Roots is proving it can grow even BIGGER cannabis crops – without the greenhouse

Interim results from open field tests show the weight of cannabis crops supported by Roots’ technology increased by 40 to 272 percent.

Special Report: Roots Sustainable’s innovative technology has proven successful in increasing the size of a number of crops in greenhouses – from lettuce and basil to chives and cannabis.

But now, a new proof-of-concept suggest the company’s Roots Zone Temperature Optimisation (RZTO) technology is also effective in increasing the size of cannabis crops in open fields, even in frosty growing conditions.

Interim results released today show that using the RZTO system on cannabis crops in an open field resulted in anywhere from a 40 to 272 percent increase in average plant weight compared to unheated crops.

Roots’ RZTO technology heats or cools the roots of crops as needed in one system, mitigating against daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations.

Roots brings the heat

The pilot, which was conducted in Washington State in the US, showed that the technology could effectively stabilise the crop’s root temperatures despite air temperatures dropping below zero degrees centigrade.

Multiple different cannabis strains were tested, demonstrating the potential of the technology to be used across the budding medical and recreational cannabis industries.

“Companies like Roots are in a sweet spot in the US cannabis market at present,” said Roots CEO, Dr Sharon Devir.

“The recreational cannabis market in the United States has developed rapidly with many crops now being grown in the open field due to lower initial capital expenditure.”

“However, as cannabis prices have fallen due to an increase in supply, growers are needing to turn to ag-tech equipment to dramatically improve crop yield and quality.”

The proof-of-concept was conducted in collaboration with American Farms Consulting and its clientele of licensed cannabis producers.

Its CEO Elad Kohen said the system will help growers turn less than ideal growing conditions into a lucrative opportunity.

“The recreational and medical cannabis markets are highly competitive with growers increasingly looking to new, clean technologies to increase profitability and extend growing cycles.”

“Roots’ RZTO technology has allowed our clients to better control crop climate during the tricky fall conditions, dramatically increasing wet weight by as much as 272 percent.

Based on the local Washington state price per gram (US$0.30) this yield increase can equate to an additional income of US$60,000 to US$405,000 per acre for 40% to 270% yield increase respectively.”