If you plan to build a grow room in the comfort of your own home, be sure you know what you’re getting into. Grow rooms require a constantly maintained environment that uses light, air, soil, humidity, and other elements to encourage your plants’ steady growth. To do this, you need to purchase and install the proper equipment. Don’t know where to start? Here are four devices every grow room should have installed to ensure your plants are healthy and happy.
Ventilation System
Like us, plants need to “breathe,” albeit with carbon dioxide instead oxygen. To allow them to do so in a grow room, you must set up a system for bringing in carbon dioxide from outside while keeping the air flowing. This will also help prevent mold and mildew, which thrive in moist and warm environments. Circulating and expelling air will also keep the room smelling fresh. Installing an exhaust fan in the ceiling or wall is one alternative. Mini split systems are also good for programming a constant temperature while bringing in and pushing out air.
Thermometer/Hygrometer
Temperature is everything to plants. If the temps get too high or drop too low, your plants are in danger of having their growth stunted or even dying. Temperature also affects the quality of the product, with concentration degrading when things heat up. Keep the grow room at a steady 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and record fluctuations to ensure your system is maintaining steady temps. Humidity is another deciding factor in plant growth and quality. High humidity encourages fungal growth, while low humidity starves plants of nutrients. A hygrometer keeps track of humidity levels, allowing you to maintain a steady balance.
Grow Lights
Plants like sunlight. But a grow room, by design, doesn’t have as much access to the sun. That’s fine because grow lights can provide all the light plants need for the photosynthesis process. A regular 8 to 10 hours of grow light “sunlight” ensures big, healthy crops. You can’t control the sun, but with grow lights, you kind of can.
Irrigation
Here’s the last of the four devices every grow room should have installed. If you have just a pot or two, you can probably get away with watering your plants with a watering can. Even then, that’s not the best way to ensure plants get the right amount of water on a regular schedule. Irrigation systems deliver water to plants when they need it while draining off any excess. Automatic systems delivering mists of water are best for large grows and ensure greater efficiency.
