Author: Samantha White

Commercial Growing

Irrigation Systems for Cannabis
Water is central to hydroponics—which derives from Greek “hydro,” meaning “water,” and “ponos,” meaning “work”—and indeed to all plant cultivation. As we explained in our previous blog post on choosing a hydroponic system, there are several irrigation systems available to growers. But irrigation can do more than supply water; when paired with nutrient dosing units, they deliver water enriched with essential nutrients. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the benefits of irrigation, the components growers need, how to schedule irrigation and …
Advanced Tips

Cannabis Plant Maintenance
Like all annuals, cannabis grows in three phases (Figure 1) and many more sub-phases, or stages. Each has its own demands that require specific care and supervision, including nutrition, lighting, climate, irrigation, pruning and so forth. Meeting each of these demands is essential for maximizing plant potential—achieving the most vigorous possible growth, the most bountiful possible yield and the optimal cannabinoid profile, depending on the strain. Figure 1. Cannabis life cycle.Maintenance during propagation: caring for clones Rather than growing plants from seed, …
Advanced Tips

Preventing and Managing Hermaphroditism in Cannabis
Hermaphroditism is when a plant develops both male and female reproductive organs. In cannabis, this occurs when female plants form pollen-producing structures in addition to buds. When that happens, the plant can pollinate itself and others nearby. Since the value of cannabis lies in the concentration of the cannabinoids produced by unpollinated female buds, hermaphroditism can ruin an entire crop.Understanding hermaphroditism Cannabis is dioecious; each plant is either male or female. Its sex is determined by genetics, epigenetics and phytohormonal regulation, …
Advanced Tips

Understanding HVACD Systems
One of the most complex parts of a grow room is the HVACD system. In addition to heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVACD also provides dehumidification. These systems control temperature, humidity and airflow, which influence transpiration, disease prevention and other aspects of cannabis cultivation. Designing an HVACD system that balances these factors while remaining energy- and cost-efficient requires careful planning based on the grow room’s size, plant density and other characteristics. This blog post provides an overview of why HVACD matters …
Growing Tips

Grow-Room Ventilation
Ventilation is the backbone of any indoor cannabis grow operation. It replicates the natural air movement plants experience outdoors, replacing stale air with fresh air. It also removes excess heat and humidity generated by artificial lighting and plant transpiration, helping to foster optimal environmental conditions for high-yield growth.Why ventilation matters In grow rooms, artificial lighting is the main source of sensible heat and, by increasing transpiration, also contributes indirectly to latent heat.[1] Because plants cool themselves through transpiration, the more light …
Growing Science

The Different Meanings of Organic
When people think of organic agriculture, they often imagine products free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides. While that’s part of what qualifies products for organic certification, it’s a limited definition. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the regulatory and scientific meanings of “organic” and how fertilizers containing organic ingredients affect hydroponics.Regulatory meaningWhat does it mean when a product is labeled organic? Fruits, vegetables, meats, packaged foods and other agricultural products can be labeled organic only if certified through a government-approved program. …
Advanced Tips

The One Thing Growers Ignore About Lighting: Darkness
Every commercial cultivator knows how much lighting matters. You obsess over spectrum, intensity, photoperiod timing, and you hang fixtures with laser precision. But here’s the uncomfortable truth. Most lighting problems don’t happen when the lights are on. They happen in the dark. The dark cycle is a hormonal signal Cannabis is a short-day plant. It relies on long, uninterrupted nights to trigger and sustain flowering. That dark period isn’t exactly downtime, but rather a biochemical countdown. During that dark period, the plant builds …
Growing Tips

Cannabis Preservation and Storage
Growers can cultivate a fantastic cannabis crop, brimming with flavorful buds high in cannabinoids. However, without following the right steps to preserve those consumer-desired compounds, growers can let all that effort go to waste. Improper storage puts cannabis at risk of losing its potency, terpenes and even its safety for consumption.[1] In this blog post, we’ll discuss why preservation and storage are the final critical steps in a successful grow operation and what growers can do to ensure their product stays …
Advanced Tips

Crop Steering with Light: How to Tune Spectrum and PPFD for Flowering Dominance
When the flip to 12/12 happens, the clock starts ticking on your flower room’s performance. This is the point where lighting shifts from being a broad growth driver to a precision steering tool, one that can dictate how aggressively plants develop flowers, stack calyxes, and express cannabinoids and terpenes. For a commercial cannabis cultivator, flowering dominance is the result of intentional manipulation of light spectrum, intensity, duration, and uniformity—all in sync with the plant’s physiological cues. You’ve scaled your cultivation business …
Growing Tips

Hygiene: The Most Neglected Grow-Room “Input”
Commercial growers invest heavily in their grow rooms, sourcing the best mother plants, nutrients, lights, CO2 generators and other expensive high-tech equipment, and meticulously setting it all up. Their expectation? A bumper crop and higher profits.But reality often tells a different story. A single overlooked factor can compromise an entire operation. One of the main culprits? Poor hygiene—both plant and system. Neglecting cleanliness can lead to disease and reduced yields, compromising crop success.Maintaining proper hygiene in a hydroponic system is …
News

From Wake Skates to EuroNASCAR: Mike Wise is Driving a Bigger Story with Emerald Harvest
Mike Wise wasn't gunning for a EuroNASCAR career. He didn’t grow up dreaming of sponsorships or wrapping his car in the unmistakable green of a cannabis nutrient brand. But if you’ve followed him—on boards, on boats, or now on the track—you already know he’s not one for convention.He’s a patient. He’s an advocate. He’s an athlete with more busted knees than most of us have trophies. And now, thanks to his partnership with Emerald Harvest, he’s carving up European racetracks …
Growing Tips

Indica versus Sativa: Making the Best Choice for Your Business
The genus Cannabis is often described as having three species: sativa, indica and ruderalis. However, the names Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica have been used inconsistently, depending on whether they are viewed from a taxonomic or consumer perspective.Regardless of classification, cannabis users report distinct effects from each type, so it’s important to understand whether a strain is predominantly one or the other. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the confusion around cannabis classification, the differences in effects between indica and …
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