There is not a single sector of the horticulture industry that has seen as many innovations and technology as the cannabis one. With the greenhouse share growing slowly but steadily overtaking the preference of cannabis growers, an increasing number of companies are looking into the possibility of utilizing a greenhouse rather than an indoor facility. Initially, the widespread opinion was that a greenhouse would not ensure the same level of control over the environment as an indoor grow would; yet, things have been changing recently, especially thanks to the increasing number of traditional horticultural experts jumping onto this green wagon. Now, big innovations are coming to the world of cannabis greenhouses too, and UbiQD is one of the companies doing the most about it.
Providing plants with optimal spectrum
“UbiGro is a luminescent layer used to outfit the greenhouse, which provides the optimal spectrum to the cannabis plant thanks to our quantum dot technology,” says Matt Bergren, Chief Product Officer with UbiQD. “These quantum dots convert the light that goes through the layer into a specific color of the spectrum that is more efficient for the photosynthesis of flowers and for food production. We are currently accepting applications on our website for the second phase of our pilot program, which will last through 2021, and we are especially focusing on cannabis and on the quality of light.”
The UbiGro solution is basically a retrofit luminescent layer that goes inside the greenhouse. This layer is embedded with nanoparticles that convert the light going through from one color to another. “It is complementary to supplemental lighting,” Damon Hebert, Director of Agriculture with UbiQD explains. “UbiGro works in tandem with either HPS or LED supplemental lighting, giving growers more flexibility when it comes to lighting, but mainly allowing an electricity-free way of converting the spectrum.”
Extended trial
As of now, the company has developed an orange glow and has also developed internal research on the most useful spectrum. But Matt and Damon are not done yet, and they want to further understand how far this technology can be pushed thus allowing growers to achieve the best crop. “We want to see all types of geographical locations and how these affect the crop growth,” Matt remarks. “We have been humbled by the responses we got from all around the world to our pilot program, different crops outside of cannabis too. That’s why we have decided to extend the application deadline to apply for our pilot trial to November 7, 2020. This second portion of the extension is specifically focused on hemp and cannabis growers.”
“We have done multiple cannabis trials, and now we want to see how our product interacts in different locations.” Indeed, one of the things that UbiQD wants to further understand is how the environment within a greenhouse reacts in a specific geographical location to the luminescent layer. “We have been measuring the environment during a tomato trial we did,” Matt continues. “We measured leaf temperature and saw a modest change. UbiGro is an additional layer of foil in the greenhouse, so it will provide additional insulation which should keep the temperature more steady. However, we need to do more trials and want to cast this net as wide as we can to fully understand all the benefits UbiGro has for cannabis growers.”
Damon Herbert
Focus on yield improvement
But generally speaking, Damon remarks that they have seen some promising results in their cannabis trials. “We have always tested flowers for cannabinoid and terpene levels,” he says. “And we have noticed a modest boost in terpenes. But our focus is on yield improvement, so to achieve a fuller, bushier canopy and we have seen increased yields between 5%-16% for cannabis. As of now we haven’t noticed a faster finish time for the coloring of the trichomes, but we are looking into that. Our theory is that it is very cultivar-specific, but we haven’t come to a legitimate conclusion, yet. At the same time, we have seen a faster vegetative growth, with plants stretching faster in the early part of the flowering stage.”
Thus, UbiQD has a very innovative and cutting-edge technology to offer to growers, whose applications might yield tremendous results. “We would like to do a full greenhouse with UbiGro,” Matt says. “At least, it needs to be of 3,000 sq. ft. We want to outfit a full greenhouse and compare that with another greenhouse that hasn’t been outfitted with our luminescent layer. Our quantum dot technology offers the grower increased yield and profit. The more we can demonstrate and understand how to improve it, the better it will be for growers and the cannabis industry as a whole.”
For more information:
UbiQD
34 Eastgate Dr.
Los Alamos, NM 87544
Damon Hebert
[email protected]
UbiGro: ubigro.com
UbiGro Pilot: https://ubigro.com/pilots