While every cultivation center has its own quirks and way of doing things, we have found these 7 rules to be universal to successful cannabis cultivation
1. Don’t harvest early
As the saying goes, “Short-term gain equals long-term pain.” To achieve maximum yield from your cannabis plants, resist harvesting early, no matter how strong the temptation is. Letting the resin glands mature fully will make all the difference in the quality of the end product.
2. Throw away damaged plants
Whenever possible, throw out plants that have experienced major stress (underfed, improper lighting, pest attack, etc.). Instead of putting its resources toward bud production, damaged plants have to use energy to heal themselves. These plants will not yield as much as a healthy, undamaged plant. Use your resources (water, lights, nutrients, space, etc) to cultivate healthy plants, which will use the resources much more efficiently.
3. Create a side canopy
The major benefit of side canopies is that it becomes possible to triple your plant canopy without increasing square footage.Side canopies can be created with trellising and vertical lighting.
4. Check every plant
Knowing what is going on in the garden is essential to the success of any commercial agricultural facility and the quickest way to do so is to let the plants tell you what they need. Check them as often as possible to ensure nothing escapes your notice. Growth happens slowly but death happens quickly.
5. Maximize all your resources
A commercial grow is a complicated series of interconnected systems, some of which require a tremendous amount of resources. The only way to have an efficient operation is to maximize the use of these resources – money, time, space, electricity,nutrients, etc. – to best fit your needs. Wasted resources are equal to wasted money.
6. Minimize Flower Room down time
The Flower Room should only be empty for a few days between crops for cleaning and sterilization. Never leave the Flower Room empty waiting on plants from Veg. This requires an intimate knowledge of each strain and how long they take to grow. Precise coordination is key as an empty Flower Room equals lost money.
7. Know when to outsource
While there are many things that you can do yourself, some tasks simply require the knowledge of an expert. Electrical and legal work are both great examples. Know the difference between projects that can be done yourself and those that require outside help. Generally, if a task entails a high level of risk, it should be done by a professional.
