Vertical farming offers a transformative shift from traditional cultivation methods that can limit business growth and scalability. By utilizing vertical space, growers can significantly increase yield potential, positioning commercial cannabis facilities for higher profit margins and a competitive edge.
However, no cultivation method is perfect. Vertical farming presents minimal challenges, which can be seen as an opportunity. Still, while securing funding, equipment, and a quality team can be difficult, every obstacle has a corresponding solution.
Below are five challenges of vertical farming and how to overcome them.
Air cycling and flow management
Due to the density of plants and racks, ensuring proper airflow, air cycling, and exchanges in vertical setups can be difficult. To maintain environmental setpoints, you must address the capacity of your HVACD system, additional airflow systems, and the location of your supply air and return vents.
Solution: Pipp Horticulture's VAS 2.0 Airflow Solution mitigates these challenges by providing additional, targeted airflow that optimizes air exchange in multi-tier setups. This system works hand-in-hand with HVAC, ensuring air circulates evenly through all levels, preventing dead zones, and improving overall plant health.
Phasing your build-out
Building an entire multi-tier facility from the start without prior experience is risky. Growers often underestimate HVACD, electrical, and COG requirements, leading to inefficiencies and wasted resources. Phasing allows for better planning and adjustments based on accurate data and operational experience.
Solution: Implement a phased approach by starting with a few multi-tier rooms. This way, you can fine-tune SOPs, COGs, and infrastructure needs. Once you've dialed in these initial processes, you can confidently scale by applying lessons learned to the rest of your facility. Another option is to start with a single tier and add a second later, but you will need to make HVACD, airflow, and lighting adjustments along with this transition.
Defoliation, IPM application and multi-tier access
Accessing plants on the second or third tier can be intimidating, especially for defoliation, pest control, and harvesting. Traditional solutions, such as scissor lifts or rolling library ladders, are inefficient and unsafe, limiting one's ability to scale operations effectively.
Solution: Pipp's Elevate Platform Solution offers safe, strong, lightweight access to higher tiers. This easy-to-use decking option simplifies the defoliation and harvesting process, eliminating the need for bulky systems, streamlining production, and promoting employee safety.
Planting density and genetics
Adapting to a multi-tier system may involve adjusting planting density or plant height. Plants need proper space to receive appropriate inputs and the correct tier spacing to accommodate their morphology. Genetics can also dictate how you support the plants, defoliate and move air, and fine-tune your plant layout.
Solution: Choose genetics that perform well in multi-tier environments, modify planting density accordingly, and adjust SOPs for canopy management. Racking should have appropriate spacing between tiers to accommodate airflow by accounting for media size, plant size, lighting intensity goals, and fixture form factor. Additionally, plan for increased plant demand by expanding mother and vegetative operations to meet the needs of a larger flowering canopy.
High capital investment
Building a vertical cannabis cultivation facility requires a higher upfront investment than traditional single-tier setups. On average, a multi-tier operation costs about 60% more to construct than a single-tier facility due to the need for more equipment. However, the upfront costs are quickly offset by the increased production.
Solution: Talk to experienced multitier cultivators and solutions providers to make a well-vetted plan for your project. View the capital as a long-term investment and take advantage of rebates and efficiencies in equipment selection to reduce the operational costs of your facility. Although initial costs are higher, the ability to double yield capabilities in the same footprint lowers the construction costs per canopy square foot below single-tier options and provides long-lasting operation efficiency.
Conclusion
Cannabis cultivation is a skill that takes time to master—the same applies to vertical cannabis cultivation.
You'll inevitably encounter setbacks as you gain experience, make mistakes, and develop a unique methodology. Nevertheless, the final results are worth the dedication and hard work. Having support throughout the developmental process helps sweeten potential outcomes. For this reason, consider collaborating with Pipp on your next vertical farm project.
For more information:
Pipp Horticulture
[email protected]
www.pipphorticulture.com