Dispensary Storage

7 Mistakes to Avoid with Cannabis Dispensary Storage

7 Mistakes to Avoid with Cannabis Dispensary Storage

Dispensary Storage

Make the Most of Your Space!

When it comes to cannabis retail, there can be many obstacles to face even before opening your doors to your first patient. Sooner than later, you might run out of storage space with all your inventory and rising cannabis brands in the industry. Where will these products all go? Dispensary storage is no different than general retail storage, and mobile shelving is the preferred storage method for most of the nation’s top retailers. Pipp has dominated the retail storage industry for over 40 years, helping retailers maximize stockroom storage space and finding innovative ways to keep the area clean and organized.

Below we have compiled a list of mistakes to avoid with your dispensary storage to help you stay ahead in this rising, fast-paced industry.

1. Brand Positioning in Back-of-House

MISTAKE: Unorganized Back-of-House

Clear organization is essential in keeping the back-of-house free from cluttering. Consistent and clear brand representation throughout the dispensary is necessary to create a cohesive and memorable customer experience. Before starting, dispensaries should clearly understand what message they want to communicate to their customers and with the brands they carry.

 

SOLUTION: Use Storage Systems to Access Items

Using a well-thought-out storage system to access brand-specific products will allow quick inventory access. Utilizing shelving units with individual storage compartments or shelves for each brand will allow for dedicated and easy-to-manage brand locations. Our Back-of-House Secured Mobile Storage solutions are available in various configurations to meet your cannabis-secured storage goals. They are suited for dispensaries using labeled bins or boxes to store items from each brand separately.

2. Architecture & Construction

MISTAKE: Not Enough Storage Space When First Designing

Cannabis dispensaries running out of storage may face several challenges, including stocking popular products, decreased sales, and potential regulatory issues. It is crucial for dispensaries to carefully manage their inventory and storage space for cannabis to ensure they can meet customer demand and comply with local regulations.

“When I managed a dispensary, the biggest challenge for us by far was not having enough secured storage. We had to order smaller quantities until we retrofitted the secure storage room (vault) to accommodate more products. The regulations from state to state varied greatly on secure product storage for cannabis, making it difficult to find the right compliant solution for us; it required talking to an expert who understood the technical specs.”

– Anders Peterson, Cannabis Operations Specialist at Pipp Horticulture.

SOLUTION: Working with Pipp to Maximize Square Footage Design

Consider Secured Storage or a Mobile Storage System to maximize square footage in small spaces. You can design and construct your area to incorporate built-in storage solutions such as robust pry-resistant doors, a fully welded closed tube frame, a three-point rod locking mechanism, tamper-proof hardware, and our secured storage options.

Secured storage provides more space and helps keep inventory protected and organized while storing more goods in a fixed space. Storage capacity increases can range from 35 to 50 percent utilizing high-density mobile shelving.

If increased storage capacity isn’t the goal, an additional advantage of choosing high-density mobile shelving is to decrease the overall storage footprint in your store. Mobile shelving allows for a specific amount of marijuana storage in a smaller space, freeing up other square footage for selling floors or other elements needed in the store.

3. Organization for Inventory

MISTAKE: Disorganized Inventory

Cannabis dispensaries without organized inventory can face many challenges, including difficulty tracking product availability, inaccurate sales reporting, and decreased customer satisfaction. Dispensaries need a system for inventory management to ensure smooth operations and happy customers. 

SOLUTION: First In, First Out Concept (FIFO) with Secured Storage

Creating a First In, First Out (FIFO) concept with secured storage means that the items are retrieved in the order they were stored, ensuring that the oldest items are sold from inventory first. This system can be helpful in various situations, such as inventory management or product freshness. 

4. Climate

MISTAKE: Forgetting About the Details

It is essential to ensure that cannabis dispensaries’ storage rooms utilize climate control measures to maintain appropriate temperature and humidity levels. Mistakes in climate control can lead to the product’s degradation and failure to maintain proper humidity levels. Failure to maintain climate control can cause mold and mildew to grow on the packaged plants, affecting the potency and quality of cannabis products.

SOLUTION: Storage Systems with Powder Coating

Implementing storage systems with a powder coat paint or zinc-plated finish can address climate control concerns in cannabis dispensaries – with appropriate temperature and humidity levels, helping maintain a clean and safe environment for storing products and extending shelf life.

5. Designing with Employees in Mind

MISTAKE: Not Considering Employee’s Workflow When Designing

Designing a cannabis dispensary with employees in mind requires considering their safety and comfort while creating an efficient workflow process. It’s essential to consider the back of the house in these considerations. Providing adequate employee training to operate the dispensary safely and effectively is vital to a successful team. 

