Another Thanksgiving is here and there's plenty to be thankful for as a grower.
The progression of cultivation technologies and techniques just over the last 10 years has led to the establishment of national legal industries generating billions of dollars in revenue.
Without these innovations who knows where we would be as growers today. And that's why we should take some time on this holiday about giving thanks to appreciate how far we've come!
Irrigation
Remember the days of having to hand water everything, no matter how big your grow was? Most of us don't either. That's because irrigation has revolutionized the way we scale and manage our grows.
Hand watering has become a preference as opposed to a necessity now that companies like Netafim have made irrigation easily accessible and manageable for any scale of cultivation, whether it's just a couple plants or a couple thousand.
But what irrigation has really given us as growers is the ability to scale. There's no more need to worry about hiring extra hands to water as your operation grows. You can simply set up an irrigation system, and continually add on pieces to extend your system indefinitely. That's definitely something to be thankful for.
Double Ended Lighting
Single ended lighting systems have been and continue to be a standard for cultivators. But the invention of the double ended system has changed the way we grow yet again.
More efficient and more effective, double ended lights updated the old single ended model to allow lights to pull more power without using more power. While it's the more expensive option, more and more growers have started making the transition to double ended for it cost effectiveness.
DE lights can cover a wider area of space than single ended, and produce an even higher wattage output that is optimal for flowering plants. While many growers will still use single ended fixtures during their vegetative phase and even through flower, double ended has become the new standard, and for good reason.
Soilless Mediums
Plain old potting soil will always be a favorite for home growers and commercial growers alike. It's typically organic, and contains a lot of beneficial micronutrients that give your plants a healthy boost. But anybody who's a veteran soil user knows it isn't without its problems.
In comes soilless media like coco fiber, rockwool, aeroponics and others. These products made it possible for growers to worry less about soil drying out and running out of nutrients, and more about feeding the plants more often.
Because most soilless media is inert, nutrients are directly available to your plants as opposed to having to pass through layers of soil before reaching your roots. In other words, more nutrients reaching your roots means bigger, healthier plants. Who wouldn't be thankful for that?
Thankful for Another Season
One thing we can all be thankful for is another harvest in the books. It was successful for some and not so much for others, but at least we can keep growing!
There's always another season coming around the corner, whether you're getting ready for the next outdoor season, or preparing to grow indoors for the winter. It means we all get a chance to try something new, grow something we liked all over again, tinker and experiment.
So let's all be thankful this season for the plants we're growing, the good times we're having and the people we get to enjoy it all with and keep cultivating your legacy!