Why Air Porosity Matters So Much in Cannabis Cultivation

What’s the air porosity of your growing media? The answer can make a big difference on the health of your cannabis plants, the size of your yields, and ultimately, on your business profits.

What is Air Porosity?

When it comes to growing media, every product contains solids – what you think you see. But what about the empty space between, around, and in the solids? This is referred to as pore space, and pore space provides room for air – hence the term air porosity.

Air is essential to cannabis plants (more about that later), so you should use a growing media that has plenty of pore space. Too much solid in the growing media means there is very little room for air. As a result, air porosity will be lower as will the health or your plants and your yields.

2 Critical Reasons Higher Air Porosity Is Important for Cannabis

Higher air porosity does two things for cannabis plants that make it essential. First, on a macro level, when your growing media provides more pore space, there is more room for the roots to develop. With a bigger root structure, your cannabis plants can take in more food and water, making the plant healthier and less susceptible to pest and pathogen risks. That’s great for your business.

Second, with higher air porosity in the growing media, more oxygen is delivered to your plants’ roots. Oxygen is crucial for cannabis plants to grow optimally. With enough oxygen, your cannabis plants will grow bigger and faster, and your yields will increase. Again, that’s great for your business.

Bottom-line, using a growing media with a low air porosity leads to poor plant health, increases susceptibility to pests and pathogens, and won’t maximize your grow. This is not an area where you should try to cut corners because the results will speak for themselves.

Next Steps for Cannabis Cultivators

Higher air porosity in your growing media should be a top priority, so do your homework, compare air porosity between brands and products, and choose the solution that will give you the best results.

For example, most growing media used by cannabis cultivators have two levels of pore space – macro-pores and micro-pores. That’s nice but you can do better. In addition to those two levels of pore space, bio365’s growing media includes a third level of pore space – nano-pores. This level of pore space is part of bio365’s patented biochar technology, and it opens a microscopic level of pores for your cannabis plants. That means your plants get more of the air they need, develop a bigger and better root structure, and can access that air consistently.

Analyzing air porosity across bio365’s entire growing media product line, air porosity ranges from 20-24% while competitor products’ air porosity ranges from 4-18%. Take a look at the chart below to see how the air porosity in some of bio365’s growing media products compares to similar competitor products. Every percentage point counts when it comes to your root growth and health, which corresponds directly to your plant growth and yields.

In the competitive cannabis industry, every little thing you can do to improve plant health and increase yields so you can consistently deliver high quality crops will help your business. Air porosity is an important piece of the puzzle for cannabis cultivators to gain a competitive edge.