 

SOLUTION: Creating an Efficient Workflow with Secured Storage

Establishing transparent processes and procedures is essential to improving workflow efficiency. A mobile storage system with secured storage can allow for a more efficient existing workflow by removing fixed aisles and more efficient use of square footage. Secured storage can help create a system that tracks inventory and limits access to authorized personnel – preventing theft or unauthorized use of products. Additionally, regular audits can help ensure regulatory compliance and identify potential issues early on.

6. Cleanliness

MISTAKE: Unreachable Areas to Clean

Having areas that are difficult to reach and clean regularly can cause inadequate cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces and equipment and failure to store and label products properly. These mistakes can lead to potential health hazards for employees and customers. Following proper cleanliness and cannabis storage protocols ensures a safe and healthy environment.

SOLUTION: Regularly Cleaning All Surfaces Easily with Mobile Aisles

Creating a schedule that includes regular cleaning of all surfaces and training staff on proper cleaning and sanitizing procedures helps ensure everyone follows the same guidelines while utilizing secured storage options like Secured Storage Systems and Mobile Storage Systems to store products safely and securely. Implementing a system to ensure that all products are organized and easy to find makes cleaning and sanitizing the area more long-term manageable.

7. Personal Employee Items Security

MISTAKE: No Area for Employees Belongings

Not providing a designated space for team members to store their personal belongings on the job can lead to cluttered work areas and potential security issues. Dispensaries need to prioritize the safety and comfort of their employees by providing adequate storage solutions for personal items.

SOLUTION: Secured Employee Lockers

Using employee lockers can help keep the workspace organized and provide a secure place for employees to store their personal belongings. There are various options with employee lockers, from different heights and size openings to other door options that include solid, ventilated, and even see-through.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, Pipp Mobile Storage Systems have a 40-plus-year history of providing storage solutions. Retail Dispensary Storage is the latest application where our wide variety of products can improve efficiency, workflow, security, and overall employee satisfaction.

Our team of in-house experts can provide detailed storage area designs, goal specific shelving elevations, offer a turnkey experience by installing the fixtures, and solve storage concerns in the retail dispensary market. Our products solve the storage issues for many of the top specialty retailers in North America.

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Pipp Horticulture at Culta in Maryland

9 Common Grow Room Problems to Avoid

9 Common Grow Room Problems to Avoid

Cultivating Cannabis at Culta with Pipp Horticulture Racks

You’ll likely encounter a few setbacks when first entering the cannabis industry. Learning what does and doesn’t work for your business takes time. Still, having a basic understanding of best practices beforehand can help you avoid common cannabis growing problems. 

You’ve invested so much into this space, and you want operations to run smoothly! So, how can you dodge the biggest pitfalls that can make or break grow room success?

We’re here to help you protect your investment by explaining 9 mistakes cannabis growers frequently make when getting started. Use this information to stay ahead of the competition and reap the benefits of a thoughtfully planned grow room.

Here are 9 common cannabis grow room mistakes to avoid:

1. Neglecting Utility Infrastructure

Plant count constantly changes as you develop as a business. However, the canopy footprint (or total bench area) is constant. Not understanding how much space you need to house your crop and accommodate expansion can cause substantial problems down the line. 

Do your plants have enough space to move and develop freely? Is your veg room large enough to meet your flowering goals? Can you easily implement new equipment and technology based on your canopy footprint?

These questions should guide you as you plan a grow room. If you struggle with maximizing your space, mobile vertical grow-racking systems can help you gain square footage without sacrificing quality.

2. Neglecting Utility Infrastructure

Assuming your new property has enough power, gas, and water to run your multi-tier grow facility can cause delays. 

For example, running too much equipment without adequate power can be hazardous. Dealing with electrical shocks and shorts can cost you valuable resources, yield, and time. Insufficient water flow can impair your ability to properly care for plants, ultimately impacting your entire operation.

3. Cutting Corners

Cultivation facilities are expensive, especially for a newcomer to the industry!

You may be tempted to cut corners by buying cheaper equipment or skimping on automated technologies. However, doing so means sacrificing yield, quality, consistency, and efficiency. 

Growing cannabis is a precise science. Even if you’re an expert cultivator, the wrong layout, tools, or growing media can destroy any potential to succeed or earn profit. How can you focus on creating a thriving grow room if your equipment keeps breaking or your employees lack the proper training?

4. Wasting Valuable Grow Space

One of your goals as a cultivator is likely to boost yield capabilities and profitability. Unfortunately, operating a single-tier growing platform cannot accommodate substantial expansion. 

Cannabis needs room to grow, meaning horizontal square footage dictates how many plants you can cultivate. Not taking advantage of your entire vertical canopy footprint limits your facility’s potential to increase inventory, implement new equipment, or introduce additional strains.

5. Hiring the Wrong People

“You get what you pay for” is unequivocally true in the cannabis-growing industry. Don’t assume anyone can handle the fast-paced, intense, and hands-on workflow that comes with cannabis cultivation. 

