🌿 CSF 200 – Cannabis Plant Science & Cultivation
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CSF 200
3 Credit Hours | Prerequisite: CSF 100 | Fully Online
🔍 Course Overview
CSF 200
This hands-on course in cannabis botany and cultivation provides students with a technical foundation in growing high-quality cannabis at both home and commercial scales. Students will engage with advanced horticultural concepts and explore the relationship between plant anatomy, environmental factors, and human input. You'll gain the skills necessary to design and manage a functional grow system, whether for medical, industrial, or agricultural use.
The course also emphasizes comparative thinking: students analyze different cultivation environments and systems, including greenhouse vs. indoor, soil vs. hydroponics, and LED vs. HPS lighting. Weekly journal reflections and discussion posts allow students to personalize and refine their ideal cultivation strategy.
📘 Topics Covered
Cannabis botany: structure, physiology, genetics, and ecology
Examine plant anatomy from roots to trichomes and learn how genetics and environmental stressors impact yield, potency, and growth cycles.
Germination, propagation, and clone management
Learn hands-on techniques for starting plants from seeds or cuttings, managing mother plants, and optimizing early growth conditions.
Soil science, nutrients, and water management
Understand how to select and amend soil, mix nutrients, and regulate pH, EC, and water cycles for healthy plant development.
Grow cycles: vegetative, flowering, and harvest stages
Study the timing and care needed during each stage of growth, including pruning, trellising, flowering triggers, and harvest techniques.
Environmental controls: lighting, temperature, humidity, IPM
Compare lighting systems (e.g., LED vs. HPS), and learn to manage temperature, humidity, air flow, and CO₂ for consistent and controlled growing environments.
Challenges in commercial cannabis production
Explore crop loss, mold prevention, compliance restrictions, energy costs, and the logistics of operating at scale in regulated markets.
🧠 Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Apply soil, water, and light science to cannabis growth
- Identify and address common challenges in cultivation
- Evaluate and compare different grow system types
- Design a full-scale cultivation plan based on real-world variables
📚 Textbooks & Learning Resources
The Cannabis Encyclopedia – Jorge Cervantes
In CSF 200, this text serves as a deep dive into plant science and operational best practices. It supports students in understanding lighting systems, nutrient cycles, environmental controls, greenhouse vs. indoor grows, and real-world scaling techniques.