Newb questions in the hot n humid south

Outdoor Growing
1

Hello, pre-apologies for a longer post, but I think it helps to get all the facts out first.

I have never grown mj, but I have grown other plants and know the basics. I have a big greenhouse thats sturdy and electrified. I got me some amnesia autoflower seeds. I have done a lot of reading about how to go about this but I have a few questions related to my situation with temps and humidity.

Here are the basic facts to my possible setup.

  • Im going for a single plant
    -Im in zone 8a in TX, we just had a really hot summer, midJune-early Sept was regularly over 100 during the day.
    -I have a nice sturdy electrified greenhouse, in summer time its gets quite hot inside
    -I can use a 60% shade cloth to keep it from overheating July and August. Still gets a lot of sun.
    -March-June could be acceptable temp wise.
    -The greenhouse is about 75ft from my neighbors driveway, so I have smell detection concerns. and the fan blows out toward his property.
    -GH has diffused panels and the sides are wood so a 2’-3’ plant can be visually unseen. I have other tall plants that will also provide cover.
    -To the west there are some tall trees that provide shade by last few hours of day but morning sun will arrive early.
    -From time to time, people come by and want to look at my Garden and may peek inside :wink:

I am thinking of getting a start by mid-March, when temps are fairly cool, but the GH should be warmer. Springtime temps are 70(march)-90(June) which should give me the 12ish weeks grow period for an autoflower , GH will be warmer and could have days where it gets extra warm.

I cannot control the sun, but by march its close to 12 hours and 14 hours by June. GH should keep it out of strong weather and high wind issues and getting too wet. I can put a fan inside to give it a breeze and hopefully keep any mold concerns at bay.

So…comment wise…
-is the summer heat too brutal on the plant? or will it be ok, just not “optimal”? I have less chance of people wanting to go back there when it gets hot and family comes over.
-GH conditions are always warmer than outside, will the extra heat be an issue inside?
-odor control w one plant exhausting out to neighbors, how concerned should I be?
-after harvest, can I dry/cure inside the greenhouse with direct sunlight? definitely can stay over 90, but will be humid as well. (and the smell)

4 Likes
2

Hi there and welcome to the. Community!
I would say a few things about your concerns for summer growing:
-Your cannabis plants are probably not gonna like 100F for a few months straight without some reprieve. Some strains do better in heat though. Many of them will list what type of climate is ideal for growing in their information.
-if the greenhouse receives 12/12 for an extended time the plant may start flowering early. You would need to have a light on them to keep that number close to 13 or 14 hrs of light to prevent flowering early
-odor control for one plant may be easier if kept small, but the size of a small tree will get noticed. Add heat and wind and there goes your cover.
-if you had the possibility to add lights, would it be possible to grow when it is not overly hot ? May help with more covert operation,health of plant, etc.
-most drying and curing is done at a sweet spot of60F with 60% humidity.
Sorry to be a downer. You can still do it, may need some extra support for the plant but from what I can imagine , heat and humidity control will be the biggest concerns to tackle. I hope this helps and again welcome!

3 Likes
3

You can get a tent with fans and charcoal filters. That will keep it hidden and control the smell. If someone asks about the tent Suu it is for seedlings and no they can’t look at them.
Discretion is an absolute must.

Can you set up a tent inside the house, barn, shed, or wherever instead of out in the open?

5 Likes
4

Greenhouses in the summer heat and high humidity need tons of airflow it all doesn’t have to be exhausted outside but it needs to be blowing in there as if its out in the wind. The plants can handle the heat but the roots not so much. If they’re in pots you need to keep the pots cool somehow. I grow in the ground in my greenhouses and get temps well over 100 in there without it hurting my plants. If they were in pots they would be struggling with temps that high.

2 Likes
5

interesting, didnt think about pots and roots. I have a wood raised floor. I have electrical plugs so I can put fans in there. The do make portable electric ac units that dont need a window mount. March - June temps stay 70-90 range, gradually working to 90s. Mid June is when the biggest concerns start; I used a 60% shade cloth over roof this last summer. Allowed the GH to not get hotter than outside temps and the sun actually got through. I can also try 30%. June will be the biggest hurdle on temps.