Potential hires can put whatever they want on their resumes–not checking their references or experience can mean dishing funds into more training or fixing their costly mistakes on the job. Even if they excelled at a smaller facility, can they manage thousands of plants as opposed to a few hundred?

6. Implementing Poor Environmental Controls

The initial costs of choosing reputable equipment can deter any grower, especially one who hasn’t yet turned a profit. However, long-term success is limited to good environmental controls. 

A poor airflow design is perhaps one of the most common cannabis growing problems–practical and consistent air circulation is pivotal throughout the entire cultivation process. Ultimately, a shoddy airflow system can result in many cannabis growing problems, including mold, bud rot, delayed growth, disease, and even plant death.

7. Choosing Inefficient Lighting

High pressure sodium (HPS) technology can be inefficient at converting electrical energy into usable plant light. Moreover, removing HPS-generated heat requires more cooling capacity, which can be an additional expense when designing your grow room.  

Alternatives like compact fluorescent lights (CFL) are inexpensive but power-hungry and short-lived. They are also generally only suitable for clones or seedlings. Ceramic discharge metal-halide (CDM) lamps provide a slightly better balanced light spectrum but are costly and unreliable.

Plants require various levels of light across development stages–your lighting layout and choices should account for these differences. Light exposure can dictate growth, flowering, and yield, so one mistake along the way can prove catastrophic to your crop.

8. Forgetting About Sanitization

Dirty facilities without proper reset and sanitization protocols increase the chance of disease, mold, pest infestations, and plant death. You also face the risk of failing regulatory lab tests. 

For instance, poorly cleaned or neglected equipment can be breeding grounds for pathogens like pythium. These fungi can wreak havoc on roots before your plants have time to thrive. Furthermore, two-spotted spider mites can house themselves in unsanitized pots, only to reemerge once new seedlings are planted. 

The worst feeling a cultivator can experience is failing a lab test or losing a harvest batch they just spent months growing.

9. Overlooking the Importance of Balance

Balance is the key to successful grow room design and operation. Are watering rates balanced with dehumidification capacity? Does your lighting align with CO2 levels? 

Every system within your grow room works in harmony. If you just think about your fertilizer solution or irrigation strategy, you fail to recognize other parameters that disrupt this harmony.

Finding Solutions to Cannabis Growing Problems

Creating a cannabis grow room is a huge undertaking–missteps are normal and expected along the way. Still, you can limit the risk of unplanned expenses and setbacks by educating yourself and your team about common mistakes. 

The Pipp Horticulture team can help you avoid these mistakes when growing cannabis. Pipp has a team of experts available to you with a combination of over 50 years of cannabis growing experience. We have engineered various cost-effective solutions to exponentially grow up to 5x more by maximizing cubic grow space and creating more efficient workflows. 

Moving forward with Pipp Horticulture means working closely with our in-house professional engineers, CAD designers, sales support, and experienced cannabis operators. Let us help you maximize your production capability, reduce operating costs, and increase your overall revenue per square foot!

Here are a few ways to avoid falling victim to cannabis grow room mistakes:

  • Run estimates: Estimates ensure you have a realistic overview of where you can allocate funds, whether to expansion or essential changes (e.g., purchasing new equipment). This data can limit delays, meaning you can get to work faster. 
  • Connect with local services: Engage with your local utility providers to estimate the timeline and cost of upgrading your facility to meet demand. 
  • Start out on the right foot: You must invest in efficient technologies to survive in today’s indoor cannabis market. For example, vertical farming can have a higher upfront cost. However, this asset sets you up for success with a lower production cost. 
  • Vet potential employees and partners: Investing in the right team will pay off in the long run! Engage experienced consultants, architects, engineers, and contractors specializing in building an indoor cannabis facility. Connect with the Pipp Horticulture team when considering a team!
  • Choose multi-functional solutions: The patented Vertical Air Solutions (VAS) system is designed to work with an HVAC system specified for vertical farm size and growing methods. The VAS system lets you control environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, airflow velocity, and CO2 levels, optimizing plant health and finished product quality.
  • Build up: Multi-tier farming may have a higher upfront cost. Still, the ability to produce more products in a smaller overall footprint is inherently more efficient and cost-effective. 
  • Simplify sanitation: Save yourself time and energy by using equipment designed to stay clean. Pipp Grow Racks have an E-Coat base and a powder coat top layer, providing antimicrobial and anti-fungal effects. 

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Oakfruitland Vertical Farming

Everything You Need To Know About Vertical Cannabis Farming Systems

Everything You Need To Know About Vertical Cannabis Farming Systems

Cannabis Vertical Grow Rack System

Although the legal cannabis industry is over a decade old in some states, it’s still a nascent industry compared to other agricultural sectors with proven best practices and equipment. The processes, techniques, and tools used to grow commercial cannabis are constantly evolving to optimize and streamline operations. Due to this rapid advancement, many ideas, systems, and strategies are antiquated and becoming obsolete. 

