Nearly every hemp farm will be using large amounts of acreage to mass produce and harvest their plants. One of the most expensive aspects of hemp cultivation is the initial and ongoing expenses for seed stock. With feminized seeds costing upwards of 1-3 dollars each, many farms spend hundreds of thousands (or millions) on seeds alone.  

Additionally, there is large demand for top quality CBD flower for direct consumption by the public. Outdoor cultivation provides a lower quality flower compared to the indoor quality that can be achieved inside a light deprivation greenhouse.

As such, many cultivators are using greenhouses with auto blackout systems to propagate, grow seed, and get starts planted before the outdoor season begins. An automated light deprivation greenhouse with full environmental controls provides an opportunity for farms to significantly reduce costs and produce a variety of additional income streams:

How a Light Deprivation Greenhouse Lends to Cultivating Hemp & CBD

1. Grow and test different phenotypes of your seed stock to find the best CBD ratio and to ensure THC is not above content limits.
2. Protect your crop from pollination from other farms by growing and flowering in a sealed greenhouse.
3. Harvest 3-5 times per year by using the light deprivation system to control photoperiods.
4. Grow your own seed stock in a sealed greenhouse without risking pollination of your own outdoor farm (or your neighbors farm).
5. Use the light deprivation greenhouse for flowering top quality strains for additional harvests and diversified income streams.
6. Create your starts early inside a light deprivation greenhouse and push out larger plants for a larger overall harvest.
7. Harvest early and sell your product before the market is glutted once every other farm has harvested.

Fullbloom provides greenhouses specifically tailored for all your hemp growing needs. Whether you’re planning on propagation, flowering, or growing seed stock, we have a greenhouse package that will suit your needs. Click the contact button above or call us M-F 9am-5pm PST at 888-725-4769.

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Light Dep vs. Agriculture Greenhouses

• Traditional freestanding greenhouses don’t have to use precise bends and angles. A light dep greenhouse has to have precise bends or runs the risk of light leaks or shade casted from the blackout system.
• Cannabis and hemp require a very controlled environment in order to produce healthy “indoor quality plants.
• Controlling the environment and extending seasons requires heavy equipment; lights, heaters, dehumidifiers, circulation fans, CO2 generators, large exhaust fans, etc.
• Many growers end up using light deprivation greenhouses for initial curing and drying of plants. Wet plants can weigh A LOT.
• Hurricanes and big storms will often collapse regular farm greenhouses.

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Any area where a greenhouse is located comes with its own special climate challenges. To overcome these challenges takes research, planning, and intimately knowing the types of plants you intended to grow.

Many people assume California is a perfect paradise for greenhouse growing. 

However, the number of macro and microclimates in the state can be exceptionally challenging for people new to greenhouse growing. To the west, growers have the warm humid air of the Pacific Ocean. On the opposite side of the state, to the east, are vast mountain ranges and deserts.

In fact, variations in Californias climate are so drastic that grapes can thrive in one area but may freeze in a microclimate just a few miles away.

Because of their versatile design, light deprivation greenhouses can operate successfully in any of these microclimates.

With the correct covering and ventilation techniques, you can create a greenhouse that adjusts to the ideal temperature, diffuses light, and eliminates condensation. In these conditions, vegetables, fruits and plants valued for their flowers (like cannabis) can all thrive.

To create those ideal conditions, growers must first understand the two primary macroclimates of California: hot/dry and hot/humid.

These macroclimates are not evenly divided between the state, but are randomly dispersed in pockets throughout.

Greenhouses For Dry/Hot Climates

In hot, dry climates, summer temperatures can remain above 100C for weeks at a time. Clear skies and burning sunlight are a constant.

Greenhouses in these climates should prioritize protecting plants by diffusing the harsh light. This can be accomplished with covers such as SOLARIG, which blocks harmful IR rays while allowing helpful wavelengths through. Because of the diffusion properties, plants receive full light coverage without burning heat. SOLARIG has the additional benefit of protecting plants from high desert winds.

Growers who are avoiding air conditioners and other electronics must ensure that proper air circulation, ventilation, and temperature control strategies are in place. They can include exhaust fans and intake louvers light traps, so proper airflow is achieved even during blackout mode when sidewall roll ups are unuseable. This will help to keep the plants’ temperature at safe and comfortable levels when outside temps are climbing. Circulation, or horizontal airflow fans, can be used to achieve additional air movement in the upper ridge area of the greenhouse.

Proper circulation of air can help reduce condensation from building in the greenhouse. Condensation will cause humidity build up, which can be a haven for plant pathogens and diseases and should be avoided, if possible. This can be especially difficult in hot, dry climates when misting or evaporative cooling systems may be necessary for active cooling or to create proper humidity levels. Many growers solve these interrelated problems with automation systems. Air conditioning, foggers, misters, and exhaust and circulation fans can be programmed to maintain the ideal environment.

In hot, dry climates, greenhouses without active cooling systems may require ridge vents for added ventilation. This allows hot, stale air and humidity to escape the greenhouse effectively. 

Some master greenhouse growers recommend raising blackout tarps once night sets. They believe the buds have the highest weight, THC% yields, and terpene quality with this technique. Plants enjoy the fresh night air and moonlight before “waking up” naturally with the rising sun.

