Commercial Cannabis Greenhouses

Our typicalcommercial greenhouse is an off-set gable (shed style) roof, which allows for maximum insulation and light transmission. Gutter connect design is not optimal for light harvesting, nor is it great for light deprivation curtains.

If this does not fit your site, or in cases of larger commercial greenhouses, we can employ alternate building styles. In any case, we work with you to create a custom structure that meets your needs, site and budget.

We custom engineer each structure according to your site’s snow and wind loads. This streamlines the building permit process, which we can also help with. We have designed greenhouses with snow loads of up to 85 lbs/square foot, and with wind loads of up to 155 mph.

While the grow system is the choice of the client, we will help design, size, source and integrate whatever system is chosen into the facility. We also offer irrigation and fertigation systems for a complete cultivation system.

Recouping the greenhouse investment depends on a multitude of factors including but not limited to: operational costs, strain of cannabis/hemp (can affect yield and market value), and market demand. The chosen grow system will also impact the length of grow time, and should therefore be considered.

The plant count depends entirely on the grow method and strain. We have seen great results in our greenhouses with more space for the plants. The typical setup can range anywhere between 4 sqft and 16 sqft per plant.

Rolling benches significantly increase the efficiency of canopy space, increasing potential canopy by up to 35%.

Assuming a 3000 sqft greenhouse will have 788 sqft of fixed perimeter aisles. Rolling benches provide a minimum of 2212 sqft of dedicated canopy.

With rolling benches, you can fit 221(10sqft) plants. Without rolling benches there is only 1660 sqft of canopy, because you will need at least 552 sqft of aisles to access plants the total plant count drops to 166.

Yes. We source and integrate black-out (light dep) systems, irrigation (and fertigation) systems, and lighting systems. We work directly with systems suppliers to ensure that growing systems integrate seamlessly with the greenhouse structure.

We also provide:

• Grow systems
• Water treatment & reclamation
• Air filtration and circulation systems
• HVAC(D) systems
• SunSense™ controller

The environmental control systems and the controllers used will help determine the quality of the products grown. In sophisticated greenhouses with high-end environmental control solutions for high-value cannabis/hemp the more sophisticated control systems might be the better choice.

Shipping is available anywhere in the US and Canada. We can also containerize deliveries for shipping to Alaska, Canada, or other for international customers. If you are outside the US or Canada, please contact us for a shipping cost estimate.

Ceres Greenhouses are modular by design, allowing for both greenhouses and headhouses (indoor areas for plant processing, administrative work, storage, etc.) to be expanded at a later time. Corridor-connected designs are better suited for expansion, as construction doesn’t disrupt existing operations.

If you are considering expanding the greenhouses or headhouses it is advisable to let the Ceres design team know ahead of time. This allows our engineers to design and prepare everything from the onset, allowing the client to save time and money when the time for expansion comes.

We follow a strict process of schematic design, design development, engineering and construction documents, all the way to materials orders and project management in order to narrow down the scope in steps and avoid big surprises. Change orders can happen in the process, for which we suggest to put a budget of 10% to 20% aside at the beginning of the project. Every step of the process requires a signature and subsequent changes require approval. A change order might be for $0, a positive or a negative amount.

From conceptual design to operation, commercial greenhouse facilities can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months. In the case of more complex commercial facilities, the timeline could extend up to 24 months. This process includes design, engineering, material orders, construction and commissioning. Additionally, there are many project-specific variables such as site approval, building permit, facility size, local building season, headhouse buildout, custom features, etc. These all affect the timetable for the project, though not all factors are a requirement for each project and thus timelines are developed for each specific project.

Yes it is possible, but there are custom design and engineering costs associated with custom designs. Building the retaining wall will also add an additional cost.

The color choice and wall & roof thickness of the insulated metal panels can both have an impact on your building’s heat gain and retention. We recommend lighter colors and thinner walls in hotter climates to minimize the heat gain. The thickness can range from 2.5”-6”, which has a range of R-20 to R-48.

We design our greenhouses with a 2’ insulated knee wall under the south wall glazing.  Snow will slide off the roof during and after snowstorms, so we have designed an insulated wall where the snow can accumulate.