I’m running a 5x5 flower tent and 3x3 veg tent. Just set them up and just flipped the first plants to flower. I pulled my humidifier from the 5x5 and put it on the veg tent where I just transferred a set of clones. I’m usually fighting humidity in there in the summer, but house rH dropped down to around 40 with the winter heating. That leaves my tent just below 45% with no humidifier while the lights are on. This puts me up towards a 2 VPD and my target was 1.6. I’d prefer not to run a humidifier in flower though to avoid additional mold/mildew issues and have read even down to 40% rH recommended. The lowest I can get the temp right now though is around 78 F and I’m only at 70%. When I water the rH will spike for a couple of days too. Is it really worth getting the VPD in line or should I just run low rH and water more often? My setup is in our mechanical room and plugs are a little limited too so I’d have to pull the flower tent heater to make it work.
Higher VPD is easier on the plants when. At their mature flowering stage, you have more flexibility. I would not be too concerned with 2.0 VPD, the plant is still up taking as long as your PPMs are dialed in. Higher is still good in full flower - she is still a joying the nutes.
Mine runs 40-50% Rh during lights on and around 60-68% during lights off…she’s healthy and doing good. I worried about the VPD for about two minutes and realized it’s easier to let the plant tell me what she needs. My temps from 72-80 during lights on and mid 60’s during lights off. No issues. And I don’t have a humidifier. There is central air in the house so it’s a losing battle trying to raise humidity.
Thanks man! That makes me feel better because I’d rather have the heater in there and don’t mind the lower humidity but the VPD stuff I was reading was showing it easy out of range. They’re only eating every 5 days though so if it’s just don’t extra feedings that would probably help anyways.
Yessir . You got this man. She will turn out upright
Thanks man! Yeah my girls look like they’re thriving but the humidity just recently started dropping after the flip and didn’t want to accidentally fry them up. I’ll keep a closer eye on them for stress signs but good to know I’m not alone and you’re seeing them flourish as well.
Hahaha, I’m hoping she turns out a little sideways with some buds the size of my arm. Thanks man! I’m in that imposter syndrome phase for sure right now but feel myself falling into the groove. Still need those sanity checks though.
I’ve suspended a towel into a bucket of H2O and let the towel wick a bit of moisture into the tent. Point a fan at the towel to disperse moisture. Add an ounce of H2O2 to the source bucket to keep microbes in check.
Monitor your humidity levels and change to a smaller or larger towel if needed.
That’s a great idea. Honestly that’s basically all the whole house humidifiers are. I have them on AC Infinity bases that do the wicking but honestly don’t use the wicks and just like the quality of the bases. I poured some water in there trying to do a similar evaporative effect but haven’t seen much of a climb since they were missing the towel to provide the transport method.
I was just looking at my schedule and reading over my environment graphs and realized I’m only experiencing the issue the light cycle before watering is needed. So I’ll probably rig something up for this tomorrow that I can quickly pull up and down. Maybe even just some wire racks to throw in front of the oscillating fans for just wet towels. Then I’ll just throw it in when issues arise to cut down on the mold risk even more.
That’s the main reason I don’t like the tent humidifier in flower because fine mist or not any cool mist is leaving something behind. Kind of unavoidable for the veg tent and stabilizing transplanted clones though with a flower tent running from the same lung room.
Thought it through with what I have available. Going to try using some of the watering base wick material (still have about 40’) I’m not using anymore wrapped like a coil around 2 pieces of training wire sticking out of the oscillating fans and then have them run down to the peroxide mix. I’ll post some photos tomorrow but buddy you got my loner stoner insomnia engineer wheels rolling.
I hear you on the engineering brain worm. won’t let you rest until it gets scratched. I’ve got a big and small humidifier now but I have tried the towel wicks and also have a couple small swamp A/C units.
I live 40-45 rh. Just my climate. Start to finish. I learned to just adjust watering.
Good to know! Thanks man!
I’ve always heard 45 is ideal for flower and thought it was supposed to lend to better bud structure growth. So I was happy around there most days and am able to keep it around 78 F with the inline. On day 4 after watering though which is my dry cycle day temps shoot up a little and humidity drops in response since the girls aren’t transpiring as much.
Thinking I just need to bump quantity up a little which makes sense because I’m not quite getting to 20 percent runoff. I’ll try 2.5 gallons tonight. I’ve been doing more each time but those stalks keep getting thicker and girls keep getting thirstier.
Easy to raise rh a bit no exhaust on. Just keep a circulating fan going.
Good to know. I thought I’d hit CO2 issues with no intake. I’ve been limiting it some and just letting temp slowly climb all day but maybe I’ll kill it for the last few hours.
Nah no co2 probs man. We arent sealed and hitting super hard lighting and nutrients. Wont have any effect.
Stale air eventually depletes CO2. Keep pumping in fresh air.
Are you monitoring CO2? I have a monitor running 24/7 and even with a constant 6” inline fan running full speed my alarm goes off constantly during late stage flower. I have added another 6’ fan I will incorporate this winter for just that. I’ll monitor and let you know if I can keep that alarm to a minimum.
How much is your background? We have a background of about 550 and spikes towards 800.
You would be correct. Although most tent can be zipped up and tied off it isn’t completely airtight. But for your plant to be healthy it needs fresh air. CO2 is what your plant use to build plant material. After all, we are all Carbon based Lifeforms.
Read on…
Growing cannabis in a closed zone with only internal air circulation can significantly impact your plants’ growth rate and overall health. Here are some key points to consider:
- CO2 Levels: Cannabis plants require carbon dioxide (CO2) for photosynthesis. [In a closed environment, CO2 levels can quickly become depleted, leading to slower growth rates]. Without fresh air, the plants won’t get the CO2 they need to thrive.
- Humidity and Temperature: Proper ventilation helps regulate humidity and temperature. [Without it, you might face issues with high humidity, which can promote mold and mildew, or temperature spikes that can stress your plants].
- Air Quality: Stagnant air can lead to poor air quality, which can affect the plants’ ability to transpire and take in nutrients. [This can result in deficiencies and overall weaker plants].
- Pest and Disease Control: Good airflow helps prevent the buildup of pests and diseases. [In a closed environment, the lack of fresh air circulation can create a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and pests].
To optimize your grow, consider integrating a ventilation system that brings in fresh air and expels stale air. This will help maintain optimal CO2 levels, regulate humidity and temperature, and improve overall air quality, leading to healthier and more vigorous plants.