Fluence offers horticultural cannabis grow light solutions that commercial cannabis growers can use to differentiate themselves in a fiercely competitive, diversified, and expanding industry.
Fluence’s Horticulture Service Specialist, Franz Josef Sima, gives insight and advice to farmers who are interested in venturing into the legal medical cannabis industry. He also shares how LED lights are essential to the growth of cannabis.
Understanding LED products for cannabis
There are distinct differences between growing medical cannabis indoors versus outdoors. In outdoor production, mass production is a common strategy. Large crops make it possible to produce tetrahydrocannabino (THC) in large quantities, extract it, and bring it to the medical cannabis market. Any variations in crop quality are offset by the enormous quantity of medical cannabis that is being produced. Of course, outdoor crops are subject to pests, disease, and weather anomalies which can affect a growers profitability from harvest to harvest.
Growing medical cannabis indoors offers growers significant advantages for maximizing the quality of their crops. To realise these advantages, growers must balance many factors. “For indoor operations, growers must control the temperature, humidity, and light intensity, as well as details like microbial pressure,” says Sima. Although it is a lot to manage, this added level of control allows growers to optimize the quality of each harvest and maximise their profitability.
“I see a lot of production sites that have received significant funding from investors, so they have a lot of financial power, but they do not have the right facility design in place or the right team,” says Sima. These facilities will struggle to compete with growers who approach their operations with a comprehensive strategy and knowledgeable partners.
Fluence and its history
Fluence, founded in Austin, Texas in 2013, was the first to build custom-spectrum LED solutions and introduce white light that mimics sunlight to the horticulture industry, a stark departure from the inefficient lighting systems cultivators previously relied on. This created a watershed moment across the global horticulture industry. Fluence lights used less energy, lasted longer and ran cooler, enabling tiered setups that multiplied indoor grow spaces while achieving impressive savings in energy, HVAC and water costs.
“It’s a very interesting story because about 10 years ago, you could not find quality e LED lights on the market. I remember I was working at a grow shop as a shop assistant and then as a shop leader. We had overpriced lights with very bad quality and the wrong spectrum for cannabis,” Sima says.
In South Africa, Fluence has partnered with The Lamphouse to help serve this rapidly growing market. “Together we have developed a very robust system to help our customers find the best lighting solution to meet their unique growing needs. says Sima.
In 2021, Sima was called to work in Lesotho on a medical cannabis project. “After two weeks of working there and helping the production site, I was requested by a company from Cape Town to assist with their operation.”
Once in Cape Town, Sima got together with one of the oldest farming operations in pears and apples, which was looking to diversify into medical cannabis.
Mzansi’s diverse customer base
A lot of Sima’s focus these days is on South Africa because the country has such a diverse customer base. “I am consulting with young investors who came from the crypto curre ncy space and are now integrating into the medical cannabis space, to traditional farming businesses that have operated for centuries. The landscape is incredibly diverse.”
“We work and consult with everyone in this space. To be honest, it is very nice and extremely exciting to see the diversity in South Africa,” he says.
Advice to people starting in the industry
Don’t be hasty about expanding your business; it is important to take your time and grow slowly, Sima advises.
There are quite a few LED lighting solutions on the market, but Sima recommends following the experts. “When it comes to business keep it more pro than bro,” he says. He further notes that in the cannabis industry, there is a lot of “bro science” which are anecdotes and myths on how to grow cannabis. Again, follow the professionals, says Sima. “And do not get distracted by flashy cannabis products on the market. Oftentimes they are overpriced and unproven.”
“Keep your plants sterile but grow your business organically” advises Sima. There is proof that when you keep your plants in a good environment, properly control all the environmental factors including pests and diseases, you maximize the quality on your plants. And that means that you get a faster return on your investment and you can grow your business organically.
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