While some cannabis farmers are content to sit back and ‘watch their plants grow,’ the top tier of commercial cannabis cultivators are not nearly so passive in their approach. After all, premium grade cannabis doesn’t secure its place on the top shelf by chance—it’s the result of high-quality cannabis plant genetics being ‘driven’ to produce the best quality, stand-out cannabis flower available on the market.
Think of crop steering as a mixture of art and science. The 'skill' of observation comes from intuition borne of observation skills and cultivation experience; the ‘science’ is derived from data measured from environmental and rootzone sensors, as well as stability and consistency in other areas, including the volume of growing media per plant, light uniformity, and air circulation. In other words, crop steering is a sort of ‘feedback loop’ of observation, experience, data, and action. The goal of cannabis crop steering is to exert the maximum granularity of control over your plants’ development each and every step of the way!
You’re Already Doing It…
Every indoor cannabis grower already knows at least one basic crop steering technique: adjusting the photoperiod. With the exception of autoflower cannabis varieties (which commence flowering regardless of day length), cannabis plants will only start the transition from vegetative to generative production once they consistently receive at least twelve hours of uninterrupted darkness each night.
Relatively few cannabis growers, however, fully appreciate that there are other ‘dials’ in addition to photoperiods that can be turned up and down during the cannabis life-cycle. By adjusting factors like irrigation frequency and shot size, nutrient solution composition and strength, lighting intensity and spectrum, as well as daytime and nighttime air temperatures and relative humidity, cannabis cultivators can induce flower development more rapidly, boost the production of terpenes and essential oils, and encourage ripening.
Hydroponics and Crop Steering
For the widest availability of crop steering tools, substrate-based hydroponics is undoubtedly the way to go. Growing without soil, where all nutrients are supplied in dissolved mineral form, confers the most control to the cannabis cultivator. Growers can not only precisely adjust the composition and concentration of supplied nutrients as their plants develop, but also enjoy a high level of moisture control in the root zone.
Example: Allowing the growing media to dry back and create slight drought stress can really help to expedite the transition from vegetative growth to flowering. The ‘double signals’ of a reduced photoperiod combined with a drier root zone can be particularly useful when taming cannabis varieties known for their tendency to stretch during transition.
Why Stone Wool is Your Ideal Crop Steering Co-Pilot
Cannabis growers are not short on choice when it comes to hydroponic growing media, but there is one option that truly stands out when it comes to maximizing plant health and crop steering potential: stone wool. Created from heat-expanded basaltic rock, spun like cotton candy, no other soilless medium offers the same level of control over water and nutrient delivery.
Unlike peat and coco based potting mixes, stone wool is inert meaning it doesn’t chemically interact with your nutrient solution. Stone wool won’t absorb nitrogen and calcium or interfere with your nutrient balance or pH in any way. The nutrients you mix up are the nutrients your plants actually receive. This very special trait allows growers to recirculate their nutrient solutions, unlocking huge potential savings on fresh water and mineral nutrient usage. Additionally, stone wool doesn’t produce loose particles that require filtering and doesn’t contain tannins that can reduce the efficacy of UV sterilization, making it easier to maintain nutrient solution quality.
Pre-formed stone wool grow blocks offer a perfectly consistent canvas with each plant enjoying the exact same volume of growing media. Root zone moisture levels can be precisely managed and replicated across the entire crop, leading to more uniform canopies that are easier and more efficient to illuminate.
