what's this job worth, anyway?!

[pfunk211]

so the "master gardener" quit, but it's not a big deal. i've been running the garden for a while anyway. i'm certain they're about to offer me the position, for $10/hr.
can any of you fine folks, or palerider7777, offer any insight to what this position is actually worth?? i can see $10/hr for scrubbing pots and changing reservoirs and trimmers, maybe, but to hold the reigns seems like it should pay a little better.......

[canaguy27]

15 per hour plus heavy compensation for results is what I have heard

[HarvestHouse]

so the "master gardener" quit, but it's not a big deal. i've been running the garden for a while anyway. i'm certain they're about to offer me the position, for $10/hr.
can any of you fine folks, or palerider7777, offer any insight to what this position is actually worth?? i can see $10/hr for scrubbing pots and changing reservoirs and trimmers, maybe, but to hold the reigns seems like it should pay a little better.......

if you are a master gardener you should know what your worth.

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

if you are a master gardener you should know what your worth.

eewww thats gotta hurt. new territory for many though. masters should be getting 50-150k a year including comps. you have to know what a botanist knows. micro, macro nutes, plant imbalances, every aspect of the grow is accounted for, not to mention being on call for every little thing. this guy might know the room in which he works but does he know the root system like his old master.

[copobo]

growing is a union gig in California.

Colorado next?

[pfunk211]

"master gardener" was and is in quotes for a reason. i'm just some jerk that knows how to google anything and everything and retains information well.....

they haven't had anyone with those credentials in that spot yet, but i'm thinking that i can slide in a master gardener certification course through their "generosity". it's offered at CSU for less than a grand.....

i've always been a home grower and hired on with these folks to kill some time and see some things that i wouldn't see at home, as a grower's assistant for $10/hr and was cool with that.

now, i'm solely responsible for everything from clone to harvest in two ten tray e/f rooms, a 48 bucket dwc room and a 100 bag soil room as well as 120 mothers and, frankly, rocking it.

i just read the 99 pages of new rules, though, and don't even know if i'm interested in that sort of scrutiny, even just as an employee.

[pfunk211]

if you are a master gardener you should know what your worth.

do you mean that had i been employed as a master gardener before, i would know what to expect as pay because i'd already been paid that?

i haven't.

however, in the cosmic sense, i do.....:cool:

[pfunk211]

eewww thats gotta hurt. new territory for many though. masters should be getting 50-150k a year including comps. you have to know what a botanist knows. micro, macro nutes, plant imbalances, every aspect of the grow is accounted for, not to mention being on call for every little thing. this guy might know the room in which he works but does he know the root system like his old master.

just getting into bonsai for mothers, root training, etc...
introduced them to the wonders of mykos, zymes and beneficials....
battled their mite problem and WON (so far...)!

certainly dialing it in......

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

just getting into bonsai for mothers, root training, etc...
introduced them to the wonders of mykos, zymes and beneficials....
battled their mite problem and WON (so far...)!

certainly dialing it in......

your certainly on the path to enlightenment. im no master grower, however im worth far more than $10 an hour. i make a dollar more than that now and its a shit job(not mmj.) they are just trying some corporate crap on you so they can profit. even a knowledgable apprentice is worth at least $15. bark a little and see what happens. bonsais are no joke that requires skill, but a great space saver. ive dabbled with mediocre success, i saw on overgrow.com back in the day some skillful bonsai masters truly awesome at what they did. beating mites is a feat to be proud of, them things will test you big time.

[HighPopalorum]

50k a year seems to be the going rate for a horticulturist with a bachelor's degree. The state average seems somewhat lower, although I don't think the information is very reliable. The Denver Botanic Gardens pays senior horticulturalists about 45k. (Again, unreliable info.) I would think that MMCs would pay less, but might also be willing to accept candidates with no formal education, so long as they have a proven history of growing good dope. I have no idea what you deserve, but if I were you I would ask for $15 an hour at least.

[FunkeeNuggz]

growing is a union gig in California.

