Published on 04/10/2023
Welcome back to our Cultivation for Compounds (CfC) consortium article series! For the October release, we contacted MJ-Tech, the consortium’s partner for the high-pressure fog system. Before we begin, for our new readers, the CfC is a four-year research and representation program dedicated to cannabis cultivation. This article is the sixth of this series.
For over 30 years, MJ-Tech has been installing high-pressure fogging solutions. Showcasing various applications, including livestock barns, industrial settings, and numerous greenhouse-related setups. Cannabis cultivation belongs to one of the “younger” crops. Numerous installations have been made for it in the last 5-10 years in North America. More recently, Australia, Europe, and other locations have also become involved. It also varies from recreational purposes to medical-oriented purposes depending on the legal context applicable in a country. “There were not a lot of opportunities to go into detail about how high-pressure fogging is applied (yet). Being a member of the CfC consortium provides chances to create more insights.”
For this interview, we contacted Rob Kwinten, Business Development Manager at MJ-Tech. With years of experience focusing on the cannabis market. Rob dedicates his daily attention to cannabis cultivation, as well as to vegetable and berry crops around the world. “We ensure our customers understand how to use fogging effectively under specific greenhouse conditions while considering outdoor factors to set the correct parameters in the climate computer.” Rob stressed the importance of knowing how and when to use a high-pressure fogging system. “Some people do not realise the many strong and unique advantages of fogging. Therefore, one has to realise that when used wrong, it can ruin the crop”.
Rob mentioned that joining the CfC consortium had several benefits for MJ-Tech. One of the key points was to gain a better understanding of how to use fogging correctly in cannabis greenhouse cultivation. This understanding covers the different growing phases: from mother plant production to propagation, vegetative, and flowering phases. “With each trial conducted, knowledge will be gathered regarding the added value of fogging in conjunction with products from CfC partners in cannabis cultivation. For example, can we create a more resilient plant at the early stages to reduce issues during later growth phases? Overall, the collaborative work, with all available knowledge openly shared among consortium partners. It offers a great opportunity to develop more quickly and effectively in the industry.”
“Moreover, there is a business-oriented benefit as well. The marketing advantages a consortium like CfC offers are valuable. We strive to ensure that everyone is aware that MJ-Tech is an active and knowledgeable player in the international medical cannabis sphere. Finally, we know our clients will benefit from our participation in the CfC. As a company, we are not only providing the installation to the market. But the right valuable knowledge and support accompany it.”
MJ-Tech conducted research and growing trials of various crops worldwide. “We have clients in the cannabis industry, and their results are mesmerising, but we want to know more. If everything is perfect and known, you do not need research. Nonetheless, it is far from reality, especially in such a young and developing industry as medicinal cannabis. Conducting research and trials is the time to make mistakes and learn from them, to be able to prevent your clients from making them.”
This inspiring statement led us to discuss the challenges of MJ-Tech during the CfC. “With the start of the project, the facility was built from scratch. It took us some time to reach a state where we have full control over the climate. Finding the balance, such as determining the optimal fogging settings in the climate computer. This was the first step and first struggle, which by now, we have overcome, of course.”
Rob shared with us a few of the things MJ-Tech is paying closer attention to. They would like to learn more, “Is it possible to use fogging as a technique to create a stronger cannabis plant (i.e., more resilient against pests, diseases, and fungi, such as botrytis)? While maintaining a consistent yield year-round? These are especially important for the demanding and strict medicinal market.Another point is that with crops like cucumbers, growers know when they’re using fogging correctly. Therefore, they would like to know, can it happen with cannabis too?”
To research all the aspects Rob mentioned, the team will need to adjust the fogging settings during the trials. “Fogging depends heavily on specific conditions and can’t be changed arbitrarily,” Rob explained. “We make adjustments based on the findings from each growing cycle. We ensure the climate remains optimal for the plants and confirm that any changes won’t negatively impact the trials or research questions of other consortium participants.”
This raised an interesting question: What should researchers consider to determine whether fogging might negatively impact their trials? Rob explained, “There are a few points of attention concerning the climate conditions of course, nevertheless, the set-up plays an important role as well; what density the plants are growing at, the amount of micromole light, type of light (HPS, LED or hybrid light), airflow in the facility, and growing system (e.g., tables or gutters), all these are affecting the fogging settings. Following these adjustments is very interesting for MJ-Tech to see what the impact of all these modifications on the plant and product quality will be.”
Looking into the future, MJ-Tech expects to achieve and fulfil its goals set before the start of the consortium, providing straightforward answers to all the questions set in advance. Specifically, this includes optimising fogging settings to enhance cultivation, improving plant quality and resilience, and achieving consistent yields and product quality. Likewise, from a technical point of view, aim to gain a better understanding of the installation for various possible goals. For instance, determining which nozzles to use in different growing setups, the optimal amount of moisture to introduce into the air during various growth phases, and other considerations.
Rob summarised, “By the end of CfC, we want to have created a step-by-step manual for our clients with all the information they should know to be able to apply correctly throughout annual multi-cycle cannabis production using a high-pressure fog system.”
* Cultivation for Compounds is partly funded by the PPS surcharge for research and innovation from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.