From the previous blog, there are 7 guiding principles to creating the perfect grow room. The first two principles are concealment and the exhaust system. What are the remaining principles? Keep reading:
3. Space
How much home-grown weed do you want to produce? How many patients are you serving?
Quick Reference
- Stealth Boxes, Small Tents, and Cabinets (up to 2’x4′ or 3’x3′) – yields up to several ounces
- Hobbyist Size Tent– (larger than 3’x3’, but no larger than a 5’x5’) – yields from several ounces up to about a max of 2 lbs
- Large Rooms/Tents – (larger than 5′ x 5′) – yields 1-2 lb and greater
Remember that you need enough height to support both your lights and plants, so a 3′ tall cupboard isn’t going to cut it if you’re using LED grow lights! With LEDs you need to give yourself at least a foot (and usually more) between the light and the top of your plants, so don’t forget to consider that! The more you want to yield, the more height you need (up to a point of course) because bigger plants tend to yield more bud than small ones.
In addition to the space needed by your plants, you also need room to get in and around your plants so you can tend to them. Resist the urge to fill every space in the room because if working on your plants becomes a hassle, you may not do it at all, a negligence that will surely lead to problems with mold or bugs in the future.
What about the other appliances needed for growing premium homegrown weed? Where will you hang your fan and carbon filter? Will you mount your oscillating fans on the walls, or will they just stand in the aisles? Do you have room for a dehumidifier or even a heater should the need for either arises?
When your grow space is completely filled with cannabis plants, it becomes almost impossible to tend the plants near the back and sides
Break out a paper and pen and draw a to-scale diagram of your room, deciding where each item will go beforehand. You will likely need to redraw the diagram over and over before coming up with the perfect layout for your room.
If we have one piece of advice, always give yourself a little more space than you think you need! It’s better to have too much than not enough!
4. Noise and Smell
Perhaps your neighbors cannot see your room, but will they hear it through the walls–the rattle of oscillating fans, your exhaust, and the hum of the ballasts? Perhaps your guests will never pass by the door to your grow, or perhaps the door will be cleverly concealed to the point of invisibility. But will the location adjacent to the living room make it impossible to mask the smell?
Will the grow affect your social life, or can you find a location in your home more fitting?
Of course, there are ways to deal with smells and noises, like carbon filters, hanging equipment from inside the tent, sound boards as well as other techniques, but plan ahead so you know which measures you need to take if any.
To be continued…