The Cultivators Club
1. Program Overview & Origins
Welcome to the Cultivators Club!
The Cultivators Club is designed as a product testing and field trial program specifically tailored to the home and small-scale cannabis grower (indoor rooms, grow tents, basements, greenhouses, outdoor beds, etc.).
The program was launched in October 2015 by Autoflower.org and continues to provide real world examples of genetics and products used in cultivation today by growers just like you!
Our Key Mission:
To give growers (of all skill levels, in all geographies) access to genetics, equipment, consumables and services they might not otherwise be able to afford, try, or access — and to document real-world experiences rather than polished endorsements to provide honest, relatable feedback to help educate our fellow growers in the cannabis community.
Our Guiding Philosophy:
Authenticity over hype — participating growers have no obligation to deliver glowing reviews. Instead, they are asked for honest, tactful, and constructive feedback based upon their real-world experience using the product or service. Growers are encouraged to avoid rude or disrespectful comments while still maintaining the integrity and philosophy of the program.
To Date:
- Cultivators Club has tested products/services for nearly 60+ companies
- Has distributed well over $100,000 USD in genetics, gear & services globally to growers in our community
- Created a tightlydocumented community of testers logging seed-to-harvest journals, product unboxings, vendor service reviews
2. Purpose & Intentions
Purpose
- Provide vendors, breeders and service-providers direct access to actual end users in the small-scale cannabis-grower market who will test their products in authentic environments.
- Enable those growers to access innovative genetics, equipment and services (including those they would not otherwise try) and in turn provide real-world feedback.
- To build credibility through documentation and user dialogue (grow journals, documented threads, reviews) that benefit vendors and community alike.
- To promote transparency and authenticity: Testers are not marketing mouthpieces — they are real people sharing real outcomes (successes, failures, and lessons learned.)
Intentions
- Empower the community: enabling growers of all skill levels or geographically remote growers to engage, test, journal and grow their skills.
- Foster breeder/community/vendor connections: creating a bridge between innovation (vendors) and the hands-on cultivator base.
- Elevate product quality and market readiness — giving vendors insight into how their gear, nutrients, tents, genetics etc. perform in real home settings, not just the “ideal conditions."
- Generate content (grow journals, reviews, threads) which drives traffic, engagement and authority for Autoflower.org and its community.
3. Benefits to Vendors, Breeders & Service Providers
When a vendor, breeder or service-provider participates in the Cultivators Club, they gain significant advantages:
- Direct access to end users: Product is being tested by the actual target market — small scale growers across skill levels and geographies.
- Authentic real world, use case data: Instead of lab or internal testing only, vendors see how their product works (and where it may fall short) when used by real growers in real environments — aligning with what product testing research calls “in home use” (IHUT) vs just lab/controlled testing.
- Credible content for marketing: The documented journals, threads and reviews can serve as social proof, user generated content, product case studies, testimonials (with transparency) that help trust and brand value.
- Improvement & iteration feedback: Early stage products, upgrades or service innovations benefit from feedback loops — breeders/vendors can refine messaging, usability, packaging, technical support, etc. (consistent with product testing best practices: reduce risk, understand consumer needs, competitive advantage.)
- Community endorsement: While not guaranteed glowing praise, the fact that the vendor is engaged in a respected grow community testing program adds a layer of credibility and transparency.
- Lead generation & brand exposure: Through the forums, threads, vendor listings, and grow-journals, breeders and vendors gain ongoing exposure and relationship building with growers, which may convert to sales, loyalty, or referrals.
4. How to Join
For Growers
- Be a registered user of the Autoflower.org forum, in good standing.
- Have at least one fully documented grow journal posted on the forum (demonstrating capability, accountability, transparency.)
- Request a moderator / admin review your grow journal when it is completed.
- Once in the club, you’ll have access to vendor/breeder offers requesting testers, and you may apply to test specific products or services.
- For genetics-based tests: there are defined milestones (example: seed → veg → flower → harvest → review) that the tester must document clearly and comprehensively.
- For gear or service tests: open-box/unboxing, setup/usage, real world results, feedback/review via RMS (our Review Management System) where applicable.
For Vendors/Breeders
- Submit your product, service or genetics into the program (via contacting @Global Moderators or @Admin .)
- Provide clear guidance for testers regarding what you’d like them to test (e.g., performance parameters, metrics, conditions, timeline.)
- Engage proactively with the testers: answer questions, monitor threads, support them, encourage honest feedback.
- Receive final reports, threads, reviews, data (yield, performance, user experience, problems) — and have permission (as agreed) to use the public forum content for marketing or brand building (subject to transparency/disclosure.)
