Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD) has become a common term among cultivators. Various bloggers and cultivation experts have been weighing in on VPD and why it’s important for growing healthy, high yielding plants. Today we’re going to clarify what VPD is, why it’s important and what you can do to ensure you’re achieving the optimum environment for cultivating cannabis.
Every day, the cannabis industry changes as innovators introduce amazing new ideas and products. We see this first hand both at our own company and through our customers that work every day to bring quality products to the market. These innovations take dedication which is why we are especially excited about one of our own innovators today.
Last week, the Surna team traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition. This was our first year exhibiting at this show and we met a lot of great people and attended some interesting talks regarding hot topics in the industry.
We know it has been a while since we published a blog post but it’s not without a good reason. In the last several months we have been working diligently to launch a new Surna website and brand strategy to meet the changing cultivation industry.
At Surna, we’ve had a busy few weeks and we want to keep our readers up to date not only with what we’re doing but also with what we’re learning about this new industry. In the last month, we’ve gotten up close and personal with both the American and Canadian cannabis markets. On May 15, we traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the National Cannabis Industry Association’s (NCIA) Lobby Days. Then last week we headed to Toronto to attend and exhibit at the Lift Expo. Both events were enlightening and gave us an even better understanding of the trends in, and future of, this exciting industry.
Cannabis is one of the North America’s newest and most promising industries. It is now medically legal in 29 states and recreationally legal in 8 states, with even more allowing CBD for certain medical conditions. A recent poll also shows that close to 60% of American support legalized cannabis and Canada is taking cannabis even further, introducing legislation to federally legalize the plant in 2018. All of this indicates a trend away from prohibition toward a regulated market. And yet, some are still wary of cannabis.
As cultivators and owners know, building out a commercial sized facility takes a lot of time, patience and money but can be extremely lucrative in the long run. Large-scale commercial facilities that are up and running are generating huge profits, mostly in cash. But this type of revenue takes time. To get to a place where a facility can sustain itself financially, owners first must go through the long and expensive process of licensing, permitting, obtaining land and/or buildings and, of course, choosing lighting and environmental control.
Biosecurity is quickly becoming one of the most important topics in the cannabis industry. Testing standards are getting stricter and rates of tainted crops are sky rocketing, causing supply shortages and significant financial blows to cultivators all over the continent. Crops with mold or fungus can be deadly to consumers—especially those with lower immune systems, like many medical users. The alternative for many cultivators is to use chemicals like pesticides and fungicides to combat mold but unfortunately, these still pose a threat to consumers, placing cultivators in a catch-22 situation. Should you risk mold and fungus by avoiding chemicals? Or should you introduce potentially harmful chemicals to your plants to ensure against mold and fungus? Neither is a good option. Not only do these options put consumers at risk but, with increased regulation, they also put cultivators at risk of losing significant profits from having to dispose of sub-par harvests.
You’ve finally gotten your license and funding, picked out a facility, picked out equipment and pulled the trigger. Now what? Sometimes, the hardest part of setting up a facility comes when you’re ready to begin construction and have to get everything in order. You want to be sure that your new equipment is going to be installed and maintained correctly and efficiently, offering you savings on operating costs and the peace of mind that your plants are healthy and safe all hours of the day.
Designing an indoor garden can be complicated. Cannabis is a new industry and though growers can pull best practices from similar industries, the fact remains that setting up a commercial cultivation facility is complicated and hard to navigate for new entrants. From navigating regulatory requirements to finding an appropriately zoned facility to choosing the right equipment, nothing about this process is simple. As soon as one task is completed, another task needs attention.
