Cannabis is not easy to cultivate. The phytocannabinoid and terpene profile of each plant, as well as how much of each compound the plant develops, is dependent on the stress response of the plant, which hinges on its growing environment.
Atmospheric variability (changes to temperature, light, humidity, and more) can drastically alter which phytocannabinoids and terpenes develop, and in which amounts.
As the cannabis industry matures driving demand for an ever-increasing supply and broader range of products, the ability to scale while producing consistent and high-quality products is critical to the success of any operator.
Traditional large scale grows – either outdoors or indoors – not only increase the potential for atmospheric variability but also require more investment of energy and resources to impose the needed control. Furthermore, losing a crop to a potential biohazard can bankrupt your business.
Having the capability to apportion the overall canopy into smaller areas – creating a “microclimate” – would produce finer control over atmospheric variables while also minimizing the risk should a biohazard be introduced.
Environmental control shapes every element of a facility buildout or expansion as temperature, relative humidity, light, and fertilization controls are essential to optimizing a strain.
For cultivators, environmental control is an issue of minimizing risk. Not only is there a massive amount of ground to cover in a large cultivation facility, but the sheer number of components involved, from HVAC systems to lights to irrigation systems, increases the possibility that one issue could have a profound impact on the entire facility.
The best way to combat these issues is to create a series of smaller, more contained spaces that can be reliably controlled with minimal risk: a microclimate. These enclosed spaces allow for precise control over all the factors that shape phytocannabinoid and terpene development.
Microclimates can be carefully managed to a degree that a large room cannot. The addition of built-in software allows for precision control of every aspect of the microclimate.
If something does go awry, the issue can be remedied quickly, without impacting an entire harvest. Contained microclimates also allow for multiple cultivars within the same grow room, allowing for the delivery of diverse products to consumers.
Additionally, growing in contained microclimates enables cultivators to experiment with the full spectrum of environmental controls to arrive at the desired phytocannabinoid and terpene profile.
The ability to create microclimates, supported by expert environmental control and the ability to repeat and scale those microclimates, is critical for success in such a competitive industry. Adding data and analytics results in the ability to craft “recipes” of precise environmental needs for specific cultivars.
Applying these settings results in a product with a fraction of a percentage of phytocannabinoid and terpene difference between yields– a game-changing result that can bring buyers, dispensaries, and customers back for your product repeatedly.
Designed for cannabis from the inside-out, Agrify VFUs are fully enclosed and compartmentalized, with automated high-fidelity irrigation, fertigation, and CO2 control with full spectrum LED grow lights.
Paired with Agrify Insights cultivation software, every aspect of our VFUs can be fully set, enabling unparalleled control of strain-specific microclimates.
With Agrify Insights-integrated VFUs, you can deliver strain-specific cultivation plans developed via real-time analytics to produce consistent phytocannabinoid and terpene development, no matter which cultivar you’re growing.
Learn how to create microclimates with Agrify VFUs and raise the curtain on a stellar crop.
