"We use the technology to keep our air as clean and sterile as possible. It is a biosecurity tactic as there are active mold and fungal spores present in our air inside and outside the facility," says Eric Weber. Eric is Owner and Operator of TeCrop Consulting and has been growing cannabis commercially for almost 15 years. He is also the Head of IPM for Neutra Fog and grows for White Ray in California. "The White Ray facility is split into 4 flower rooms where we grow vertically, 2 dry rooms, a trim room, a hash lab, and a packaging room. Using the ProGuard technology ensures that we can have a clean and successful harvest."
Cultivation and genetics
White Ray grows vertically to help cut production costs and get larger yields per cubic foot, Eric explains. "We fixed our micro-climate issues by strategically placing high velocity fans around the grow space in an over-under airflow pattern and simultaneously got rid of all dead air pockets in the space."
"When it comes to genetics, we look for strains that are going to wow people. Also, they need to be popular in the market, and we love good hash-washing strains, Eric says. "We want our plants to have a high calyx-to-leaf ratio and be somewhat pest-resistant or resilient. We can't grow plants that stretch too much as we have approx 5' of height from table to the light so it poses some challenges in training and canopy management."
The California market
According to Eric, the California market is extremely challenging. "The regulations and taxation are a big issue. Moreover, the prices in the wholesale market are falling while the cost of doing business and the cost of energy in the state are going up every day. Also, everything you grow now needs to be 'Purple Candy Gas', so it's been a very interesting start for our brands: we want to stand out but we need to be popular as well. California is a hard place to be a grower, many failing producers need to run a lean program and be able to wear many hats outside of growing the plant: carpenter, electrician, maintenance, janitor, bookkeeping, HR, METRC manager, salesman, promoter, social media manager, general contractor, facility design etc.)," Eric says.
"Craft grow at scale"
In a challenging market, it's important to stand out. How does White Ray's production differentiate itself from other producers? "We take a scientific approach to each process and we are truly a craft grow at scale. We use a 'Syn-Ganic' approach to our feeding and fertilizer program: salt base with fully organic foliar sprays root drenches. We also work on cultivating and maintaining healthy microbial and fungal colonies within the rhizosphere and we flush all to help improve senescence and ripen properly giving our flowers a smooth clean flavor that lasts to the roach. Our cultivators also have to learn SCROG and SOG methods and rigorous canopy management training due to our lack of height. We also use state-of-the-art equipment such as ProGuard and Neutra Fog to manage the pest pressure inside our spaces. We take pride in producing some of the cleanest flower in California," Eric says.
In order to do so, White Ray uses the ProGuard technology in all its cultivation rooms and dry spaces. "We have 6 pieces per grow room and 2 per dry room. ProGuard has reduced our mold fungal and bacterial pressure and minimized issues inside our space. We notice when we get an issue it stays localized to the area and does not get out of control, making it easier and more cost-efficient to manage. We have a clean healthy harvest regularly and are very happy with the results."
For more information:
White Ray
Eric Weber
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Innovative Solutions
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