A Guide for Building a 10,000 Square Foot Cannabis Greenhouse

Currently (at the time this was written in 2021), eighteen states legally allow recreational grow, and 36 states permit medical marijuana. The increasing legalization of cannabis provides a significant opportunity for those interested in commercial cannabis production. New Frontier Data forecasts legal cannabis sales to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16 percent, reaching $43 billion by 2025.

Are you ready to jump into the growing market of cannabis production? If you are, Allied Steel Buildings can help you quickly construct a large-scale steel greenhouse.

Since it is a controlled substance, you will need to obtain a cultivation license before beginning the process of building a cannabis greenhouse. 

Why Choose Translucent Panels Over an Enclosed Warehouse?

A 10,000 ft2 structure with translucent panels is a financially beneficial option for cannabis production due the transfer of natural light and lower building/operating costs.

Cost to Build a Steel 10,000 ft2 Cannabis Greenhouse

Commercial cannabis greenhouses costs start at approximately $25-$50 ft2**.
**Note: Drastic fluctuation in steel prices due to supply chain issues, material costs, and consumer demand can significantly impact a steel building’s costs.

Seven Environmental Design Factors for a Successful 10,000 ft2 Cannabis Greenhouse 

Design your greenhouse for your long-term business goals. For example, a greenhouse built for multiple-stage expansion will save you months of headaches and costs if you plan to grow your business.  However, several significant features will determine the success of your cannabis greenhouse: location, lighting, humidity, temperature, ventilation, CO2 levels, and durability.  

1. Location

The type and style of greenhouse you choose for your cannabis business depends on its geographic location. The structure and equipment must accommodate the specific temperature changes, humidity levels, wind speeds, snow loads, and light levels of the region.  

2. Adjustable Lighting

Greenhouse growing saves money because it relies primarily on free sunlight to grow the plants, unlike indoor-growing facilities. However, in the vegetative stage of growth (following germination and seedling stages), cannabis performs best with 18 hours of light, which will require supplemental light, particularly in the winter. 

In contrast, following the vegetative stage, the flowering stage needs 12 hours of uninterrupted darkness to force the plants to flower for a particular production timeline. You can best achieve light deprivation with adequately installed blackout curtain technology.

3. Managing Greenhouse Humidity 

The humidity of the greenhouse must accommodate the different stages of cannabis production (germination, seedling, vegetative, and flowering). You can regulate the moisture in the greenhouse with dehumidification units and misting systems. 

• During the seedling stage, cannabis thrives in high humidity levels between 65 and 70 percent.
• The vegetative stages need less moisture, with humidity levels between 40 and 70 percent.
• After flowering, the plants need lower humidity in the 40-50 percent range. Lowering the humidity to 30-40 percent during the late flowering stage can improve the plant’s yield, flavor, and appearance.

4. Controlling Greenhouse Inside Temperature

At different stages of growth, cannabis thrives at different temperatures; therefore, the heating and cooling system should control the temperature for each zone of the greenhouse with day and night temperature fluctuations to accommodate each stage of growth: 

• During the seedling stage, cannabis seeds require temperatures between 75°F and 80°F degrees Fahrenheit.
• The vegetative stage does best with temperatures between 68-77°F.
• Keep temperatures during the flowering stage between 70°F and 80°F.

5. Greenhouse Ventilation Systems

Optimizing airflow within the greenhouse can help keep your plants healthy by removing hot air and circulating good air. Greenhouses typically utilize two types of ventilation systems:

• Covered roof vents, sidewall vents, and rollup sides allow for natural ventilation
• Install forced air ventilation with mechanical systems like exhaust fans and cooling pads (not for high-humidity regions) 

6. CO2 Levels in the Greenhouse

CO2 enrichment in the greenhouse will help your cannabis plants thrive, improving your production and profits. You can pull CO2 off a hot water heating system or by using liquid CO2.

7. Structural Stable, Durable Greenhouse

Designing a durable, long-lasting greenhouse will fortify the structure from deterioration, pests, and severe weather –  vital to protecting your expensive crops and reducing maintenance and repair costs. 

