Rolling Stoner Sessions: Seth Ferreira
Growing the Dagga Farmacy Family Legacy
Interviewer and writer: Andrew Macfarlane
Starting with a garden full of cannabis plants, Seth Ferreira talks about how Dagga Farmacy began, why preserving cannabis genetics matters, and why he believes more South Africans should be able to grow their own plants.
For many South Africans, growing cannabis at home is still a new experience. This became possible after the Constitutional Court’s landmark ruling on 18 September 2018, which recognised adults’ right to privately grow, possess and use cannabis for personal consumption.
Since then, many people have started growing cannabis at home to save money, while others enjoy experimenting with different plant genetics. For a growing number of growers, the real joy comes from caring for a plant from its earliest stages.
But for the Ferreira family, growing cannabis has become much more than just a hobby.
In this Rolling Stoner Session, Seth Ferreira shares the story behind Dagga Farmacy, a family business built on a passion for quality genetics and decades of horticultural experience.
What began as a family passion has become a business with a simple idea: growers should have access to good genetics, helpful advice and opportunities to learn from each other.
A Family Business Rooted in Horticulture
Long before Dagga Farmacy became an established name among South African cannabis growers, Seth’s father, Natie Ferreira, had already spent approximately 30 years working in horticulture and landscaping.
His experience laid the groundwork for the growing methods the family now uses in their cannabis nursery.
In 2019, Natie made a big career change. He left his full-time corporate job to focus on cannabis.
A year later, after the COVID-19 lockdown, Seth’s mother, Ilse, left her tourism job to join the business. She brought marketing, administration and technology skills to support Natie’s growing expertise.
Together, they started building the business, keeping full ownership and gradually expanding their collection of cannabis genetics.
For Seth, family is still at the heart of everything Dagga Farmacy does.
“Everything I know today is taught to me by my father,” he explains.
Over time, the family has turned that knowledge into fine-tuned growing procedures, allowing the business to apply consistent nursery practices in different locations.
How a Garden Full of Cannabis Plants Became a Family Business
As Seth tells it, Dagga Farmacy’s journey from a family project to a business began with an unexpected suggestion.
Through Natie’s involvement in the Cannabis Development Council of South Africa and relationships with fellow cannabis enthusiasts, the family had accumulated an impressive collection of genetics.
“We had been collecting and growing different cannabis genetics for some time, and our garden was becoming quite full of plants. Selling them wasn’t really part of the original plan,” Seth recalls.
Then, one day, the owner of Mushigoat Seed Co. arrived with more genetics and noticed how extensive the family’s collection had become.
He couldn’t understand why the family wasn’t capitalising on the opportunity right in front of them.
His suggestion was simple: start selling the plants.
That conversation helped turn Dagga Farmacy from a family project into a business.
However, instead of focusing on harvested cannabis flowers, the family decided to specialise in living cannabis plants at different stages of vegetative growth.
This decision would help shape the nursery’s identity and its role in South Africa’s developing cannabis industry.
Making Cannabis Genetics Accessible to Everyone
It’s not long before Seth’s enthusiasm for cannabis genetics becomes apparent.
It’s not simply about growing a good plant, but understanding the years of breeding, experimentation and patience that go into developing a quality strain.
“Even though you can still breed cannabis really easily, it takes a while to get those desirable traits that you want locked in,” Seth explains.
Creating a stable strain doesn’t happen overnight. It can take several growing seasons and generations before breeders consistently achieve the characteristics they’re looking for.
“That’s why the breeders, they do really well when they’ve taken the time and the measures to go the distance, finish their product,” he adds.
While Seth is enthusiastic about traditional breeding, he’s less interested in genetic engineering. He believes the future of cannabis genetics should remain rooted in selective breeding rather than laboratory modification of the plant’s DNA.
But what really stands out is the family’s attitude towards sharing those genetics.
“We wanted to also just make genetics available to everyone, so not gatekeep any genetics,” Seth explains.
This approach makes Dagga Farmacy particularly interesting. Rather than keeping desirable strains exclusive, the family wants experienced growers and curious newcomers to have the opportunity to cultivate them.
After all, every experienced grower had to start somewhere.
Why You Don't Need a Farm to Grow Cannabis
One of Seth’s strongest messages is that you don’t need a farm, a large garden or years of horticultural experience to start growing your own cannabis.
“You don’t need a lot of space to grow cannabis. You don’t even actually need a garden to grow cannabis,” Seth says.
He points out that even a small, unused cupboard can become a growing space with some basic equipment.
“So cannabis is really cool where, on a micro level, it has such a huge impact in your life. You don’t need a 10-hectare plot or a farm or a big space to actually do this thing.”
Of course, having good genetics certainly helps, especially when you’re still figuring things out.
[Writer’s Sidenote] I can personally attest to the quality of Dagga Farmacy’s genetics, having put them through a rather unforgiving test in the Riebeek Valley.
