Marijuana Business Magazine - February 2018

clover, with earthworms providing additional nutrients. When the plant is harvested, it’s cut at the soil level and the root mass remains. “There’s a living ecosystem in each soil bed,” Hollister said. The no-till method, coupled with the use of LED lighting, has cut five to six days off the flower time, from start to finish, Hollister said. That allows his team to harvest the crop sooner. Cutting Sky-High Energy Costs According to federal data, Alaska has some of the highest energy costs in the nation, with businesses there paying anywhere from 70%-120% more for electricity than the average U.S. company spends. To be as energy- and cost-efficient as possible, Pakalolo is in the process of transitioning from Illumitex lighting to Fluence Bioengineering’s SPY- DRx PLUS, a full-spectrum LED unit designed for close-proximity, con- trolled environments. Through online research, Hollister discovered that LED lighting – versus 1,000-watt HPS technology – would slash Pakalolo’s energy costs by more than 40%. “LED technology has been moving faster than cell phone technology,” he said. “Using LED lighting instead of high-pressure sodium lighting, we’ve saved 40%-50% of our energy out of the wall. Most high-pressure sodium lighting pulls 1,000 watts out of the wall, and we pull 660 watts.” As Pakalolo has transitioned to using Fluence Bioengineering’s lights, it has experimented with using the SPYDRx PLUS systems in conjunction with the Illumitex lighting. The Paka- lolo team has arranged the lights in a checkerboard fashion, and Hollister has observed more growth on the sides of the plants directly exposed to the SPYDRx PLUS units. The new lighting has resulted in higher yield and better plant struc- ture, Hollister said. In some strains, he said, cultivators have seen more than a 50% increase in yield from previous harvests, and each strain has set new yield records since the lighting switch. Hollister attributes this to the LED lighting – as well as Pakalolo’s holistic cultivation strategy and improvements in air flow throughout the grow. Pakalolo’s team installed fans on the floor of the aisles near the back of the grow to carry air up from near the ground and blow it back through the canopy. Team members also installed ducts to bring in cold Alaskan air from outside that can be used most of the year. And they added air-conditioning units to have year-round control of the temperature in the rooms. “Each strain is slowly improving,” Hollister said. “We’re by no means experts or masters, but we’re willing to evolve and we’re constantly look- ing for ways to problem-solve and be as efficient as possible so we can grow healthy, natural cannabis.” ◆ Specailty pre-rolls like Paka Palm have proved popular among Pakalolo Supply Co. customers. Photo courtesy of Pakalolo Supply Co. Since transitioning to Fluence Bioengineering’s lights, cultivators have seen more than a 50% increase in yield from previous harvests – something Pakalolo Supply Co.’s team attributes in part to lighting. Photo by Robin Wood, courtesy of Pakalolo Supply Company February 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 85

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