Learn How Mobile Vertical Growing Racks Can Benefit Your Cannabis Grow
Since the cultivation, purchase, consumption, and selling of cannabis was decriminalized in 2018, cannabis has become one of the most profitable crops in America. According to reports, farmers across 39 states in the US planted about 465,787 acres of hemp in 2020 alone, increasing the number of hemp growers by 27% from 2019. As such we’ve seen an increase in demand for mobile vertical growing racks.
Marijuana and hemp are easy to cultivate; they grow vigorously, developing dense foliage in as little as 3 months. This makes it a crop you can cultivate in numerous seasons throughout the year. But what if we told you there was a way to make your indoor grow room even more productive?
Over the past few years, many commercial cannabis growers have incorporated vertical farming equipment into their grow operations, resulting in great success and more bountiful yields.
This article will offer insight into some of the benefits of using these mobile vertical growing racks. Before we get into that, however, let’s look at the basics of vertical farming.
What Is Vertical Farming?
Vertical farming is a method of farming in which crops are planted in vertically stacked tiers. This allows growers the opportunity to take advantage of all the space in their grow room. Space is a limiting factor for most indoor cannabis farmers. Vertical grow racks enable you to grow multiple layers of crops in the same room, thus doubling, and even tripling your yields.
Investing in mobile vertical grow racks is a great way of scaling up as a commercial marijuana farmer. Such a system increases output and ultimately results in higher cannabis profits. What’s more, this equipment can be customized to suit each grower’s unique needs and specific grow space.
What Are Mobile Vertical Grow Systems?
There are many different types of vertical farming equipment on the market today. These include mobile vertical grow racks, table top castor units, and mobile carriages. Mobile carriages have an axle and spoke that allows you to move the racks back and forth. These mobile grow systems utilize aisle space without forcing you to compromise on plant access.
Benefits Of Using Vertical Farming Equipment To Grow Your Cannabis
Cannabis and hemp can thrive both indoors and outdoors. While there are some benefits to growing these plants outdoors under natural sunlight, some farmers, especially those that want to grow year-round and have to combat the seasonal climate change, opt to go with an indoor operation.
Vertical farming is the future of cultivating marijuana and hemp. If you have yet to set up a mobile vertical grow system, here are some reasons as to why you should.
1. Grow Racks Eliminate Wasted Space
A typical one-tier system wastes a lot of space, both horizontally and vertically. By utilizing the mobile capabilities that these systems offer, farmers are able to maximize their potential yields by eliminating unwanted aisles. These systems can often stand over 24′ high, which also helps to utilize all the vertical space that often goes to waste.
2. Grow Racks Allow You to Make the Most of Your Capital Costs
Running a commercial grow room comes with several costs. You will need to set up lighting equipment, heating equipment, air conditioning and more. You will also spend quite a bit on energy costs. If yours is a one-tier grow room, you aren’t getting the most out of the capital you put in.
Successful businesses are those that get the most value from their capital costs. This translates to larger profit margins.
3. Vertical Farming Technology Creates A Controlled Environment
One of the biggest benefits of practicing vertical farming in an indoor space is that you get to create a controlled environment. Cannabis plants require specific optimal conditions to grow healthy and productive, and indoor vertical farming helps meet these needs.
An indoor vertical farm helps you set up conditions such as temperature, humidity, and airflow in a way that best suits your plants. This results in healthy crops and eventually more yields. Vertical growing racks are equipped to support all your lighting and ventilation accessories, making it easy for you to provide your plants with good growing conditions.
4. Mobile Vertical Grow Racks Make it Easier to Expand Your Own Business
As your business continues to progress over time, you will need to scale up. Traditionally, you’d have to expand your grow space to grow more crops- especially when farming outdoors. This makes it very expensive for you to scale up.
However, going vertical and utilizing vertical growing technologies will allow you to increase your canopy space without needing to expand on your overall space. Growing out is exponentially more expensive than growing up; vertical growing racks make it possible to increase your yields, which in turn improves your sales, thus making your operation more profitable.
5. Vertical Farming Equipment Creates A Safer Grow Room
Many farmers that run single-tier grow operations tend to fill the space with as many plants as they can. Such a room will become overcrowded pretty quickly, making it hard for you and your staff to maneuver around. This lack of access will make it difficult to provide all your crops with the maintenance and care they need.
Vertical indoor farms, on the other hand, are typically very well planned out and organized. Since they utilize vertical space, you won’t need to save room by creating smaller aisles. This will provide you with enough access to all your plants.
Being that these systems sit atop mobile carriages, it’s possible to eliminate all the wasted aisle space created by a non-movable system. A mobile system only needs enough space to create one aisle. This aisle is then created whenever access to a certain section of the unit is needed.
6. Grow Racks Helps Use Utilities More Efficiently
As we’ve mentioned above, running an indoor marijuana grow room comes with certain needs and costs. You will need to provide resources such as light, heat, humidity control, and even a ventilation system.
A single-tier grow room utilizes only a small percentage of available space, yet you’re paying to heat up the entire room. This has negative implications on energy use and is a step back for climate control. Installing vertical farming equipment ensures you’re utilizing the entire space and that you’re using your resources and utilities more efficiently.
7. Mobile Vertical Growing Racks Have Great ROI
Purchasing vertical growing racks is a great way of investing more capital back into the business. Vertical grow racks make it possible for you to scale up in production, thus helping you create more revenue for your business. Although these systems have significant upfront costs, they more than pay for themselves in the long run.
Vertical farming equipment comes with a great return on investment. If you’re looking to expand your business, these racks will be a great place to start.
How Do I Start An Indoor Vertical Farm?
If you’re looking to convert your commercial cannabis grow room into a vertical farm, we’ve got you covered.
You’re probably wondering how much vertical growing racks cost and how long they last. Our products are manufactured using 14 gauge steel and are therefore very durable and strong. What’s more, they come with a 10-year guarantee and warranty, demonstrating our confidence in their quality.
We offer free consultations and computer-aided design services to all our clients. If you aren’t sure if your grow space is ideal for vertical farming, we can appraise it for you.
We’re dedicated to ensuring every commercial indoor grower gets the most out of their space and the equipment they purchase. Contact us for a free quote, and trust us with your grow operation.