The United States has come a long way in the last five to ten years when it comes to cannabis regulations. The federal government is even making strides to legalize it now. That means many people are now looking into farming this plant to a larger degree.
Of course, with an influx of new people to the industry also comes an increase in mistakes that will inevitably occur. If you want to avoid these yourself, this article on the common problems when growing cannabis at scale will be quite resourceful for you.
Using the Wrong Soil
If you have some experience with farming, you already know how the type of soil used can drastically affect the plants that are in it. This goes for cannabis too. For this crop, you’ll want soil that is light and easily aerated. It should also have a blend of perlite and be free from microbes. As long as you look for these specific traits, any soil types that fit the bill will work for your cannabis farm. However, failing to pay attention to these things can lead to a poor crop yield.
Failing To Light Properly
When it comes to farming, lighting is everything. Obviously, an area that receives plenty of light from the sun would be preferred, but unlike most other crops, you can grow cannabis indoors quite easily. If you go this route, you need to make sure that the room is well-ventilated and has a good amount of lighting from LED bulbs specifically made for growing plants.
While this might sound easy, the big problem comes from powering a facility like this. Some people decide to lower the lighting to save on costs, but this will negatively impact your crops. Instead, you should do something like using a combined heat and power (CHP) system to solve this problem. Other companies have found success with it in the past.
Missing the Watering Mark
On top of proper lighting, you also need to water your cannabis appropriately, which new farmers tend to mess up. There is a delicate balance to this that puts the plant at its ideal status: not too fragile and not too rigid. This is the main reason why many seasoned cannabis farmers decide to have indoor fields. It’s hard to rely on nature to get the mix right. As long as you carefully regulate the amount of water used, you shouldn’t run into any difficulties here.
Not Controlling the pH Levels
Finally, the last common problem when growing cannabis at scale that new farmers run into is failing to correctly control their crops’ pH levels. If these amounts are off, your plants won’t be as receptive to the water and nutrients you give them, leading to a weaker overall yield. The ideal pH range is around 6 to 7. There are plenty of products on the market for both measuring these levels and raising or lowering them, so you shouldn’t have an issue controlling pH as long as you prepare yourself.
