Interview with Biotabs

Buffi 1. Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m in my early forties, live in central Germany, and work as a psychotherapist. I’m married, a family father, and spend most of my time trying to find a healthy balance between work, family life, and the hobbies I’m passionate about. Outside of growing, I enjoy playing tennis, spending time outdoors, going on long walks with my dog, listening to music, and meeting friends for good conversations. Music has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I’m always happy when a conversation drifts into topics people genuinely care about. I’ve always been someone who enjoys learning new things and diving deep into subjects that catch my interest. Unfortunately, that also means I sometimes disappear down a rabbit hole and end up spending far more time on a hobby than originally planned (especially when it comes to growing cannabis). Growing has definitely become one of those passions. My wife would probably say that I occasionally spend a little too much time thinking about plants, climate control, and environmental conditions. To be fair, she’s probably not entirely wrong. 😅 2. How did you get into growing? Tell us about your very first steps. I started growing around 2019, shortly before the first COVID wave. Before that, I actually had very little to do with cultivation itself. Some close friends had already been growing for years, while I was mainly just a consumer and never really had the time, interest or possibility to get deeper into the hobby. Over time, though, I became more and more interested in becoming independent and producing my own quality cannabis. At that time, I felt the quality of what was available was getting worse while prices kept increasing, so I thought: why not try it myself and learn something new in the process? My very first grow started in the most classic beginner way possible. A friend gave me some Wedding Cake buds, and I randomly found a seed inside one of them. Instead of throwing it away, I decided to germinate it just for fun. Back then I had absolutely no proper equipment, no tent, no real grow light, nothing. I started the seed under a small desk lamp in my office and later used a very basic lighting setup to keep it alive. Since our apartment had two balconies at the time, I moved the plant outside during sunny hours and brought it back inside under the lamp in the evenings. At some point the plant became way too big for my little improvised setup, so I moved it to my grandmother’s huge garden. She has always loved plants and gardening, so she ended up taking great care of it with a lot of love and attention. In the end, the quality was definitely far from perfect, but surprisingly the plant turned out quite potent and the whole experience was successful enough to really spark my passion for growing and learning more about the plant. Funny side note: not long ago, I had a conversation with my grandmother, who is now in her mid-nineties. She told me that her father used to grow tobacco in the early decades of the 20th century. What made the story even better was that she still remembered helping with parts of the drying process as a little girl. It was quite amusing to hear her describe those memories in such detail. In some ways, it even reminded me of conversations you might hear in a modern cannabis club today. Whether that means there is a family tradition of cultivating plants or perhaps even a genetic predisposition for growing things…I’ll leave for others to decide!😄 3. What role does cannabis play in your life - personally and as a grower? Cannabis has been part of my life for a very long time, long before growing itself became important to me. My first experiences go back to my teenage years in the late 90s and early 2000s. Over time, cannabis became connected to friendship, music, long conversations, creativity, and many memorable moments with people I was close to. I still remember some absolutely hilarious laughter-filled evenings with the right group of friends…moments that felt unique at the time and that remain some of my fondest memories from those years. As I got older, cannabis also became connected to travel, meeting different people, and experiencing different cultures. After school, I spent about a year living in England, where I met people from different countries and backgrounds. Those experiences broadened my perspective on many things, including cannabis culture. In recent years, cannabis has also become part of my life from a medical perspective. My relationship with it has become much calmer, more conscious, and more balanced than it was in my younger years. Growing added an entirely new dimension to that relationship. It combines so many different aspects: nature, biology, technology, patience, creativity, learning, and personal responsibility. It taught me to appreciate the plant in a completely different way than consumption alone ever could. Today, cannabis is no longer just about the final product for me. It is also about the process, the learning experience, the connection to the plant, and the satisfaction that comes from creating something yourself and continuously improving your skills over time. 4. What growing method do you prefer and why? My very first experiences were outdoors, with a few small balcony experiments just to get a feeling for the plant. But fairly early on, I became curious about indoor growing and decided to give it a proper try. My first real indoor setup was a G-Tools grow cabinet from Holland. Looking back, those first runs were a huge learning experience. I made some classic beginner mistakes, especially with overfeeding and synthetic nutrients, but those early challenges motivated me to learn more and improve with every grow. Then I became increasingly interested in lighting, plant training, environmental control, and all the small details that influence the final result. The process of continuously refining my setup and improving my skills became one of the things I enjoyed most about growing. A couple of years later, I switched to organic growing in soil and eventually discovered Biotabs, which I’ve now been using for around four years. Since then, this has become my preferred way of growing. I enjoy working with the biology of the soil rather than constantly chasing numbers, and I appreciate the more natural and plant-focused approach. Today, I grow exclusively indoors in soil under LED lighting. Especially in Germany, where outdoor growing is heavily influenced by climate and seasonal conditions, indoor growing gives me the level of setting control I enjoy most. I also enjoy plant training techniques like different kinds of LST or SCROG because they allow me to shape the canopy, improve light efficiency, and work actively with the plant as it develops. For me, growing is much more than gardening. It has become a kind of art and, in many ways, a form of meditation. After stressful workdays, it helps me slow down, focus on something living, and mentally switch off. Seeing healthy plants thrive and develop is still one of the most rewarding parts of the hobby. In the end, growing represents the perfect combination of nature and technology…providing a natural foundation for the plant while continuously adapting and optimizing the environment around it. 5. Which strain is closest to your heart? That’s a mean question! 