Growing Cannabis Vertically

Still, one concept expanding exponentially and here to stay for the foreseeable future is growing cannabis vertically. Vertical farming, when done correctly using vertical cannabis grow system, can significantly increase output, standardize operations, and maximize the overall efficiency of any commercial cannabis grow operation. Implementing vertical farming and space optimization strategies throughout the facility can reduce per-unit costs, allowing operators to take greater profits or stay competitive in more mature markets with declining prices. 

If you’re wisely considering investing in mobile vertical cannabis grow systems, read on to learn more about the benefits and what you’ll need to get started.

Advantages of Cannabis Vertical Grow Systems

While traditional horizontal growing is appropriate in specific scenarios, it leaves valuable space emptying many facilities. Incorporating vertical grow systems into your operation allows you to leverage every inch of your grow room to maximize profits while saving you money on alternative production space expenditures.

For example, sophisticated vertical cannabis grow systems can support strategies around efficient, closed-loop water systems to reduce water usage and associated costs. A well-designed irrigation plan should minimize and recapture run-off, in turn saving substantial amounts of money on water and sewer fees by capturing, treating, and reusing water.

Other advantages of vertical cannabis grow systems include:

  • Reduction of per-unit costs
  • Increased horizontal canopy space through the elimination of stationery aisles and the creation of mobile aisles via mobile carriages
  • Reduced need to buy or lease additional property for expansion
  • Standardized and streamlined cultivation processes and practices

Necessary Components of Vertical Cannabis Grow Systems

Oakfruitland: Vertical Farming Equipment and Components of a Vertical Grow System

Growing cannabis in a controlled-environment indoor grow facility offers a high degree of stability and control when combined with the proper tools and systems, including vertical cannabis grow system. To better understand the necessary components of commercial cannabis grow system, it’s important to understand the variables of growing cannabis. 

These variables include:

  • Genetics
  • Weather
  • Light (intensity, spectrum, cycle)
  • Temperature (ambient, canopy, sub-canopy, media)
  • Humidity (RH, dew point)
  • Airflow (ambient, canopy)
  • CO2 (quality, delivery)
  • Media (type, volume)
  • Irrigation (type, frequency, volume, treatment)
  • Fertigation (type, concentration, schedule, mixing)
  • IPM (microbial, viral, pests)
  • Plant maintenance
  • Support

All of these variables impact the final product sold to consumers and contribute to the costs of goods sold (COGS), which all play a part in any grow operation’s profit margins. In other words, to have control over these variables is to have greater control over how much money your business makes. Utilizing vertical cannabis grow systems in your operation helps standardize and better control some of these variables when designed, installed, and commissioned correctly.

How To Set Up a Vertical Cannabis Grow System

Vertical cannabis grows systems can require more planning than traditional grow operations because you need to evaluate multiple variables on multiple levels that can all impact one another. When setting up your vertical grow racks and mobile carriages, be sure to consider the following:
 
  • Floor levelness
  • Ceiling height (including ductwork and any other objects hanging)
  • Drain locations
  • Door locations
  • Columns and other obstructions and their potential interference
  • Local municipal building codes
  • Multi-level access equipment clearance (OSHA-approved ladders or man-lifts)
  • Workflow and ergonomics
  • Product lead times
  • Installation 

Hiring certified and experienced professionals to help you design, outfit, and set up your vertical grow system is wise. Working with providers like Pipp Horticulture allows access to seasoned professionals who can review architectural layouts and designs and make recommendations for maximized space utilization, elevations, and integration with other components. Additionally, Pipp can provide grow room dimensions for maximizing canopy, workspace, and airflow.

Flora Terra - Pipp Horticulture Mobile Vertical Grow Racks

Tips for Maintaining Your Vertical Cannabis Grow System

If your vertical cannabis grow system is made with aluminum and galvanized or stainless steel components, there’s a good chance it will require little maintenance. Wheels should be sealed bearings, so no lubrication or maintenance is necessary. Wiping down racks and trays, vacuuming debris from the floor, trays, and tracks, and using ozone, UV, Bio-Foam, and Bio-Fogger to sanitize your equipment will help maintain a healthy growing environment.

You will also want to check and perform suggested maintenance on your drains regularly. Make sure to keep drains clear of debris and monitor your entire plumbing as fertilizers and other chemicals and solutions can corrode pipes and joints.

Safety is a big concern for any commercial operator. Ensuring your Team has easy access to the plants on the upper level of your cannabis grow system while minimizing their reach and fall risk is crucial for owners and managers running a tight ship. Ladders, lifts, and scaffolding can get the job done, but they’re more dangerous than other options. Pipp’s ELEVATE™ Platform System is a robust, lightweight, portable deck that allows cultivators to access the upper levels quickly, efficiently, and, most importantly, safely.

