Grow Room Ventilation

The three main reasons for keeping your grow room ventilated are....

• Reduction of heat
  
• Humidity control
  
• Fresh carbon dioxide for your plants
  

Most of the heat in a grow room emanates from the lighting. This is common sense really, think of it how most of the heat on planet earth comes from our source of light, which is of course the sun!

The technology for lighting has advanced in the last few decades and LED lights can provide a lot more for less power but they do still generate heat to operate as well.

Whilst this heat may feel tolerable when you enter your growroom, plants are a lot more susceptible to it. Overheating can reduce the harvesting yield and increases the likelihood of plant disease.

During the artificial 'daytime' when the lights are on, the best temperature for your growroom is between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit and during the night about 10-15 degrees cooler is great.

Humidity is a measure of the amount of moisture in the air at any given time.

To grow effectively plants do need a certain amount of humidity but too much will make the environment less ideal.

Humidity is naturally present in the air and additional humidity is also released by the plants as they breathe.

Because grow rooms are enclosed, and often cramped, excessive humidity can easily develop.

Good ventilation can easily address this and by removing the excess water from the air it will create a balance that your plants will love.

One of many beautiful things about plants is that they replenish the oxygen supply in the Earth's atmosphere. Animals breathe the oxygen from the air and convert this into carbon dioxide (CO2). Plants then breathe the carbon dioxide and convert this to oxygen.

Because a grow room is typically a closed environment this process is effectively one-way and the supply of CO2 can become alarmingly low.

Ventilating the room will replenish the CO2 which will help your plants continue to flourish.

If the ratio of CO2 is too low the growth and fruiting can be stunted and hindered so a fresh and steady supply is vital.

From the above it can be seen that good and correct ventilation can prevent overheating, excess humidity and replenish the plants' equivalent of fresh air.

Another great result of this is that it makes the environment less attractive to pests and disease.

Insects and fungus will typically thrive in humid and damp conditions and can take longer to eliminate than they can to make home.

Another great thing about ventilation is the wind stress, which unlike most animals, plants actually enjoy! Rather than having still and stale air, ventilation will mimic the typically breezy conditions that they will experience in the outdoors. A continuous steady breeze will also grow strong and sturdy though a natural method of resilience.

A common and practical indoor setup is the grow tent

An oscillating fan in a grow tent creates good air circulation and a filtercan be used at the tent's air outlet to eliminate any undesired odours. It is best that the fan is not pointed directly at your plants. So long as there is a decent circulation of air the plants will get a nice nudge and appreciate the temperature and supply of fresh air.

In terms of temperature, keep an eye on a thermometer in the grow room to make sure it is within their preferred range.