Temperature. One of the most crucial elements in creating the perfect cannabis microclimate.
| Challenge | Optimizing temperature control to avoid cannabis heat stress. |
|---|---|
| Solution | Implement a Koolfog cannabis fogging system to create a consistent and ideal cannabis microclimate. |
| Benefit | Precise temperature conditions encourage strong, healthy, resilient plant growth. |
Why Is Temperature A Critical Factor In Avoiding Cannabis Heat Stress?
Getting the temperature right in your grow room or greenhouse is extremely important because it affects a plant’s ability to photosynthesize and grow. Higher temperatures mean slower growth rates, as the enzymes involved in photosynthesis aren’t able to work properly in hot conditions. Heat also causes water to evaporate from plant’s aerial parts and soil more quickly, causing plants to struggle in the uptake of nutrients, leading to nutrient burn, and further damaging the plant’s roots and foliage. Hotter temperatures also drive the increase of vapor pressure deficit (VPD), decreasing stomatal conductance. Aside from stunting growth, hotter temperatures also attract pests and diseases. Spider mites and white powdery mildew, for example, thrive in hot conditions.
Perhaps one of the most promising studies outlining the photosynthetic response related to cannabis heat stress, as it relates to temperature, is the research done by the University of Mississippi in a 2008 study, titled “Photosynthetic response of Cannabis sativa L. to variations in photosynthetic photon flux densities, temperature and CO2 conditions”. The research focuses on the indoor performance of 20 four-month-old clones from a single high yielding mother plant. The clones were exposed to a variety of temperatures, PPFD, and CO2 concentrations. With tightly controlled humidity, the researchers were able to isolate ideal cultivation conditions for cannabis plants in order to maximize photosynthetic potential and formulate precise grow-op conditions. Take note of the following excerpt from the report: “Cannabis sativa can utilize a fairly high level of PPFD for its gas and water exchange processes, and can perform much better if grown at around 25 to 30 degree Celsius temperature conditions.”
Managing Cannabis Heat Stress with Temperature Control
In a study authored by Menelaos C. Stavrinides and Nicholas J. Mills; UC Berkeley, “Influence of temperature on the reproductive and demographic parameters of two spider mite pests and their natural predator”, outlines the key role temperature plays in the reproduction of two common species of spider mites and their natural predator G. occidentalis. The study outlines how hotter temperatures actually contribute to increased fertility rates among the spider mites, finding that elevated leaf temperature correlates directly with an increase in mite outbreaks. It was also discovered that hotter temperatures even decrease the effectiveness of the natural predator G. occidentalis against spider mites.
Koolfog Cannabis Fogging System Reduces Cannabis Heat Stress
Koolfog high-pressure cannabis fogging systems cool temperatures in cultivation spaces, creating a consistent and ideal growing micro-climate. Utilizing Koolfog systems can help achieve optimum growing conditions through the following process:
Operating at pressures of 1000 psi+, Koolfog cooling produces micron-sized water droplets that, while evaporating and turning to vapor, cool the surrounding area to precise levels. This proprietary system can be designed for screen houses, shade houses, greenhouses, single compartment cannabis growing spaces, or indoor operations with multiple zones. Koolfog automated control systems allow growers to output fog at constant pressure levels, pulse output, or output using variable pressure control and staging. This level of coverage provides for total control of cannabis microclimate environments within a cultivation facility.
By creating an ideal environment with optimal temperatures, studies show that plants are stronger, healthier, and more resilient. Cooler conditions can decrease plant stress promoting seamless photosynthesis and increased nutrient uptake, while also helping to prevent pests and diseases like Spider Mites and white powdery mildew. The bottom line is that Koolfog helps maintain a suitable VPD (vapor pressure deficit) value by lowering temperatures, raising humidity, and reducing cannabis heat stress.
