5 Top Cannabis Cultivation Tips – Facility Design
Though the Medicinal Cannabis Industry in Australia relatively green, across the pond in Canada and the US, the industry has been growing for some time, we would like to share our Top Cannabis Cultivation Tips — facility design(s). As with pharmaceutical facilities, designing and operating a Medicinal Cannabis Facility has its own pre-requisites and challenges. Many cannabis cultivators over-the-pond have gone through the whole process of designing and building a cannabis cultivation facility, only to later learn that simple but costly mistakes were made. To help you avoid this, we’ve pooled our accumulated experience from the Australian and San Francisco offices to bring you our top Cannabis Cultivation Tips for Facility Design to help you avoid similar mistakes.
Topic: Top 5 Cannabis Cultivation Tips for Facility Design | PharmOut (Reading time: 2.5 minutes)
1. Cannabis Crop Protection
The first layer of protection for medicinal cannabis crops is the cover material for the grow house. Although material technology has come a long way, please beware; not all coverings are created equal.
Given the sensitivity of the crop, it’s vital to select a covering material that provides a high level of ultra-violet (UV) light transmission. Any coverings that inhibit UV light transmission will restrict the production of cannabinoids. Diffused light that still allows the normal light spectrum is also important.
As well as providing sufficient light transmission, the covering should also be suitable for:
- acting as the first line of protection against pests, pollen and diseases such as powdery mildew or bud rot; and
- withholding the humidity levels in the greenhouse / grow house.
2. Employee Contamination Control
In older industries, such as Pharmaceuticals and Biologics, humans entering the facility are considered the primary source of potential contamination or cross contamination. In the Medicinal Cannabis Industry, this is no different. Strict gowning policies should be in place to inform staff, contractors and visitors about the acceptable level of gowning for each of the critical environments. Facility garments should also be regularly cleaned to prevent the build-up of dirt.
It is also wise to plan for appropriate decontamination airlocks to reduce the bioburden before entering critical environments. Airlocks are traditionally accompanied by hand washing facilities at the start of each entrance and gel type hand sanitation in the final stages.
Not only do the normal hand washing rules apply, but there should also be strict personal hygiene practices in place. Staff who are suffering from rashes or other ‘shedding’ skin conditions like eczema, will be required to declare these conditions at the start of the working day so that they may be assessed and reassigned to other duties that do not involve contact with the crop.
3. Pest Control | Cannabis Crop Management
Completely sealed environments are preferred for large commercial Medicinal Cannabis cultivation operations. This can be achieved by applying slight positive air pressure that sweeps from the inside of the critical rooms, out towards the external environment. This “draft” can assist in preventing insect ingress. In addition, a stainless steel 60-micron mesh should be fitted to all openings – including filtration inlets, as insects can chew through the filter media. Most Medicinal Cannabis greenhouses are positively pressurised (to about +20Pa to the external environment).
4. Environmental Control
Different approaches to environmental control will be required depending on the climate where the facility is located.
Typically, the main elements for operators to consider for environmental control are:
- location
- strain of the plant
- the required environmental conditions, including:
- heating systems (e.g. heated air via perforated ducts vs heated water via hydronic distribution pipeworks)
- cooling systems (natural, mechanical, evaporative adiabatic cooling, chilled water, etc.)
- humidity levels (e.g. controlled by using desiccants)
- carbon dioxide levels (e.g. from burning carbon-based fuels vs direct CO2 injection from gas tanks)
- the type of grow (e.g. indoor vs greenhouse)
- level of air filtration required to meet customer requirements (e.g. sterilising vs filtered air)
- level of odor control required (e.g. carbon filters, high plume exhausts, etc.)
While HVAC equipment is expensive, using a “cheaper model” that doesn’t allow for the appropriate level of air exchanges will prove even more costly in the long run. If additional artificial lighting is also used to extend the day length, or there is an extremely hot day, temperatures within critical areas can become highly variable and unmanageable; plants can get stressed and die, thus the importance of even and effective airflow distribution.
A balance can be achieved through:
- a constant airflow that promotes adequate CO2 dispersion and eliminates the possibility of air stagnation, humidity spikes or oxygen depletion;
- the use of the appropriate equipment to move air through the facility to control the humidity; and
- pruning or skirting the plants to remove lower branches to improve airflow.
To achieve an even air distribution, cultivators typically utilise inflatable (plastic) ventilation ducts under their grow benches that distribute air throughout the entire length of the grow house.
5. Humidity | Impact on Cannabis Cultivation
Humidification is another critical design consideration for medicinal cannabis crops.
If moisture is too low, cannabis cuttings won’t root properly; too high and you’re looking at fungal problems. As an added complication, the levels of relative humidity will often substantially increase when the light deprivation systems are deployed.
It is well known that at different stages of cultivation, Medicinal Cannabis will require different environmental conditions in order to flourish. First and foremost: consider the unique requirements of your different grow rooms and plan accordingly.
In addition to our Top Cannabis Cultivation Tips, if you would like some help designing your facility, please contact us at one of our offices around the world.
Looking for expert cannabis consultants who can start or design a medicinal cannabis operation or medicinal marijuana production and export business?
PharmOut’s cannabis consultants can assist you with licensing applications, medicinal marijuana processing and regulatory requirements for GMP / EU GMP (PIC/S).
Our pharmaceutical facility design architects, cleanroom validation, testing and processing engineers are experts in assisting cultivators and medicinal cannabis manufacturers with environmentally-minded designs for efficiency and GMP compliance. Contact PharmOut with your enquiry or view the top 10 medicinal cannabis blogs.
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Recommended reading and References
GMP/EU GMP and medicinal cannabis facility designs
Case Studies | GMP and EU GMP Engineering | Cannabis Crop Facility Designs
If you would like to read more about Medicinal Cannabis-related topics, you might also be interested in the following blogs:
How to apply for a medicinal cannabis licence
TGA GMP Manufacturing Licence for Medicinal Cannabis
Access to Medicinal Cannabis Clinical Trials under the CTN scheme
Seed to Sale Software – the caveats and CRF Part 11 clashes
Find out more about Medicinal Cannabis Licensing Applications, Design and Engineering Consulting Services (International Cannabis Consultants)
For specific information from our leading cannabis consultants for GMP, EU GMP and Medicinal Cannabis Facility and Pharmaceutical GMP Compliance engineering, contact PharmOut.
Journal Publications | Cannabis Cultivation and Strains for Medicinal Use
Patterns of medicinal cannabis use, strain analysis, and substitution effect among patients with migraine, headache, arthritis, and chronic pain in a medicinal cannabis cohort
1 Originally published in January 2019. Page last updated July 29, 2019.