Colorado next?

I'm with you on that one. I've been wondering that since the DoR is wanting to legitimize this industry. I'm doing my research and I'm even considering changing my major at school to Ecology/Evolutionary Biology and in 2 years when I'm eligible to work in the industry I'll have some legit education on my resume but we'll see, anything can happen.

[HarvestHouse]

your value as a gardener comes into play being able to astutely observe trends and changes (pests and pathogens) in the garden before they become problems. Many problem you will run into may only be evidenced by lack of vigor or decreased yield and by then it's too late. The dynamic changes in an indoor garden from summer to winter have their own requirements. If you haven't run your garden for a full 12 months, I would caution you against being cavalier about your skill set. You could end up with a flop or two as you swing into summer. That wouldn't be good for a professional grower's resume.

Be proactive. Be present. Demand BIG bonuses. Get as much as you can for your labor. Trademark your strain names if you brought any.

[copobo]

without a good grower, there isn't a good dispensary.

HH has it right. work out a bonus system.

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

50k a year seems to be the going rate for a horticulturist with a bachelor's degree. The state average seems somewhat lower, although I don't think the information is very reliable. The Denver Botanic Gardens pays senior horticulturalists about 45k. (Again, unreliable info.) I would think that MMCs would pay less, but might also be willing to accept candidates with no formal education, so long as they have a proven history of growing good dope. I have no idea what you deserve, but if I were you I would ask for $15 an hour at least.

yeah but thats just a typical college job thats not quite related to our industry just because of its nature. id wager that most master g's in this field dont have botanical/horticultural, and biology degrees. rather they have culminated a history of trial and error spanning 30+ years. im just about there, and still much to learn for me. when ive nothing left to learn i fear i will lose all interest.

copobo-without good growing practices there arent good growers. clearly there is too much push for profit so growers are being forced to go against their will on some level to get product in shelves at their idea of a time frame. thats a bad practice however people seem disorientated enough to settle for low quality meds err uuhhmmm high quality ...i meant say.

[copobo]

yea, I don't know how you would measure/bonus for quality and quantity. as mmc's are businesses, I am sure both are important.

keep in mind I am just a smalltime caregiver, and I have no cares about production, nor am I even looking to move extras. BUT the grower for an mmc is THE man. He/she is paying the salaries and rent.

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

yea, I don't know how you would measure/bonus for quality and quantity. as mmc's are businesses, I am sure both are important.

keep in mind I am just a smalltime caregiver, and I have no cares about production, nor am I even looking to move extras. BUT the grower for an mmc is THE man. He/she is paying the salaries and rent.

well even investors want their cut right now so that they are not caught lingering when shit goes south. so that creates additional pressure. not to mention who knows how legit some of these dispensaries/growers and their ties are, and what the penalties are for failure. small time is where the good stuff is at:D:stoned::stoned::stoned:

[catdna]

man I have been here a while and I gotta say, it's worth a LOT MORE than an hourly wage. Why are you doing this in this capacity? Why not rock your own grow? That's what I am doing, and I would never consider doing it for a wage. Freedom is too cool.

I wouldn't even discuss less than 60 G a year with FULL BENEFITS and it may take profit-sharing to get me to the table.....be demanding, in this scenario, you have the superior posture, they need to treat you right.

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

man I have been here a while and I gotta say, it's worth a LOT MORE than an hourly wage. Why are you doing this in this capacity? Why not rock your own grow? That's what I am doing, and I would never consider doing it for a wage. Freedom is too cool.

I wouldn't even discuss less than 60 G a year with FULL BENEFITS and it may take profit-sharing to get me to the table.....be demanding, in this scenario, you have the superior posture, they need to treat you right.

no doubts there, however at $10 your not going to aquire any significant kind of grow if at all. my problem right there.

[copobo]

really, the thing is.... if a grower is REALLY worth a shit to the dispensary, and they are paying $10 an hour, this grower will get HIRED AWAY by a dispensary that looses their guy and realizes the value.

there are a jillion swinging dicks on the front range who think thay are badass growers, but could never take on a couple 99 plant grows with success, growing the fire.

