door, Max came across 1,600 Orion F1 plants well into the flowering phase of the growing cycle.

Vladimir noted that, despite their maturity, germination occurred a mere 60 days previously. After the film crew took some stunning macro shots of the trichome-covered flowers, Max and Vladimir headed to the indoor nursery, sat down, and talked all things F1 hybrids.

How Bioleaf are Putting RQS F1 Hybrids Genetics to Work

Against a backdrop of freshly sown cell trays and a wall of green seedlings, Vladimir filled Max in on a few important figures. From the beginning, many growers have opted for our F1 hybrids because of their excellent germination rates, and Bioleaf Health’s data testify to their efficiency. Vladimir told Max, “We want to see if we can obtain the same consistency, going from seeds compared to what we grow from clones. We had pretty impressive success with the germination rate; almost 100% germination of 2,000 seeds.”

Armed with hybrid vigour, F1 hybrids truly blow the germination rates of other types of seeds out of the water. Not only does this trait come in handy for home growers with high hopes of good harvests, but it’s critical for companies trying to balance profit margins. Overall, Bioleaf Health is growing 1,600 plants at a time. Once harvest time swings around, they immediately transplant their nursery specimens into the large greenhouse to keep production running smoothly.

• Bioleaf’s Experience with Orion F1 Hybrid Seeds

Alongside superb germination rates, Vladimir revealed the other benefits that Bioleaf growers have experienced while cultivating Orion F1 hybrid seeds.

• Growing Speed

As the conversation continued in the plant nursery, Vladimir expressed his surprise with the growing speed of Orion F1, stating that after germination, “..we got a bit surprised by the vigour of how fast they grow”. Vladimir added, “I was planning to keep them around two to two and a half weeks in this little easy block. I had to transplant after ten days, more or less. We had to reorganise the schedule according to the vigour of the plant.”

Hybrid vigour not only increases the germination rate of F1 hybrids, but it positively impacts their growing speed. Here, we can see that Orion F1 grew so fast that it exceeded the expectations of seasoned cultivators, forcing them to overhaul their growing schedule.

• Pest and Disease Resistance

The conversation went from growing speed to pest and disease resistance. Max brought up the topic, asking Vladimir about the resistance to fungal diseases they had experienced, including concerns about botrytis and powdery mildew because of the humid spring conditions in the greenhouse.

Vladimir responded, saying, “Yes, we were a bit worried about the greenhouse we have because we don’t have a way to dehumidify. So, we have to play with outside humidity, the outside temperature, but we don’t have control over the humidity. So far, we haven’t seen any problems or any kind of powdery mildew. In the vegetative stage, it didn’t appear on the plants. In the flowering stage, we found only two plants showing a little bit of botrytis in the top parts,” Vladimir continued, “So, I would say, on the powdery mildew, it was zero. On the botrytis, very good results compared to the conditions of growing we’ve given the plants.”

F1 hybrids have some of the best disease resistance among any type of seed. Even in the uncontrolled humidity of the Bioleaf greenhouse, Orion F1 plants showed extraordinary resistance to common fungal infections.

• Aromas and Terpene Profile

Of course, we couldn’t send Max all that way to Portugal without asking about Bioleaf’s view on the aroma of Orion F1. In response, Vladimir said, “The smell is very fruity, very sweet. Alongside some floral notes, the second smell that comes through is really pungent on the nose—you have a bit of gas and diesel. Using the terpene analysis you gave us, farnesene is the primary terpene. That is really what we smell when we enter. It’s the first smell in the greenhouse, and after that comes the fruit, and then comes the sweetness and a bit more fuel at the end.”

Orion F1

Orion F1

	Blue Mammoth Auto x Blue Dream x Amnesia
	35 - 40 days
	THC: Very high
	Calming, Physically Relaxing, Stoned
	65 - 70 days after germination

Buy Orion F1

Seeds, Clones, and the Future of F1 Hybrids: Bioleaf’s Outlook

As a commercial operation, consistency, efficiency, and uniformity are extremely important to Bioleaf Health. Now that they’re transitioning into F1 hybrids as a potential partial replacement for clones, Max wanted to determine how the seeds compare. Vladimir noted that he envisions a future where they use both clones and F1 seeds, stating:

“In the medicinal market, you have to be able to deliver your product in some consistent production. If you have some patients who start to medicate with a specific cultivar for a specific pathology, you cannot tell them one year after using the product that it’s over. The patient needs to have a possibility to have the product in the long term. Therefore, the clone is going to go on, but this kind of seed with good stability in the phenotype expression can replace, little by little, clone production in the medicinal market.”

However, Vladimir went on to point out some of the weaknesses of clones:

Bioleaf Health: Bringing F1 Hybrids to Commercial Cultivation

Max’s trip to Bioleaf Health uncovered some critical details about the company pairing ecological cultivation techniques with high-quality medicinal flowers. Not only is Bioleaf pushing the boundaries when it comes to going green, but it’s also one of the first large cultivators trialling F1 cannabis seeds as a viable replacement for clones.

While they’re taking a middle-ground approach for now, the company has shown that varieties such as Orion F1 offer a host of benefits for large-scale growing, including profound disease resistance, rapid growing times, and sublime terpene profiles.