What’s Growing On? Meet the Best – Rogue Shop
Voted No. 1 Best CBD Retailer in this year’s Best of the Chippewa Valley Poll, Rogue Shop strives to use live hemp plants for education.
Sawyer Hoff, video by Ma Vue |
With CBD and hemp products becoming increasingly popular in recent years and lots of back and forth on the topic, it’s clear that not many people actually know what a hemp plant is – or what it does. Sharmaine Zamora, owner of Rogue Shop in Eau Claire, is hoping to educate the community about the numerous benefits of hemp by showing it in its purest form.
One of Sharmaine’s greatest passions in life is planting and harvesting cannabis plants, so she immediately knew she wanted a space to grow her own, wherever her shop ended up. She opened the brick-and-mortar Rogue Shop in July 2022 and has planted several different strains of cannabis plants right there in store – one of the only in the area to do so.
“Each plant is an individual, just like humans,” Sharmaine explained. “Some of them like to eat more than others, some of them sleep more than others, some of them are tall, some are short, they all have a personality so you find a connection with them during each cycle.”
Cannabis is a low-impact crop that cleans soil and can have a turnaround time of about three months. They’re also pest-resilient crops, so there is little need for harmful pesticides.
A “cycle” of cannabis plants at Rogue Shop, from planting to harvesting to selling, usually produces about 1 and 1/2 pounds of flower and takes between 4-6 months. They test the pH (Potential Hydrogen) and EC (Electro Conductivity) of the water run-off to determine the health of the plants. Since Sharmaine’s plants are mostly for educational purposes and not as much for resale, she allows the plants to tell her when they are ready to be harvested, which they do through pistil appearance – looking at the sizing and density of the bud.
When the plants send signals that they are ready for harvesting, the “flushing” process begins, which means they stop feeding the plants nutrients and only feed them water, to get their EC to zero – which takes about a week. After flushing, the plants have to dry out at a higher temperature for a couple of weeks and then at a lower temperature to cure for about two weeks. Currently, Rogue is in the middle of a cycle of the “Skunky Brewster” strain, and will likely begin harvesting within the next couple of weeks.
“If you see the plant, then people can see it’s not so scary.”
Sharmaine Zamora
owner of Rogue Shop
The plants that Rogue grows in the shop must be sampled and tested by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make sure that the plants’ THC (the compound that gives a “high”) levels don’t surpass 0.3%. So while the plants look very similar to marijuana plants, they are completely medicinal and won’t get you high.
You can check in on the status of the plants and ask any questions during the shop’s hours. Sharmaine’s main goal for her plants is to create a space and opportunity to start conversations and educate people in the area about hemp and its health benefits. Whether you are a customer or are just curious, you can learn all about cannabis and CBD straight from the root.
“It’s a really fun part of our educational process to show people the flower,” Sharmaine said. “Showing people how it goes from a plant to what they’re using and explaining the steps in between. It’s also part of destigmatization in cannabis advocacy. If you see the plant, then people can see it’s not so scary.”
