In order to understand the basics of cooling, it is important to understand that cooling involves the removal of heat, not the addition of cold. Technically speaking, there is no such thing as cold, only an absence of heat/energy.
Odor control is a serious problem for many commercial cultivation centers. While it may seem like a small issue, failing to control the odor around your grow could have a large impact. There are several reasons why odor control should be addressed rather than ignored:
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
Many Cannabis genetics naturally grow tall, with a similar appearance to pine trees, with one large bud on top and a smaller cola on the end of each branch. This growing method is successful outdoors because the sun moves across the sky throughout the day, allowing each branch (and bud) to receive light. However, when growing indoors, and to a lesser extent in greenhouses, this does not happen because the lights are stationary above the plants, never fully lighting the sides. Additionally, when growing indoors, it is important to keep the plant canopy as even as possible due to diminishing light intensity as the flowers get further from the light source (see: Inverse Square Law); this is not a problem with sun-grown cannabis as the sun is so far away that a few extra feet doesn’t make as much of a difference.
As with all plants, cannabis plants benefit from occasional pruning. If done properly, it is possible to double yield through pruning alone. Pruning can lead to short, wide plants with lots of bud sites instead of tall, skinny plants with only a few large buds if desired by the gardener.
Lighting is a huge part of commercial cannabis cultivation. Some estimates assign up to 33% of all energy used in an indoor grow to lighting. Additionally, the number of lights you plan to use will determine the size of your grow (commercial grows are often referred to by the number of lights they include, rather than by square footage).
When designing a commercial cannabis cultivation facility, many people think in terms of square footage in order to determine how many plants they are able to grow. But, if your rooms are tall enough, why limit yourself to one level? Instead of thinking in terms of square feet, it is time to start thinking in terms of cubic feet.
While starting a new commercial cannabis cultivation operation may seem daunting at first, there are a few simple actions that you can take to make everything go as smoothly as possible. Ideally, all of these things should be planned out before starting to build the grow, but some aspects can be added in phases if start-up finances are limited.
In order to get a commercial grow up and running, you are going to need man power. While there are many jobs within a grow, there are three key positions that every good cultivation site needs to get started: a knowledgeable grow room designer, an experienced facility/maintenance manager and a master grower.
With the staggering numbers coming out of Colorado and Washington for recreational sales in 2014, the cannabis industry is looking more and more promising every day to potential business owners. However, before jumping into the foray and declaring yourself a proud license applicant to grow cannabis in your state, there are some important facts you need to know.