With the dark nights closing in and as temperatures outdoors increase rapidly, it’s time to start considering the warmth of your indoor plants. In particular, you have to consider the roots and ensure the plants feel snug and warm. This is particularly useful if you have plants in a hydroponic system. Such a system is unlike soil or coco air substrate, which provides the roots with some ventilation, whereas growing in water is different.
Plants prefer to grow best in places with warm air, and as the winter season approaches, its best to maintain the ideal grow room temperature levels. Usually, the range is between 25 to 35 degrees, during the lights on periods of your grow room.
There are many techniques you can use to insulate your grow tent. While there are no specific methods that apply to each grow tent, you can always try out a different combination of techniques before settling. Yes, that’s right! What works for your grow room may not necessarily be suitable for the other.
This guide should help you get started in choosing proper insulation techniques for your needs:
Contents
Factors to Consider About How to Insulate Grow Tent
Plants use temperature to determine when the cold seasons are close intuitively. As the nights become colder and the winter seasons set in, the plants start showing reactions to the changing weather patterns. When temperatures drop, plants will experience reduced growth. Any temperature levels below the 20-degree level will have significant side effects on the development of the plants.
When such a situation occurs, and your plants’ growth is compromised, it may take several weeks before they resume normal growth and even fruit production. In the worst cases, the plant may even fail to recover at all. The last thing you want is a whole year’s worth of work to go down the drain due to poor temperature issues.
As such, a well-insulated grow room is vital to maintaining optimal temperature levels for your plants. There are many useful techniques you can consider to help you have a grow room with optimal levels. Below is a comprehensive guide to help get you started:
Keep an Eye on The Temperature
Believe it or not. The first important step to insulating a grow room to keep track of the temperature. Remember that different plants have as many different temperature ranges, which offers them optimal growth results. In this case, keep track of the temperature by installing convenient thermometers in your grow room. If the grow room is relatively large, then you might have to install many thermometers to help keep track of the temperature.
Usually, plants thrive best in temperatures between 25-28°C when the lights are on, and between 18-22°C when the lights are off. Thus, you need to evaluate the temperatures regularly, to ensure the best growth results. Also, keep an eye on aspects such as the humidity and temperature in a grow room by using a Digital Thermometer. Remember to keep track of the temperature in the grow room using any suitable technique.
The main benefit of owning an indoor hydroponic system is to make it easy to grow plants all year round. That said, that does not mean your plants are safe from issues such as the cold during the winter. Applying these simple procedures will ensure you get the best growth results, regardless of the changing winter patterns.
Change Lighting Periods
Controlling the lighting periods of your grow room is also a crucial factor to consider. Why? The light intensity can have a significant impact on the overall temperature levels of a given grow room.
Indoor HID lights can lead to various complications in the summer due to the heat produced. You can leverage this lighting period during the winter, by turning on the lights at night, or off during the day. The heat produced will have a significant impact on reducing the cold temperature experienced during the winter seasons.
If the plants are still in the vegetative stage when winter comes about, you should consider increasing the light exposure times by a few hours. This should provide the plants with enhanced heat protection benefits, especially during the cold seasons.
Add More Light
Introducing more lights to your grow room should also improve the temperature levels in a grow room. That said, you have to control the light intensity, as too much or too low will easily compromise the way plants can make food. You should know that photosynthesis is a process that relies on the intensity of light, and it’s crucial for the quality of your yield.
The additional lights will produce a higher heat intensity level, which will, in turn, increase the grow room temperatures. The best part is that most plants will respond well, even when exposed to a higher heat level. Remember to keep track of the light intensity levels, as too much can have adverse side effects on your power bills. That said, if the plant output warrants such a tradeoff, then it will be suitable for your needs.
Use Secondary Heating
Heaters are perhaps the most effective way to insulate a grow room. While its heaters will increase your energy power bills, their benefits are notable. There are many types of heaters on the consumer market, with as many different heat capacity levels. For instance, the tube heaters are common, with most of them being controlled using thermostatic technologies. Also, there are the oil-filled radiators, which are compact and powerful for establishing optimal temperatures in a grow room. Taking these factors into consideration will have a significant side effect on the way you can use heaters to insulate the grow room.
A fan heater is also common, and you should use these with caution. Why? Well, excessive amounts of dry and hot air can compromise the humidity levels of a grow room.
Literally “Insulate” Your Plants
You will have to consider physical approaches you can use to “insulate,” the plants and protect them from heating complications. There are many options you can consider in this category. For instance, instead of placing the plants on the floor, you can consider putting them on a material surface. Also, remember to surround the walls of your grow room with adequate insulation. This will help reduce any heat dissipation issues that occur as the day goes by. Remember that the walls, roof, and floor surface are crucial aspects of your plant’s warmth. Thus, keeping these aspects warm will significantly increase the warmth and heating around your plants.
Nutrient Solutions Should Have Correct Temperatures
A nutrient solution might be a great way to improve the growth of plants, but without the correct levels, this may never be a successful approach. As such, when mixing nutrient solutions, or perhaps when storing in a tank for several days, you should ensure the temperature is right. If the temperature decreases significantly, the roots of the plants might experience “shock.”
As such, it’s good to maintain the temperature between 18-21 degrees Celsius. More so, if the nutrient solution is overly warm, the water may not have adequate oxygen. As such, the plant development will slow down and make the plants susceptible to issues such as Pythium or root rot.
To address this issue, ensure you have a premixed nutrient solution and let it sit at the correct temperature. Using a water heater with a thermometer can suffice for this process. Usually, a water heater is fully submersible, which makes it ideal for hydroponic systems in grow rooms. Also, ensure they sit in the water tank, and maintain the temperature at a preset level at all times.
Storing the nutrients effectively is crucial because poor nutrients can easily compromise the development of the plants. If the storage tank is too cold, this can lead to the crystallization of some essential nutrients. In such a form, they are no longer useful for the plants and remain unused for the plants.
To prevent this issue, ensure that you store the nutrients in a dark and cool place, away from the direct sun. As a rule, never let your nutrients be stored at temperatures below 15 degrees. Keep track of the water nutrient temperatures by using a waterproof Bath Thermometer. Use one that you can place in the solution and use it to get an accurate temperature reading.
Watch the Nutrient Solutions and Its Temperature
You should keep track of the flow of air in the grow room. If you are drawing in cold air into your grow room, this can also let in the cold air. As such, the plants find it difficult to stay warm. Therefore, ensure you place your intake fan correctly such that you draw air from the indoors. Also, ensure that the air is from a different area to the grow room. There is an additional benefit of such an approach. The air drawn from the inside will be warmer, and richer in CO2.
Consider using a fan speed controller on both the intake and extraction fans. During the vegetative stage and early bloom, turning down your fan significantly will let the warm air stay in the room for longer durations. More so, it will also be refreshing enough for the plants, which is key for growth and development. However, this may not be suitable during the mid to late flower stages, as the odors in a grow might require the use of an extraction fan.
Finally
As a grower, there are various factors you need to consider to ensure the best yield results. While regulating the temperature is crucial, you also have to remember the other key aspects of plant development. Keeping track of all these factors will ensure the best yield and even give you a competitive edge over other growers. Remember that how to insulate your grow room is a simple, but multifaceted procedure. You have to know the specific temperature requirements of your plants and the resources you can use to achieve this goal.
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