Cannabis growing systems

In recent years, cannabis cultivation has incorporated a series of concepts from modern horticulture that seek to go beyond the simple practical experience of the grower. Among them, Crop Styling and Crop Steering have gained prominence as two complementary approaches that allow understanding cultivation from a more structured and technical perspective. Although often mentioned together, they don't mean the same thing. In this article we're going to look at what each one consists of, how they differ, and why they can be useful tools (or not) depending on the level of cultivation requirements. An optimized structure with numerous flowering sites Over the last few decades, cannabis cultivation has undergone a profound transformation. From being an activity based mainly on empirical observation and grower experience, it has progressively integrated into a more technical approach, where plant physiology, environmental control, and precision agronomy play a fundamental role. In this context, two concepts have emerged that, although relatively recent in their nomenclature, represent ideas that have been applied in intensive crops for years: Crop Styling and Crop Steering.

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In cannabis cultivation, there are decisions that may seem minor but, over time, make very clear differences in the final result. The type of pot is one of them. For years, plastic has been the undisputed standard, but in the last decade, alternatives have been gaining ground that rethink how roots interact with their environment. Among them, fabric pots have become one of the favorite options both in indoor and outdoor cultivation. Their popularity is not the result of marketing, but of a real change in the way the root system develops and relates to the substrate, air, and water. Fabric pots of different shapes and sizes  

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In a world where agriculture faces increasing challenges, from soil degradation to the effects of climate change, innovation is crucial to ensure food security and sustainability. In this context, electroculture emerges as an alternative and striking technique, which promises to stimulate plant growth using electricity or electromagnetism. Although it may sound like something straight out of a science fiction novel, this practice has historical roots and has captured the interest of farmers and sustainability enthusiasts alike, especially in recent years. Can electric power transform the agricultural world? Is this the future of natural farming? In this article, we invite you to explore the history, foundations, and possibilities of electroculture applied to farming.

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In this digital age we find ourselves in, smart agriculture, also known as smart farming, is revolutionizing the way we grow plants, including - as it could not be otherwise - cannabis. With the increasing advancement of technology and connectivity, as well as the implementation of the latest advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, cannabis farmers around the world are adopting new tools and practices to optimize their harvests and maximize the quality of their products. In this article, we want to invite you to explore how cannabis (and also many other crops) is benefiting from smart farming, from remote monitoring of fields or facilities to the use of sensors and irrigation or even harvest automation systems. Discover with us how the combination of traditional agriculture with the latest technological innovations is taking cultivation to a new level of efficiency and productivity.

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How to assemble hydroponic growing systems Nowadays there are many ways to grow cannabis plants, but today we will focus on hydroponic growing systems. One of the advantages of hydroponic systems is the explosive growth of the rootball, what entails a greater vegetative growth and therefore a higher final yield of our favourite flowers. The first thing that we must take into account about hydroponic crops is that our plants live in an inert substrate such as coco fibres, rock wool or clay pebbles  (expanded clay). There are also systems known as NFT or aeroponics that consist of spraying a thin film of nutrient solution on the roots, which are hanging in the void sustained in netpots. This means that the adequate nutrient solution needed for each stage of the plant's life is directly supplied to the roots mixed with lots of oxygen in each watering.

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Cannabis growers are often looking for new techniques or methods to improve plant performance, whether it's trying new nutrient and stimulator kits, new genetics, or pruning or training techniques. Today we are going to talk about a method of pruning and guiding plants with which excellent results are usually achieved and which combines the application of several other similar techniques. This is the Main Lining, sometimes called Manifold, thanks to which the plants develop heavy colas of buds in a uniform and symmetrical way. As you will see, it is a fairly simple method, you just have to have the patience to guide the growth of the branches in the direction that interests you the most while you carry out periodic pruning and cleaning of the lower parts of the plants. However, especially for those who do not have a large number of plants, it is a really effective way to improve production without requiring great effort. Let's look at it in more detail below.

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Music is a powerful force. It can make us dance, cry, laugh, relax or elevate our mood. While we can enjoy music by listening to it with our ears, plants may also enjoy music by feeling its vibrations. In fact, studies indicate that the right vibrations played intermittently can help plants grow and ultimately improve the quality and quantity of a crop. Professional cannabis growers often promote various techniques that home growers can use to obtain the highest quality buds. In this regard, some have resorted to playing music for their cannabis plants after a number of experiments correlated exposure to music with increased size and yield in a variety of species. So it might not hurt to also set up a pair of speakers next to your grow tent and start blasting some tunes at full volume.

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Nowadays, thanks to the legalisation of cannabis in many countries - which has allowed the large-scale production of both CBD and THC - high-yield cultivation techniques are becoming more and more common, even in bigger cultivation spaces where it can take several days of work to apply them. Whether you are a home-grower who wants to supply your own stash or a professional grower in charge of a production company, everyone wants to see their plants give the highest possible yields. Today we are going to introduce you to a technique with which, on the one hand, we can "tame" the plant in terms of height and shape, while on the other hand, we can significantly increase the final yield of the branches where we apply it. We are talking about Supercropping, a method of influencing the growth pattern and structure of the plants and boosting their performance when it comes to developing huge and heavy flowers.

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The method of cultivation known as dry farming is one that is widely used in conventional agriculture (especially with cereals) and that has many advantages over traditional growing techniques when applied to cannabis. In fact, many people will have heard of rainfed crops, a centuries-old cultivation technique. Therefore, dry farming by definition is a crop that does not need to be watered by the farmer but instead grows with the water that nature provides, either through rainfall or from underground sources. In the case of cannabis crops that are being cultivated in California by this method, more specifically in Humboldt County, they rely on the second option, since they are located near rivers, allowing the plants to absorb the water that accumulates below the ground. It may seem impossible to imagine that majestic cannabis plants can develop and deliver quality crops without the grower watering them, but it is a method that really works.

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Many people starting their journey into the world of cannabis cultivation (or other plants) want to know which growing method is the best, since the existing diversity of systems and products often creates a lot of confusion, especially among inexperienced growers. To help you choose, we summed up the main characteristics of the most popular growing methods within the cannabis community, which can also be used with excellent results for other types of plants. What are the differences between hydroponics and aeroponics? What is NFT? And DWC? In this article, we answer these questions and many more.

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Plant training - a low-stress alternative to pruning Cannabis is a robust, vigorous and fast-growing plant which responds very well to crop optimisation techniques such as: pruning; propagation via cuttings; hydroponic cultivation and more. In a previous article we looked at the so-called "destructive" techniques like pruning, super-cropping, etc, and in this article we?re going to talk about a very useful technique both for indoor and outdoor growers: Training or tying down, often referred to by cannabis growers as LST (low stress training). This technique originated in the agricultural sector, where for generations vineyards and orchards have been cultivated using a variety of training techniques, to facilitate harvesting and improve the productivity of the crop.

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What is mapito ? Mapito is a growing substrate used by Dutch growers on indoor crops due to its features, like excellent oxygenation or  moisture retention . It?s composed of rock wool and polyethylene flakes.

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In this post we'll show you the main differences between the diverse hydroponic and aeroponic growing systems, as well as how to adjust the irrigation of these growing systems according to the needs of each grower.

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