Crop steering
The deliberate use of irrigation, root-zone conditions and climate to influence the balance between vegetative and reproductive growth.
Crop steering is a greenhouse-management framework adapted by cannabis growers. It uses measured changes in irrigation, substrate conditions and climate to influence plant growth rather than relying on a single input.
A more vegetative strategy commonly uses frequent irrigation and smaller drybacks Dryback The decrease in a growing substrate's water content between irrigation events, commonly tracked as a change in volumetric water content. , while a more generative strategy commonly uses less frequent irrigation and larger drybacks. Growers may also adjust EC Electrical conductivity (EC) A measure of a solution's ability to carry electric current, used as a fast indicator of total dissolved ion concentration but not of any specific nutrient. and day-night temperature difference, but responses depend on cultivar, crop stage and facility conditions.
Because climate and plant demand affect water use, a change in lighting, temperature, humidity or carbon dioxide can shift the substrate response. Steering targets therefore need to be evaluated against current measurements rather than treated as fixed recipes.