1st time grower (indoor)

[tebs]

Hi everyone!

I'm a first time grower and just wanted to reach out to the forum to say thank you for all the knowledge that has been shared and get some guidance.

Now that I'm up and running I'm really struggling to keep my ladies cool and at the right humidity levels. I'm based in Joburg and growing in my apartment so it can get really hot (especially when my lights are running) and really dry. Considering how much time and effort goes into a growing a good crop I really want to make sure I'm growing in the most ideal environment as possible and affordable.

The troops sprouted from the soil about 10 days ago and the temps in my tent can easily reach 32 degrees with humidity sitting in the high 40's to low 50s. I run my lights at night to try keep it as cool as possible in there but I know something's going to have to be done to decrease the heat asap before they get bigger.

Any advice on nutes would be great, I'm growing in FF Premium Classic (green bag), since it's my first grow I'm not really too bothered on synthetic vs organic nutrients

I've included a basic outline of my set up below and some pictures, any advice would really appreciated!

Thanks again guys!

Happy growing

IMG_3701.JPEG IMG_3702.JPEG IMG_3721.JPEG IMG_3723.JPEG IMG_3724.JPEG IMG_3725.JPEG

Edited December 23, 2020 by tebs
Images not uploading

[PsyCLown]

Welcome!

 

It is getting pretty hot and the heat is likely going to remains for a few more months. Only way to really cool things down and keep them cool is with an aircon.

I was hoping to get away with out one myself, however the room I have my tents in just retains heat like crazy and this is without the heatwaves. So I will be running an AC for my grow. How big is your tent and how big is the room you're growing in?

 

As for humidity, between 40 and 50 RH is really not that bad. With all the rain my humidity has been just under the 70% mark which is quite high but I seldom struggle with RH being too low - the AC may change that though. Plants should naturally increase the RH as they transpire, you could set your extraction fan to be on a timer (turn on for say 5 minutes every 45 minutes as an example) and not extracting all the time - that will help get the RH to spike a little and not just push all the humidity out the tent, may not make a big difference though.

[tebs]

2 hours ago, PsyCLown said:

Welcome!

 

It is getting pretty hot and the heat is likely going to remains for a few more months. Only way to really cool things down and keep them cool is with an aircon.

I was hoping to get away with out one myself, however the room I have my tents in just retains heat like crazy and this is without the heatwaves. So I will be running an AC for my grow. How big is your tent and how big is the room you're growing in?

 

As for humidity, between 40 and 50 RH is really not that bad. With all the rain my humidity has been just under the 70% mark which is quite high but I seldom struggle with RH being too low - the AC may change that though. Plants should naturally increase the RH as they transpire, you could set your extraction fan to be on a timer (turn on for say 5 minutes every 45 minutes as an example) and not extracting all the time - that will help get the RH to spike a little and not just push all the humidity out the tent, may not make a big difference though.

My tent is 1m x 1m and the room is roughly 3.5m x 3.5m or slightly bigger and it has the same problem as yours it retains heat like crazy. I can get a good breeze through the room but it doesn't help much with the heat. Think I'll get something like this Link to drop the temperatures during lights on and use for myself when the lights aren't running.

 

That's what I'm waiting for with the RH (plants to transpire more), I was thinking about picking up a humidifier but decided against it for now. I've got a little spray bottle that makes some decent mist. I spray it on the sides of the tent to increase the RH and that works well for 1-2hrs depending on the heat. Will definitely have too look into a solution for the extractor fan, right now I'm damned if I don't turn it on the heat gets crazy high (35 - 37) and that has already lead to the death of 2 seedlings

[Prom]

Temperatures over 30 degree will ruin your taste. I would even go that far, everything over 26 makes your terpenes suffer. You have 2 very clear factors to keep in range. Temperature and Humidity. Both need to fit as good as possible (upper and lower limits).. the result is good weed   

I like your list.. you put some thought into all.. but.. as @PsyCLown said, there is to hot and to hot is not good for your plants, to much or to little moisture will hurt them too. The water vaporizer cooler will increase the room humidity level, a AC will reduce it. Depending what climate you have at your spot.. buy the right tool, not just what fits the wallet. Might make your life worse. If you run into 70ties in room humidity, you can expect to run into a mold issue. I use 440 watt on a 1.2x1.2 area, so you have enough light for sure  keep that tent ventilated  

Have fun.. run a grow diary 

[PsyCLown]

My tent is 1m x 1m and the room is roughly 3.5m x 3.5m or slightly bigger and it has the same problem as yours it retains heat like crazy. I can get a good breeze through the room but it doesn't help much with the heat. Think I'll get something like this Link to drop the temperatures during lights on and use for myself when the lights aren't running.
 
That's what I'm waiting for with the RH (plants to transpire more), I was thinking about picking up a humidifier but decided against it for now. I've got a little spray bottle that makes some decent mist. I spray it on the sides of the tent to increase the RH and that works well for 1-2hrs depending on the heat. Will definitely have too look into a solution for the extractor fan, right now I'm damned if I don't turn it on the heat gets crazy high (35 - 37) and that has already lead to the death of 2 seedlings

Those coolers are a waste, its just a fan which will also increase humidity. It won't lower the temps.