If someone IS pulling off commercial production for a shop and is the primary supplier... this guy should def be the highest paid non-owner employee - and perhaps MORE than the owner. many owners aren't taking a paycheck as they grow their businesses...

I'm telling you, it's most important for businesses to realize who on the team you could afford to lose and who you can't. Those that would change your profitability in a big way if they went to work for the guy across the street need to be kept happy. They need to be paid & benifit-ed well BEFORE investors are sent profits, or the business will be SOL before you know it!

Key employees are your most important investment.

[quetzal]

If someone IS pulling off commercial production for a shop and is the primary supplier... this guy should def be the highest paid non-owner employee

This ^^

Especially as patients become smarter and more picky about their meds, the plants have to come first..

[pfunk211]

really, the thing is.... if a grower is REALLY worth a shit to the dispensary, and they are paying $10 an hour, this grower will get HIRED AWAY by a dispensary that looses their guy and realizes the value.

there are a jillion swinging dicks on the front range who think thay are badass growers, but could never take on a couple 99 plant grows with success, growing the fire.

If someone IS pulling off commercial production for a shop and is the primary supplier... this guy should def be the highest paid non-owner employee - and perhaps MORE than the owner. many owners aren't taking a paycheck as they grow their businesses...

I'm telling you, it's most important for businesses to realize who on the team you could afford to lose and who you can't. Those that would change your profitability in a big way if they went to work for the guy across the street need to be kept happy. They need to be paid & benifit-ed well BEFORE investors are sent profits, or the business will be SOL before you know it!

Key employees are your most important investment.

truer words never have been written.....

i walked. a couple of the guys from the garden came over tonight and told me how it's been since i stopped going.

i've never really been vindictive, but i think it's pretty funny that it's not so easy for them.

so, good help is out there, folks, if you need it......

[MtnLionCO]

good for you, and another thing the dispensaries forget is that there is a finite number of potential customers, and that number might perhaps decrease as people stop using dispensaries altogether because of more regulation, poor quality, and high price.

anybody in business knows the people that make the real money are the owners/partners of the business, not the employees. why not start your own business , start with a small grow and then 'grow' the business.

[copobo]

that'll be next for some folks. interesting thing is, this market opens back up this summer, right?

how many mmc owners are planning on doing something differently because of this? I bet there are some folks with some cash that will roll out proper as soon as the moratorium is over.

[puntacometa]

15 per hour plus heavy compensation for results is what I have heard

I have heard from a very reliable source that at least one revenue agent is looking very hard at grower employment contracts and if they even suspect that the grower is getting a percentage of the harvest or a bonus based on yield, they are going to be required to undergo the key associate investigative process.

[copobo]

that's a bunch of shit. there are a jillion non-ownership positions that bonus based on performance. That is exactly WHY you bonus based on performance - is the employee is a non-owner and otherwise there is no incentive to excel.

[SoCoMMJ]

I have heard from a very reliable source that at least one revenue agent is looking very hard at grower employment contracts and if they even suspect that the grower is getting a percentage of the harvest or a bonus based on yield, they are going to be required to undergo the key associate investigative process.

Yeah, they said this repeatedly during the application period. If you are hourly, no problem, standard employee criteria. If you are paid on performance, you are a key and have much stricter criteria to qualify. This will probably cause some unsettling as growers get unqualified due to performance contracts and inability to meet key criteria.

So now the shops will have to move a grower into the garden that meets criteria? This will get ugly.

[puntacometa]

Yeah, they said this repeatedly during the application period. If you are hourly, no problem, standard employee criteria. If you are paid on performance, you are a key and have much stricter criteria to qualify. This will probably cause some unsettling as growers get unqualified due to performance contracts and inability to meet key criteria.

So now the shops will have to move a grower into the garden that meets criteria? This will get ugly.