The Future of Cannabis

Because of the rising demand for recreational cannabis and the growing list of medical uses of the plant, the need for indoor-grown cannabis shows no signs of slowing down. The combination of demand, land pressure, and increasing rents will prompt cultivators to embrace more efficient cultivation solutions like vertical farming. 

Vertical farming techniques allow growers to maximize their output and consistently provide locally grown cannabis to consumers in urban centers. Vertical cannabis grow systems will continue to optimize and drive efficiency in cannabis and other indoor agricultural sectors while reducing inefficiencies commonly associated with indoor farming.

Pipp Horticulture is the leading space-saving mobile indoor vertical grow racking systems provider. All Pipp Horticulture products are made in the USA and integrate with other essential grow equipment like lighting, irrigation, drainage, and airflow systems.

Vertical farming with Pipp Horticulture can maximize production capability, reduce COGS, and increase overall profitability.
 
 
 

Call us today to take the next step and learn more about vertical commercial cannabis cultivation!

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TerrAscend

Pipp’s Mobile Vertical Grow Racks Lift Farmers to Higher Ground – Max Yield Magazine

Pipp’s Mobile Vertical Grow Racks Lift Farmers to Higher Ground – Max Yield Magazine

TerrAscend

Pipp Horticulture featured in the latest Maximum Yield article

Leading mobile vertical grow rack provider, Pipp Horticulture, is paving the way for indoor and greenhouse growers looking to maximize their space and cultivation production.

After 40 years of dominating the mobile storage industry, it only took a few short years for Pipp Horticulture to become the industry-leading provider of mobile vertical grow racks, focused on the mission to develop the most innovative products specifically designed to meet the needs of indoor growers. The company passionately and meticulously meets the needs of its clients. With over 2,000 installations worldwide, their innovation and commitment to continual improvement have enabled them to stand out and expand their leadership position in this niche industry by eliminating obstacles, increasing efficiencies, and boosting revenues for indoor growers.

Pipp and its partners, Greenhaus Industries and Vertical Air Solutions (VAS) were awarded several U.S. patents for their indoor mobile vertical farming systems and airflow solutions. Additionally…

To check out the full article about Pipp’s groundbreaking products and services for cultivators across the globe, check out Maximum Yield’s full article, “Pipp’s Mobile Vertical Grow Racks Lift Farmers to Higher Ground,” with the link below!

Click Here!

Flora Terra

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Cannabis Conference 2022

Vertical Farming | What To Know Before You GROW UP!

Vertical Farming | What To Know Before You GROW UP!

Cannabis Conference 2022

The Pipp Horticulture team is no stranger to the Cannabis Conference stage. During the 2022 Cannabis Conference, Pipp’s team of cultivation professionals and engineering experts took the stage during the final day as session speakers! Michael Williamson, Director of Cultivation at Pipp Horticulture, James Cunningham, Co-Founder and Director of Cultivation at Vertical Air Solutions, and Del Rockwell, Product Manager at Pipp Horticulture, discussed the essential considerations behind space planning and design for a multi-tier indoor cultivation facility. 

During the Technologies and Solutions Session on Vertical Farming, Michael Williamson, Director of Cultivation at Pipp Horticulture, stated, “With everything in cannabis, it’s all about the little details.” Four main topics were discussed during the session when considering “What To Know Before You GROW UP!” Below you’ll find the key takeaways on how to improve your safety, ergonomics, and productivity.

Vertical Farming Space Planning & Design Layout

Mother Plants

Currently, we’re seeing many different trends in the cannabis industry, particularly around vertical farming. Everyone is used to double or triple multi-tiered environments for their clone rooms, but we are now seeing a shift from having huge mother plants to having multiple mother plants in a two-tiered environment. Typically, you see traditional cultivators with huge moms taking as many cuttings as possible, cycling through their mother plants much faster, with a three-month life span. When going from a single-tier to double, you’re getting twice the amount of healthy, viable clones. Cultivators are now getting healthier plants, more healthy cuttings, and reducing pest and disease risks.

How High Can You Go? 

Cultivators still need to consider the layout of the entire facility. It’s vital to support your flower room and the volume of plants while considering the design regarding your operations workflow. “It’s tempting always to go as high as possible and as long as possible,” Del Rockwell states, “but many growers saw a ‘sweet spot’ at about 32 to 40 feet in length. We see about 12 to 14-foot tall works for most facilities for shelving.” Del states, “We can go longer,” but you have to consider how you will access everything, how effective it will be, and what the quality of the plants you will get from labor and access.

Air Circulation

When constructing the growing area, you’re putting layers across the room with an HVAC design and adding circulation to create a homogenous environment. “Many of us in the indoor space came from single-tier cultivation, where you have a big open ambient space between the canopy and the ceiling in the room,” James Cunningham states while discussing air circulation in the grow space. James continues, “Combining all this equipment into one room creates an impediment for the supply air coming from your HVAC and for your transpiration and heat load from your lights to get trapped in. As the distance shrinks from canopy to ceiling, the grower will need to find a way to create consistent temperature and humidity in the space. By introducing Vertical Air Solutions to your growing operations, you’ll receive mixing chambers bolted to the outside of the racks with inline fans to pull conditioned and dehumidified air. You strategically supply conditioned air to each tier space, creating consistency and a dissatisfying microclimate through the canopy.”

