Water use and supply
All plants need water to live, but vegetables in general can vary widely in the frequency and amount of water they need. These differences depend on the profile of the root vegetable, the environment in which it is grown, and which period in its growth cycle is most important. For example, spinach needs constant access to water. Root vegetables are no different, but they need the most water during the rooting or intubation phase.
The same is true for cannabis, but commercial growers can achieve great success by changing watering style as the plant matures – from tidal irrigation during the reproductive and vegetative stages to drip irrigation during the flowering stage. This not only leads to better results, but also reduces water loss.
Environmental differences
Adding carbon dioxide when growing indoors can increase yields and improve quality. Carbon dioxide is essential for plants in photosynthesis, where they convert CO² into energy. Higher CO² values can result in higher yields. This is similar to growing cannabis and vegetables. Manufacturers can use both low-tech and high-tech options to enrich the CO² content. Most plants respond well to CO2 levels in the 500-1500ppm range. Anything below 200ppm will stunt plant growth. Anything above 2000ppm is a waste of CO² as there are economic tradeoffs to consider. CO² accumulation above 600-800ppm in vegetable production is usually not worth the additional cost for the amount of yield increase.
Humidity control is another important factor to consider when growing indoors. The amount of water vapor in the air affects the transpiration rate of plants, which refers to the amount of water lost from plants. Transpiration is responsible for transporting water and nutrients from the roots to other parts of the plant. However, when humidity levels are too high or too low, transpiration slows down and limits plant growth.
The ideal humidity for cannabis plants in nurseries is 75% and 55%-60% in flowering and vegetative forms. In horticulture, vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is used to describe the ratio between water in the air and water on the leaf surface. Plants usually have a VPD between 0.65 and 1.25 kPa. Leafy greens tend to do better at the lower end of this range, while fruit and flowering plants like tomatoes and cannabis tend to do better at the high end of this range. The extent of VPD affects plant stomata; Anything outside this ideal range will result in closing of the stomata as a stress-induced response.
Temperature can be a limiting factor in indoor cannabis production. High temperatures cause plants to expend energy for cooling, and low temperatures slow down and stop plant growth. Finding the optimal temperature will vary with pressure, but in general it should be between 25-30? to maximize yield. Lower growing temperatures (23°) were associated with higher THC levels in tropical and temperate cannabis leaves compared to higher growing temperatures (32°).
When growing vegetables too, the temperature varies depending on the type of plant. Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach thrive in cooler environments. Fruiting and flowering plants like tomatoes prefer a warmer growing environment.
Lighting
Whatever you grow outdoors, you can't control it when it dies. However, indoor growers can control precisely how much light their plants receive. But is there such a thing as too much sun?
On average, indoor vegetable growers aim for between fourteen and twenty hours of light per day, far more than they get outside. During the vegetative phase, indoor cannabis growers can expose their plants to light between eighteen and twenty-four hours a day, and then reduce this to about twelve hours a day during the flowering phase. The main challenge during the flowering phase is keeping the dark phase dark enough. If too much light enters the flowering chamber during this dark period, the time needed to initiate flowering will increase and flowering may not be complete. For greenhouse cannabis growers, this process may require a black box system to prevent light from entering the greenhouse. It is important to consider these additional requirements and costs when considering equipment options for greenhouse cannabis production.
The light spectrum can also affect the results. Red light is important for cannabis during the flowering phase, but less so when growing vegetables. Different cannabis strains work better in different light spectrums. When growing vegetables, the wide range allows you to grow different crops. It is often debated whether growers should optimize light for the strain they are growing or use full spectrum lights. What matters depends on what each growing arrangement needs. If the facility is growing large numbers of certain strains, it makes sense to use a more directional lighting spectrum.
Sowing VS Clone
There are two ways to reproduce cannabis. They can be grown from seed or by cloning. A scion is a cutting of a plant that is a genetic duplicate of the original plant, also known as the mother plant. By cloning the mother plant, you can create new plants much faster than growing, germinating, and sexing from seed. This significantly shortens the growing time. Cloning allows you to save money by avoiding buying seeds. Cloning will be an exact replica of the parent, so it makes sense to clone your high quality plants.
When it comes to vegetables, cloning isn't always the best or even possible option. Depending on the type of culture, you can tell whether it is easy to clone or not. Some plants may be easier to clone, such as basil or rosemary, whereas green leafy plants and some fruit plants do not clone well or have the physiological structure to clone at all.
Historically, marijuana's illegal status limited the number of studies and research that has been conducted. There is a lot more knowledge about vegetable production, but when it comes to cannabis production, growers rely heavily on trial and error. Because of this, there is a paucity of available information about cannabis cultivation. The lack of research and knowledge makes growing cannabis riskier.