Who Is Lyra Cannabis? Living Soil Growers With 25 Years Behind Them

First of all, Lyra Cannabis (lyra-cannabis.com) is not a new name trying its luck at a contest. The team has worked in cannabis for about 25 years, starting with cultivation in Colorado’s High Country and in Denver before bringing its genetics portfolio to the Michigan market. Today, Lyra flower is carried by Michigan retailers such as Pharmhouse Wellness, House of Dank and Cloud Cannabis. In other words, this is a commercial operation with a production schedule to keep, which is exactly what makes its Michigan Grow Off result worth a closer look.

In short, three words sum up how Lyra grows: organic indoor, living soil and hand trimmed. In fact, according to the Stash Blend Michigan Grow Off white paper, Lyra’s team began perfecting the concept of living soil in the recreational marketplace, and sustainable cultivation turned into a passion. Consequently, that passion pushed them deeper into soil science, with one goal in mind: better flower health, better flavor and higher nutrient value in the finished bud. Rather than forcing the plant with heavy bottled programs, a living soil grower feeds the soil food web, and the soil biology in turn feeds the plant.

The Lyra Cannabis mission: fully expressed flower

Similarly, Lyra’s mission follows the same logic. They aim to grow fully expressed cannabis flower, so the consumer tastes every flavor note the genetics can offer. Full expression is also the whole point of a grow off. When every competitor starts with the same cutting, the only thing left to measure is how well each grower brings out what is already in the plant. So the real question going into Michigan was simple: could a plant grown on Lyra’s normal, everyday living soil program out-express plants that other growers pulled aside and babied for the contest?

How the Michigan Grow Off Tested Lyra Cannabis: One Mystery Clone, One Lab Verdict

Most cannabis cups are judged by people, so taste, presentation and reputation all play a part. A grow off, however, takes the opposite approach. Specifically, according to the white paper, a large group of cultivators all compete to bring out the genetic potential of the same mystery clone. Each participant grows that cutting out and submits the harvest as its entry, and a laboratory then tests every entry for cannabinoid and terpene content. As a result, the numbers decide the winners, not a panel.

Moreover, that format has a track record. For example, The Grow-Off, a lab-judged contest founded in Colorado in 2016, built its competitions on the same idea: every grower in a state receives cuttings from one mother plant, nobody is told the strain, growers have months to cultivate with any legal method, and lab analysis picks the winners across potency and terpene categories. Because the genetics are identical, a same-clone contest isolates the one variable growers actually control. In other words, that variable is cultivation.

The grow off format in three steps

1. Same cuttingEvery grower receives the same mystery clone, so no one can win on genetics alone.
2. Grower’s choiceThen each team grows it out with its own soil, nutrients, environment and technique.
3. Lab verdictFinally, harvested entries go to a laboratory, which measures cannabinoid and terpene content.

For a living soil grower, therefore, this setup is a fair fight and a tough one. On one hand, there is nowhere to hide, because the lab will show it if the soil biology is weak. On the other hand, a soil-based program is up against growers who can tune every input for one plant. That is why what Lyra chose to do with its clone matters as much as the final number.

Lyra Cannabis Lab Results: 31.76% THC at the Michigan Grow Off

When the lab results were in, the three highest-THC entries looked like this. As a result, Lyra Cannabis took 1st place, while both runners-up were entries from Farm2Flame.

What a half-point lead really means

At first glance, half a point between 1st and 2nd looks close. However, think about where these numbers sit. Indeed, all three entries landed at or near 30% THC, which is the high end of what lab-tested flower reaches. At that level, every extra fraction of a point is hard-won, because the grower is working at the ceiling of what that cutting can produce. Since the genetics were identical, the gap between entries comes down to cultivation: soil, feeding, environment and care.

No Tricks: Lyra Cannabis Grew the Winner in Standard Production

Here, then, is the part of the story that matters most to working growers. According to the white paper, many participants isolated their contest plant so they could give it a high degree of maintenance. After all, that makes sense in a competition: one plant, full attention, a custom routine. Lyra, however, did the opposite. Instead, its mystery clone went straight into the production line, next to every other plant in the room.

In addition, Lyra did not change its formulas, nor did it change its techniques to chase a win. Rather, the entry was grown on the same everyday methodology and the same nutrient recipe Lyra uses for the flower it sells, and Stash Blend is a key component of that recipe. Consequently, the 31.76% result reflects what Lyra’s normal program delivers, rather than what a one-off competition plant can be pushed to.

For commercial growers, therefore, this is the useful kind of proof. After all, a record set by a pampered single plant is hard to repeat across a canopy. A record set by a production plant, on the other hand, describes a system that works at scale, harvest after harvest. That, in short, is the promise of living soil done well: consistency comes from the soil biology, not from hand-tuning every plant.