Design and Mechanical Engineering

“Design and mechanical engineering behind your HVAC are very important in your cultivation space,” notes James discussing the difference between a successful and low microbial or low melt mold and mildew crop. Design and mechanical engineering are one of the most overlooked aspects of the process, taking into account the supply, layout, and innovation at the beginning before it’s too late.

Environmental Control Needs

Regardless of your approach to sizing your HVAC, growers need to understand how to supply air strategically to their vertical space. “To drop the moisture out of the air, you have to cool it rapidly to get the air to condense and then supply it back to the room with a reheat element,” James stated. Typical HVAC systems installed into grow operations exchange air only a few times per hour; however, Vertical Air Solutions expects 20-30 complete room air exchanges per hour. The supply and returns can make a world of difference in the performance of your plants and mitigating disease.

Genetics and Key Traits

Thanks to Vertical Air Solutions, “now I can grow any cultivar,” Michael reflected during the discussion with James about his past focus on growing only certain types of cultivars in a vertical farming environment. With years of experience, James states, “what landed us being fairly successful in vertical spaces was understanding the genetics and knowing what we were getting into.” In the beginning, running Indica-dominant plants that didn’t stretch too far can now work with any strain but also introduce the Sativa-dominant plants that grow in the lights.

Vertical Farming
Sozo Vertical Farming

Labor Optimization 

When thinking about single-tier grow operations, most are growing plants roughly five to seven feet tall, working on a rolling bench, and climbing a ladder to get to the very top. Pipp Horticulture considered this and “was the first to come up with a catwalk system that is seamless and easy to put into a system,” Michael states while talking about Pipp Horticulture’s ELEVATE™ Platform System. By incorporating ELEVATE™, growers no longer face challenges in a multi-tier environment. Employees can reach their level in a second or third-tier setting feeling safe and secure. Safety was one of the most critical priorities regarding design, flexibility, and efficiency. “One of the largest expenses you’re going to have over the lifetime of this facility is the labor expenses,” Del states. Anything to optimize and reduce the time spent on processes will be beneficial. When it comes to labor also comes liability. We always want to keep people and their safety first. 

In Conclusion

Shifting from a single-tiered grow room to a multi-tiered vertical farming environment helps optimize space and maximize profits. Subscribe to the What To Know Before You GROW UP podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts to stay updated with the latest cultivation tactics and industry trends.

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Vertical Air Solutions – Dry Ice Test for Cultivation Airflow w/ James Cunningham

Vertical Air Solutions – Dry Ice Test for Cultivation Airflow w/ James Cunningham

Vertical Air Solutions – Dry Ice Test for Cultivation Airflow w/ James Cunningham

Vertical Air Solutions – Dry Ice Test for Cultivation Airflow w/ James Cunningham

James Cunningham, Founder of Fog City Farms, Co-Founder of VAS & Director of Cultivation, shows vertical air solutions velocity with dry ice!

Vertical Air Solutions

Introducing the new dual 12 inch system that the team has developed for lengths 40 feet and longer. One major point to understand is when using vertical air solutions, you’re getting a system sized to the length of your racking. This ensures that you get a s much airflow as you could ever want at the longer length. Designed by a team having lifetime experience in designing HVAC in the proper configurations for HVAC equipment.

With the new dual 12 inch system at 65 feet long in racking length, the Fog City Farm team is able to create 200+ feet per minute, 36 inches below the system. The method is super efficient, consistent and you’re getting all the airflow you could possible need.

Check out the video below where in the vertical air solutions research and development facility testing some dry ice at about 5 feet below the system to really show how much air is actually moving!

Watch below for more information from James himself!

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Vertical Air Solutions at Tru Infusion

Vertical Farming Tips: Cleaning and Sterilizing with Vertical Air Solutions

Vertical Farming Tips: Cleaning and Sterilizing with Vertical Air Solutions

Vertical Air Solutions at Tru Infusion

James Cunningham, Founder of Fog City Farms, Co-Founder of VAS & Director of Cultivation, shows you how to clean and sanitize the HVAC system in your vertical grow.

Vertical Air Solutions

Cleaning and sanitizing has never been easier! You wouldn’t think that cleaning and sanitizing would be so labor intensive and time consuming. Pipp Horticulture and Vertical Air Solutions listened to the market regarding the need for a more accessible way to clean. The team has made the inside duct work more accessible by removing the end caps, very similar to how you would remove your registers on your HVAC supply. This gives you an ample amount of room to use a duct cleaner and clean the inside of the surface.

