Tips to Prevent Crop Losses in Cannabis

Posted by Brian Sparks|November 25, 2021

Crop loss is always devastating, but for cannabis businesses, it can be incredibly frustrating due to the crop’s high market value. Because of the inherent risk, cultivators must constantly examine their operating systems, design, and controlled environment equipment.

A recent blog post by the team at Growlink looked at different ways to mitigate the risk of crop loss. For example, knowing and understanding your target productivity is critical to your success. Predicting your harvest allows you to plan financials, new hires, purchasing, and adjust budgets.

When productivity goes down, your team works more hours to accomplish the same or lower yields, increasing costs. Optimize your systems and methods to support streamlined processes with:

Regular maintenance
Clear standard operating procedures
Continuous improvement
Review performance metrics

Once you’re ready to move plants in, pay constant attention to the plant environment. It helps to make adjustments long before the crop is affected.

For example, monitor fan settings at different times in the crop cycle. In many greenhouses or indoor farming operations, the size and shape of the canopy are pretty dynamic, leading to various airflow patterns at different crop heights. Measure airflow, monitor data, and correct microclimates with distributed climate sensors during the first few cycles.