When you don’t know where "optimum" is, it’s hard to get there. We made up the term “Optimum…ness” to describe a state that a lot of growers reach, where they are just not sure whether or not they can squeeze any more out of their facilities. They have tweaked and dialed the operation up to everyone’s satisfaction, and they know they are close to optimal.
But the real question is: How close are they to optimal?
The answer starts with understanding the nature of each cultivation variable’s optimal point and how to make the best use of it.
In 2008, researchers at the University of Mississippi published a paper (“Photosynthetic response of Cannabis sativa L. to variations in photosynthetic photon flux densities, temperature and CO2 conditions") that validated the fundamental optimal growing conditions for cannabis cultivation to be light levels of 1,500 PAR [photosynthetically active radiation] and a leaf temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
To us, those numbers are design requirements that apply to every cannabis operation in the world. When you think about it, these numbers ultimately define the capital, labor and energy costs of growing at or near optimal conditions. These numbers tell growers where the holy grail of optimal cultivation is. It’s up to the grower to find a path to it.
To read the full article in Cannabis Business Times' January 2017 edition, click here.
