The balance btw plant density and crop health

Added on 21 December 2022

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The balance btw plant density and crop health

One of the goals of facility optimization is to maximize crop yields. This is especially true with cannabis. Every square inch of flowering space needs to be as productive as possible. Chronically low yields can place a cultivator at risk of going out of business.

Plant density directly correlates to crop yield — the more flower sites per square foot, the greater the output. But there is a trade-off when a grower stuffs as many plants as possible into a grow room. Dense canopies encourage foliar diseases such as powdery mildew, and cannabis growers are limited in the kind of chemistries they can use to prevent and control disease outbreaks.

While there is no universally recommended planting density for cannabis, most indoor and greenhouse bench production programs utilize flowering plants at an average of .65 to one plant per square foot. That means for every 4 feet by 4 feet of canopy, growers will average 10 to 16 flowering plants.