In The Mix

At the heart of every successful facility is a cleaning SOP. In this episode, Tyler Simmons and Mike Harnos break down why even the most advanced setups fail when sanitation slips. From floor drains and biofilm to HVAC and mini-split nightmares, we explore how simple cleaning habits can prevent six-figure losses and burnout across your entire team. 💡 Topics covered: • Commonly ignored contaminati...

If you had 3 minutes to explain Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD), where would you start? In this short video, Front Row Ag’s Tyler Simmons breaks down VPD in plain language. What it is, how it connects to relative humidity, and why there’s a “Goldilocks zone” that maximizes plant water and nutrient uptake. You’ll learn how air moisture levels create suction forces that pull water through the plant, ho...

When you’re cultivating in a sealed environment like a grow room or a grow tent, running high CO₂ without enough humidity can trigger what Tyler calls the VPD Death Spiral — a feedback loop where humidity drops, stomata close, and growth grinds to a halt. This episode breaks down: Why high CO₂ lowers stomatal conductance How sealed rooms create extreme VPD conditions How to fix it fast with humidi...

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...

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 hydrati...

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 • Sched...

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...

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...

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 e...

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 qual...

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...