Dear Stoner: What Is Veganic Growing?

Dear Stoner: I know what organic growing is, but what is "veganic" growing?
Curious Cultivator

Dear Curious: Veganic growing is the process of chopping up a vegan to feed your plants, Little Shop of Horrors style. Feed me, Seymour!

Seriously, veganic growing is growing your cannabis without using any nutrients derived from animals or chemically derived minerals. Organic growers tend to rely on things like bat guano and emulsified fish guts as a source of nutrients; veganic growers shun things like that, using only nutrients derived from plants, like fermented leaves. While some do it for philosophical reasons, most veganic growers we know are meat-eaters who just want better-quality cannabis. The idea is that the microbes in the soil break down the vegan nutrients and deliver them to the plant more easily than they would with animal-based nutrients. According to some studies, the transfer of nutrients is three times higher in veganic gardening. Well-known grower Kyle Kushman has moved to an entirely veganic mixture and is one of the method's most vocal advocates, saying that it "elevates the cultivation of cannabis flowers to the highest level of purity possible." I don't know if I'd go that far, but I am starting to see a lot of growers making the switch and praising the end product. To learn more, check out kylekushman.com.

Dear Stoner: Can NBA players smoke weed? If so, does that account for the Nuggets' horrible season thus far?
No Nugs

Dear NN: The NBA, like most American pro-sports leagues, does not allow marijuana use among players — even in states that have legalized possession of small amounts of pot. Players caught smoking herb three times get a five-game suspension. But that's not to say that players aren't getting high. The NBA tests players four times during the season for drugs, but the testing is random, so some players end up getting their fourth drug test early in the season, which basically gives them a hall pass to toke up the rest of the year.

Pot is not the reason the Nuggets are in the tank, though. Their piss-poor season thus far falls squarely on the shoulders of coach Brian Shaw, who can't get his talented players to act like a damn team on the court.

Shaw clearly needs to calm down and quit using the media to accuse players of purposefully losing games. We suggest he do a few one-hitters in the locker room after a game — and we'd be happy to provide him with all the free herb he can handle if it could make this team worth watching again.