Should You Use Light Deprivation To Grow Cannabis?

If you’ve ever tried to grow cannabis outside, you know the timing of your cannabis grow is dictated by the number of daylight hours available throughout the year. This is because the cannabis plant’s life cycle is dictated by photoperiodism (the physical response of an organism to seasonal day length changes). In other words, any plant is dependent upon light, or in this case, sunlight, to grow — the amount of light a plant gets, dictates its growth and stage of development.

Many cannabis industry experts have begun utilizing a style of greenhouse cultivation called light deprivation. Light deprivation is the practice of using blackout fabric to reduce the hours of sunlight that the plants receive, effectively triggering them to start flowering on demand. This process of controlling the amount of sunlight allows greenhouse growers to use the most effective and cost efficient light source, the sun, without being limited to producing only a single crop per year.

One obvious benefit to growing in a four-season greenhouse is having increased environmental control; outdoor crops are more susceptible to fluctuations in temperatures and rainfall as well as airborne contaminants and pests such as rodents. With the normalization of the cannabis industry , more and more cultivators are learning the benefits of controlling plant photoperiods through the use of light deprivation. Cannabis cultivators utilizing light deprivation greenhouses are now able to produce consistently higher-quality yields at a lower cost of production. This may mean up to an additional four harvests per year, which in turn means lower costs for the consumer since cultivators are manufacturing more product and can afford to drop their price point in this competitive market.

The main reason that every cultivator may not be using light deprivation in their cannabis grows is a lack of foresight. As markets mature prices will continue to drop and indoor cultivators will soon find it difficult to compete as their cost of production will be much higher. No other agricultural industry relies on indoor cultivation. Having to rebuild or retrofit existing structures is costly and retrofitted solutions may not perform to the highest standards. Designing and building a sound cultivation facility in advance, using techniques such as light deprivation, is the cheapest and most effective solution in the long-term. Light deprivation techniques used effectively can greatly increase annual yields and maintain a consistent supply of fresh cannabis.

Do you grow cannabis indoors, outdoors or both?