Inside Stash Blend: The Bioactive Engine in the Lyra Cannabis Recipe

So what is Stash Blend doing in a winning living soil recipe? In short, it is a proprietary, soluble additive that feeds the plant and inoculates the soil in the same watering. In fact, the white paper describes it as a blend of seaweed, mycorrhizae, soil-enhancing bacteria and corn steep liquor, designed for soil and coco growers who want to maximize the genetic potential and flavor of their plants. Because it dissolves in water, it is an instant feed: there is no 24-hour brew to babysit.

What each Stash Blend ingredient does

The guaranteed analysis is only half the story, though. The other half, meanwhile, is what lives in the bag. So here is each active ingredient, how much the label guarantees, and the job it does in a living soil bed.

Why biology matters at 31% THC

After all, a high-THC result is the end of a long chain. First of all, the plant needs a strong root system. Then it needs steady access to nutrients through veg and into late flower. Finally, it needs to stay healthy and unstressed while it builds resin. Living soil supports that chain through biology: bacteria break down organic inputs into forms the plant can use, mycorrhizae extend the root system, and humic acid helps keep nutrients available instead of locked up. As a result, Stash Blend refreshes that biology whenever you water with it. No single input can promise a THC number, of course, but a living soil program is only as strong as the life in the soil, and that is the part Stash Blend is built to keep active.

Living soil first, but not living soil only

Stash Blend was originally built for organic living soil systems like Lyra’s. However, according to the Stash Nutrients FAQ, it also works alongside synthetic base nutrients. As a result, growers who are not ready to switch their whole program can still add the biology layer. It also runs in soil and coco coir. Deep water culture, on the other hand, is generally not recommended because of how the ingredients dissolve, although some growers report success at lower doses.

How to Feed Stash Blend the Lyra Cannabis Way

The lesson from Lyra is consistency, so the best way to use Stash Blend is as a routine rather than a rescue. So here is the program the label and the Stash FAQ lay out.

1. Mix it lastFirst of all, stir ½ to 1 teaspoon of Stash Blend into each gallon of water. When you combine it with other nutrients, add Stash Blend last.
2. Drench, don’t sprayThen apply it as a soil drench. Foliar spraying and top dressing are not the intended methods, and there is no need to adjust pH after mixing.
3. Repeat weeklyFinally, feed once a week from the seedling stage through weeks 6–8 of bloom. If you reuse your soil, you can also continue until harvest.

Storage tip: Stash Blend keeps a 2-year shelf life when stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Because it is made from raw organic inputs, the powder can clump over time. That is normal, so just break up the clumps before mixing and it works the same.

The Full Stash Nutrients Program: Base, Bloom and Blend

Stash Blend brings the biology, but a living soil bed still needs a solid mineral and organic foundation. That, in turn, is the role of the two dry amendments in the Stash line. As a result, the three parts together cover veg, flower and soil life without a shelf full of bottles. In addition, for a full walkthrough of the system, see The Power of Stash Nutrients in Craft Cannabis.

Choose a kit for your canopy

Every Stash kit includes all three parts, so you can run the same three-part system from day one. So the only question is how much canopy you need to feed.

Compare the Stash kits

Lyra Cannabis, Michigan Grow Off and Stash Blend FAQs

Conclusion: What Lyra Cannabis Proves About Living Soil

The Michigan Grow Off put every grower on the same genetics, and the lab did the judging. In that setting, however, Lyra Cannabis did not build a competition plant. Instead, it trusted the program it runs every day, and that program came out on top.

• Everyday consistency: Lyra’s winning entry came out of its standard production line, with no changes to formulas or techniques for the contest.
• Hard data: 31.76% THC on an unknown mystery clone, ahead of 31.23% and 29.84%.
• Biology behind it: organic indoor living soil, with Stash Blend as a key component of the nutrient recipe.

References and Source Material

1. Lyra Cannabis case study: Stash Blend Michigan Grow Off white paper, September 2024. Lab-tested 1st place at 31.76% THC.
2. Company background: lyra-cannabis.com.
3. Same-clone, lab-judged competition format: The Grow-Off.
4. Stash Blend technical product details: GrowersHouse, Stash Blend.
5. Stash Base technical product details: GrowersHouse, Stash Base.
6. Stash Bloom technical product details: GrowersHouse, Stash Bloom.
7. Stash Nutrient kits: GrowersHouse, Stash Nutrient Kits.
8. Application rate, frequency, pH and compatibility guidance: Stash Nutrients FAQ.