Whether you are a professional grower or simply a recreational cannabis hobbyist, crop shading can help maximize yields. Read on to learn more about why this method is effective and how you can implement it in your own garden.
Crop shading is a common technique in greenhouses and other similar climate regulated environments. It is a safe and economical way to protect your plants from harsh weather conditions and to enhance their quality.
Cost-Effectiveness
Using crop shading for cannabis cultivation is an effective way to boost yield without having to invest in extra structures. It also allows growers to optimize their greenhouse environment and avoid a loss of crop yield during unforeseen conditions such as frosts or storms.
Crop shading has been used for decades to increase the yield of cut flowers, potted plants and vegetables. However, a growing number of growers are now also using these products to increase their cannabis production.
The use of crop shading can be particularly beneficial in warmer climates, where a grower may not be able to control the temperature of their greenhouse. Applying a shading product will reduce the temperature, which can then improve crop yields and allow growers to extend their harvest period during hot weather.
There is a difference in the response of different crop types to shading, which indicates that some may be more resistant than others. The results of this study indicate that berries and fruits show increased yields until about 30 RSR, while vegetable crops and cannabis tend to experience significant reductions in crop yield at higher levels of RSR.
Aside from yield-enhancing benefits, using a shaded cultivation technique can help growers reduce the risk of plant disease and other pests. In addition, growing cannabis in a dark greenhouse can be more affordable than outdoor cultivation because it requires less electricity. Additionally, if the weather is bad, light-deprivation can help to minimize damage caused by fires.
Quality
Crop shading for cannabis cultivation is a great way to maximise the quality of your harvest. This is because the grower is able to optimise the conditions for all of their plants, making sure that each one has the best opportunity to develop into a high-quality strain.
This also helps to reduce the risk of degrading your crop and reducing the yield. Some commercial growers find that 0.5 to 1 gram of marijuana per square foot of space is lost due to poor growing conditions, which can have a serious impact on sales.
As a result, it is important to ensure that your greenhouse is properly equipped to deal with the weather. This can include ensuring that the roof vents are regularly open to release air and that fans are installed in order to create the best possible environment for your crops.
A good greenhouse can be heated if necessary, meaning that your cannabis seedlings are protected from the elements even when the weather is bad. This makes it easier to germinate your seeds and allows them to grow quicker than they might if grown outdoors.
Another benefit of using crop shading is that it helps to minimise the risk of pests and insects entering your cannabis farm. These can be a major issue for many cannabis farmers, and they can often require the use of expensive pesticides to control them.
Another benefit of using crop shading is that it can be applied to all types of grow equipment, including lighting systems, ventilation and heating. This means that a single system can be used to cover all areas of your facility, thereby minimising the number of parts required and the amount of time spent servicing them. This can save time, money and energy, which is always a win-win situation for any cannabis grower.
Security
When growing cannabis under a shade cloth, the grower is protected from pests and diseases that can attack the crop. This is particularly important if the cultivator lives in a state that prohibits growing marijuana. It is also a good way to keep the cannabis crop private, which is important for security reasons.
The physiology of the cannabis plant is different from that of other plants, as it consumes more water, transpires a lot and requires specific lighting to avoid stress. In addition, the height of the cannabis plant has an impact on the light intensity that reaches it.
These effects can be mitigated by increasing the length of light penetration to the shoot, which has been shown to increase whole plant photosynthesis and yields in cannabis cultivation. In taller plants, more plant organs (at the center and bottom) are deprived of light; the effect could be mitigated by increasing the amount of light that reaches them via sub-canopy or intra-canopy illumination.
In addition, the spatial gradients of light intensity in cannabis canopies intensify with plant height; these variations may cause alterations of physiological and chemical attributes along the plant, especially in larger size cannabis plants. These changes may be mitigated by plant architecture manipulation techniques, such as increasing the distance between the shoot apex and the base of the plant or modifying the lateral orientation of leaves.
When using shade cloth for cannabis cultivation, it is a good idea to use a plastic film that is thermally insulating and doesn’t interfere with the photosynthetically active light, or PAR light. This will help the cannabis plant to adapt to its environment and avoid sudden temperature changes, which can compromise the quality of the crop.
Time-Sensitiveness
Managing crop deprivation in cannabis is a time-sensitive issue. This is because cannabis plants are highly sensitive to stress, particularly at the flowering stage of a light deprivation cycle. In such situations, female plants can become hermaphrodites, which are capable of pollinating nearby male plants and thereby limiting the output of an entire harvest.
To avoid this, cannabis growers must plan for a routine light-dep schedule throughout the growth phase. In addition, growers should be careful to monitor the number of hermaphrodite plants in a given area and separate them from other females as soon as they are observed.
For example, if you have a large greenhouse with several rows of plants, be sure to keep an eye out for hermaphrodites and quarantine them immediately. You can also make use of feminized seeds to limit the number of hermaphrodites in your growing operation.
The time-sensitivity of crop shading for cannabis cultivation is a significant issue because if any one system suffers a critical error, a whole harvest could be lost. This is especially true in operations that are converting from other crops to cannabis cultivation and that have not properly sized their systems for environmental control of this new configuration.
Fortunately, there are a variety of approaches to ensure that the lighting, irrigation, and water supply remain adequate for the desired conditions. For instance, growers can cover their plants at night to help prevent temperature issues and ensure proper air circulation.
This is a great option for growers who want to increase yield and maintain quality, but who are limited by space, resources, and equipment. Crop shading can also be a great way to increase crop resilience and reduce the risk of pests, as well as minimize energy costs and waste.
Controlled Environment
Cannabis cultivation requires a high level of control and precision, especially in greenhouses and indoor grow rooms. This is because cannabis plants are sensitive to temperature, light, and humidity conditions, all of which affect the quality of their product.
A controlled environment, also called greenhouse automation, is a technology-focused approach to agriculture that maintains ideal growing conditions throughout a plant’s life cycle. This approach can help reduce costs, improve product quality and increase the overall yield of a crop.
For example, cannabis crops can be successfully grown in a variety of different climate conditions with the right heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) controls. These can be automated by sophisticated environmental management systems, but it is important for the cultivator to have an understanding of the best growing conditions and adjust their equipment accordingly.
Similarly, cannabis can be successfully grown in areas with a high level of UV rays if the correct plastic covers are used. In this way, up to 380 nanometers of UV rays can be blocked, which will prevent the spread of pests and diseases in the crops.
The agro-textiles that are used in these types of structures must be in a white color and provide a photosynthetic effect that will benefit the crops. These plastics can be positioned on the ground or in the greenhouse roof, depending on the type of crop.
The use of agricultural chemicals and irrigation to grow cannabis has also been linked to a range of environmental risks, including contamination of water resources and increased eutrophication of freshwater ecosystems. Despite this, the current literature is largely focused on individual case studies, and little is known about how cannabis cultivation may affect global riparian and coastal waters.