When sterilizing in between rounds, facilities can use any sort of airborne or vaporized sterilization system to sterilize your entire facility. The Pipp and VAS team can recommend products for this! This procedure is not only helping save cost and time, but also is thinking towards the future of your facility.

Watch below for more information from James himself!

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Elevate Platform System

Keep Things Moving with Pipp Horticulture’s Mobile Vertical Grow Racks

Keep Things Moving with Pipp Horticulture’s Mobile Vertical Grow Racks

Elevate Platform System

It seems like there is never enough space. With the high costs of operating a grow, cultivators need every advantage they can get. So how do you keep more inventory on hand when every inch of your facility floor is occupied? Look up. Vertical grow racks can take advantage of the vast amounts of empty space you otherwise would never utilize.

Pipp Mobile Storage Systems Inc. has manufactured mobile vertical racking systems for decades, and that proved to be the perfect launching pad for Pipp Horticulture, a leading provider of indoor cannabis cultivation racking systems and solutions, which debuted in 2017. Although the company’s national sales manager, Curtis Dadian, admits mobile racking solutions are not a brand-new concept, he is excited about the impact they’re now having on a whole new industry.

“The value proposition or purpose of mobile vertical racking systems has always been simple,” Dadian said. “They dramatically increase storage capacity within a fixed space, providing double or triple capacity compared to static [non-movable] storage equipment. This objective is achieved through the proper design and implementation of a mobile racking system.”

Mobile grow racks eliminate the need for permanent aisles, providing more canopy space for crops and equipment.

“Through the use of well-designed and professionally installed carriage-driven mobile racking systems, aisles can be created throughout a facility when, where, and as needed,” Dadian explained. “This eliminates the need for permanent aisles to remain open at all times while being replaced with additional storage equipment and increased capacity.”

Pipp Mobile Storage Systems Inc. has been in business for more than forty years. The company applied its experience, know-how, and operational resources to designing a product line, especially for indoor cannabis cultivation and processing, which now is offered by Pipp Horticulture.

“Pipp Horticulture offers a full line of products designed for and offered specifically to the cannabis industry,” Dadian said. “This includes our integrated grow tray offering, our unique cultivation racking system — which allows for full pass-through of required equipment such as airflow ducting or continuous trays — our patented [Vertical Air Solutions] airflow system designed to mitigate microclimate issues that can arise in a multi-level grow space, and our Track-Free system, specifically designed for the cannabis cultivator to enable easier and more effective cleaning between harvests.”

Tru Infusion

Because these products are not one-size-fits-all and no two businesses in the cannabis industry are the same, Pipp offers customized solutions to meet unique requirements. Customers are encouraged to take an active role in the design process.

“During the design process, our customers are encouraged to participate in the review and analysis, providing access to the full breadth of the Pipp Hort team including sales, engineering, design, and cultivation professionals,” Dadian said. “We ensure each and every project is a true collaboration, because our goal is to help our customers reach and exceed their goals operationally and financially.”

One of the new products routinely praised by customers is Pipp’s ELEVATE™ Platform System. An obvious drawback to growing overhead is reaching overhead plants. The ELEVATE™ system allows cultivators easy access to the upper levels of their operations.

“Having to service upper grow levels by accessing them with a rolling ladder or lift isn’t thrilling work,” Dadian said. “Welcome ELEVATE™! It’s an integrated catwalk system that is easily installed and just as easily removed, creating a full-length walking platform [aisle] for a team of farmers to more efficiently perform their work, row by row. This product has been extremely well-received and remains in high demand with both existing users of Pipp Horticulture Mobile Vertical Racking Systems and brand new customers.”

Pipp is well-positioned to expand and take things to a whole new level (pardon the pun). The company recently acquired GGS Structures, which offers high-quality commercial greenhouse structures.

“With the addition of the GGS Structures brand, Pipp Horticulture is now able to deliver the full range of cultivation racking and benching equipment regardless of the size of the facility, type of structure, budget, or growing strategy,” Dadian said. “We are extremely excited about this acquisition and have already seen how naturally these two brands complement each other.”

Pipp is far from finished innovating, according to Dadian.

“After nearly fifty years of doing business, we have worked through operational and logistical challenges, established proven partnerships with world-class suppliers, developed an international installation network of resources, and more,” he said. “We look forward to announcing the next cannabis cultivation facility improvement system and family of products, coming to you soon from Pipp Horticulture.”

For full article, visit MG Magazine

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Space-Saving Solutions to Increase Profits with Michael Williamson

Space-Saving Solutions to Increase Profits with Michael Williamson

Space-Saving Solutions to Increase Profits with Michael Williamson

Space-Saving Solutions to Increase Profits with Michael Williamson

Could mobile racking and multi-tier cultivation benefit your operation?

Cannabis Business TImes sat down with Director of Cultivation, Michael Williamson, to ask four questions on how businesses could save money and increase profits.

