Hello,
I’m currently trying to get a medical cannabis growers licence. one of the questions for the application is how much I intend on growing, and how I came up with that figure.
I’m growing in a 1,000sm greenhouse with fully automated hydroponic, and temp/humid control. I’ve been looking around, but I haven’t found confirmed sources for this information. Is there public growing charts to compare against? And if not, what trusted sources are out there for yield to area estimates?
Thank you.
Shawn
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Hey! Good morning @shawnshampain and welcome to GN. There’s plenty of really knowledgeable growers willing to help here. I think @devjyarn will be the guy to give you a sensible answer!
If you need to tag someone, just put the @ in front of their names and they will be notified. Like @shawnshampain!
Good luck on your licence and have a great day!
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Hey! I was working with a guy neat Tauranga last year on a spec plan for a 2000m² greenhouse, but had to put the project on hold.
I’m guessing with NZ laws you’re growing for extraction? If you’re growing for extraction the concentration of whatever cannabinoid you’re after is a lot more important than the yield in weight. We’ll call that the API, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient, that you’re after. Choosing the right plants to extract is an important factor - you’ll need to harvest twice a plant that yields 10% THC as you would of a plant that yields 20%. Some plants extract better than others due to bud shape/size/density/resin formation.
Are you running any supplemental lighting to equalize DLI during your short days?
In my experience roughly 40g/ft² , about 400g/m, of dried/trimmed yield for the flowering area. Yield can easily be cut in half or doubled depending on a lot of things.
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Generally speaking a typical yield estimate is, 1lb/SF/Year mixed light greenhouse
0 75lb/SF/Year for indoor
SF is Square Foot
Assumptions you need to adjust for,
indoor assumes 6x per year, average is 5x
Greenhouse assumes you allso run light dep, etc. For continuous production.
That’s an average, I know some strains produce more, or less.
Then the wizardry and magic that master growers bring, which is consistency. Anyone can grow, but doing it consistently, is an art. Good luck!
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Hey all!
Thanks for the quick response @solairecapital @devjyarn @kapouic . For my application they’re only asking for a yield to area scale (not so much an expectation of API yield). My goal is to clearly grow as much as my space will allow for.
I am planning on splitting the green house into a 3 harvest per year set up, with blackout pull overs to induce flower in half of the house and other half will go all summer then naturally start flowering in fall. It is unclear if we will need lights at this time as the greenhouse is located at the very top of a small Mt and gets a bit of sun… but I am currently looking into it. I’m pretty sure I’ll have a smaller mother room/clonal room that will be fully lighted and I’ll try to grow my plants on there until I can put them into the main greenhouse.
I know there’s a LOT of variables and it doesn’t seem like a fare question to ask a grower before they have all the info (like what strains I’ll be working with).
I just know I have to sight my sources for my operational expectation on my application (for proof my information is valid in the eyes of NZ govt). It is also kind of odd to ask a grower to supply your contract with a supplier/manufacture when I can’t get a contract if I don’t have a licence to grow! (and round and round we go).
Would anyone be able to recommend a hydroponic food suppler that works well? Our PH is 6.8/7.0 so pretty neutral. I have found many suppliers, but I was hoping to find somebody that’s using a brand they have used and trusted for a few seasons if there’s anyone out there? Here in NZ finding consistent nutrient suppliers can be tricky, brands change and what you where getting isn’t always what you’re going to get. Sorry this was so long I only have about a dozen other questions.
Thanks again! it’s nice to speak with growers 
Shawn.
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All great answers very well said advice but the reasoning behind that question is to know how much your new business will be expected to pay in taxes… It’s in the file now 
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Get in touch with some of the greenhouse suppliers based around Tauranga. They can run give you the right kind of info regarding who you can send your water sample to, and who can make you a custom fertilizer that’ll work with your water.
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