Month: August 2021

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Increase Your ROI by Investing in Automated Garden Technology

Automation is the process of replacing human (or animal) power with machine power. Designed to increase the productivity, efficiency and profitability of manufacturing, automation has been widely adopted since the industrial revolution and has given rise to technologies that enhance transportation, communication and information systems. Even in our own industry, automated technology has had a major impact on how we tend the garden  – the thermostat, for instance, has quickly become an indispensable piece of the indoor garden. Without it, growers would have little control over day and night time temperature.

However, now that our industry has begun to radically progress, automation has moved beyond simple temperature control. In fact, all aspects of the garden have the potential for automation. Want to learn more about increasing your ROI in the garden? Let’s take a look at some of the industry’s most popular automation equipment. 

TrolMaster Environmental Control Systems

TrolMaster manufactures the industry’s best environmental control systems. The Hydro-X (HSC-1), for example, is a complete, professional-grade environmental system that allows growers to customize every environmental aspect of the garden. The Hydro-X can do it all – with over 12 modules available to control HVAC systems, mini-split AC’s, dehumidifiers, humidifiers, CO2, irrigation pumps and lighting, TrolMaster made sure that no part of the garden would be excluded from automation. However, the most powerful feature of the HSC-1 is the device’s ability to monitor your garden in real-time. Just connect to TrolMaster’s smartphone app to access data and control your garden from a distance. 

If you’re looking to bring your garden into the future, consider the TrolMaster Hydro-X Pro Control System (HCS-2). The Hydro-X Pro builds on all the great features found in the Hydro-X by introducing a 10″ touch screen and web-based software. Expand your automation by attaching up to 50 sensors and up to 50 separate control modules to a single Hydro-X Pro.

Justin meets the TrolMaster team at Lift Toronto to learn more about their control systems.

LightRail Light Movers

LightRails are light movers that increase light penetration by essentially doubling the coverage produced by a single fixture. Not only will using a LightRail decrease energy consumption and heat in the garden but there are also some major photosynthetic benefits. As the manufacturers of LightRail argue, moving your lights allows for more intense light coverage in low-light sections of the garden, reduces hot spots and helps more leaves absorb more light energy. LightRail has a wide range of products, including variable speed motors, rails, accessories and replacement repair kits. 

AutoPot Watering Systems

AutoPot Watering Systems combines the best of both hydroponic and traditional gardening techniques into a simple, easy to install, self-watering system. Many advantages, not to mention a reduced workload, come with automating your garden with an AutoPot watering system. As opposed to more traditional methods of gardening, there are amazing benefits to expect from switching to a small or large AutoPot system, including standardized self-watering technology, enhanced control and increased savings on water, liquid nutrients and electricity.  

Dosatron Dosing Technology

Dosatron water-powered, non-electric chemical injectors are the easiest, most reliable way to accurately inject chemicals into water lines. Dosing injectors work using volumetric proportioning, ensuring that the chemical mixture remains the same regardless of variations in pressure and flow. At scale, dosing technology is essential. Not only can growers expect to save time by avoiding mixing, measuring and buffering chemicals, but they can also anticipate cleaner, more consistent results. Plants love a consistent feeding schedule. That’s why large-scale operators have chosen to opt for automated garden technology that allows them to fully stabilize unique fertilizer recipes. 

CenturionPro Trimming Solutions

Growers have the most to gain by automating a harvest. While the benefits of hand-trimming cannabis are clear, it is an expensive and time-consuming task. That’s why more producers than ever are automating harvests with CenturionPro trimming solutions. Adopting automated solutions for automation’s sake, without first identifying how they improve operations, will result in expenses that fail to enhance your grow. However, strategically identifying where costs can be saved and implementing specialist solutions improves both quantity and quality. This enables growers to attract new cannabis audiences now, with the capacity and consistency to satisfy and retain these customers in the future. This is just one example of why large-scale operators have chosen to rely on CenturionPro for all their trimming needs.

Futurola KnockBox Rolling Machine 

Once your product is harvested, there is one automated device that will continue to add value to your crop – Futurola’s KnockBox. Having the ability to fill and pack 300 pre-rolled cones in 90 seconds, the Futurola KnockBox is the ideal solution for producers and distributors looking to standardize a value-added product. With customizable add-ons like filling kits and variable cone sizes, Futurola promises a completely consistent and standardized dutch cone – every single time. 

From lighting systems to harvesting equipment, GreenPlanet Wholesale has automated garden technology that will help increase the productivity and profitability of your operation. Need more information about one or more of the products listed above? Contact your GreenPlanet sales representative to learn more about increasing your ROI by investing in automated technology. 

