“We had a lot of 40-degree weather in Portugal this year. We use a fog system to keep the temperatures in the greenhouse down. Usually, we can keep the temperature in the greenhouse around the same as it is outside, but sometimes the inside temperature even reaches 45 degrees,” says Rob Smallman, Director of Cultivation & Post-Harvest at Curaleaf International’s Portuguese facility. Now that the days are luckily cooler again, humidity has taken its place. “We now have to deal with lots of rain and humidity levels of around 80-90%, which isn’t good for the plants either. Growing in a greenhouse, you’re constantly faced with such challenges.”
On the left: Rob Smallman
Air movement and genetics
As the company is growing cannabis in a greenhouse that was originally designed for vegetables, they have been on a journey to figure out how to best adapt the environment to cannabis. “For cannabis, a positive airflow greenhouse works the best. That’s why we’re still adding to the air movement and ventilation, especially for the heat as well,” Rob says. “Now that the humidity is a problem, air movement continues to be a major focus. We don’t have dehumidifiers or air conditioners, but we use ventilation to play with the air.” The company also uses radiant heating that is put on the floor throughout the canopy of the plants. “Even in the summer, we heat up that area so that it dries the area up with radiant heating. It’s a nice solution that helps quite a bit.”
Still, such high temperatures can make growers quite nervous. “Therefore, you have to rely on the right genetics. If you don’t have the right genetics, you will run into mold problems, foxtails, and airy flowers,” Rob says. That’s why the company is in the midst of trialing 10 different genetics, with another 90 coming in. “We’re constantly upgrading and seeing what works in our temperatures. This is especially necessary when growing cannabis in a greenhouse, as it is the most difficult way of growing cannabis, in my opinion. Once an indoor facility is properly set up, you just have to hit a button, and all the parameters are perfect at all times. Outdoor growers have the air movement, which prevents the humidity issues that greenhouse growers have to deal with. Greenhouse growing is tough, but it is a fun challenge,” Rob says.
So, how did the plants react to the heat? Not all genetics enjoyed the summer weather, according to Rob. “Some new genetics we tried out didn’t like the heat at all, while some other genetics loved it, and there were no issues. That’s where we weed out the weak and keep the good ones, constantly cycling that until we have a nice library that can handle our conditions.”
The European market
When it comes to the European cannabis market, Rob is positive about the forecast. “Germany opening their doors slowly kind of slowed things down. I feel bad for the companies that were relying on that German fire. It is happening slowly but surely in Europe, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We want things to be done correctly, which takes time.” For Curaleaf’s Portuguese division, the UK is their biggest market. “On top of that, every few months, we’re going into new markets, such as Poland, Italy, and Germany. Things are looking up in Europe, there continues to be an increase in patients in many countries,” Rob says.
For more information:
Curaleaf International
www.curaleafinternational.com