Cannabis Mother Rooms

Mother rooms for cannabis cultivation in greenhouse facilities

Mother room cannabis facility

The most common way to fill the mother room with the right plants is to use previously selected cannabis plants and clone these plants into an exact genetic copy of its host, the mother plant. The mother plant is carefully selected for its genetics, taking into account its properties such as plant size, flower size, flavors, CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content. Resistance against possible pests and insects usually achieve a higher medicinal use.

The mother room is kept at a consistent light regimen, temperature and humidity level. The mothers in the room last for about three to four months after which they will be replaced by new genetics or with previously harvested clones. This process of using clones to become mothers cannot be repeated indefinitely, but is a common practice to keep a very stable genetic.

Keeping the mothers for a longer period is not common in the commercial indoor industry, but it is possible.

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Mother room design

Room Function

To provide the mother plants with good light, climate and irrigation, they are kept separate in a private space from the final flower rooms, because the light schedule is such that the plants do not bloom, the so-called short-day plant. As cuttings are taken from the plant, the rooms are sterile. The cuttings leave a little gap, and this can cause problems if a good hygiene regime is not maintained in the rooms.

Light Schedule & Intensity

The light schedule is a long day: 18 hours with moderate light intensity of approximately 25-27 Mol per day.
The light spectrum is similar to that in the vegetive room and adjusting the spectrum of light color has not been possible, but using a mixture of different lights, like HPS or “Kwik” with LED, leads to an adjustable color spectrum. This provides a more natural cycle of light: blueish in the morning and reddish in the evening.

Temperature & Humidity

The temperature should not differ too much between day and night. In terms of energy saving and plant health, the cannabis plants may receive a cooler night. Taking into account that the temperature changes over the entire plant, it should not change by more than 2 degrees per hour, both up and down. Humidity levels are kept at around 60–70%

Irrigation Method

Irrigation for the mother plants can be done with drippers as they are normal adult plants. The recipes are chosen based on the genetic footprint of the plant, carefully monitoring EC and pH and selecting the right amount of nutrients. The control valves, the amount of water and the amount of evaporation should be carefully monitored so that abnormalities are marked and proper adjustments can be made. The irrigation amount is carefully adjusted in EC to allow proper fluid to flow through the plants.

Controls

The mother rooms are being controled with air movement, increase and decrease in humidity levels and heated and cooled room temperatures, to always obtain the proper vapor pressure deficit. This will prevent that the plants get stress, or worse, diseases and fungi.