Climate change is always a hot topic of discussion and in recent years the unpredictability of the climate has been a concern for agricultural-based businesses, especially cannabis cultivators. As much as people want to ignore the shift in weather patterns, the warming of the earth is evident and with this we will have to adapt our cultivation techniques.
Let’s go over some ways to circumvent or prepare for the potential weather changes:
- Grow Indoors – Yeah a lot easier said than done. Growing indoors lets you closely regulate important factors such as humidity, light, temperature, and airflow, but the big limiting factor is having the space for a massive indoor facility. So don’t focus too much on this one.
- Try New Strains – When people grow anything they tend to get caught up in their own recency bias. Just because something grew well in a certain area in the past doesn’t necessarily mean it will continue to do so. Take the northeast United States for example (my turf). In recent years, winters are shorter and warmer. Summers are more humid. Growers will need to accommodate their plants to these new conditions so why not shift to growing strains that do better historically in these conditions? In order to be a successful grower you need to not worry as much about the current weather conditions and start preparing for what the next 2-5 years will bring.
- Be Wary of Pests – Plants aren’t the only thing that change because of weather. The entire ecosystem around your crops will be altered. When examining your plants be sure to note any abnormalities because different conditions will bring different pests and contaminants to deal with.
- Utilize Strains with Shorter Time to Harvest – This one is pretty self explanatory. The less time it takes to mature the plant, the less of a chance you run into an abnormal weather event like an unexpected freeze, fire, etc.
You can’t be prepared for everything the climate will throw at you, but having procedures in place can go a long way in the size of your harvest. How has weather affected your growing experience?
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