Say hello to Sananbio! The rising legalization and growing use of cannabis for medical purposes in North America are expected to further propel its market growth. Countries in the region are actively liberalizing laws related to cannabis, especially for adult-use, which has driven the product demand in the recreational use application segment. Furthermore, an increase in the preference for Cannabidiol (CBD)-based products, such as food and beverages, cosmetics, and wellness products in the country also supports the market growth of cannabis. The U.S. House of Representatives just recently passed the MORE Act, a bill that would end the federal prohibition on cannabis, meaning that the U.S may have full entry of cannabis on a national level.
As we all know, cannabis requires a fair amount of light, that’s why it’s usually grown in a field where it has a long day of sunlight. Recently, the demand for medical cannabis has greatly increased, and more growers have started to try out greenhouse and indoor cultivation due to the regulations regarding the CBD/THC content. Replacing sunlight with artificial light provides indoor cultivation more certainty with steady yield. Sananbio’s PHX series was born upon the request.
Combined with experiences in real cultivation, Sananbio’s PHX 1.1 has different model types that are specialized for the vegetation, transformation and flowering period based on the results collected from the research on the spectrum and light intensity.
In the vegetative period for the cannabis, Sananbio’s LED panel provides the spectrum that balances well between double wave crests of blue, green, and red light, helping cannabis to grow rapidly with the robust stem in a controllable height. When the plant is healthy and robust, it won’t fall down easily during the flowering period, which will significantly boost the THC/CBD content.
Red light is included in the transformation and flowering period while the ratio and intensity of other lights in the spectrum is also adjusted for better growth of the plant. The endorsement of this optimized spectrum and ultra-uniform light intensity propels the pre-flower period to vegetation without plants being burnt, withered or yellowing. With a good-quality nutrition solution and gradually-increased intensity, the plant will grow stronger and bloom faster during the flowering period. Long and lush clusters of flower heads also can be easily achieved under this circumstance, most varieties are very productive, averaging one pound per flower and 10% more THC/CBD content.
PHX 1.1 comes with specialized spectrum for vegetative (CV spectrum) and flowering (CS spectrum) period of cannabis based on their growing needs:
– CV spectrum (Pic 1): 330 Watts with 860 µmol/s photons, uniform light to refrain plants from overgrowth
– CS spectrum (Pic 2): 650 Watts with 1755 µmol/s photons, 10% more THC/CBD content improved in sufficient light intensity
Its panel structure also provides ultimate light uniformity for the plant with better utilization of the light. The material of the fixture with an IP65 rating makes it ideal for high humid environments. Outfitted with an aluminum profile and a detachable driver, it dissipates heat efficiently and distances the heat source from the plants. It’s tested that the highest operating temperature of a PHX is 55℃ in an environment of 31.2℃. Thus, it can be well placed close to the canopy and serve a longer time.
Combined with their research regarding light recipe, temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration on the life cycle and effective content of cannabis, Sananbio is always striving to provide efficient solutions for indoor farming and cannabis cultivation. For instance, their team had run a trial on a specific variety of cannabis containing high CBD content between 6-9% with different light intensity of 600μmol/m2/s, 700μmol/m2/s, 800μmol/m2/s, and 900μmol/m2/s (under the same power consumption, growers can flexibly deploy fixtures in different heights to adjust the intensity). The result shows that intensity between 700-800μmol/m2/s is the most cost-effective for CBD accumulation while the range above 800μmol/m2/s doesn’t have any advantage besides more power consumption. In this case, as PPFD is only reliant on adjustment on the height, therefore, when it falls in the range of 800-900μmol/m2/s, the light is less uniform even if the average intensity is better. However, high intensity still improves the flower yield for other varieties in the usual manner.
Sananbio has been upgrading their product to better suit the needs of growers. The upgraded version PHX 2.0 is designed for light-intensive varieties, operating 750 watts with 2100 µmol/s protons. To assure high yield, sufficient nutrients should be given to the plant during their growth. Coupling the effects of nutrient absorption and spectral energy distribution is also an essential aspect to discuss in indoor cannabis growing as absorption rate varies in different ranges of wavelength.
PHX 2.0 covers the space of 6”×6” with the dimension of 1090mmx1085mmx55mm, which is smaller than regular products. Meanwhile it has the same light uniformity compared to other large size products. There is also adequate space between the fixtures to improve the air fluidity and temperature uniformity.
Besides grow lights from the PHX series, the company also has their product line of nutrient solution, clone grow lights, and grow systems. Their team has been exploring simpler and more efficient methods in indoor cannabis cultivation, aiming to provide better solutions for the growers.