Despite my questionable growing techniques and a greenhouse that regularly turns into a miniature desert, a Dragon’s Blood Hashplant still produced surprisingly good results.
Even without a proper curing process, the flavours were impressive. It was a reminder that quality genetics can make a noticeable difference, even when the gardener is still learning through trial and error.
For Seth, though, the rewards of growing your own go well beyond the final product.
“It is a very addictive hobby, growing your own cannabis. I think there’s so much therapy involved in that,” he says.
There’s also the financial side. Seth believes that people who successfully grow their own cannabis often realise how much they could save compared with regularly purchasing a finished product.
But perhaps the biggest benefit is discovering a new hobby, learning how plants respond to their environment and enjoying the satisfaction of growing something yourself.
As Seth points out, newcomers can start with a few plants, experiment and see whether growing cannabis is something they enjoy.
The Dagga Farmacy Grow Club: Learning Together
Not everyone starts their cultivation journey with decades of horticultural experience behind them.
That is where the Dagga Farmacy Grow Club comes in.
The Grow Club provides a community where members can access information about available plants, discuss cultivation challenges and learn from more experienced growers.
Basic membership is free but limited, with full membership for additional participation automatically applied once a member purchased their first plant.
The concept goes beyond simply providing access to genetics.
Members can exchange advice, discuss plant health and share knowledge gained from their own growing experiences.
For Seth, this community-driven approach is especially important because cannabis is attracting people who may never previously have considered growing their own plants.
Some arrive with extensive gardening experience. Others are picking up a pot and learning about soil for the first time.
By connecting these growers, Dagga Farmacy hopes to make that learning process easier and more enjoyable.
A More Natural Approach to Cannabis Cultivation
Seth’s approach to cultivation also reflects a deep respect for natural growing processes.
His views have been shaped by his father’s horticultural background and the family’s experience growing plants under different conditions.
Rather than treating cannabis cultivation as a purely technical process, he believes growers should understand how plants interact with their environment.
From soil health and composting to plant genetics, his philosophy centres on understanding and working with natural systems.
Dagga Farmacy’s own Grow Club information describes its nursery methods as combining organic, biodynamic, permaculture and biological farming practices.
For Seth, nature is something to work with rather than against.
It’s a philosophy that also encourages growers to pay attention to their surroundings, particularly when dealing with different climates.
A method that works exceptionally well in one part of South Africa may require adjustments elsewhere.
Understanding those differences is an important part of becoming a better grower.
From One Nursery to a Growing Network
Perhaps the most significant development for Dagga Farmacy is how the family has turned years of experience into a system that can be adapted for other nurseries.
Seth says the business has spent approximately five years documenting its standard operating procedures.
These cover the essential cultivation processes and provide a framework for maintaining consistency as the business expands.
However, he recognises that no single growing method works identically across South Africa’s varied climates.
The goal is to maintain the same underlying principles while allowing individual nurseries to adapt their growing practices to local conditions.
That approach has contributed to the development of Dagga Farmacy’s independent nursery network.
The business identifies its main nursery at The Jazzfarm in Lanseria, alongside independent locations in Riebeek-Kasteel and Joostenbergvlakte, with further locations listed as planned.
For Seth, expansion is not simply about reaching more customers. It’s about taking established cultivation knowledge and making it available to a wider network of growers.
Cannabis, Community and the Right to Grow
Of course, it’s difficult to explore South Africa’s cannabis industry without addressing the legislation shaping its future.
The Constitutional Court’s landmark 2018 judgment recognised the right of adults to privately possess, use and cultivate cannabis for personal consumption.
The Cannabis for Private Purposes Act of 2024 marked another important legislative development.
Of particular interest to Dagga Farmacy is the Act’s definition of cannabis, which distinguishes flowering or fruiting tops from seeds, seedlings and certain non-flowering parts of the plant.
This distinction supports the nursery’s focus on vegetative plants.
However, for Seth, the bigger picture remains the opportunity for adults to cultivate cannabis privately and become more self-sufficient.
He also acknowledges that not everyone has the time, space or inclination to grow, and that South Africa still faces difficult questions about how to regulate broader access to cannabis products.
These are questions that the industry will continue to grapple with as the legal environment develops.
Growing More Than Cannabis
What makes Dagga Farmacy’s story interesting is that it isn’t simply about plants.
It’s about a family that combined decades of horticultural knowledge with a changing legal landscape and created a business around something they genuinely enjoy.
It’s also about preserving genetics, sharing knowledge between generations and encouraging people to discover the satisfaction of growing something themselves.
From a family garden overflowing with cannabis genetics to a growing network of nurseries, Dagga Farmacy has come a long way.
What becomes clear from Seth’s story is that he’s inherited far more than his father’s horticultural knowledge. He’s also inherited the passion to share it with others.
For anyone interested in exploring the world of home cannabis cultivation, you can learn more about Dagga Farmacy, its available genetics and its Grow Club through the official website.