All too often we hear about powdery mildew, spider mite infestations and other nasty molds that attack cannabis due to poor moisture control. These issues often devastate yield and crush profit for growers.
Those problems play out in our industry frequently—and unnecessarily, because steps can be taken to prevent them altogether. Helping growers understand and avoid those challenges is the purpose of the “2017 Smart Humidity Special Report.”
Through thoughtful education, and available as a continuous resource for all growers, Quest Dehumidifiers is working to provide credible, expert-backed information that’s useful. This report, in partnership with Cannabis Business Times, is our most robust effort to date.
For us, each day is more than simply making top-tier dehumidifiers. We strive to help growers manage humidity during a time when advances in growing practices surface daily. That’s been our priority since our first cannabis customer ordered Quest dehumidifiers from us in 2006.
With more than a decade of experience in the legal cannabis industry now in our pocket, and continuous feedback from growers, we’ve honed in on the biggest problems growers face when managing moisture. They are:
- Powdery mildew growth
- Spider mite infestations
- Pesticide challenges
The key to solving all these problems is prevention. Powdery mildew and spider mites are difficult to eliminate, and while some pesticides can kill them, testing of those pesticides for safety and efficacy on cannabis is minimal. That’s a serious liability.
So, with all the tips and techniques available, why put the focus on humidity control?
Simple: It’s a variable you can consistently control. And when compared to the other primary variables—food source, contamination and temperature—that impact mold growth and spider mite infestation, humidity control is the most manageable for indoor growers.
As we see wholesale prices fall further, we all need to focus not just on quality, but on more efficient and effective growing practices to keep us competitive. To that end, Quest builds the most energy-efficient dehumidifiers in the world. Growers often see a return on investment in less than a year.
Within the pages that follow, I hope you’ll find answers to some of your biggest questions regarding humidity control, and see this as a resource you can revisit for months to come. If you’re looking to take a deeper dive into all things humidity-related, be sure to check out questhydro.com/grow-info, where we post regularly on everything from mold prevention to vapor pressure deficit.
Cheers,
Clif Tomasini,
Business Director
Quest Dehumidifiers
