Urban farming has some unique advantages. In particular, it brings the grower closer to the consumer, saving on transportation costs and reducing harmful emissions. But urban farmers face challenges: Arable land is expensive and hard to come by.
Urban farming has some unique advantages. In particular, it brings the grower closer to the consumer, saving on transportation costs and reducing harmful emissions. But urban farmers face challenges: Arable land is expensive and hard to come by.
“While heat is a necessary component of healthy cannabis plant growth, overheating can cause adverse reactions that will detract from proper development and ultimately, the quality of your yield,” experts note.
Let’s take a look at the causes and symptoms of heat stress and then consider some possible remedies.
What goes on above the soil line often is a reflection of what’s happening underground. If you observe wilting, drooping leaves on a cannabis plant, look to the roots: You may be witnessing the beginnings of “root rot.”
Root rot can be caused by a range of factors, including various types of bacteria, fungi, algae, and parasitic oomycetes. These organisms may act on the plant in different ways, but the outcome is usually the same: slimy or mushy roots that twist together, impeding healthy plant development.
Too much light can harm cannabis plants, and a thoughtful grower needs to be strategic about the placement and strength of light sources in a greenhouse environment.
Let’s take a look at over-lighting and consider available remedies.
Hydroponic growing has certain inherent advantages. Plants grown in a nutrient solution will mature up to 25 percent faster and deliver up to 30 percent more yield than plants grown in soil. Wireless IOT systems are a key element of achieving these kinds of results.
According to one recent report, the aeroponics segment will experience growth of over 21 percent from 2017 to 2024—the largest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of any vertical farming segment. The report explains the reason for this growth: “Nearly any plant can be successfully grown using aeroponic systems, especially vegetables. The plants grown by using aeroponics grow faster, yield more, and are generally healthier than those grown in soil.”
Investors are looking to agricultural technology as the next hot space. With populations growing and arable land shrinking, farmers are looking for tech fixes to the challenges of modern agriculture, and venture capital is bolstering a range of creative startups in the sector.
Many experts believe small-scale agriculture is the future of growing. For those who choose that path, success may be closely tied to controlled environments and the use of agricultural technologies.
To understand how ag-tech drives success in small-scale farming, it's important to first take a closer look at small-scale agriculture: what it is, how it works, and why some envision it as the logical next step for the agricultural industry..
Commercial growers looking for productivity and predictability have long turned to the greenhouse as the best means to establish a stable growing environment.
Greenhouses “offer higher efficiency and lower operating costs, allow for the sun as a primary light source, and are designed for better precision technology controls,” experts note.
Wide open spaces are no longer an agricultural necessity. While the rolling prairies with their endless acres of corn and soy have served American farmers well for generations, there’s a new kind of farming taking hold that promises to change the shape of how we grow.
