This passive air vent is light-tight. It is curved behind the polyethylene tarp to ensure light gets neither in nor out, but allows for the intake of air to replace that which is vented outside.
Note the tube curving away from the hole. A snake behind the curtain is your goal here.
Plastic shelves with adjustable leg heights are an easy way to maintain short and taller plants under a single light source.
The final task is also one of the most potentially labor intensive: venting the grow room. The best way to ensure even, regular circulation of new air into your rooms is to install a venting fan. These fans can (and should) be attached to drums that contain carbon filters. When used in conjunction with one another, these two things will reduce the telltale odors associated with marijuana to nearly zero. Ideally, you will be able to vent your room to the outside. Most units are fairly quiet; mine can be heard only faintly in the next room and outside is inaudible from about five feet away. Close up, it sounds similar to the vent from a furnace or dryer. In fact, if you can place it in close proximity to one of these, this is a great cover. Carbon filters generally need to be replaced every 12 to 24 months. They are invaluable for keeping your daily grow as a secret garden. The only other consideration is that your vent fan should be placed in the bud room if at all possible. Plants in the veg room will produce little if any smell since they are sexually immature. It is only the valuable bud that will stink. If you will be placing budding plants in a veg room (for instance, in the case of growing autoflowering strains which benefit from a more continuous light cycle, even when flowering), you should create a vent between rooms and ensure that a small fan moves air out of the veg room and into the bud room for expulsion.
1. Check the maximum height that you’ll have for growth. At least four feet clearance is ideal. Remember that lights will hang down from the ceiling, reducing the amount of room plants have to grow vertically.
2. Locate studs and install hooks from which lights will be hung. Attach chains on which to hang/move lights. Check that chains will hang easily on hooks BEFORE you buy (i.e. that chain loops are wide enough to fit over the hooks).
3. In the case of concrete floors, cover with plywood or some other insulating material that can be cleaned easily when spills occur.
4. Install ventilation from the exterior grate into the grow room for passive air flow. Snake the ventilation tubing so that no light escapes from either end of the grate.
5. Staple polyethylene tightly onto the walls. Use cardboard pieces to avoid ripping.
6. Hang a thermometer so that temperatures can be monitored easily and a green light bulb for working during times when the lights must be kept off. If possible, buy a thermometer that measures relative humidity as well as temperature. Some units will record daily highs/lows: this is invaluable for seeing how hot/cold your rooms are running at times you aren't there.
7. Place fans in appropriate locations, out of the way.
8. Install exhaust fan and carbon filter in Bud Room. Follow manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, vent to the outdoors.
9. Secure all wires. Minimize risk of wires falling into water. Power bars and timers should sit well clear of your grow area.
10. Install a lock and/or camouflage your grow room. Trust no one!
11. Create a work area outside the grow room if possible. It’s a plus, as is a dedicated drying area.
12. Ensure that cleaning supplies are ready for use. Review how to “clean up” your area: can you sweep the area directly outside your grow rooms clean of all evidence of your hobby in five minutes or less? This should be your goal, in case of an emergency.
Happy cannabis, with buds starting to plump up under the warm embrace of T5 fluorescents.
The only other consideration in terms of room setup is ensuring that floors are warm, at least moderately so. Cold floors, such as concrete floors in a basement, can stunt plant growth. A thin layer of plywood or plastic shelves placed between plant trays and concrete is all that is required. Warming mats and the like are for the most part an unnecessary expense.
The room is built. The materials have been purchased. Setup is complete. Now, we’re ready to start our grow. Onward!
Before you start your grow, take a deep breath, and remember this: moving slowly, deliberately, and with patience will generally serve you well as you cultivate your garden. Hopefully, you won’t often face emergency situations, but if you do, you will want to be as prepared as possible – with supplies for example. Taking decisive, timely action will be necessary of course. However, the best action is often the one you don’t take, or the mistake you don’t make. It is easier to respond slowly to solve problems as they arise rather than undoing something you have done in haste. With that advice in mind, I’m ready to start a new crop in my grow rooms. I will be both cloning Master Kush from my Kush Mother and germinating new plants from seed.
1. Select and obtain seeds for strain(s) that are appropriate to the conditions of your grow room and “bud objectives” (effects when consumed).
2. Germination will take roughly 2-3 days from removing from packaging to being ready to plant in soil. Plan your time accordingly.
3. Best method: moisten (not soak) a paper towel, fold, and place on a plate. Use standard paper towel with no chemicals on it.
4. Place seeds into paper towel. Cover with fold over. Cover plate with Saran Wrap to hold in moisture.
5. Place covered plate somewhere dark and warm, like a desk drawer.
6. Minimize exposure of germinating seeds to light, particularly when they have sprung a root.
7. Check daily.
8. Once seeds have begun to sprout noticeably – a little tail is what you are looking for – transplant into soil. Don’t wait too long or the seeds will die. Once they’ve sprung the shell they need