This article originally appeared in the February 2017 print edition of Cannabis Business Times. To subscribe, click here.
Traditional agriculture has proven that greenhouses have a lower cost of production and are more sustainable than indoor production. Maybe that’s why 41 percent of cultivators who don’t currently grow in a greenhouse say they will add greenhouse facilities in the next two years, according to Cannabis Business Times’ 2016 “State of the Industry” report.
A properly sealed and constructed greenhouse with state-of-the-art environmental controls also protects against pest and disease infection more effectively than other methods, helping to eliminate the need for pesticides. (A properly constructed greenhouse means cement floors, sealed environments with filtered and sterilized incoming airflow combined with slight positive pressure to the greenhouse, and with proper decontamination and prevention practices, water sterilization capabilities and strict protocols regarding all materials that enter the greenhouse.)
Why is this important? Because the industry has a significant problem with product failing test results due to pesticide use. Cannabis testing and analysis firm Steep Hill Labs reported that 84 percent of the California cannabis and 62 percent of the Washington state cannabis that the firm tested failed testing. Much of the failure was caused by Myclobutanil, used for prevention and control of mildew outbreaks.
To read the full article in Cannabis Business Times' February edition, click here.
