Illuminating your Cannabis Vertical farm

The cannabis industry has been booming over the last decade and the increasing presence of cannabis based products shows a growing global acceptance of the once illegal substance. The flower, oils, waxes and edibles are among a couple of the products available, in addition to the medicinal use of marijuana. As demand increases and producers pushing themselves for a steady production line, a group from Denver, Colorado has challenged themselves to address the inconsistencies of THC and CBD dosages in the edible products. These inconsistencies can affect the experience of the consumer or patient which can cause frustration and suffering; for those who use the drug for medicinal use.

Franklin BioScience is considered to be on the forefront of cannabis cultivation, extraction and production as they control their manufacturing process from start to finish. With high investments in research, technology and operational efficiency, they have been able to deliver consistent high quality products to a marketing with an increasingly high demand, as well as delivering high yields and potency while simultaneously reducing operating costs.

Historically, most cannabis growers, including Franklin BioScience, have grown their product under high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps. When awarded a cultivation license in Las Vegas, Franklin BioScience began to explore other means of growth and lighting tech which revolutionised the way that grew cannabis. They started by looking at cultivation challenges that faced growers in Las Vegas, in this instance it was the cost and availability of prime real-estate as well as soaring temperatures making climate control and operational costs much higher. To determine the best method of growth, they launched a study, in their Denver laboratory, between several different vendors in the LED space, Fluence and others. The study was aimed at comparing these newer growth methods with the HPS lamps, with Fluence dominating the study”.

Fluence is a bioengineering is a grow light company that develops “lighting systems that are designed to provide high levels of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) perfect for commercial cultivation and research applications from microgreens to cannabis”

As Fluence was the “winner” of the study, Franklin BioScience worked with their team to design their Las Vegas facility. Their vision, to transform both the propagation/vegetative and flower space into a state-of-the-art vertical farm. Their new farm utilises Fluence SPYDRx PLUS on the bottom layer and Fluence VYPRx PLUS on the top layer of rolling-rack systems, from Greenhaus Industries, in flower production/cultivation and FLuence SPYDRx and Fluence RAZRx in vegetative cultivation.

A rolling rack system is especially useful as it can increase the number of possible racks in a single room and decreases any static racks allowing for versatility, and vertical racks maximise space and real-estate in reach room by 2-3 times. The rolling racks allow for team members to work with ease as they can weave in and out of the aisles and maximise space in-between if need be. “The cohesion partnership between the lighting and the rolling racks more than doubled their production with the same square footage.”

Franklin Bioscience has shown the world that there is tremendous value in investing in research and development. Maximisation of horizontal and vertical space and increasing energy efficiency, determined by their geographical location and operational strengths, has transformed their operation, increased yield and potency with a decrease in overall energy costs.

If anything, this should show not only medicinal cannabis growers, but ALL growers the drastic changes that can occur when space and efficiency are optimised. These growth methods are appreciated as supply and demand continue their exponential race.

Source: Horti Daily »