If your plants are small, once they're bigger your rh will increase and then thr air cooler will be pointless as it won't cool and your rh likely won't be an issue or it'll be too high.

I personally wouldn't spend the money on that air cooler, I bought one years ago and regretted it and eventually replaced it with a cheapy pedestal fan which actually moved a decent amount of air.

In a 1 x 1 tent, you don't really want the
AC inside as it will take up a large portion of the tent and it complicates the extraction aspect of the tent.
Cooling the room will be simpler, however may be hard to justify with such a small tent inside but without am AC you're unlikely to make much, if any, difference to the high temps.

As Prom said, temps above 30 degrade your terpenes and this will lead to weed which smells and tastes like nothing. High temps during flower are really not ideal.

The only other alternative is to time your grows so that you flower when it's cooler and not in the middle of summer.

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[tebs]

Thanks so much for the feedback guys you have no idea how much it's helped me.

 

I don't want to go through all this effort and end up with shit weed, so I've decided to head over to Makro/Game early in the new year and hunt for a proper solution. Ultimately I need something that's able to cool an entire room but not decrease the RH too much. I've accepted that when setting up a grow there are some items you just can't compromise on and environment management is definitely one of them.

 

Once again thanks for all the advice guys, will figure out how to upload pictures better so I can get a decent grow diary going

[PsyCLown]

12 hours ago, tebs said:

Thanks so much for the feedback guys you have no idea how much it's helped me.

 

I don't want to go through all this effort and end up with shit weed, so I've decided to head over to Makro/Game early in the new year and hunt for a proper solution. Ultimately I need something that's able to cool an entire room but not decrease the RH too much. I've accepted that when setting up a grow there are some items you just can't compromise on and environment management is definitely one of them.

 

Once again thanks for all the advice guys, will figure out how to upload pictures better so I can get a decent grow diary going

Fans just move air around, they do not decrease the temperature. They may help in a situation where there is a heatsink at a temperature above the ambient temperature and will help to bring the temperature of the heatsink down to the ambient temperature... however when you are trying to reduce the temperature lower than the ambient temperature is when things get difficult and often an AC is required.

 

If you do decide to purchase an AC, I would suggest looking on the Facebook market place and other 2nd hand places first as you often find really good deals there. A brand new portable AC is easily R5k to R6k and you can get them 2nd hand for R1500 and at times even less.

Just remember to clean the filter on a regular basis and ensure the condenser fins stays clean too.

[Stefan]

My temperatures are also getting a bit too high at moment(28-30 Cape Town) during the day when lights are on. I’m considering getting  dry ice and placing in front of my fan as a quick fix on hot days. Apparently it does work and can also increase the co2 in your tent. Obviously I’d also need to invest in a AC at some point but it may be something to look into as well. I’m a newbie to growing so take my advice with a pinch of salt and maybe do further research should you consider it. 

[PsyCLown]

My temperatures are also getting a bit too high at moment(28-30 Cape Town) during the day when lights are on. I’m considering getting  dry ice and placing in front of my fan as a quick fix on hot days. Apparently it does work and can also increase the co2 in your tent. Obviously I’d also need to invest in a AC at some point but it may be something to look into as well. I’m a newbie to growing so take my advice with a pinch of salt and maybe do further research should you consider it. 

I imagine dry ice could help drop temps a bit but how much does one need a D how long does it last for and how much does it cost etc?

No way to regulate temperature with this method, but perhaps a quick fix if one is needed.

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[Prom]

Nope, dont go dry ice for cheap cooling... isnt cheap! 

Look for a second hand AC and install it properly. Will do what you want. The AC should keep it sexy on both fronts.. temp and humidity. 45 to 55% during flower is your window. When you turn off the light, temp drops, the warmer air is, the more moisture it can hold. Temp drops, moisture gets released. Add more ventilatioh for dark times.. or best, get a box handling ventilation depending on temp and humidity. AC in ct for summer is a must... or you have some kind of bunker  or like @PsyCLown suggested.. skip the hot months.

[Stefan]

4 hours ago, PsyCLown said:

I imagine dry ice could help drop temps a bit but how much does one need a D how long does it last for and how much does it cost etc?

No way to regulate temperature with this method, but perhaps a quick fix if one is needed.

Sent from my Redmi Note 7 Pro using Tapatalk
 

You can get a 1kg for about R50 - you’ll probably need a container as well to extend the length that it lasts which I’ve seen you can get a polystyrene cooler for R20. The dry ice can last about 4 months but I would say that it wouldn’t last 4 months in the tent environment due to excess heat. Should at least last for flowering. 
 

I might try this out over the summer and will definitely make a post evaluating whether it can be used for the long term.

[GGG]

I have tried dry ice.........1kg lasts a few hours if you leave it open and in the cooler in a deep freezer not even a week, temps to high for it even in a freezer. Plants only benefit a bit with the CO2.

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