6

GH is difficult to see whats inside with the diffuse panes, I can also put some of that white freeze cloth on some of the side walls. But the full tent would be a good idea for when I expect guests. I have other similar tall plants, I can tent it for the day and put a wall of other plants in the way for peekers, but they will have noses too :slight_smile:

I am only doing one plant for now, its an autoflower and mostly sativa (read those handle heat better), so I think i can start it as a seed maybe late february. when temps get cold, I have a radiator heater I can use. march is only 12hr/12hr month, after april, its 13hr, may is 14hr, june is 15 hr. not ideal, but I think if i use lights in GH that will be suspicious. I can add light hours when seedlings with some grow lights I use on seedlings in my shop to bridge the first few weeks.

Temp wise, I think im ok till mid June mostly, I have heater for colder days. We will be adding a portable ac for our storm shelter, so I can use that in a pinch on hot days at end possibly to bridge on the heat. Can get pricey, but if a week or so prob ok. Also, i tested a 60% shade cloth over roof this year. Temps got no hotter than outside, and sun still got through, and that was August. Perhaps a 30% in June can help.

Inside is a no-go unfortunately. That will create other issues.

as far as drying and curing…does sunlight hurt or help? I can try in storm shelter, but its temps can still be quite warm. and its not electricfied. However, its really dark even in broad daylight.

so plan will be seed start late feb, seeds say 100 days so I have a little leeway to beat the hottest heat. I can fudge colder days and occaisional hot days with mechanical heating/cooling. Use plant cloth as makeshift tents when needed. If I can keep the bushiness down I can control excessive smell.

Any good cover the smell plants? easy to grow odor maskers?

7

The best way to cover the smell of wroth a charcoal air scrubber. You can get them on Amazon. If you grow in a tent you can put the scrubber and fan inside the tent. Just get a tent twice as large as you need to make room.

I live in one of those Southern Bible Belt head up their but states as well. In my old house i could see the homes of 3 deputy sheriff’s from the window in my grow room, which was a closet in the second floor. Those air scrubbers cleaned up the smell from the tent and the smell from the lung room, which was also my smoking lounge.

I just replace them once a year.
I have two of these in my 8x10 room.

1000003261
10000032611920Ă—3410 409 KB

2 Likes
8

I grow a cover crop around my plants to protect the the roots near the surface and keep them from drying out and getting to hot in the high heat. If they were in pots the pots would get heated and the roots will have grown to the sides of the pots by June. The roots cant handle being pressed up against the side of the pots when they are that hot. Roots can die and the plant can go in and out of shock over and over causing issues with yeild and overall health of the plant. Anything you can do to keep the root zone cool will help.

9

Look for a strain from the valley or maybe michoacan. Already handles the climate I would say. From Corpus myself. Lotta smoke grown in the orange groves of the valley.

10

thanks for the good info… you got me doubting the GH option a bit. Will try to nestle it in the between temp times and see how it goes, I feel i have a good window before the high temps really kick in. was hoping for a low budget, just plant and watch it grow scenario with only basic maintenance.

there is a slight possibility of putting a tent in attic, but that blows the budget a bit. Nobody but me ever goes in there.; however there is no outside venting, so a good scrubber would have to do trick. of note, the attic is cooled and foamed and temps during summer are almost no higher than what the thermostat of house is set to, but if odor got out it would be a disaster for me. If I could do it and keep odor undetectable, as in impossible, might be an optimal situation. AC is in attic so air may easily pump to rest of house. Dont lights add heat?

also, I would worry about the attic dust ruining it, that stuff seems to just always cover things. if the tent was air tight and filtered right…just maybe that is a better way to go. Will start researching that.

11

Jist a little word of advice. Don’t put wher you are from if it’s illegal!

1 Like