Kenneth Morrow aka K of Trichome Technologies is a prolific author and innovator who has pushed the boundaries of commercial-scale cannabis cultivation, cannabis breeding, as well as cannabinoid and terpene extraction. K’s many documented contributions to cannabis culture over the decades put him in rarified company.
Kenny first started growing at 13 years old when he purchased a hydro pot out of an ad in High Times magazine. K’s early success growing cannabis in hydroponic and aeroponic systems as a young teenager spurred a lifelong interest in cannabis cultivation.
Growing up in Northern California with close friends with family ties to the Mendocino/Humboldt region provided K with connections that allowed him to access quantities of high-quality flowers and heirloom genetics to further his own cultivation and breeding.
Unfortunately in 1993 K was busted and ended up on felony probation. It was while on felony probation that K appeared on the TV News program 60 mins where he was interviewed by Morley Safer. It was also at this time while on probation that K and B-Legit worked together to create the cover art for the album Hemp Museum.
K & TRICHOME TECHNOLOGIES
K’s original seed collection was also lost in his 1993 bust. He was able to rebuild his genetic collection through his connections in the southern Humboldt Northern Mendo region. Over the years K has bred with this heirloom breeding stock to develop and select numerous award-winning and renowned varieties.
K bred and selected varieties such as Kryptonite 16% THC, B1 (aka sweet-one) which has won multiple awards, Trichome Technologies’ Northern Lights #6 tested over 22% THC. The Juicy Fruit tested at over 26% THC. Ultraviolet (aka Purple Kush), one of the most widely known and highly regarded cultivars associated with the northern California medical cannabis scene. Trichome Technologies’ G-13 which K specifically bred and selected over multiple generations reducing height, internode length, and flowering time while significantly increasing THC percentage to 27.2%.
In 1996 K had numerous varieties of his lab test as part of a scientific study commissioned by Dale Geringer and NORML. The study sent samples, provided by K, to a laboratory in Sacramento for analysis. The lab used standards directly from the University of Mississippi to perform the analysis. When the results for the G-13 came back from the lab showing 27.2% THC, the samples were sent to Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly at the University of Mississippi to be retested to make sure the results were accurate. The second laboratory analysis conducted at the University of Mississippi confirmed the original lab results.
K was an important figure in the California medical cannabis scene. He produced flowers for the early underground dispensaries predating the passage of prop-215. Trichome Technologies won numerous awards dating back to the 1997 Bay Area Cannabis Growers’ Cup and the early cups organized by Debbie Goldsberry and the Cannabis Action Network. K’s production facilities and genetics helped to fuel the medical cannabis industry from its nascent pre-prop-215 days through its emergence over the ensuing decades.
For decades K has been at the forefront of commercial cultivation. Trichome Technologies consistently produced high-quality cannabis at an ever-increasing scale and q
uantity. It was the productive capacity of commercial operations like K’s that powered the medical cannabis industry that emerged in the wake of prop215 and sb420. To this day K remains at the forefront of scaling commercial cannabis cultivation as it reaches new levels under prop64 and in preparation for expanding legalizing at the national level and beyond in the coming years.
K is also a Pioneer in the field of developing and disseminating cannabinoid and terpene extraction methodologies. Kenny wrote the first article describing a method of large-scale cold water hash extraction using fresh frozen material that he developed in 1994. K wrote one of the first articles on dry sift, and he also wrote the first article describing BHO extraction for Red Eye magazine. Perhaps most significantly K was the first person to develop techniques for extracting pure cannabis terpenes without the use of heat. Kenny has discussed his work in the field of extraction at length on the Adam Dunn Show.
In addition to all of his accomplishments as a breeder, cultivator, extractor, and innovator K is also one of the most prolific writers on technical aspects of cannabis horticulture and manufacturing.
He has written for Red Eye in England. He has contributed to Burst High, a Japanese magazine dedicated to cannabis. He has been featured in the Spanish magazine Cañamo. He is also the longest-running continuous content contributor to High Times Magazine with the most featured articles.
Today K is on the editorial board of advisors and is a monthly columnist for Cannabis Business Times. He is also the author of Marijuana Horticulture Fundamentals the best introductory text to the art and science of cannabis cultivation.
In many ways, Kenny’s career in cannabis is an open book because it literally is.
K has spent his life researching, developing, and documenting techniques and protocols for cannabis cultivation, breeding, and extraction contributing a vast wealth of information to the canon of cannabis knowledge and culture.
While we all stand on the shoulders of giants, Kenny is among the few who now stand among them. Along with David Watson, Robert Clarke, Mel Frank, Ed Rosenthal belongs the name Kenny Morrow.
All photos courtesy of Trichome Technologies