#1. What are the benefits of mobile racking and multi-tier cultivation?

Space maximization. Pipp’s mobile racking allows for increased crop production, as there is a single mobile aisle that can effortlessly move between rows when and where access is needed, compared to fixed racking or benching, which consists of multiple permanent aisles in the same space. 

Stating the obvious, increased crop production equals increased revenue, so every square and cubic foot of production has a significant impact to the grower’s bottom line.

Michael Williamson and James Cunningham

#2. What are the key features of Pipp’s mobile vertical racking solutions and how do they benefit cultivators?

Growers and plants are at the center of everything we engineer. Our systems consist of lightweight, corrosion-resistant materials. The grow racks are powder coated with UV-stable and anti-microbial additives, along with upgrades of other components to stainless and galvanized steel to handle high humidity environments. Our tracks are ADA compliant and can be seismic compliant with our anti-tip features and seismically approved anchors. Our new patent-pending TRAK-FREE™ carriage system is a single guide rail along the back of the system, which reduces cost of materials and installation while leaving the entire floor open for easy access for carts, ladders, lifts, cleaning debris, and improves GMP compliance by eliminating tracks on the floor. Our trays were designed by our in-house cultivation and engineering teams to make them easy and faster to clean so growers can turn over rooms in less time to minimize downtime and maximize turns per year. Pipp’s ELEVATE™ Platform System is a lightweight and strong (tested at 4x capacity, per OSHA requirements) catwalk system that allows a single user to set up in a few minutes.

#3. What is the commonly overlooked aspects of mobile racking and multi-tier solutions?

 

Choosing the right partner is critical. We have an extensive infrastructure of suppliers, installers, and highly knowledgeable staff to ensure all needs within projects are met. While mobile racking and multi-tier solutions are relatively simple in concept, there are small details— such as not squeezing too much canopy into a room to allow good working space —that are important not to overlook.

In-rack airflow is another challenging area; this is why Pipp partnered with Vertical Air Solutions (VAS) to provide an integrated airflow distribution solution that helps reduce microclimates while efficiently moving air through the canopy.

Appropriately sized and engineered HVAC+D also is a major challenge. When plants are stacked on tiers, the total plant count increases, and therefore evapotranspiration increases. Under or oversized systems can result in poor plant performance.

Mobile Vertical Grow Racks

#4. Can you detail your cultivation team’s experience?

Pipp Horticulture is the industry-leading provider of vertical farming, greenhouse, and space optimization solutions. We work with commercial agriculture professionals globally, to design, install, and optimize operational spaces throughout cultivation, post-harvest, manufacturing, and distribution facilities through the implementation of the vertical and mobile rack, cart, and ventilation systems. The Pipp team merges over 40 years of commercial mobile storage experience with our in-house team of horticulture industry experts with over 50 years of operational experience in commercial agriculture and seed-to-sale cannabis production.

 

To read the full article, check out Cannabis Business Times 

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Oakfruitland Vertical Farming

How Oakfruitland Elevated Their Cultivation With Vertical Farming

How Oakfruitland Elevated Their Cultivation With Vertical Farming

Oakfruitland Vertical Farming

The cannabis market is fast-paced and changing daily. In the United States, sales of legal, recreational cannabis are expected to reach an estimated 25 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. Legal marijuana sales are forecast to increase steadily with each consecutive year, and regulators are hopeful for a decision on federal legalization by the end of 2022.

Oakfruitland began making waves in the fast-paced California market with their hand-trimming methods, where growers trim the leaves of each plant and flower by hand to customize the size, deliver premium quality, and maximize flower material. The care brought to their plants carried over to the cultivar, with their signature “Oak-Lato”, quickly becoming a California dispensary staple.

The demand for their product continued to increase rapidly and the leadership decided it was time to do something fast in order to greatly ramp up production. This is when they made the decision to shift their facility from single-tier HPS to multi-tiered vertical farming systems with LED technology.

The shift to vertical farming, alongside the implementation of integrated In-Rack Airflow Systems, took things at Oakfruitland to the next level (literally).

Oakfruitland: Vertical Farming Equipment and Components of a Vertical Grow System
Elevate Platform System at Oakfruitland

Oakfruitland nearly tripled its harvest by creating over 3,200 sq. ft. of canopy space in one of its grow rooms by implementing Pipp Horticulture Mobile Vertical Grow Racks and Vertical Air Solutions.

Now their cultivar is sold in a variety of dispensaries in California including Cookies, Berner’s On Haight, Jungle Boys OC and much more! The team at Oakfruitland took it a step furtehr and created an even more efficient workspace by hanging their Pipp ELEVATE™️ Platform near their vertical farming system! This makes for even quicker assembly – which means more time spent cultivating. 

Listen as Oakfruitland’s sales manager talks about working with Pipp Horticulture and how making the shift to vertical farming has been a complete game-changer for their cultivation facility.

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