😄 Choosing a single favourite strain is actually quite difficult. In my experience, it is rarely just the genetics alone that determine whether a strain becomes memorable. Timing, setting, personal circumstances, expectations, and even the people around you can all influence how you experience a particular cultivar. If I had to choose one strain, it would probably be OG Kush. This strain holds a special place in my heart because one of my first truly successful indoor grows was an OG Kush bonus seed from DNA Genetics. Back then, I was still growing in my old G-Tools cabinet under only 150 watts and using the Biotabs system. I invested a lot of time, care, and attention into that grow, and it was one of the first times everything really came together. The terpene profile was exactly what I personally associate with a classic OG Kush: earthy, gassy, complex, and incredibly satisfying. It was also one of the first harvests that made me think, "Okay, this is actually really good." I loved the effect as well. For me, that strain always provided the perfect balance between relaxation and functionality. It helped me unwind without leaving me completely stuck on the couch, which is one of the reasons I still appreciate it so much today. Sour Tangie would probably deserve an honorable mention as a long-time medical companion and a strain that suited me particularly well during the daytime. Generally speaking, it must be said that many strains would have a legitimate claim to be on the list. 6. What has been your biggest learning moment? I don’t think there was one single moment that changed everything. For me, growing has been a continuous learning process made up of many smaller lessons, successes, mistakes, and adjustments over the years. Almost every grow taught me something new, whether it was about the plant, the environment or myself. If I had to name one overarching lesson, it would probably be patience. In the beginning, I often wanted to solve every problem immediately, optimize every detail, and speed things up whenever possible. Over time, I learned that growing doesn’t really work that way. Sometimes the best thing you can do is observe carefully, stay calm, and give the plant time to do what it naturally does. Growing also taught me how to deal with setbacks. Not every run goes absolutely perfect, and not every idea works out as planned. But those moments often became the most valuable learning experiences and helped me improve far more than the easy successes. On a personal level, one of the most rewarding aspects has been seeing my own development over time. Starting with almost no knowledge and gradually building experience, confidence, and understanding taught me that curiosity, consistency, and a willingness to learn can take you surprisingly far. Looking back, I think the biggest lesson was realizing that growing is not really about controlling every aspect of the process. It is about creating the right conditions, paying attention, and learning when to act and when to simply let nature do its work. 7. What does your routine look like? Growing has become a regular part of my daily routine over the last years. Depending on the season and the stage of the grow, the amount of time I spend with the plants can vary quite a bit, but there is usually at least some interaction with the garden every day. One thing I particularly enjoy is fine-tuning the environment. While I use controllers and automation where they make sense, I still like being actively involved in balancing temperature, humidity, airflow, and other conditions. There is something very satisfying about creating the right environment for the plants and seeing them respond positively to it. Sometimes it feels a bit like surfing. You can’t control the wave itself, but you can learn to read it, adjust your position, and find the right balance to ride it successfully. Growing often feels the same way to me, and that is part of what makes it so enjoyable. My day often starts with a quick check of the environmental conditions before work. Temperature, humidity, ventilation, and the overall health of the plants are things I keep an eye on regularly. Most of the hands-on work happens in the evening after work. That is usually when I water the plants, inspect them more closely, do some training if necessary, and simply spend time observing their progress. I genuinely enjoy these quiet moments because they help me slow down and mentally switch off from everyday life. Of course, growing can be surprisingly time-consuming at times. There are evenings when a quick check turns into an hour or two in the grow room. 😄 But I don’t really see that as a burden. For me, it has become a hobby, a creative outlet, and a way to relax at the same time. In many ways, the routine itself has become one of the most enjoyable aspects of growing. Watching the plants develop day by day, noticing small changes, and being part of that process never really gets old. 8. What advice would you give beginners? My first piece of advice would be: be patient and not to hard on yourself. Patience is probably one of the most important qualities in growing because plants don’t work on our schedules. Many beginners want quick results or try to fix every small issue immediately, but growing often rewards patience more than action. I would also encourage people to develop a genuine interest in the process itself, not just the final harvest. If the passion for learning, observing, and improving is there, growing becomes much more enjoyable and rewarding. Another important lesson is learning how to deal with mistakes. Every grower makes them, even professionals. In fact, many of the most valuable lessons come from things that didn’t go according to plan. Before starting a grow, I think it’s worth spending some time understanding the basics and planning the setup properly. Good environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, airflow, and lighting are often more important than beginners initially realize. One principle that has also helped me a lot is: “less is often more”. Especially when it comes to nutrients, watering, and constantly trying to intervene. Sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back, observe, and trust the process. Futhermore, I also think it’s important to stay curious about each plant as an individual. Every strain, and often every phenotype, can behave a little differently. Rather than trying to force a plant into a specific outcome, I prefer to see growing as helping the plant express its potential as fully as possible. 9. How did you first hear about Biotabs? Like many growers, I started out using synthetic nutrients and gained my first experiences that way. While they certainly worked, I was looking for something that felt a little more natural and a little less complicated in day-to-day growing. At some point, through articles, conversations, and recommendations, I became interested in organic cultivation. Around the same time, my local grow shop introduced me to Biotabs, and I decided to give it a try. 10. How has Biotabs influenced your grow and what do you appreciate most about the product? What impressed me most from the very beginning was the taste. In my view, the terpene profile develops in a significantly more complex way. Even in my first run, I felt there was quite a noticeable difference in the final product. The overall quality, aroma, and taste were exactly what I had hoped for and left a lasting impression on me. At the same time, I appreciated the simplicity of the system. Growing still requires attention and care, of course, but compared to constantly mixing and adjusting nutrient schedules, the process felt more relaxed and enjoyable. As I learned more about organic cultivation and living soil systems, I became increasingly convinced by the philosophy behind it. I like the idea that the plant and the biology of the soil work together, while my role as a grower is mainly to create the right conditions and support that process. Thank you for taking the time to read this interview!