A good balance ensures healthier, more resilient plants and thus a higher yield and more uniform cannabinoid levels. Because cannabis is a relatively new crop, growers are often still looking for a good balance when growing it. By understanding and managing it properly, an optimal efficiency can be achieved.
To offer growers, employees and suppliers in the cannabis world a helping hand, Delphy has set up a Cannabis training. During this training, the main points in cannabis cultivation are presented and discussed by various experts.
Plant physiology and cultivation
During this session, the internal processes that take place in cannabis crops are discussed and translated into daily practice. These processes can be roughly divided into three balances; the energy balance, moisture balance and assimilate balance. For a strong and healthy plant, the plant must be in balance, this is a prerequisite for a good yield. But how do you know if the plant is in balance and what can you do to get the plant back in balance?
Irrigation and fertilization
The irrigation strategy varies with the phase the crop is in. In here plants makes a distinction in terms of water requirement and nutrient requirement. The evaporation can be translated almost 1 to 1 into water demand, but what about the nutrient demand? Here too, the balance of moisture supply (irrigation) and discharge (evaporation) must be virtually the same to prevent water and drought stress. The irrigation requirement therefore is strongly dependent on the phase the plants are in, but also on the climatic conditions. In addition to irrigation, fertilization is also of great importance for the development of the crop. It is important to adapt the composition of the nutrient water to the phase the crop is in. By having regular analyses of the substrate, irrigation and drain water and by performing dry matter and sap analyses, an imbalance can be corrected before it is visible in the plant. How this works and the importance of pH, EC and element ratio is explained in this part of the course.
Crop and climate
A plant depends on its environment for growth and development. In order for the growth and development to proceed as optimally as possible, it is important that the climate conditions are kept as optimal and constant as possible in order to prevent stress. For this a grower has various tools of which screening, lighting, air movement and HVAC are the best known. Incorrect use of these tools has a direct negative effect on the yield and cannabinoids of the crop. The different methods of using these tools for an optimal result will be extensively discussed during this session of the course.
Diseases and plagues
Only biological crop protection is allowed in Cannabis. As a result, the importance of recognizing diseases and pests in time is greater with cannabis than with any other crop. Recognizing pests and diseases in time can make the difference between a good harvest and a lost crop. During the training, the most common diseases and pests are discussed, but also what you can do (preventively), what the damage symptoms are, how you can recognize them and where they occur in the crop. For the pest (insects), the focus is on hygiene, scouting and a well-integrated pest management program. For diseases such as Botrytis and Mildew, the focus is on hygiene, plant resistance and climatic conditions.
Research
The results from the cannabis trials conducted by Delphy contribute to yield optimization. During these studies, the effect of various factors such as substrate, irrigation, climate, lighting, cultivation methods and the addition of biostimulants on the production and cannabinoids (CBD and TCH) of cannabis were examined.
Weekly class
The different topics will be presented weekly (Thursday) in an interactive session lasting one and a half hour. In addition, the experts offer the opportunity to ask questions every Tuesday during question time. The training starts April 15th and ends June 24th.
More information and a link to the flyer can be found at https://delphy.nl/en/teams/team-cannabis/ under downloads.
For more information:
Delphy
+31 (0) 10 522 1771
[email protected]
delphy.nl/en