Growlink Smart Farm Blog

The US cannabis industry has become one of the fastest growing markets, with an overall increase in sales of 29.9 billion USD from 2015-2022. This growth has sparked interest from other markets, allowing for an increase in innovation from a technical standpoint and overall cultivation techniques used to grow high-quality, consistently high-yield produce.  One practice starting to get implemented more commonly in the sector is fertigation. Cannabis fertigation offers tremendous benefits regarding dosing management, resource optimization, and, most importantly, consistency. Let's dive in deeper to learn more about how your cannabis farm can benefit from this new era of agricultural technology.

Cannabis cultivation facility planning and design are challenging. All building planning and design can be difficult, but there are considerable cannabis-specific concerns; zoning laws, building codes, special permits, and waste management requirements can bring any project to a halt if not handled properly. Each grow operation is distinctive, and no two building projects are the same - which is why hiring an expert could be the difference between success and failure. So what exactly is a cannabis architect, and what do they do? Let's dig in.

Crop steering manipulates a plant's environment and root zone to influence metabolic/hormonal changes that inspire vigorous growth and greater yields. This is achieved by dialing in environmental conditions throughout different growth stages and managing irrigation events to mimic natural stressors the plant would encounter in nature. Let's focus on the irrigation strategy commonly employed when attempting to crop steer. 

While most nutrient manufacturers already go through the legwork of mixing properly balanced nutrient blends for your plants, it is important to understand what’s inside them and how they help your plants. Apart from carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, which are sourced from air and water, cannabis requires properly balanced ratios of macronutrients and micronutrients to perform optimally. 

The conflict between federal, state, and local laws and compliance requirements can be challenging for any start-up entrepreneur, but the cannabis industry faces more legal pitfalls than most. According to expert attorneys, these are the top concerns you should avoid at all costs. 

We are often asked, “What dry back percentage should I shoot for?” Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all solution to this question. Let’s go over dry backs in a bit more detail to help you understand what they are, common target percentages, and when to adjust them.

Picture this; you’ve built out your indoor grow room or vertical farm  to perfection and loaded in multiple different genetics that you’ve been dying to get your hands on. After a few weeks, you notice that most of your plants are doing great except for one finicky cultivar. It just doesn’t seem to be drinking the same amount as all the others. Because your whole room was designed to feed all at once using a single valve, it’s getting overwatered daily. 

Having trouble deciding whether to go with HPS or LED lighting for your grow room or vertical farm? When choosing between the two, it is important to consider not only their performance but cost and energy usage as well. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each and what effect they may have on the rest of your designs. 

Growlink is pleased to announce a new Soilless Substrate Calibration, providing even more accurate VWC and EC data.

Dr. Robb Farms utilizes Growlink for 40,000+ Sq ft of canopy. Special thanks to Dr. Robb & team for allowing us to come in and capture your brand's story. Checkout how Growlink has enabled them to scale and automate processes below: