5 Trends for Commercial Cannabis Cultivation in 2022
The cannabis industry, including medical and recreational cannabis, growing about 20% to 30% from 2016 to 2021. In 2022, the cannabis industry is expected continue to grow. Most botanical medicines are cultivated and produced in limited countries. In contrast, cannabis is cultivated almost all over the world. In other words, cannabis industry is such a competitive and fast changing market. Commercial cultivators have to pay attention to the trends to reap more profits. However, relevant policies, production, and technology are changing fast. To handle the rapid changing market and achieve desired growth, it is critical to know the trends of commercial cannabis cultivation for this year. This post will talk about five trends that are vital for commercial cannabis cultivation in 2022.
1. Legalization continues
More and more states passed the legalizing laws from 2016 to 2020 in the US. There was a dramatic breakthrough of legal cannabis in 2021. More than 50 new laws about the cannabis reform were enacted in 2021. Moreover, 16 additional states recognized and legalized cannabis industry. Legalization will continue in this year. An increasing number of states will legalize cannabis in 2022, but federal government is less likely to do so. For example, marijuana no longer exits on the list of Schedule I drugs as it was removed by the law in April 2022. Except for the legalization of marijuana, the law also eliminate the criminal penalties for marijuana cultivators. Generally speaking, the increasing awareness of medical benefits of cannabis drives the legalization. Cancer and severe illness are more prevalent among the aging population, and aging of population is getting worse. Thus, demands of medical cannabis product increase. Commercial cannabis cultivators can gain more profits from the legalization and steadily needs of cannabis.
2. Emphasis on water conservation
Cannabis requires a large amount of resource to grow, typically the water. For indoor growing, water is irreducible all year round. The accumulated water consumption could be an amazing huge amount. Outdoor cultivation has a higher water consumption in late summer and early fall. However, water shortage is becoming more and more serious. What makes it worse is the extreme climate, like the serious drought. Actions for water conservation is imminent. Therefore, water conservation is one of the hot topics in this year. Regardless of indoor or outdoor cultivation, growers are taking action to reduce water usage. Some growers irrigate outdoor cannabis plants during low-light period, such as early morning and dusk to reduce water evaporation. Other growers plant the cannabis in a container to save water. Most indoor cannabis growers adopt high-tech and smart control system to monitor humidity condition, and only irrigate the plants when they are needed.
3. Increase in indoor cultivation
Although outdoor cultivation of cannabis is still more widely used than indoor cultivation, indoor cultivation of cannabis keeps increasing. Global warming, climate changes, development of urbanization, and the increase of urban population, urge the adoption of indoor cultivation. Outdoor growing environment is hard to control, especially the changeable weather. Once cannabis cultivation encounter extreme weather, it will be a great disaster for growers. It means that all efforts of growers are in vain. Furthermore, outdoor cannabis cultivation also is faced with the attack of pests and insects. Indoor growing, such as greenhouses and vertical farms, has better resistance to unpredictable weather. Other growing factors, such as temperature, humidity, and lighting can be controlled precisely, providing optimal growing environment for cannabis. From meeting the needs of the growth of cannabis, growers are able to achieve stable quality, higher productions and yields. Compared to outdoor cannabis cultivation, indoor cultivation may cost more for establishing infrastructure and purchasing equipment. But the average cost will be cut down over time.
4. Utilize LED grow lights
A significant trend of commercial cultivation in this year is the increasing utilization of LED grow lights. It goes without saying that light plays an important role in cannabis growth. Light in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) has significant effect on plant growth. What makes LED grow lights popular is their customized light spectrum. With optimal light spectrum, cannabis are able to grow fast, robust, and healthy. As a result, LED grow light contribute to better quality cannabis and higher yields.
The rapid increase of indoor cultivation also accelerates the utilization of LED grow lights. Cannabis not only requires a large amount of water but also the light. LED grow lights can supplement light for greenhouse cannabis during cloudy and winter days. For vertical farms, LED grow lights are the sole light source for cannabis. Compared to traditional light sources, LED grow lights have longer lifespan, higher efficiency, and lower energy consumption.
5. Focus on production efficiency
All cannabis growers focus on production efficiency this year. There was an immense drop of wholesale flower price in California in 2021. Because of the increase in supply and production, the outdoor flower price declined as much as 60% while the indoor flower price dropped up to 20%. The dropped price cuts down the profit of growers. It also draws the attention of growers to production efficiency. To reap more profits, all commercial growers are aimed to reduce costs and increase production efficiency. Selecting the right and effective LED grow lights a one of the key points to reduce operational cost and improve production. Atop provides LED grow lights that are easy to set up to save your installation and operational cost. These LED grow lights also have optimal spectrum and even coverage, which is able to increase production and yields.
Contact us, and find out LED grow lights that are capable of reducing operational cost and providing high production efficiency.
