The cannabis industry is one of the fastest-growing in the country. As laws governing the sale of marijuana evolve, and it becomes legal (for both medicinal and recreational purposes) in more and more states, demand increases.
Thus, those who grow marijuana are constantly looking for ways to maximize their output while maintaining the highest quality. Both actions are necessary in order to compete in the marketplace profitably. One strategy many have leveraged is crop steering.
This process, which has been around for decades, began with tomato plants. Perfect conditions yielded exceptional growth of vines and leaves but resulted in little fruit (actual tomatoes). Basically, vegetative growth was considerable, but there was no generative growth. To rectify these issues, crop steering systems were developed. By controlling the conditions, growers could cycle the types of growth allowing both plants and the fruits to flourish, resulting in a greater yield of high-quality tomatoes.
This horticultural approach to plant growth management works with other crops as well. It involves manipulating factors including climate, light, and irrigation to influence crop growth and has proven incredibly useful in manipulating crop yields.
Recently, those growing cannabis have begun to leverage it successfully to manage both the vegetative growth stage (to increase leaf and stem growth) and the reproductive phase (where fruits and flowers develop).
The more detailed benefits of crop steering include:
- Yield Increases: the ability to optimize the specific phases in the growth of the plant encourages a more successful crop (better buds), thus improving the yield.
- Positive Profitability: There are crop steering programs available. Using them requires less manual labor, resulting in a decrease in expenses. Additionally, this automated process helps your plans absorb only the nutrients they need. Thus, you will not have to purchase additional for future crops.
Crop steering is common but complex to the average person. That said, it is certainly something worth investigating if you are looking to build a business growing cannabis. You want to produce the very best product that you can, in the most economical manner. The quality of the product will speak for itself.
That said, when produced cost-effectively you can make your product more attractive by selling at a lower price point. Combined with the cost savings inherent in crop sharing, you will be setting yourself up for success.