What is standard employee criteria? I would think that $100.00 per hour is well within reason for an experienced grower who knows how to bring in a consistent high yield of top shelf product.

[copobo]

for a larger dispensary, I think you are correct.

[VapedG13]

we pay our trimmer $25 a plant to trim our bubba... 3 oz plants take about 1 hour.

pay rate will go on the size of the grow you are taking take of

100 plant grow you can take care of easily spending only 4 hrs a day...thats like a $15 a hr job

1000 plant grow is a full time job.......


$1000 a week base pay.... 10% of the finished product $$$ based on what you produced weight wise..... 2 ozs a month personal.....medical and dental too

1000 plants 4 oz per 4000 oz X 175 = 700,000 thats selling @ $2800 LB

[VapedG13]

If you produced that 4 times a year.... $2.8 million for the employer

master growers cut $52,000 weekly pay... $280,000 bonus ... 24 ozs

I would galdly pay someone $330,000 to make me a million + $$$ after taxes :thumbsup:

Employees who help maintain the grows.. should get $10-20 a hr depending on responsibilites and experience

[SoCoMMJ]

What is standard employee criteria?

A short application for a state MMC employee license to work vs. a 300+ page bundle of your life for a MMC key employee application.

Not sure all the contracted growers could pass the Key application process and criteria was my point. But if the state determines that they are more than just hourly, it may be a required process.

[copobo]

so if a dispensary wanted to pay all of their help bonuses (lots of businesses do) based on performance, does that mean EVERY employee is key?

Colorado hard at it, devaluing the labor of its workers. GREAT,

[MEDEDCANNABIS]

so if a dispensary wanted to pay all of their help bonuses (lots of businesses do) based on performance, does that mean EVERY employee is key?

Colorado hard at it, devaluing the labor of its workers. GREAT,

where i work noone is "key", were just stupids otherswises whys woulds weez werks der. quote unquote. its what people with money do best, devalue the dollar. no vacations, sick pay, health insurance, bonuses, not a single luxury...if not for the courage of the fearless crew the minnow...oh wait sorry, colorado seems most skilled at keeping its wages lower than some other states. its only solace is that the rich dont make less because of it. fin traitors:mad:

[greengorillaz]

just how does the dispensary - grower relationship work? If I furnish everything related to the grow like the building rent, utilities, sundries, all the labor and nurturing to bring in a consistent crop, fill out the paperwork as a key person, then what does that do for me? Does it make me part owner of the dispensary? According to the IRS, A GROWER CANNOT BE A SOLE PROPRIETOR.

Someone please enlighten me cuz I think I'm getting screwed. One other thing, how do the dispensaries pay for product. consignment, 10 percent or better up front? Anyone know?

[HerbalConnect]

A Master Grower should have at least a decade of experiance with the art and have a deep understanding of the chemistry of growing. They should also the experiance of cycling out over and over. In my opinion it takes at least one year to understand even the basic concepts of growing and to really get the general feel of the plant. Also, being able to adjust to the changing seasons is always a challenge. It takes many more years to be to develop that natural eye to know what the plant is lacking and what needs to be done. Then there is tackling many different strains and each individual needs they have. Also, each grower will develop their own methods to produce thier meds, that is unlike most others (usually), and that alone takes years.

My point is not that is takes everyone a decade to be a pro, especially in a warehouse where you learn that much more since its large scale and more hours put in. But it does take time.

Master growers in my opinion should be paid 75 to 150k depending on experiance and performance cuz lets face it they are the head honcho. No good meds no store no biz. No more important job then that.

Managers - 20.00 an hr

Ass Growers 15.00

Maintenance - 13.00

Trimmers 13.00

[Dorje113]

It depends.... if you are growing for a MMC using their established system, then it depends on your level of responsibility. If you partnered with a MMC and brought in your own system with years worth of experience running it then you should get a % of the wholesale value of what you grew.

In my case, if the system I set up and ran didn't produce we would all be out of business. I am not going to be in that sort of position of responsibility without SIGNIFICANT compensation, fuck hourly.