Monitoring, Controlling and Automating Your Cannabis Cultivation Facility

When it comes to climate control, cannabis cultivators often group monitoring, controlling and automating the various aspects of their grow under one umbrella, but the three concepts are actually quite different, and each is an important piece to the indoor environmental control puzzle.

Monitoring systems provide cultivators with data for review. While many variables can be monitored in a cultivation system, most commonly monitored are temperature, relative humidity, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), CO₂ concentration, light levels, air movement and soil moisture levels.

“There are sensors out there for pretty much anything, so we have a lot of options when it comes to monitoring,” says Agrios Global Holdings Chief Technical Officer Andrew Lange. “The more we monitor, the more data we have to optimize our grow environment.”

Of course, simply placing sensors anywhere in a cultivation area will not automatically provide useful data, he adds—proper placement is important. For example, Lange recommends placing CO₂ monitoring sensors near the canopy, and at the same level, for obtaining more accurate concentration levels.

Sensor resolution and frequency must also be considered, Lange adds, noting relative humidity (RH) measurements as an example. “If our sensors are only accurate within 5 percent RH, then we can only be within a plus or minus 5 percent range for that data. If you want tighter tolerances, which is recommended, then you need a higher-resolution sensor. Also, if your sensor is only giving you one data point every 10 minutes instead of every minute, then you will generally see larger swings and less stability when taking the next step to control it.”

Controlling is the next piece of the climate control puzzle and allows cultivators to act on the data they receive while monitoring.

“Controls allow us to turn that data into actions,” Lange says. “For instance, if we have monitoring equipment for something common like temperature, it’s going to tell us that our room is 74 degrees Fahrenheit (F), but that’s it. Now, with controls, we can input a target set point of 72 degrees F, and when our monitoring equipment says our room is at 74 degrees, the controls system determines that is above the target temperature and will turn on the air conditioners in that space until it hits the 72-degree target temperature.”

Controls come in multiple configurations, from basic on/off controls to predictive software that helps optimize efficiency as it performs assigned tasks.

“Controls allow us to fully use the monitoring data we are collecting and truly help increase the quality of product produced as well as improve consistency,” Lange says.

Automation occurs when a control system is set up to replace manual responses to the monitoring systems. “We are automating some processes by completely removing the manual steps that our control system has taken over,” he says.

In the above example where temperature is monitored, for example, the monitoring system could send an alert that the temperature is outside the desired target; adjustments to the temperature setting can be made manually, or as in the example cited, the control system can automate that task.

“Automation can be implemented in many areas of the cultivation and processing side of the business to increase consistency and reduce labor costs,” Lange says.

Automating watering or potting are useful cost-effective improvements in cultivation, Lange says, while automating trimmers and packaging equipment can decrease the costs of post-harvest processing.

“The goal with automation should always be an increase in consistency with a decrease in labor,” Lange says.