GET YOUR GROW ENVIRONMENT RIGHT!
ENVIRONMENT IS THE KEY TO A GREAT CROP
Get it right and you’re on your way to a great grow.
The main focus of a grow room is to provide plants with an ideal growing environment indoors. This also means providing fresh, CO2-rich air.
WHY IS GETTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT RIGHT CRITICAL TO A GREAT CROP?
If your indoor grow environment isn’t right, your plants will suffer. There are key elements you need to consider for a successful crop.
A GREAT ENVIRONMENT STARTS WITH VENTILATION
Ventilating your grow room removes warm air and odours and replaces it with fresh CO2 rich air so your plants thrive. Elements you must take care of to obtain an effective grow room set-up:
- Adequate air movement and ventilation
- Maintain Optimal CO2 Levels
- Manage Heat/temperature
- Get the lighting right
- Control Humidity
- Control Pests
AIR FLOW
So, what do you need to maintain adequate air flow?
CALCULATE THE SIZE OF FAN & FILTER YOU NEED
Multiply the length x width x height of your grow room in metres, then multiply that value by 30 and 60, these are the minimum and maximum air changes per hour for optimum ventilation.
EXAMPLE:
Grow room measures 2m x 2m x 2m = 8
8 x 60 = 480
So choose a fan with at least 480 max airflow
We recommend buying a fan with a slightly higher max aiflow than you need, to allow for summer increases in temperature and/or using a filter.
OUR TOP TIPS FOR GREAT GROW ROOM VENTILATION
TIP 1: Fit your extractor fan at the top of your growing area, towards the back of your grow room or on the opposite side of your tent to your intake fan or vent.
TIP 2: Always extract more air than you draw in – otherwise your room or tent will become too full of air and air will seep out before odours have been removed. To extract more than you pull in use an intake fan that’s 20% less powerful than your extractor fan. Or run a similar fan at 20% speed.
TIP 3: Draw air in from another room, not from outside. Outdoor air has too many bugs and less CO2 and in winter outdoor temperatures will shock plants.
TIP 4: Choose a filter that best suits your needs. Rhino Pro filters have a deeper bed of carbon and are better for longer term use. Rhino Hobby filters have a smaller bed depth, are a little lighter and easier to handle – perfect for smaller scale growers.
WHAT ARE THE OTHER ELEMENTS THAT MAKE UP ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL?
LIGHT
You already know your plants need light, but in a grow room there’s more to it than just sticking a light over your plants. The amount of light you provide determines your yields and different plants require different types of light. For larger, energy-hungry flowering plants choose HID lights.
For smaller plants, seedlings or clones choose CFL lights and for propagation and supplementary lighting, choose LEDs.
HPS and CMH lights give more light output and provide plants with a wide lighting spectrum for incredible growth. The downside to using higher light intensity lighting is it increases heat output, affecting the temperature of the grow room. If this isn’t managed, the temperature around the light source will be warmer than in the other areas, affecting the overall grow room temperature.
TEMPERATURE
Most plants will grow most effectively at a temperature of around 28°C, which is the ideal temperature. When lights are on it’s easy to maintain this sort of temperature as there is a consistent source of heat and light. However, during warmer weather, temperature management can be a bit tougher. During dark hours when temperatures are cooler you may need an additional heat source.
It’s important to keep the difference between day and night temperatures as low as possible. If temperatures become too high, you can use an extractor fan to reduce temperatures and maintain air flow. When your lights are off, temperatures can decline, so it’s important to keep control of both day and night cycles. That’s where climate controllers come in! Rhino Silent Fan Controllers control your grow room temperature, adjusting fan speeds to achieve a set temperature.
HUMIDITY
Humidity is relative to temperature, so when temperature goes down, humidity goes up, and vice versa. Fluctuations impact plant growth and create unstable environments where mold and mildew can take hold.
Humidity rising above 60% can lead to molds, mildews, and other unwanted biological growth.
High humidity prevents plants from properly taking in CO2, preventing efficient photosynthesis. In this case, a dehumidifier can be used to lower the humidity to an appropriate level. Humidity falling below 30% can lead to reduced transpiration capabilities, which slows growth and prevents efficient photosynthesis. In this case, a humidifier can be used to raise the humidity to an appropriate level.
OPTIMAL HUMIDITY
Clones
70-80%
Vegetative
40-60%
Flowering
40-50%
Final Weeks of
Flowering < 40%
CO2 LEVELS
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is crucial to plant growth and development. When growing indoors, CO2 levels reduce as plants use it up during photosynthesis. Increasing CO2 levels in your grow environment is essential for good results. However, it’s important to note that in order to see positive results from increased CO2, other elements such as light, temperature and humidity need to be managed effectively.
During the day plants take in CO2 and during the night they release it. Levels of CO2 are measured in PPM (parts per million). Ideal grow room levels are in the region of 300–400ppm. For CO2 levels to make a difference you need sufficient circulation, with air being exchanged in and out of your grow room. With maintained air-flow, it should be easy to achieve the ideal level of 390 PPM. To ensure air movement you could use a Smartgro floor fan.
GET RID OF THOSE PESTS
Most insect pests attack indoor grow rooms during summer, when temperatures raise and relative humidity often drops. Reproduction of insects like red spider mites and white flies reaches its peak, so preventing pests and keeping them under control is important to ensure optimal growing conditions for your plants.
- If you do have an infestation, there are a number of products available to both prevent and treat pest infestations, Plant Magic Bugicide is particularly effective for getting rid of those pesky pests!
- Early detection is important for fast removal
- Prevention is better than cure
CONCLUSION
As you can see each element of environmental control aids in the improvement of plant growth. Each can’t be taken in isolation and to do so minimises your chance of growing a bumper crop. Being aware of how each element affects the other means you can relax while your plants thrive in the perfect grow environment!