Reconsidering the ABCs of CEA

Controlled environment growing is one of the hottest topics in horticulture and specialty agriculture today. Often called CEA—short for Controlled Environment Agriculture—this segment of the growing industry is on track for massive growth. At the center of that expansion is a simple, strategic truth: CEA transcended agriculture a long, long time ago.

Some folks will tell you that the CEA industry is entirely new or that it’s limited to food crops and that’s it. But we can already hear some of you chuckling at that statement, and we wholeheartedly agree. Ornamental greenhouse growers and specialty produce growers in Europe, North America and other realms have been using and perfecting controlled growing environments for decades.

Yes, it’s true that it wasn’t always called CEA, but that doesn’t change the environmental controls and steadily advancing technology at its roots. Maybe we can start a trend and call it Controlled Environment Achievement instead.

Expanding CEA’s definition and reach

For anyone open to a broader definition of CEA—or familiar with modern plant production of any kind—it’s no secret that controlled environment growers span a wide range of growing environments and crops.

For many vertical farmers and cannabis growers, CEA may mean fully enclosed growing facilities entirely dependent on artificial light. For high-tech greenhouse growers, it may mean highly automated environmental controls, with or without supplemental lighting. But face it, even simple, low-tech hoop houses offer environmental control and protection against the challenges nature presents.

The same broad brush applies to CEA growing systems, substrates, and crops. Step inside a controlled growing environment facility and you may see intricate hydroponic systems for leafy greens, engineered substrates for floriculture, containerized soilless media, or even organic mineral soils.

In fact, you may see something that looks exactly like your growing operation, just with a different label. From cannabis to cucumbers to bedding plants, it all can fall under CEA when the environment is being controlled.

To add to our point, more and more of you are blurring the boundaries and crossing the line that once stood between ornamental greenhouse production and greenhouse food crops. Expanding your greenhouse revenue streams into crops like microgreens, culinary herbs, and even strawberries—the soft fruit of the moment—seems logical and within reach.

So, are you a CEA grower? Probably, at least in some folks’ eyes. For us, the bottom line is you can call it as you see it. Then call us to help you succeed.

Improving on nature’s alternatives

By definition, controlled environments have someone other than nature in control. When that’s the case, it’s up to you to provide what plants need to achieve their full potential. When skies are cloudy and gray, that may be LED lighting. When temperatures swing too hot or too cool, you may have automatic venting or temperature and humidity controls kick in.

But two constants, regardless of the crop or the conditions, are irrigation and plant nutrition. And that’s where your local ICL Growing Solutions Territory Manager is ready to step in.

The first step in any CEA fertilization program is understanding the starting point: your irrigation water. Without knowing your water and water quality— what’s good and what’s bad—you’re growing blind. Simple irrigation water assessment can eliminate the guesswork. (That advice holds for testing soilless media, mineral soil, and treated water, too—all areas where our ICL Lab Services can help.)

Your local ICL Territory Manager can help you take that information and create a fertilizer program that provides precisely what the crops in your CEA environment need. We understand it’s not a one-size-fits-all equation. But it can be as simple as ABC. And if you’re not a CEA grower, that doesn’t matter to us. We can do the same for you.

Whatever crops you grow, in whatever growing environment you call home, we’re here to help you take it to the next level of productivity, efficiency and profitability. From caladiums and cannabis, our team of horticulture experts has you covered. Reach out any time in whatever way you prefer—by phone, email, or text. Let’s talk about your Controlled Environment Achievements and work together on what comes next.