MJBizMag November-December 2021 - 112

MJBizDaily Buyers Guide Cannabis Greenhouse Components
mjbizdaily.com
AUTOMATING THE CANNABIS GREENHOUSE
Environmental controls are a must-have for efficient greenhouse cannabis production.
But it's not just efficiency for efficiency's sake. Automating the cannabis greenhouse is about understanding
and putting the crop's needs first, said Henry Vangameren, regional marketing manager for the Americas
at Vineland Station, Ontario-based Priva North America, a global provider of controlled environmental
agriculture (CEA) solutions.
" You have to approach automation from the plant's perspective, " Vangameren said.
" If you start with the greenhouse and build your way to the plant, the plant is never going to thrive. You have
to start from the plant. "
That means anticipating plant needs and integrating all systems in the greenhouse to work together toward
that goal, Vangameren said.
For instance, when the shades open or the lights come on, the plants will need irrigation and start to
transpire. The HVAC system should automatically turn on, lowering the humidity before it has a chance to get
too high and encourage disease.
" Having integration, allowing all systems to talk to each other and anticipate what is going to happen to that
plant before it happens, puts that plant in a perfect place to thrive, " Vangameren said.
CEA enterprise software systems connect monitors, alarms and sensors with operational greenhouse
equipment such as lighting, HVAC systems, fans and irrigation, allowing the grower to monitor and control
the greenhouse from computer, tablet or smartphone. The software systems also collect data as they go,
becoming " smarter " and better able to anticipate crop needs.
Automation can be applied to every aspect of greenhouse management. Light, temperature, CO2, humidity,
irrigation, fertigation and water conservation, energy efficiency and even labor management can be
managed through the software.
THE CASE FOR AUTOMATION
Growing cannabis in a greenhouse involves more variables than growing cannabis in an enclosed indoor
environment, said Hamilton Nelson, sales and operation manager at hemp young plants provider Square
One Starts in Aurora, Oregon.
Natural light in a greenhouse varies at different times of the year due to outside weather conditions. That
means growers " don't have a perfect schedule all the time, " Nelson said.
And greenhouses make factors such as CO2 enrichment more complicated. For example, open a roof vent
and all the CO2 escapes. But that doesn't mean automation isn't worthwhile - it's a matter of understanding
cannabis needs in the greenhouse and dialing them in, Nelson said.
Johnny Burgoon, solutions architect for the cannabis greenhouse division of Prospiant, a Cincinnati-based
provider of controlled-environment greenhouse solutions, agrees.
" At the end of the day, it's a giant recipe. You're trying to create the best environment for these plants, "
Burgoon said.
12
Copyright 2021, MJBizDaily, a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. You may NOT copy this report, or make public the data and facts contained herein, in part or in whole.
For more copies or editorial permissions, contact CustomerService@MJBizDaily.com or call 720.213.5992 ext. 1.

http://www.mjbizdaily.com

MJBizMag November-December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of MJBizMag November-December 2021