When it comes to large-scale cannabis production, it’s important to take some time to plan for success. Learning will certainly happen along the way, but it’s far better to optimize your space rather than make mistakes and have to spend time and money to correct them. With this in mind, here are 5 tips to consider when designing a cannabis farm for success.
1. Recognize the importance of location.
Location is important when buying a house, and it’s just as important when it comes to your commercial grow facility design. The location and orientation of the land will impact heating and cooling costs, access to the various grow areas, and proximity to labor, supplies, and your market.
Location will also be important when it comes to legality, as well as factors like utility availability. Before signing anything, it’s recommended that you determine how you can access water and power, as well as what disposal facilities are close by.
2. Consider steps to boost power efficiency.
Speaking of power, be prepared to use a lot—particularly when planning your indoor cultivation facility design. Simple practices like using LED technology can help to minimize energy use and costs, just as shelving systems and moveable racks can help to maximize a single light source.
We’d also recommend staying ahead of the curve and investing in renewable energy early on. We’ve started our off-grid journey, which is already supporting our goals of self-sustainment, money savings, and improved sustainability.
3. Take steps to prevent pests.
If there’s one big threat to your harvesting and processing efforts, it’s pests. Fortunately, this is also one of the easiest things to plan for by having separate, well-sealed rooms. It’s much easier to isolate problem plants or known issues with fungus or bugs when you’ve already got the space, doors, and practices in place to do so.
For most commercial operations, a completely sealed environment is recommended. If you have a greenhouse, try to minimize access to the outdoors as much as possible. If you’ve got an indoor operation, be sure to have drop seals on your doors.
Consider an employee decontamination area where staff can remove street clothes and shoes before entering the grow rooms. Plan a designated area with disinfectant for hands and feet in order to limit the risk of outdoor diseases or pests from being brought inside.
4. Consider workflow efficiency.
For your commercial grow op setup, think about how each step—from seed germination to drying and curing—can be done as efficiently as possible. In the design phase, consider the layout of each step of the process. Having the clone room close to the mother room and the trim rooms near the dry rooms will help to save time (and money).
Similarly, a few simple improvements can help to further reduce labor costs. These include using an irrigation system instead of hand watering, bringing on weed-eating animals instead of buying herbicides, and freezing fresh trim to cut down on the processing time (and preserve more terpenes).
5. Don’t forget to consider your market, and the future of your operations.
Boutique flowers or oils? Local market preferences for indoor or outdoor cultivation? State legislation changes that could allow you to expand? These are all important considerations to make as you plan your cannabis farm design.
The cannabis market is constantly evolving, as are the rules and regulations we abide by. By taking this into consideration before you sign the dotted line you’ll be more resilient to changes and able to keep up with the needs and wants of consumers.
Our consumers are our first priority, which is why we provide some of the best craft cannabis. Reach out to us to find out how Giving Tree Farms, along with a farmer-owned cooperative, Hive Mendocino, can sustainably fill your needs.