Daniel Lirette: Growdoc Is a Mobile App That Helps Home Growers Rapidly Detect Cannabis Plant Problems

GrowDoc is a mobile app that helps home growers rapidly detect cannabis plant problems, offering organic solutions, all with one scan of a sick cannabis leaf.

Our mission is to empower at-home cannabis growers to solve plant problems faster than ever with quality information and new cannabis tech.

We are incredibly passionate about our industry and furthering the information and education available. This is why we have over $100,000 invested in cannabis research with local Canadian schools like Niagara College, CCNB-INNOV, and UdeM as well as Colorado State University-Pueblo from the US.

Tell us about yourself?

I graduated from NBCC with a degree in computer programming. After graduating from school I went to work for a local startup in Moncton, NB. While at that job I got bit with the startup bug and decided to take my passion for growing cannabis to the next level, so I decided to move on and started GrowDoc.

My passion has always been for technology and growing cannabis. In the basement of my own home, I began growing cannabis over 5 years ago and what always fascinated me was that while the information available for growers was accurate, it was delivered in an antiquated way.

My computer technology background and passion for growing set me into the cannabis industry head first!

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

Don’t be afraid to take a leap of faith. Many aspiring entrepreneurs get stopped in their tracks before they even start, paralyzed by fear of the unknown. Nobody knows everything, so if you have a good idea and you have passion jump in; we learn the rest along the way!

What problem does your business solve?

When growers find a problem with their cannabis plant they no longer need to search high and low on the internet, dust off old growing books, or ask forums to try and find out what is going on with their plant.

GrowDoc gives home cannabis growers the confidence to quickly and accurately diagnose and solve their cannabis plant problems.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

Like I said, I have been growing for many years and it has been my passion for a long time.

One day, I noticed my cannabis plant was yellowing in spots. I wasn’t sure what the problem was, so I checked some old growing books I had and also asked for help from online forums.

Two things became abundantly apparent, old books did not have many clear pictures of my plant’s issue, and people on forums while helpful, were divided in their diagnosis.

This is when I came up with the idea of being able to scan your cannabis leaf and get a diagnosis all on your phone. From that moment forward I dedicated my entire life to that mission, and GrowDoc was born.

What is your magic sauce?

We blend cannabis tech innovation, cannabis research, and education all into one easy to use app. Nobody else is doing exactly what we do, and we are dedicated 100% to the cannabis community.

We also have one of the biggest databases for cannabis plant problems in an app thanks to our years of cannabis plant research.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

Our main goal is to become the industry leader in the identification and solution of cannabis issues for home growers.

Solidifying our place as the main brand in this field is a long process that involves, among other things, increasing customer base, evolving together with the industry, and continuously improving upon our product. Continuing and expanding on our current research partnerships will be also a key aspect to this evolution.

In one sentence, we want to become the app of choice for new and experienced growers, the pocket guide, and trusted advice that has been so sorely lacking for the past decades.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

The biggest hurdle we have crossed so far is working with and implementing machine learning and AI into a system that accurately detects different cannabis plant problems.

Some people believe that it would be next to impossible for a machine to differentiate between subtle differences in the way cannabis leaves sometimes show symptoms.

While it takes time to develop these algorithms, it is far from impossible and with our next update the GrowDoc app will be more accurate than ever!

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

You can find our app on both Google Play and The App Store, as well as our website at www.growdoc.net. You can also find us on many social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Cannabuzz, and LinkedIn. Also, feel free to email us anytime at [email protected]!