Maximizing the greenhouse
Manufacturing greenhouse automation systems since 1985, Climate Control Systems Inc. has three flagship products helping growers maximize crop yields, improve water conservation and energy efficiency for commercial greenhouse operations across the globe. The company provides automation to greenhouse growers for vegetable crops, flowers, vertical farm operations and, of course, cannabis growers.
Acquired by Nebula Group in 2019, the company’s mission is to “expand leadership in food production and safety in a localized manner through the decentralization of the food supply chain via sustainable resources, modernized technology systems and self-sufficient processes.”
Ian Morrell, head of sales for Climate Control Systems, explained how important it is for growers to understand their specific greenhouse’s needs when searching for the right control system.
“If (growers) are looking at expanding, I think it’s important to have an understanding of what they’re looking for as far as controls,” Morrell said. “How much visibility do they want? Do they want to build access online? Do they want to access it from their current operation headquarters? Growers should also know what type of growing they’re doing, whether it’s drip to waste, an NFT system or a flood table system. Have a good understanding of all the details of your crop — how you’re going to grow, what you’re going to grow, etc.”
The three types of control systems offered by Climate Control Systems include Fertigation Manager, Ozone Pro and Epic Controller.
“We manage the hardware in a greenhouse. We manage venting, the fans, the heating during the winter and more,” Morrell said. If growers are running supplemental lighting, we can manage the lighting timers and manage it by monitoring daylight. You see that a bit more on the cannabis side of things.”
FERTIGATION MANAGER
Offering one of the most advanced greenhouse irrigation systems, the Fertigation Manager provides all- inclusive computer automation software and instrumentation. Growers often depend on these fertilizer programs to efficiently irrigate flower and vegetable crops.
With the Ozone Pro, growers can trust that their crop has fresh and clean purified water each time they irrigate. Each system is custom-designed to fit a grower’s needs and water flow rate.
OZONE PRO
With the Ozone Pro, growers can trust that their crop has fresh and clean purified water each time they irrigate. Each system is custom-designed to fit a grower’s needs and water flow rate.
EPIC CONTROLLER
Groov from Opto22 helps growers create their automation and control user interface for greenhouse operations. Climate Control Systems creates a custom online app so growers can securely monitor and control greenhouse automation systems, sensor data and equipment.
Climate Control Systems heavily monitor weather conditions to ensure growers have the best environment for their crops.
“Growers want to know if it’s raining and they want to know what the wind is like – we monitor all of that. We
can control the vents opening and closing, when a fan needs to be turned on, when we need to recirculate and controlling the overall humidity,” Morrell said.
Having major technology advancements in both water sterilization and water recycling, Climate Control Systems effectively help commercial greenhouse growers and vertical farming operations save on fertilizer and water costs while meeting proper environmental regulations.
