Water, light, and air are essential for your cannabis to thrive.
Sounds straightforward enough, right?
Provide your plants with the proper environment…
From the optimal cannabis watering system to ideal humidity and temperature levels…
And they’ll reward you with lush, vigorous vegetation and huge, frosty buds.
But in practice, these essentials can amount to hundreds of man hours of labor, meticulous attention to detail, and a huge drain on your financial resources…
Unless you learn how to automate your systems for success.
In our latest Grower POV Episodes, our master cultivators reveal their favorite methods for automating their grow room to save time and money, reduce human error, and promote the best possible environment for cannabis plants to thrive.
First, take a look at…
Setting Up Your Cannabis Watering System
Setting up a drip irrigation system may require some effort on the front end. However, it pays off in spades when it comes to efficiency, accuracy, and water conservation.
First things first, prepare and plan your space. Take into consideration the size of your growing area, the number of plants you’re cultivating, and determine the water source’s location.
Next, you’ll need all the necessary components of a drip irrigation system, including poly tubing, drip emitters, connectors, stakes, filters, a pressure regulator, and a timer.
After setting up your water source, you’ll position the main line along the rows of plants or around the perimeter, using your connectors to achieve your desired layout.
Watch the video where our experts will walk you through the process of setting up a drip irrigation system: Grower POV: Setting Up Drip Irrigation.
Once you’ve installed your main line, you’ll need to install your drip emitters. Here, the water pressurizes each line, flowing through each emitter to ensure every plant is getting consistent, uniform irrigation.
If your medium is smaller than 6 inches, you can get away with just including one drip emitter per plant. If you upsize your mediums, however, you’ll need to upsize your drippers too.
Watch the video to get an up-close look at how drip emitters work: Grower POV: Drip Emitters.
And visit this page for more information on setting up an irrigation system for your cannabis grow.
Next, see why our experts often recommend turning to…
Dosatron — A Cost-Effective Dosing Pump for Cannabis
In this Grower POV Episode below, our master growers will run you through a basic direct injection setup that’s running Advanced Nutrients’ pH Perfect® Sensi Grow + Bloom.
You’ll see that the Dosatron makes a stock concentration, which flows in through the lines and mixing tank before making adjustments, and finally, flows out to feed the plants.
Just some of the benefits of using a Dosatron include…
- It’s easy to use: They’re simple and don’t require electricity. Just connect them to your cannabis watering system.
- Accurate dosing of nutrients: Dosatrons measure and add the optimal amount of fertilizer to your irrigation system, with little effort required on your part. And because they provide the same amount of nutrients to every plant, your crop will enjoy consistent growth.
- It’s a BIG time saver: Without the need for hand mixing, you can reduce the amount of man hours needed to manage your irrigation—and free yourself up to focus on other aspects of garden management.
- It’s cost-effective: Because Dosatrons feed your plants the correct amount of nutrients, you can prevent waste that leads to spending more on fertilizer than actually you need.
And finally, a Dosatron reduces the chance of human error. With precision automation, you won’t have to worry as much about adding too much or too little fertilizer to your cannabis plants — a common cause of nutrient burn and deficiency.
See how the system works in this episode: Grower POV: Intro to Irrigation.
Then watch as our master growers go into a facility and completely automate a veg space for increased productivity with a Dosatron: Grower POV: Braindead Simple Setup for Big Buds.
Next, our experts are covering…
The Importance of Humidity & Temperature
In most gardens, you want to keep your temperature and humidity within a certain range to get the optimal VPD (vapor pressure deficit).
And more growers than ever are recognizing just how important VPD is to the health of their cannabis plants.
You see, if your VPD is too high, it means your grow room air can hold way more water than what’s currently present…
So your plants will transpire more water out of their tissues to fill the gap.
A high VPD can lead to…
- Dried out stomata
- Overdosing on water from the root zone
- Unfavorable stress responses
On the other hand, if your VPD is too low, it means your grow room is at full moisture capacity…
So your plants are far less capable of transpiring.