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What Nutrients Do Plants Need During the Flowering Period?

In any indoor setting, plants require not only environmental cues but also distinct and specific nutrient supplementation to reach full potential. To produce flowering plants in an artificial environment, indoor growers will need to adjust the controls of their garden to start and continue the fruiting stages of a plants life cycle; this process typically involves a change of photoperiod light, a lower Kelvin spectrum growing lamp, and more mild ranges of temperature and humidity. 

While these changes in an environment are arguably the most important factor which determines a quick, bountiful and quality-driven harvest, experts agree that in these delicate moments of a plants life cycle, specific nutrient requirements, especially those which are higher in levels of phosphorus and potassium, and those which contains an array of starch enriching carbohydrates, are essential for cultivating a crop at its highest potential. To find out more about the nutrient requirements of plants in early, middle and late flower, read the passages below: 

General Nutrient Considerations

Plants in any environment need a vast array of elements to maintain established and new periods of vigorous growth. In total, there are 16 essential elements necessary for healthy and deficient-free plant growth. These elements are separated into two categories, macro and micronutrients, and are typically combined at an adequate rate within liquid, powdered or granular nutrient supplements called “base nutrients”. Base nutrients supplements are systems of fertilization that contain most of, or all of the essential elements necessary for plant health and stability. In short, plants can remain healthy throughout periods of growth and bloom if the essential elements for health are met with the supplementation of “base nutrient” systems. However, to elicit a crop’s most desirable output, other nutrients called “additives”, must be used with meticulous care in periods of early, middle and late flower.  

For more information read our blog
What Are Base Nutrients? 

Nutrient Requirements During Flower

As mentioned above, there are 16 essential plant nutrients that are needed to maintain healthy patterns of growth. During the periods of early, late and middle flower, however, some of these elements, most notably phosphorus and potassium, are needed in greater quantities to help support the development of fully established and sugar-coated flowers. Follow the passages below for a look at bloom boosting supplements that can help your crop reach its full potential throughout all stages of the flowering period.

Early-Flower

Depending on the genetic characteristics of your crop, plants will typically begin to exhibit signs of budding 10-14 days after the initial setting of a 12-hour photoperiod. During this stage of early flower, gardeners will typically be able to make out a female plant’s elongated pistils, or maybe even the first formation of flower sites. To speed up this transition phase and to help encourage the formation of new, developing flower sites, gardeners can include a heavy phosphorus and potassium supplement into their established feeding routine. GreenPlanets’s PK Spike, for example, is an excellent source of clean and quality sourced phosphorus and potassium; and, if used in conjunction with a base nutrient regime, PK Spike can quickly increase root-mass, speed up the production of flower sites and strengthen a plant’s cell walls for the later support of heavy flowers. 

PK Spike provides flowering plants a boost of Phosphorus and Potassium to increase and support flower production.

Mid-Flower

The middle of the flowering stage is an extremely important period of growth for plants. At this stage, a plant’s metabolism has completely committed itself to the process of converting elements into energy which it then sends to the formation of large, developing flowers. With this process moving quickly along through weeks 3-5 of the flowering period, plants, while still needing adequate amounts of (N), (P) and (K), often become deficient in starches that are used in the conversion of elements into useable energy. To combat this issue and to assist your crop in producing its highest potential output, consider using a well-rounded and tested bloom booster that is accompanied by an array of simple sugars. Massive Bloom Formulation is a good example of a product that contains a solid blooming N-P-K of 1-2-3, as well as carbohydrates derived from yucca and molasses extract.

Massive Bloom Formulation is a great additive to help increase size, aroma, and flavour of flowers.

Late-Flower

Between the flowering weeks 5-7, your main bud sites and colas should have taken on their finishing shapes and size. However, what might be missing in the late stages of flower development is hardness, weight and density. If the environmental conditions of a garden are less than ideal, for example, if temperatures or humidity percentages reach inadequate levels for extended periods of time, mature flowers can begin to wilt, lose rigidity, and become soft or sponge-like. To increase late-flower hardiness, consider adding a high potassium supplement like GreenPlanet’s Dense to your existing feeding routine. Dense will assist in providing your plants with the potential to redirect energy at the cellular level, leading to increased tightness and weight in the final weeks before harvest. 

Dense gives your flowering plants a huge potassium-boost to help them produce heavier, denser flowers.

Whatever your style of garden, chances are, GreenPlanet Wholesale has the perfect equipment to get you started. To access the products available at GreenPlanet Wholesale, contact a member of the GreenPlanet sales team, or your local garden supply store for product information and purchasing inquiries. 

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