William Windham got his start as a trimmer in Colorado and has watched as the cannabis industry—especially when it comes to cultivation technology—has developed in the past decade. And he’s grown right along with it, launching his cannabis career in the first U.S. adult-use market to launch sales and now as vice president of cultivation for Massachusetts-based Root & Bloom.
One area that he’s seen evolve significantly is lighting. While building out the new indoor facility for Root & Bloom’s Salisbury, Mass., grow, Windham said each of the flower rooms was originally designed to have 85 light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The company realized that was not enough and increased it to 99.
“I think that’s one of the things that we learned early on, is that we haven’t found the upper limit of how much light we can deliver to these plants yet,” Windham says in a feature about the company's launch in Massachusetts, which is part of Cannabis Business Times’ eighth annual State of the Cannabis Lighting Market report, made possible with support from Fluence.
And light, of course, is one of the main inputs that fuels plant growth, playing an integral role in everything from yield to quality. It’s no wonder, despite meaningful advancements, that research and experimentation in this area continue.
The State of the Cannabis Lighting Market research—conducted in partnership with third-party company Readex Research and also made possible by readers who willingly share the details of their facility lighting (if you participated in the study, thank you!)—has revealed something new in each of the eight years CBT has published the report. One key finding from this year is that despite widespread adoption of LED technology (more than 70% of participants use LEDs in veg and flower), many have still not explored rebates that are available, some that cover a large portion of the investment. Don't miss the feature on tips on how to take advantage of rebates that might be available in your state.
University researchers also continue to conduct studies about how lighting affects plant growth and development. Findings from North Carolina State University researchers’ work on photoperiod (with 7 tips on how to ensure plants are getting optimal light) also are part of CBT's November/December issue. During the 2023 Cannabis Business Times Conference, which took place in August at Paris Las Vegas, Michael Alden, graduate research assistant at Clemson University, shared findings from his photoperiod research and why growers might want to experiment with strategies other than the 12/12 standard in flower. Professors Bruce Bugbee and Nirit Bernstein, both considered legends when it comes to cannabis lighting research, also shared key findings from their latest work at this year’s conference.
And, of course, cannabis cultivators continue to experiment in their own grows. Travis Higginbotham, vice president of cultivation for StateHouse based in California, just wrapped up a study looking at intercanopy lighting and its impact on plant growth, and once available, the findings will be shared in CBT. You can read more about the study, conducted in partnership with the Cannabis Research Coalition, in the first piece about the work here.
While experience is important and can be useful in cultivation, the ability to adjust and be open to new ways of growing cannabis, proven by research, may be even more crucial as the industry continues to gain momentum and competition intensifies.
“We were able to bring a lot of lessons [from Colorado] here,” Windham says. But, “hiring folks who are hungry and want to learn and have a student mindset … is really important to us.”
