Why do some hydroponic grows see great yields in winter… then slow growth, yellowing, or strange pH problems in summer?

In this video, Front Row Ag’s Matt and Tyler share real cases from commercial facilities where:

• Water temperature rose seasonally, dissolved oxygen crashed, and yields dropped.
• Root zones got too cold on concrete floors, bottlenecking growth even with perfect nutrients.
• Runoff pH looked wrong because irrigation shots were too large and too frequent, giving false readings.
• Growers overcorrected pH and wrecked consistency — when the real problem was irrigation strategy.

👉 If your hydroponic plants are showing slow growth, stunted roots, low pH, or misleading runoff data, this episode will help you spot the hidden root zone issues that most growers miss.

Front Row Ag’s commercial team helps operators diagnose and solve these mysteries every day — so if you’re tired of chasing mysterious issues and want consistent yields with expert support, apply for a commercial account today. https://bit.ly/4dNIjjC

Front Row technical expert Tyler Simmons breaks down the cloning practices that separate thriving facilities from the rest. In this video, he covers:

• Why keeping mothers too long increases pathogen risk
• Sanitation practices that actually stop pathogen spread
• Adjusting to Stronger Lighting

Tyler also explains how to reset declining strains in just a few cycles, plus practical tips for clone hydration, cutting technique, and mother plant training.

Whether you’re troubleshooting slow-rooting clones or fine-tuning a production SOP, this is a must-watch for consistent, vigorous results.

Visit our website’s Resources tab for our Simplified Cloning SOP with commercial cloning recommendations.

Managing a commercial cultivation facility means keeping track of hundreds of moving parts—propagation, transplanting, sanitizing, plant training, and more. In this episode, Egan O’Keefe breaks down how ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems can bring order to the chaos.

Topics covered:

• How ERP software like Canix, Dutchie, BioTrack, and others help with compliance and plant tracking

• Scheduling propagation, topping, culling, and other recurring tasks

• Creating strain-specific profiles for better timing and canopy management

• Apps Vs. Big Dry Erase Calendars

• The importance of daily team meetings to adjust priorities and handle curveballs

Whether you’re using advanced cultivation software or keeping it old-school, the key is having a clear, daily plan that your whole team follows.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:05 ERP systems and compliance tracking

0:34 Scheduling propagation & rotation tasks

1:18 Strain profiles & canopy management

2:05 Low-tech alternatives that work

2:36 Importance of daily team meetings

Uneven watering wrecks consistency. In this episode, Omar from Rivulis joins Tyler from Front Row Ag to break down the most common mistakes in irrigation system design, from pressure regulation to clogged emitters, and how to fix them with real-world setups and smarter components.

💡 Learn:

• The truth about pressure vs. flow
• Why your “perfect” crop steering protocol fails if irrigation is off
• What dripper pressure specs actually mean
• Best practices for line cleaning and dripper maintenance
• Whether automatic flush valves are worth the investment

📌 Perfect for: growers, irrigation techs, facility managers, and anyone building or troubleshooting fertigation/irrigation systems in commercial agriculture.

Chapters

00:00 – Why Uneven Watering Happens in New Facilities

01:30 – Pressure ≠ Flow: What Every Grower Gets Wrong

03:00 – Common Mistakes: Leader Pumps Without Pressure Regs

04:05 – You Can’t Crop Steer if Your Irrigation is Garbage

05:30 – How to Calculate Flow, PSI, and Zone Design Like a Pro

06:45 – Why Emitters Matter & How to Pick the Right One

08:00 – How Often Should You Replace Drippers?

09:45 – Fixing Filters, Clogged Emitters & Cleaning Mistakes

13:15 – Correct Way to Clean Irrigation Lines (2-Part Flush Method)

20:00 – Understanding Opening Pressure vs Sealing Pressure

24:30 – Sizing Pumps, Choosing Tubing, and Avoiding Supply Mistakes

32:00 – Automatic Flush Valves: Worth It or Waste?

Join Tyler and Egan as they break down the science and strategy behind defoliation in commercial cultivation. Are you removing too much? Too little? Learn how to balance airflow, light penetration, and plant energy reserves for optimal yield.

