[420 Girl]

It took less than a month before Scappoose’s Steve Knebel realized his $40,000 investment and year spent researching the indoor growing market in Columbia and Cowlitz counties wasn’t a waste of money or time.

Today, the former floor installation technician, who surrendered his trade after it had wreaked havoc on his knees, is now knee-deep in artificial, metal-halide light and organic fertilizers – in a good way.

“I just decided that I needed to do something, and I’m really passionate about growing things,” says Knebel, owner of Oregon Indoor Organics.

His passion, which has roots going back to his grandfather’s ownership of Herman’s Seed and Floral in Portland, has also spilled over into his appointment to the Columbia County Fair Board, where he’s championed several projects aimed at improving the fair grounds.

Asked whether he considers himself a farmer or a businessman, he answers without hesitation. “Both,” he says, adding that his interest in indoor gardening sprung from the seasonal confinement of his outdoor gardens.

Knebel, 59, had first considered opening the store in St. Helens, but a deeper look into the world of indoor growing and hydroponics showed him there was a supply void across the Columbia River in Longview, Wash., as well.

“It dawned on me that nobody was doing this in the Longview area, so I moved in here,” he says of the 1920s-era storefront at 109B East A St., next to the Rainier Hotel.

And, as Knebel readily admits, both states have medical marijuana laws that allow cardholders or designated caregivers to cultivate a specific quantity of the plant, providing Knebel with an established clientele formerly reliant on hour-long roundtrip treks into Portland for supplies.

Knebel, who is himself licensed to use medical marijuana for chronic knee pain, and who has traveled to Salem to testify against state consideration to change how medical marijuana is dispensed, said he knew medical marijuana users would play a key role in his business plan.

“I knew specifically about the medical aspect for why people are growing indoor cannabis. Those people are going to be a big part of my business,” he said.

Statewide, the number of patients with medical marijuana cards jumped from 20,842 to 23,873 – a 13 percent gain – between Jan. 1 and Oct. 1 of this year, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Eighty-eight percent of today’s patients, like Knebel, use marijuana for treatment of severe pain.

The number of caregivers allowed to grow marijuana for patients is also on the rise, and has increased from 10,424 to 12,245 during the same 10-month time span.

In Columbia County, the number of patient cardholders has increased from 365 to 423, an increase of 14 percent.

“It’s becoming more mainstream,” Knebel says. He adds, however, that he and his part-time employee and resident indoor gardening expert, Cully Calvert, don’t use the “M word” inside the store.

“It’s pretty obvious when somebody walks in and says ‘I’m looking for something to put in the closet for Harry’s cancer,” he says. “I assume they’re all legal, and they should be legal.”

Knebel hopes, however, that Oregon Indoor Organics caters to a broader expanse of indoor growing enthusiasts than just the medical marijuana crowd.

So far, that hope is panning out.

“It’s across the whole board,” he says.

He additionally plans to use the store to launch other ideas, including mobile greenhouses for transporting plants in or outdoors, depending on the season.

And as incentive for those who think indoor growing is an exotic exercise, Knebel is staging gardening areas in the store for tomatoes, peppers and lettuce to demonstrate its simplicity. As for the fruits, he’ll give those out for free.

“You wouldn’t believe the sizes you can get, because you’re controlling your environment,” he says.


At a glance

What: Oregon Indoor Organics, LLC
Who: Steve Knebel, owner
Where: 109B E. A St., Rainier

Business: Retail for indoor growing equipment and supplies, including metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights, fertilizers, nutrients, hydroponic materials, soil, etc.

Phone: 503-556-5565


Getting started

Getting started with an indoor growing adventure is like any other enterprise, Knebel says. “It’s like skiing, golf...it costs you money to get into it,” he says.

For the beginner, it’s best to start with a soil set-up, which takes an initial investment of around $500. Knebel additionally plans to host classes for indoor growing at the store, and he points out that the cost to run a 400-watt metal halide bulb for six hours a day over the course of a month runs around $4.80. “People don’t understand what it takes to grow indoors. They think it’s cost prohibitive,” he says.


Medical marijuana

Oregon: Approved by 55 percent of voters in 1998. Doctors and osteopaths licensed in Oregon can recommend a patient to apply for a Oregon Medical Marijuana Program card. Patients can grow their own as long as they register their grow site. They can have up to 24 ounces, 6 mature plants and 18 immature seedlings.

Washington: Legalized medical marijuana in 1998. State doesn’t require patients to have a card, just written recommendation from a doctor. Patients and designated providers can grow. Patients can have as much as 60 days’ worth on hand.

* In order to legally use medical


Hydroponics

A term derived from the Greek words “hydro,” which is translated as water, and “ponics,” which means labor, hydroponics is the practice of growing plants in nutrient-rich water without soil. It’s a significantly more involved process than traditional soil farming, and requires a pumping system to maintain nutrient and oxygen supplies to the root system. Cully Calvert, Oregon Indoor Organics part-time employee and resident grow expert, says the investment on a start-up hydroponics system runs around $1,000, but it can produce four times the plant yield. “That’s if you take care of it,” he says. “You have to watch it like a 2-year-old.”

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