A Bright Idea to Increase Yield


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MariMed Inc. developed many cultivation facilities that employ advanced cultivation techniques and carefully control all environmental factors. These East Coast cultivation facilities feature Nanolux lights.
Photo courtesy of MariMed

The difference between a single-ended light fixture and a double-ended fixture is an increase in yield of 50 percent per harvest, says Tim Shaw, COO of MariMed Advisors, an advisory firm and cannabis-facility developer, which has developed and operates cultivation facilities in Massachusetts, Delaware, Nevada, Maryland and Rhode Island.

In 2015, MariMed, headquartered in Newton, Mass., switched from single-ended fixtures to double-ended fixtures from Nanolux Technology to boost production.

The company needs hundreds of lights to operate its facilities.

Years ago, the standard lights used in the cannabis industry were single-ended, Shaw says. These are fixtures with one point of contact for the bulb. After evaluating different types of lighting in 2015, MariMed decided to implement 277-volt double-ended fixtures in all its cultivation facilities, Shaw says. MariMed has tried various other types of lights, and none have matched the output of the double-ended technology, he says.

“They created more electrical capacity in my facilities, and they doubled the usable PAR [photosynthetically active radiation] light that the single-ended was providing,” Shaw says. “In turn, we had an increase of one-and-a-half yield from the previous technology.”

Vendors, such as Nanolux, can often help growers determine the appropriate lighting height and configuration. When implementing two-ended fixtures, Shaw advises other growers to make sure they have enough distance between their canopy and the lights to prevent any burning of the leaves. In a two-ended system, growers may need an additional 2 feet of space between the light and the canopy, he says.

Shaw also says, in the cannabis industry, vendor support is crucial when it comes to lighting or any other environmental factors to protect crops from harmful outages.

“If there’s ever an issue or a need, Nanolux answers during on and off hours, which means a lot to me,” Shaw says. “It’s electronic, and if you buy a couple thousand of anything—whether it’s a computer or car—you’re bound to have a small ratio of failure, but how they handled those issues are above and beyond. With a phone call or an email, our replacements are received within a few days.”

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