050: Inside the FIRST Controlled Cannabis Airflow Trial

Artwork for podcast Cultivation Elevated - Indoor Farming, Cannabis Growers & Cultivators - Pipp Horticulture

Episode 29 • 18th March 2026 • Cultivation Elevated - Indoor Farming, Cannabis Growers & Cultivators - Pipp Horticulture • Pipp Horticulture

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Airflow has long been treated as a background variable in cannabis cultivation, something growers assume is “good enough” if the leaves are moving. But what if airflow is actually one of the most powerful tools for increasing yield and optimizing plant performance? In this episode of Cultivation Elevated, host Michael Williamson sits down with Dr. Allison Justice to discuss findings from one of the first controlled airflow studies conducted in commercial cannabis cultivation.

By isolating airflow as a variable and measuring canopy-level air velocity across controlled environments, the research team explored how airflow impacts plant physiology, transpiration, nutrient uptake, crop steering, and yield.

The results challenge long-held assumptions about airflow and reveal why consistent canopy velocity may be one of the most overlooked environmental inputs in modern cultivation.

If you operate a commercial grow or manage cultivation environments, this conversation highlights why it may be time to stop guessing about airflow and start measuring it.

What You’ll Learn

• Why airflow is more than just disease prevention

• The impact of 0, 200, and 400 feet per minute (FPM) airflow on cannabis plants

• How airflow affects transpiration, nutrient uptake, and crop steering

• Why breaking boundary layers changes plant physiology

• How airflow influenced yield increases and trim ratios

• Why consistent airflow across the canopy matters more than simply running fans

• How growers can measure airflow using a hot wire anemometer

Key Takeaways

00:00 – 03:00 Introduction and why airflow is often overlooked in cannabis cultivation
03:00 – 07:00 The goal behind the controlled airflow research trial
07:00 – 11:00 Understanding boundary layers and how airflow affects plant physiology
11:00 – 16:00 Air velocity treatments: 0, 200, and 400 FPM explained
16:00 – 20:00 Finding the ideal airflow range for cannabis cultivation
20:00 – 24:00 Measuring airflow in grow rooms with a hot wire anemometer
24:00 – 28:00 What the airflow study revealed about yield and plant structure
28:00 – 32:00 Why airflow improved trim ratios and biomass allocation
32:00 – 35:00 Why leaf movement isn’t a reliable airflow indicator
35:00 – 38:00 Future airflow research and final cultivation insights