Growing Cannabis under Protective Cover or not?

when it comes to cultivating cannabis, there are pros and cons of growing in a greenhouse. At the end of the day, what matters most to the producer, is getting as much yield as possible. Higher yield means a greater return on investment.

Therefore, is setting up a greenhouse for cannabis production worth the investment? In this editorial greenhouse yield per square meter comparing growing cannabis indoors and outdoors is discussed.

Growing Cannabis Indoors

As there has been a long-standing prohibition on cannabis, much of the weed produced in the last century has been done so ‘behind closed doors’. Growing cannabis under protective cover has given birth to some of the most popular varieties today. That is because the producer can control the elements in which the plants are grown. Therefore, growing under cover, allows you to pinpoint and maintain the ideal environment for all of your plants to produce the highest yield.

Growing Cannabis Outdoors

While growing under cover is an efficient way to grow weed, it might be not the most cost-efficient. This is especially true if you live in a climate that doesn’t get much below 10° C when the sun goes down. Then your best bet is to grow outdoors. Even if you can’t grow as big of a yield, you will still receive a fair yield with sunlight and rain. This will offset the expenses of electricity and water incurred by undercover growing. Some cannabis growers is of meaning you could earn just as much money growing outdoors as you would by investing in greenhouse production over a smaller surface but higher yield per square meter. But let us discuss the advantages of greenhouse production first.

Advantages of Greenhouse Growing

Greenhouses can help solve your debate between indoors and outdoors cannabis growing. The most costly aspect of growing undercover is not only the initial construction investment, but the electricity to run climate management, dosing and irrigation systems. Unlike being outside, where plants are susceptible to Mother Nature’s unpredictable events, inside a greenhouse climate control and protection prevail. Harsh winds and rain or light hail and black frost can’t damage leaves on cannabis plants. Another advantage of growing cannabis in a greenhouse is that you control the climate to best suit plants at different levels of growth. Furthermore, this also let you grow cannabis all year long. By using propane heat or natural gas, you can increase carbon dioxide levels to promote even more growth. Just be sure to install a carbon monoxide detector in multiple areas of your property. Greenhouse Yield per Square meter Generally, it is difficult to give an exact measurement of what yield to expect as it encompasses the plant and row density, the efficient management of climate and irrigation and sometimes unforeseen circumstances like power outages. The closest average of cannabis produced in a greenhouse, is 4,5 Kg per square meter (from several surveys in SA and foreign sources).

Optimising profits

In order to obtain a significant return on investment when it comes to growing cannabis in your greenhouse, the producer needs to invest in technologies pertaining to optimal production. One wants to create a greenhouse system constructed to keep plants growing well and yield optimally. Galvanized steel framing in your structure lasts longer and is sturdier than PVC tubes or other plastic and breakable structure materials and galvanized steel won’t rust. This is an important aspect because growing cannabis creates a lot of humidity. Water vapour corrodes most metals, causing them to 13

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add pollutants into the atmosphere. With your cannabis’ stomata open, the plants can take in heavy metal particles. Choosing the right cover is crucial for optimal greenhouse yield. The cover is critical because it plays an integral role in heat retention. Greenhouses are covered with polycarbonate sheets or polyethylene film. You want to get a cover that has exact UV translucency for your cannabis production. This allows for leaves under the canopies of cannabis plants to get more nutrients from natural sunlight. Seeing you can control the climate inside a greenhouse, you can make the most of your yields by getting a screen that functions automatically according to the plant’s climate requirements. UV rays can destroy some of the compounds of marijuana when the plant has been exposed to the sun’s radiation for too long.

Shade net structures

If you live in an area where 35-40°C is commonplace, then growing under shade net structures is a good option. In turn, it will lower the heat that can burn budding plants. Shade cloth is manufactured according to pre-researched formulations for different applications. Therefore, the shade cloth supplier will be able to recommend the correct colour and translucency of cloth for cannabis plants. It is suggested not to use black shade net because it absorbs heat and could have various negative effects on plants. In fact, it could create a sauna for your cannabis crops. Another issue with a dark, or tight woven shade cloth, is that the plants are not going to get adequate day light time from sunlight during the shorter days of winter.

Ventilation

Think of a greenhouse as a steamed up vehicle in winter. What do you do to get the windshield un-fogged? Open the window! Make sure that you build your greenhouse with a ridge vent to circulate air. However, go the extra step by getting roll-up side walls. This is a great way to maintain cooling costs. Not to mention, allowing fresh air from the outdoors can be beneficial for the plants.

Expand for higher yields

Greenhouses have become a growing trend that cannabis producers use to keep production flowing. Seeing there are so many benefits of indoor growing, there is no reason that increased cannabis yields can’t come from a greenhouse with well-managed technologies that are improving annually. In South Africa, cannabis production for medicinal purposes is strongly regulated and it is found that to prevent criminal injustices to this rather new and costly horticultural sector, high security measures are taken to protect cropping sites. Nevertheless, there are local greenhouse construction companies that will be able to furnish local and foreign producers that wish to set up a greenhouse system for cannabis, with apt information and turnkey solutions. JS