5 Ways to Make Your Grow Room More Sustainable

2. Try Vertical Growing

The art of vertical growing allows cultivators to expand their businesses by maximizing yields and creating space. From a sustainable standpoint, the vertically growing method reduces water usage through drip irrigation and cuts electricity costs by utilizing fewer lights and energy-efficient LED bulbs.

Vertical canopies provide convenient access to plants that need to be tended to but also mitigate mold, bacteria, and pests by reducing the amount of human contact. Vertically grown cannabis plants reduce maintenance time and require fewer pesticides. Some even say that vertical growing is the future of cannabis.

It's important to note that vertical growing is an advanced setup that can be costly.

3. Track & Measure Energy Usage

It's no secret that indoor cannabis cultivation can be energy-intensive. A 2012 report on the carbon footprint of indoor growing found that cannabis production makes up 1% of national electricity use, and in California 3%.

Most grow room energy costs come from running grow lights - a grow room electricity calculator will help determine what your overall energy costs should look like. There are also energy companies that offer free audits for cannabis cultivation facilities.

4. Use the Proper Lights

Each stage in plant growth responds differently to light.

Remember that when caring for seedlings, clones, or plants in a vegetative stage they prefer cold lights (lights that are bluer). When cannabis plants are in a flowering stage, they prefer warmer light (lights that are redder). You can use any light to get results but the proper type of lighting will provide better yields.

Overall, the best type of lightbulbs to use is LED (or an LED-hybrid) - they use less energy and achieve comparable results to HPS bulbs. LED lights also run cooler, and last longer.

Laying out a lighting plan beforehand will help maximize efficiency and prevent lighting burn. According to SWEEP, LED lighting fixtures are being successfully applied to vegetative rooms, saving up to 50% of the lighting energy compared to the standard practice.

5. Preserve Water

Cannabis water requirements vary based on the cultivation process. Water waste is a growing concern for cannabis cultivators because of droughts, water deficiencies, and pollution. Water preservation methods like water reclamation, recycling, and reverse osmosis aid in the impact of water scarcity.

Water reclamation systems capture wastewater and transfer it to a reservoir where it's sterilized, oxidized, disinfected, filtered, treated, and ready for reuse! Reverse osmosis systems are the current most common way to recycle wastewater. The membrane filters contaminants and provides clean filtered water for your plants.

If your facility relies on a public water source it's important to consider how much water will be used - counties, cities, and towns have limited water allocation. Federal and local wastewater regulations will differ based on the climate conditions where your grow facility is located. If your region has a water deficiency, regulations may focus more on water conservation. If you're located somewhere without water scarcity, regulations may focus more on pollution.