InSpire’s Chief Technology Officer, Robbie Batts, was recently interviewed by Dr. Ricardo Rivera on the Cannabis Science Podcast. Dr. Rivera is a faculty member of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of British Columbia and the host of Cannabis Science Podcast, a show dedicated to answering questions about cannabis: its uses, preparations, products, and constituents. Cannabis Science Podcast uses the most recent and corroborated scientific data from both industry and academic sources.
Robbie shared his expertise in engineering, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and dehumidification to explain how ideal temperature, moisture and technology work together to help plants stay healthy and thrive. As humans, we need certain temperatures and humidity levels in our environment in order for our bodies to perform at their best. When conditions drift outside these ranges and are too high or too low, bad things can start to happen. The same concept rings true for the cannabis plant.
“When it comes to the challenges of growing organisms indoors, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and dehumidification (HVACD) equipment is the first line of defense in preventing mildew outbreaks and pathogen outbreaks,” explains Robbie. “It’s the key to keeping plants as healthy as possible so that when something does come around that can challenge the health of the plants, we have the ability to fight it off.”
Robbie and Dr. Rivera go on to explore a variety of topics:
- Why Robbie prefers to use the acronym HVACD as opposed to HVAC
- The ten key environmental inputs that affect plant health and vitality
- Why temperature and humidity matter and how they interact with the plant
- The concept of transpiration while growing plants indoors
- Ideal environmental conditions for cannabis cultivation
- Using environmental control to prevent pest and pathogen outbreaks and meet testing requirements
- The role of lighting equipment in temperature and humidity levels
- The background of InSpire Transpiration Solutions and how our company came to exist in the cannabis space
- Common misunderstandings surrounding vapor pressure deficit (VPD)
Dr. Rivera ends the interview with the question, “What do you think most people still misunderstand about HVAC?”
To find out the answer and listen to the podcast episode in its entirety, visit https://cannabis-science.zencast.website/episodes/53. Interested in learning more about how environmental control and HVACD systems can help you reach your cultivation goals? Contact the InSpire team today.