Building a 10,000 Ft2 Cannabis Greenhouse with Allied Steel 

Once you’ve got your design, determined your budget, and found your location, Allied Steel can help you build a cannabis greenhouse for optimal yield and productivity. Our commercial 10,000 ft2 steel-framed greenhouses, faced with glass or other transparent material, will help you create a closed structure ideal for large-scale cannabis production to sell either for recreational or medicinal purposes.

You can attach our greenhouses to an existing building or leave them unattached. 

It is also important to know that your choice of greenhouse materials, particularly the walls and roof, will affect the quality of your crops.

The Best Framing for a Cannabis Greenhouse – Allied Steel

Allied Steel framed greenhouses have several crucial features that can save money before and after construction, that will contribute towards a financially successful, productive, durable, and long-lasting 10,000 ft2 cannabis greenhouse:

1. Quick Construction: Prefabricated Allied Steel building kits arrive at your location ready to assemble in cold or hot weather. Building a 10,000 ft2 greenhouse takes a matter of weeks, about 33 percent less time than other building methods.
2. Uninterrupted Floor Space: The strength of steel allows the construction of large buildings with no internal support column for the roofs (clear span), thereby maximizing floor space compared to structures requiring support columns. 
3. More Light: An Allied steel-frame greenhouse requires smaller and fewer roof beams than a similar strength wood frame, minimizing shading over your plants. A feature that also makes steel greenhouse easier and quicker to erect. 
4. Durability: Allied Steel framed greenhouses maintain their integrity for their lifespan because they stand up to, and resist, common causes of deterioration (moisture, mold, termites) and effectively withstand natural disasters (hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes) better than wood-framed greenhouses. Some Allied Steel models can resist winds of 180 mph and snow loads of 120 lbs per ft2, protecting your crops and saving on costly repairs.
5. Lower Insurance Rates: The durability of steel greenhouses often allows for lower insurance premiums. 
6. Easily Expandable: The versatility of Allied Steel greenhouses permits you to economically expand or adapt the structure as your cannabis business grows.
7. Proper Ventilation: Allied Steel Buildings have ventilation systems designed to meet the stringent requirements for growing cannabis in a greenhouse. The systems control the movement of fresh air through a building while removing hot, contaminated, and stagnant interior air, vital to growing healthy, productive plants.
8. Doors and Windows: Allied Steel Buildings has a wide range of walk and overhead doors, from light to heavy-duty, hurricane and fire-resistant, guaranteed to fit the specific needs of your greenhouse. 
9. Lighting: In addition to allow natural lighting, we also have light-transmitting panels. 
10. Insulation and Other Accessories: We also provide insulation, specialty hardware, and opening configurations for your greenhouse’s particular design. 

The Best Coverings for a Cannabis Greenhouse

Choosing the best coverage for your cannabis greenhouse depends on its geographic location and the amount of natural light, shading, and energy conservation you require. For coverings, today’s greenhouse growers can choose glass, rigid poly, or double co-poly film, along with shading and energy conservation techniques, for example:

1. To ensure the plants get sufficient outside light, install non-reflective surfaces. In addition, use larger panes and smaller composite material. 
2. Instead of single-layer glazing, multiple screen layers can offset heat loss by 50 percent or more during the winter. In addition, on cold and cloudy days, keeping a translucent screen closed day and night can provide good light and save energy. 
3. High summer temperatures require material shading in the 40-percent to 60-percent range, although you can find materials with a shade factor as high as 86 percent. You can achieve both energy savings and shade by using multiple screens.

Environmental Controls for a Cannabis Greenhouse

Environmental controls in your cannabis greenhouse play a critical role in your crop’s successful growth and production. Vital climate control systems include ventilation, energy screen, CO2 emitter, thermostats and sensors, supplemental lighting, blackout curtain technology, irrigation, heating, cooling, ventilation, air conditioning, and dehumidification (HVACD) equipment.

Building a Profitable and Long-Lasting 10,000 ft2 Cannabis Greenhouse with Allied Steel

The growing legal (and highly profitable) cannabis market makes today the ideal time to build your greenhouse and take advantage of the emerging industry. Fortunately, Allied Steel Building products can help you quickly and efficiently get started. We offer red iron and galvanized steel framing and fully customizable, commercial-grade products to create efficient and productive cannabis greenhouses. Allied Steel engineers design all our structures to your local codes.  

Get in touch with Allied Steel professionals for more on designing and building a 10,000 ft2 cannabis greenhouse.