When it comes to raising healthy medicinal/recreational plants, there are many innovative ways growers can maximize yield. One of those emerging ways is by using a light deprivation greenhouse.
A light deprivation greenhouse utilizes blackout material to control and manage light and darkness. In effect, this helps simulate seasonal changes and can trick plants into flowering at a specific time. Light deprivation reduces the typical amount of time it takes for medicinal/recreational plants to mature and leads to more harvests for growers.
In addition to using light deprivation greenhouses, this technique is also used in hoop houses to grow medicinal/recreational crops and other crops. This method gives growers a high level of environmental control needed for successful growing seasons.
Outdoor Light Deprivation Greenhouses vs Indoor Grows vs Outdoor Grows
If you’ve never heard of a light dep greenhouse, or you’re unsure if this method is right for you, it can help to compare it to other classic growing methods. Let’s take a look at light deprivation greenhouses compared to traditional indoor grows and outdoor grows:
- Indoor Growing – Growing medicinal/recreational plants indoors can be done using a greenhouse or similar structure. These commercial facilities may contain different rooms with different strains of plants. Therefore, growers can change the temperature of certain rooms to breed new strains. Indoor growing gives growers environmental control and allows them to maximize their space. However, this is usually the most expensive growing method, requiring lots of energy and resources. Without a light deprivation system to control light, growers will need to use other types of technology.
- Outdoor Growing – Outdoor growing is when growers use fields to produce their crops. This method is cheaper than indoor growing or light deprivation greenhouses. However, because outdoor cultivation completely exposes plants, they are far more susceptible to becoming damaged by weather and pests. In addition, outdoor growing can only be used seasonally, limiting the number of harvests outdoor growers can yield.
A light deprivation greenhouse uses tarps or curtains to block sunlight. Controlling and monitoring the light intensity allows growers to trick their plants into flowering sooner, saving money, time, and resources. The light deprivation shade system is more energy efficient than other indoor growing methods, so the cost of this facility will sit in between indoor and outdoor growing (depending on the size and scale of the project).
Benefits of Light Deprivation for Medicinal/Recreational Plants
So what makes an automated light deprivation greenhouse so beneficial? Check out some of the key benefits of this system:
- Higher Yields – By controlling the amount of light your plants receive, you can maximize your harvests year-round. Not only does this system give your crops the right amount of light, but it can also protect plants from hail, sleet, and other natural elements. And, because the life cycle of the plants is sped up, there’s less opportunity for them to become damaged or contaminated. Growers can create ideal conditions for their plants that keep them healthy and thriving.
- Consistency – If light dep systems sound confusing, know that this setup is pretty simple. In fact, some cultivation light deprivation greenhouses can even be set on a schedule to open and close light shade cloths each day. Not only does this free growers up for other tasks, but it ensures that the light is always consistent. As the seasons change, you can adjust your light shade cloth to provide more or less sun to your plants.
- Efficiency – The light dep operation is designed to run efficiently. These automated systems make the most of the natural light and are extremely sustainable year-round. And, because growers don’t need to monitor sunlight constantly, it can free up employees to do other important work. An efficient greenhouse can help set your business up for long-term success.
Why Light Dep Greenhouses are the Future
Due to the efficiency and consistency of light deprivation greenhouses, these structures are increasingly used in the medicinal/recreational plant industry. Light deprivation systems maximize yields and consistently produce healthy plants. Plus, compared to other methods, these greenhouses can be more affordable.