Many growers have avoided installing air conditioners in their greenhouses. It’s typically not about the initial price of the unit but rather the energy costs to keep them running. Some growers experimenting with cutting-edge technologies have discovered a way around this dilemma: solar and wind power. Specifically, solar panels in conjunction with a wind turbine and connected to storage batteries.

With the growers generating their own electricity, they no longer have to worry about utility bills. They can use as many automated greenhouse fixtures – including air conditioning – as they’d like.

Greenhouses For Humid Climates

Light dep greenhouses operating in humid climates face the opposite struggle with humidity that greenhouses in dry climates do. Instead of having to control their added humidity levels, growers have to constantly combat the natural humidity levels of their ambient environment.

Consequently, they must incorporate the similar, if not more, management strategies to reduce mold and pathogens caused by excess humidity.

In these humid growing zones, it’s ideal for greenhouses to include the ridge vent technology previously mentioned.. These vents are fastened onto the roof and allow excess hot, moist air out. The vents can be motorized to open and close when needed, so in the event of a downpour, rain won’t fall through the vents and into the greenhouse.

In humid climates, rainfall occurs throughout the year. Heavy cloud cover can reduce sunlight. Growers in these areas often construct greenhouses in the highlands. These elevated areas are cooler with less rainfall and consequently have more sunlight.

Greenhouse walls in these areas often include insect screens in conjunction with poly coverings. This allows for maximized airflow and ventilation, as well as keeping insect predation lower. We all know how much bugs love plants!

Additional equipment can be added for ideal airflow when combating humidity. In exterior light deprivation houses, traditional ridge vents are not usable due to the blackout poly on the outside of the structure. In these cases, smaller exhaust fans mount high in the end wall of the greenhouse to act as a ridge vent. This will help remove hot air and humidity that builds up high in the greenhouse. There are also commercial size dehumidifiers you can hang overhead to actively remove the humidity from the environment. Using automated climate control systems, this can all be set on a schedule or at a humidity point, to allow for hands-off control.

With careful research, thorough planning, and the right equipment, you can have a flourishing light deprivation greenhouse even in the hottest, most humid, or driest climate Mother Nature has waiting for you!

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What is it that is making growing in greenhouses so popular?

Essentially, they’re the perfect balance between an indoor and an outdoor grow. Consider these six benefits of growing cannabis in a greenhouse.

1. Control the Light

One of the benefits of an outdoor grow is that sunlight is free. Greenhouse growing also utilizes this free sunlight, but can take it a step further by supplementing the plants with light on overcast or cloudy days when the plants need a bit of a boost.

In a greenhouse, you can also play with the spectrum of light you’re providing. For example, you can use a grow light with an emphasis on the blue spectrum to optimize the vegetative stage or something with a heavy red spectrum to encourage the flowering stage.

2. Control the Climate

Producing a high-quality product is all about controlling the environment. Like an indoor grow, a greenhouse also protects your plants from the elements, but at a much lower cost per square foot. If you have an automation system in your greenhouse, that’s made even easier. You can control temperature, ventilation, and more with just a touch of a button. That level of control is impossible to reach in an outdoor grow, when Mother Nature might decide to throw disastrous conditions your way at any moment. In a greenhouse, you’ll rest easier knowing that your crop is protected from the storm blowing through, or that you don’t have to worry about a rainstorm coming in right before your harvest.

3. More Harvests in a Year

You can dramatically increase your yield when you add a light deprivation system to your greenhouse. This setup, sometimes called a “blackout system,” includes thick curtains that completely block the light hitting the plants in your greenhouse. This allows you control the length of daylight your plants experience. By altering this schedule, you can encourage your plants to flower regardless of the season, giving you a huge advantage over outdoor growers.

4. More Reliability

Once you know exactly what environmental inputs your strains need to flourish, you can easily produce those effects harvest after harvest. Growing in a greenhouse allows you the kind of consistency that you can’t get from an outdoor grow. This is particularly important when consumers have come to expect a particular profile out of your buds. A bad batch can be not just disappointing to your customers but can cost you money in lost sales.

One way to get a jumpstart on figuring out which strains are best for you is by purchasing your seeds from a website such as I Love Growing Marijuana. Reviews and ratings from farmers who have already grown and harvested the seeds can be extremely valuable in your decision-making process.

5. Cost Savings

The startup costs of an indoor grow can easily reach $100/square foot or more. Investing in a new greenhouse will be significantly lower, usually around half of that. You’ll save on ongoing costs with a greenhouse, as well. It’s incredibly expensive to reproduce the power of the sun, which is essentially what indoor grows are attempting to do. Greenhouses harness that power for free, allowing you to simply make smaller, less expensive tweaks to ensure that the plants are getting the light they need.

6. Security

Although greenhouses aren’t exactly stealth, they do keep the plants away from prying eyes of neighbors and passersby. This won’t take the place of a comprehensive security plan that may include cameras, fencing, and patrol, but it is a big step up from an outdoor grow. For additional security at your greenhouse grow site, consider steel end walls, cameras, motion detectors, and fencing.

The Big Picture

Growing cannabis in a greenhouse strikes a balance between the benefits of indoor and outdoor grows. Greenhouses are significantly more cost effective than indoor grows, but still provide all the same environmental control and reliability benefits. Like outdoor grows, greenhouses can harness the free power of sunlight. In many ways, greenhouses really are the best of both worlds for growing marijuana.

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