00:00 – Why Overdefoliation Happens

00:41 – Leaves = Energy: What You Lose When You Strip

02:47 – Balancing Light Penetration vs. Storage

03:37 – How to Read Your Canopy Like a Pro

05:13 – What Causes Overgrowth and How to Prevent It

06:01 – The Light Trick to Set a Defol Standard

07:26 – Strain-Specific Defol: Not One-Size-Fits-All

08:28 – Why You Might Want to Remove Top Leaves Instead

08:50 – Don’t Forget the Middle Canopy!

Commercial cultivators lose tens of thousands in yield and labor every year—because of bacteria they can’t see. This conversation between Tyler Simmons and Egan O’Keefe of Front Row breaks down the hidden contamination risks in your fertigation setup, RO filters, HVAC, and humidifiers—and how to fix them before it’s too late.

From preventative sanitation tips to in-cycle emergency solutions like enzymatic cleaners, this video is packed with actionable steps to protect your crop and facility.

👉 If you’re running a facility and want to trial Front Row nutrients or level up your operations with our Certified Technician Training, learn more at https://www.frontrowag.com/

📍 Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: Why Bacteria Builds Up in the First Place

00:15 – Common Contamination Points in Water Systems

01:22 – Shocking Agricultural Wells and Pre-Tank Sanitation

02:09 – Storage Tank Strategies and Preventative Chlorination

03:33 – Free Chlorine Residuals and Systemic Demand

04:38 – What to Do When It’s Too Late: Enzymatic Cleaners

06:08 – Retrofitting Lines for Maintenance Access

08:04 – Air and HVAC: The Overlooked Contamination Vector

09:02 – Humidifiers: A Perfect Pathogen Breeding Ground

10:46 – Cleaning Between Rounds: Veg vs Flower Rooms

12:05 – Diagnosing Biological vs Mineral Blockages

13:14 – Sampling and Mapping Out Contamination Sources

14:00 – Environmental Triggers: VOCs, Leaks, and Construction Materials

15:00 – Why We Built the Front Row Certified Tech Training

16:00 – How Support from Our Team Helps Commercial Clients

Tyler Simmons (Technical Expert at Front Row Ag) and Egan O'Keefe (Co-Founder of Front Row Ag and Director of Cultivation at Story) dive deep into the critical aspects of optimizing Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) cultivation. They explore the intricacies of plant spacing, canopy density, and trellising techniques, providing valuable insights for growers looking to maximize yield and quality.

Topics Covered:

00:20 - Optimizing usable flower sites per cubic foot

01:43 - Balancing plant size, veg time, and plant spacing

02:24 - Issues with high planting density and large plants

02:47 - Shade Avoidance Response

04:04 - Balancing veg duration and plant spacing

05:06 - The cubic canopy

05:17 - Calculating veg time per square foot for crop rotation

05:27 - Unique considerations for vertical facilities

06:17 - Trellising and plant training during the stretch phase

08:01 - Optimizing bench space utilization

08:39 - Branch density and trellising techniques

10:12 - Selective pruning and defoliation

11:12 - Balancing trellising, plant spacing, and canopy density for maximum yield and quality

11:44 - Consequences of improper planting density

Tyler and Egan offer practical advice and rule-of-thumb calculations to help growers achieve the perfect balance in their cultivation practices. They discuss the importance of considering factors such as strain vigor, growth rates, and facility design when developing an optimization strategy.

Follow so you never miss out on expert insights from the Front Row Ag team!

Front Row account manager and crop advisor Mike Harnos and technical expert Tyler Simmons break down one of the hidden threats in controlled environment agriculture: algae in water systems.

In this video, they cover:

• Why algae doesn’t always show up on water tests
• How algae blooms and biofilms clog emitters
• The impact of algae on pH stability and water absorption
• Best practices for tank cleaning and sanitization
• Proven strategies to keep irrigation systems free of algae over the long term

If you’re running a commercial facility, this discussion highlights critical steps to protect your fertigation system and prevent costly downtime.

📌 Want to trial the Front Row Ag A/B/Bloom fertilizer system in your facility? Apply for a commercial account today