From Racks to Roots: Vertical Facility Design, Irrigation & Substrate Synergy with PIPP Horticulture | Ep 21

The Grodan GroShow

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In Episode 21 of the GroShow Podcast, host Riley Jones is joined by Grodan Crop Specialist Jon Jirikovec and Anders Peterson and Michael Williamson from PIPP Horticulture for part two of a special mini-series with the Cultivation Elevated podcast.

If you caught part one on Cultivation Elevated, you’ll recognize today’s guests — and the ongoing collaboration between Grodan and PIPP Horticulture behind this mini-series. In this episode, we take a deeper dive into vertical cultivation: how smart facility design, irrigation planning, and substrate strategy all work together to support crop success at scale.

From optimizing airflow and drain layout to aligning media choice with multi-tier systems, Jon, Anders, and Michael share practical guidance drawn from years of fieldwork and facility builds. We explore the real-world challenges of vertical growing — including common mistakes, irrigation missteps, and how to avoid dry-back or pooling issues in tightly stacked environments.

You’ll also hear why infrastructure decisions upstream can directly shape root zone performance and crop consistency downstream, and how early planning can pay off in efficiency, yield, and long-term ROI.

Whether you’re designing a new facility or optimizing an existing one, this episode offers grounded, experience-driven insight from two teams who’ve helped shape the future of vertical cannabis cultivation.

Chapters

1. Introduction to Vertical Cannabis Cultivation (00:00:00)

2. Evolution of Multi-Tier Growing Systems (00:08:56)

3. Common Mistakes in Facility Design (00:16:35)

4. Environmental Control and Mechanical Systems (00:24:16)

5. Operational Efficiency in Vertical Grows (00:32:20)

6. Measuring ROI and Key Performance Metrics (00:42:22)

7. Future Technologies and Innovations (00:50:33)

8. Rapid Fire Q&A With Industry Experts (00:56:15)