MJBizMag November-December 2021 - 115

MJBizDaily Buyers Guide Cannabis Greenhouse Components
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If growers do end up adding more plants after the design is installed, that can compromise the entire
irrigation system. Becker said that when growers complain they have a pressure issue in a zone, the first
thing he asks is, " Did you add plants? " Even though growers typically design their systems to handle more
capacity, many exceed that once they are operating and, as a result, run into problems.
" (Adding plants) impacts the drippers, the plumbing, the tanks, the pumps. It impacts everything that is
touching your water, including the HVAC system that is now handling (more capacity), " Becker said.
THE IRRIGATION DESIGN PROCESS
The first step in designing an irrigation system for a cannabis greenhouse is knowing the water source.
Quite often, growers don't think about what they will use for water until after they have bought property,
Becker said. That can be a costly mistake.
" Your water source is what delivers everything to your plants, " Becker said. " Every plant is touched by your
water. Water should be a primary consideration. "
Once a grower has a water sample, the design process moves into the filtration stage. With city water, chlorine
typically needs to be removed. With surface water, there will need to be a process for removing particulates.
After that, a grower should look at how to store enough water to accomplish all the irrigating needs-typically
in an 8-hour period with the ability to refill the tank within 24 hours, Becker said. That means understanding
how many plants a grower will have, how many are in a zone and what irrigation cycles are needed. With that
information, the grower can size the right tank.
Once the tank system is engineered, a grower can add in water treatment, such as ozone, to prevent
pathogens from growing in the plumbing system.
" Once you put water in your pipes, biofilm starts growing, " Becker said. " If you have a pythium outbreak, it
will end up living in your pipes and reinfecting your plants. "
From there, a grower pressurizes the system and plans for fertigation. Depending on what growers want to
fertigate with and how often they want to change fertigation needs to different zones, growers must choose
between a batch tank and an on-demand fertigation system.
Finally, at that point, the design process moves into accommodating the plants in the room.
RECONSIDER REVERSE OSMOSIS
Most cannabis growers believe they need to have a reverse osmosis (RO) system installed, but that is not
the case for most of Becker's clients.
" Ninety-five percent of (cannabis growers) don't really need RO, but 75% of them buy it, " Becker said.
The push for RO came from fertilizer manufacturers who advised stripping out the ions in water so they
would not bind to the fertilizer and interfere with delivery. But cannabis plants like most of the ions that are
naturally in the water.
Growers are finally starting to " get smart " and are asking fertilizer companies to make a custom mix that
works with their water, according to Becker.
" You don't want to pay for a jug of fertilizer with water already in it. You want to buy a bag of water-soluble
fertilizer, " Becker said.
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MJBizMag November-December 2021

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