Cannabis Guide - 2020 - 4

STRUCTURES & EQUIPMENT
There are a couple companies that have moved into this
sector and they all took the 4x8-foot standardized palletizing
racking system and modified it to hold plants by adding flood
tables. Not all tables are created equal, though. Some have
fancy troughs that can pull out; others are your typical flood
table made of aluminum or plastic. Most of these features are
luxurious but can come in handy as long as it is watertight.
The pullout troughs can be extremely useful for a laborer not
having to put their body into the plant canopy if there is not a
trellis system already installed.
To maximize the growing room, the racking system can
either be rolling or stationary. If you do choose to go with
stationary, make sure the aisles do not become a limiting
factor. At the end of the day, your employees need to be able
to run up and down the tiers to move, inspect and maintain
plants effectively.
Using a rolling system will maximize your production area
by minimizing all the aisle space. A secret to good production
flow is to plan for enough workspace on either side of the
rack for a work platform for employees to be able to work
together on the same rack.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLS
There are many options to heating and cooling the cultivation
and moving the air within. It can be a daunting task to
understand the ins and outs of each moving part. In a vertical
environment, the space to move air becomes even more tricky
once the plants start stacking on top of each other. A good
analogy about air movement in a vertical design is trying to
push air across multiple bookcases; it's difficult.
Using fans in the tiered system will limit how many tiers the
space will have, which will decrease the grams/cubic meter. If
your space will allow it, use your air movers to your benefit,
whether it is a typical HVAC system or a hydronic system.
Stage the supply air across one end of the grow room to use the
cleaned cool air to move across the canopy.
On the opposite side, use the return air to pull that cleaned
cool air from the supply across the canopy. This method is
similar to a hoop house with fans on one end pulling outside air
through vents on the other end. Many horticultural companies
that supply these air moving systems will be able to assist the
grower in making the right decision.
When designing your environment, you want to consider
early on what your disease management strategy will be.
Any sacrifices in airflow will likely increase disease pressure.
Although the best method for disease management is to
prevent disease in the first place, there are new technologies
that monitor disease pressure of your grow environment.
The risk of crop loss associated with disease is prevalent in
any vertical environment, so proactive disease management
methods will be worth their investment.
LED LIGHTING IS A MUST
Due to tight space in a vertical environment, lighting
needs to be well thought out. High-pressure sodium or metal
halide will be difficult to use in such a tight space with little
air movement. HID lights will increase the air temperature
4 2020 GUIDE TO CANNABIS PRODUCTION
Using high plant density production can increase productivity and number
of tiers; here Greenseal was performing an experimental lighting design.
Unlike HPS lighting, the distance between canopy and LEDs can be
shortened without risk of flower burn.
Cannabis Guide - 2020

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