Moorhead business offers gear, guidance to home cannabis growers

MOORHEAD — In August, it became legal in Minnesota for adults 21 and older to use, grow and possess cannabis for recreational use.

All of that comes with various limits and in the case of growing cannabis people can have up to eight marijuana plants at a time, though only four can be flowering at the same time.

That cultivation side of cannabis is what a new Moorhead business, Roots Hydroponics, and its owner, Logan Macrae, aim to help people navigate.

Located at 423 Main Ave. in downtown Moorhead, Roots Hydroponics offers things like growing tents and lights as well as hydroponic growing systems and nutrient solutions.

As its name implies, Roots Hydroponics will be happy to help people cultivate cannabis in water, though Macrae said he advises beginners to start by growing cannabis in soil.

He said as people gain gardening skills, they can progress to customized growing mediums and, ultimately, water if they want to go that route.

The store’s website describes the business’s goal this way:

“To provide an accessible and affordable way for people who rely on cannabis for medical reasons to grow their own supply. … Together, we are fostering a community of friends working towards a collective wellness goal — one that is rooted in compassion, affordability and self-sufficiency.”

The store, which opened Friday, Sept. 8, also has a Facebook page, which can be found at facebook.com/rootshydromn.

The term cannabis refers to all products derived from the plant Cannabis sativa.

The related term “marijuana” refers to parts of or products from the plant Cannabis sativa that contain substantial amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

Macrae said he understands how cannabis can ease some medical conditions because his father, who has cancer, has gained weight while on chemotherapy and his father’s use of cannabis products is thought to be helping.

Macrae said his dad’s doctor told him that smoking marijuana may be one of the best treatments available for his father, adding it may provide the added benefit of reducing the number of cigarettes his father smokes.

Under Minnesota’s new rules, an individual is allowed to produce and possess up to 2 pounds of dried and cured cannabis.

Macrae said cultivating cannabis properly requires having a vegetation tent and a flowering tent.

In addition to selling equipment and other items, Macrae said Roots Hydroponics will provide people assistance setting up their new gear.

“If people want help setting up tents in their home, we will be offering an install service to make sure everything is set up the way it should be,” Macrae said.

For now, the store will sell gear and growing medium, but at some point it may also get into the business of selling seeds, according to Macrae.

“I’m going to find a Minnesota seed resource that’s good, so I trust the seeds,” said Macrae, who said he recently spent time on a legal cannabis cultivation site in California.

“We cut and dried 2,000 plants and replanted within six days, so I know what goes into a successful farm, large-scale or small-scale,” said Macrae, adding that he advises consumers to buy photosensitive seeds, which he said will make it easier to control vegetation and flowering times and reduce the risk of someone inadvertently producing more than the two pound legal limit of dried and cured cannabis.

The Roots Hydroponics store is nestled among several related businesses, including a CBD store that sells legal cannabis edibles, as well as a store that sells products that can be used for smoking.

“It’s a symbiotic relationship. I fought really hard for this spot,” Macrae said.