“With over 90 cultivars in rotation, we needed lights we could rely on”

Turning an abandoned K-Mart into a fully operational cannabis cultivation site might not be everyone's idea of a good time, but for King City Gardens, it was the only way forward. In our previous article, we explored the challenges King City Gardens faced when setting up shop, like waiting 5 years to get a license and having a hard deadline of 1 year to be operational else they'd lose said license.

When designing the cultivation, one of the things they had to consider was obviously the lighting system. As the DLC has told us previously, a large majority of cannabis growers adopt LEDs, unlike their vegetable and ornamental colleagues who are a bit more reluctant.

Driven both by regulatory pressure and long-term energy efficiency goals, the plan was to go with LEDs from day one. After evaluating several lighting manufacturers, King City partnered with Fluence, installing roughly 2,300 fixtures across the facility. "They were consistent, stable, and had a solid track record," Richard Mursinna from King City Gardens says. "With over 90 cultivars in rotation, we needed lights we could rely on."

Most of the flower rooms use Fluence SPYDR fixtures, a go-to solution for vertical operations. The company's one single-tier room uses VYPR top lights to support taller plants and higher light intensities.

"We knew they liked to experiment," says Tim Kiefer, Fluence's North American sales manager. "They have a few genetics that respond well to high PPFD, so we helped design a room that could support that while maintaining optimal uniformity."

Tried-and-true performance
Fluence's SPYDR and VYPR lines have long track records in cannabis cultivation. The SPYDR was first introduced in 2014 and is now in its third generation. Both lines use Fluence's BW4 spectrum, a broad-spectrum mix with 40% red light content, designed to minimize photo-bleaching while maximizing overall plant performance. "It's a spectrum we've used in thousands of grows around the world," Kiefer notes. "It gives growers a dependable starting point with proven performance, which is often a plus for commercial operations, set it and forget it."

VYPR fixtures, originally developed for greenhouse applications, have a thin profile that minimizes sunlight obstruction. But indoors, that same design lets growers mount lights closer together to maximum intensity. "It's a versatile fixture," Kiefer says. "And it gives growers like King City the flexibility to tailor rooms to specific light intensities based on their genetic requirements."

Shared mindset
Fluence got involved early, visiting King City six months before the first order to meet with the team, understand their goals, and tailor the lighting setup accordingly. Installation went smoothly, with only minor tweaks along the way.

"What really stood out was their drive," Kiefer adds. "They were focused on being the best from the start. That mentality mirrors ours: deliver a premium product with consistency. That's what SPYDR and VYPR are built for."

© King City Gardens

Preparing for growth
The facility currently occupies 130,000 square feet, with about 85,000 in use. Plans for expansion include a larger mother room and increased drying capacity. On the product side, King City has partnered with local brand Jonny Banana for a line of gummies and is exploring additional collaborations.