A low VPD can lead to…
- Weak plants
- Heightened risk of mildew
- Inability to uptake nutrients and water from the root zone
Get the Vapor Pressure Deficit right, though, and your plants will transpire just enough to continue thriving. And that’s not all. Optimal VPD is also critical for photosynthetic C02 assimilation, which means your plants can take in enough C02 to fuel photosynthesis.
When the air is thirsty for water, the plant’s stomata will open up to transpire, allowing C02 to enter the plant. However, if the air is too dry, the stomata will close up to preserve what little water if left, making it impossible for much C02 to come in.
So you can see how important setting up an optimal environment is for your crops.
Establishing the Ideal Grow Room Conditions for Cannabis
To dial in C02, lighting, humidity, and temperature, you’ll need the following equipment…
- Par Meters: Par meters measure the PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density), which indicates the amount of light a plant receives. Typically, you want PPDF to fall between 900 to 100 for optimal photosynthesis. If you need help choosing the best lighting system for your grow room, read THIS
- Humidifier: A humidifier induces moisture in the room as the temperature rises, so you can stay in the optimal VPD range for thriving, healthy plants.
- CO2: Your plants need varying ranges of CO2 throughout their life cycle. Our experts progress the amount their plants absorb in the bloom phase until about week seven of flower, and then decrease it again to meet their plant’s developmental needs.
You’ll also want to invest in measuring equipment, such as a humidity sensor, thermometer, and CO2 monitor, to ensure you’ve established the ideal grow room conditions.
Watch the video to learn more: Grower POV: How to Setup-C02, Lighting, Humidity & Temperature.
Once you’ve dialed in your environment, it’s time to explore…
Must-Have Nutrients For Cannabis and How to Mix Them
In the Grower POV Episode below, our experts reveal some of their favorite nutrients for a successful bloom phase — and the correct mixing order to get the most from your feeding program.
Take a look at the benefits and mixing directions of each below…
Rhino Skin®: Silica strengthens stalks and stems, promoting a stronger foundation for heavier buds. Always mix your silica first, especially with RO water.
Directions: Add 4 ml a gallon. Let it mix in for at least 5 minutes.
pH Perfect® Connoisseur A + B: A wide range of chelated micronutrients provide optimal conditions for maximum growth, and pH Perfect® Technology automatically adjusts pH levels to the sweet spot for thriving plants.
Directions: Always let the A mix before the B for at least 5 minutes.
Bud Factor X®: An ideal product for frosty, flavorful buds, Bud Factor X is specially designed for use with diverse hydroponic media and all continuous liquid-feed growing systems.
Directions: Add Bud Factor X after your base nutrients.
Bud Blood® Powder: A traditional PK spike promotes maximum bud bulk while optimal ratios of phosphorus minimize chance of toxicity.
Directions: Add 1.9 grams per gallon of Big Bud Powder after you’ve added your liquid nutrients.
After mixing your nutrients, always check your pH and EC levels as well as your water temperature to make sure everything is in range.
Watch the video to unlock more insider tips for a smooth mixing process: Grower POV: Must Have Nutrients & How to Mix Them.
In addition to a liquid-based feeding program, our master growers are showcasing the step-by-step process of mixing our groundbreaking Cultivator Series…
A three-part powder that combines cost-effectiveness and cannabis-specific science for unparalleled results in potency, yield, and profit.
See just how quickly and easily the Cultivator Series mixes on this video: Grower POV Cultivator Series – Uncovering the Most Cost-Effective Salts & Powders.
Unlock More Tips From Advanced Nutrients’ Grower POV Series
After watching the videos in this article, you’ll be well equipped to automate your grow room for maximum efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and cultivation success.
Stay tuned for more episodes of Grower POV, where our master cultivators are leaving no stone unturned to help you get the most from your crops.
