Can anyone identify this and how to prevent it again?

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

I was asked to move the tent out of the living room. When I tipped it to take the cover off of the frame, I found this.

I am assuming this is mold. This is from one grow cycle. The floor inside was always dry so this has to be condensation build up from the heat and humidity.

Seeing how I may have done some serious damage to this apartment I am forbidden to put my tent back up.

Is there a way to prevent this? As you can see I have hard wood floors and they are throughout the apartment.

HELP!!!!!

SchwiftyGrower · Sep 23, 2024

Does your tent have a covering inside for water? I’d recommend getting a bed liner type of setup for inside of your tent. I always clean up and vacuum up any excess runoff from my plants within 20 minutes after watering. I never try and leave ANY standing watering before closing up the tent.

If this is something you were doing in your grow, then I would suspect the mold is coming from the floor directly and has transferred on to the tent material and has found a thriving ecosystem.

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

SchwiftyGrower said:
Does your tent have a covering inside for water? I’d recommend getting a bed liner type of setup for inside of your tent. I always clean up and vacuum up any excess runoff from my plants within 20 minutes after watering. I never try and leave ANY standing watering before closing up the tent.

If this is something you were doing in your grow, then I would suspect the mold is coming from the floor directly and has transferred on to the tent material and has found a thriving ecosystem.

Yes, I have a floor liner in the tent. I checked in-between the floor of the tent and the liner and there is nothing. I have sprayed the bottom of the outside of the tent with bleach water then cleaned with lysol all purpose cleaner. I do not believe any mold got inside the tent but I am worried about it happening again with the next grow. I am in a apartment, this may cost me my deposit.

Is there a way to prevent this?

SchwiftyGrower · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
Yes, I have a floor liner in the tent. I checked in-between the floor of the tent and the liner and there is nothing. I have sprayed the bottom of the outside of the tent with bleach water then cleaned with lysol all purpose cleaner. I do not believe any mold got inside the tent but I am worried about it happening again with the next grow. I am in a apartment, this may cost me my deposit.

Is there a way to prevent this?

Buy a bigger bed liner and place the tent inside of that bed liner :) kind of like a hot water reservoir. Something for containment

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

SchwiftyGrower said:
Buy a bigger bed liner and place the tent inside of that bed liner :) kind of like a hot water reservoir. Something for containment

I would think that it would be the same. Just another layer with a bottom. I do not think this is coming from anything inside the tent but the outer environment. I have the heat from inside the tent, the heat from the room and the humidity in the air with no circulation under there. The tent itself should be somewhat water repellent, it seems a nylon/canvas type material with the shinny lining inside.... along with the floor mat.

I was just wondering if anyone else has had this happen and how they fixed it. Towels? Blankets? Seems like I need some sort of 3'x3' mesh platform for the tent to sit on.

SchwiftyGrower · Sep 23, 2024

Amazon.com : Tierra Garden GP112B Square Garden Tray, 3-Feet, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden

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I put mine under something similar to this, but got it from my local shop. Easy to keep airflow going, and ensure that you don’t see moisture or anything else.

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

SchwiftyGrower said:
Amazon.com : Tierra Garden GP112B Square Garden Tray, 3-Feet, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Tierra Garden GP112B Square Garden Tray, 3-Feet, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden

a.co

I put mine under something similar to this, but got it from my local shop. Easy to keep airflow going, and ensure that you don’t see moisture or anything else.

So the plastic is not flat on the outter bottom? I cannot see it but it looks pretty flat wround the bottom in the photo. I see the inner has ridges but if the outter is flat and flush I cannot see there being any difference from that and the bottom of the tent.

Jimmie · Sep 23, 2024

It’s water damage, see it all the time. Next time raise your tent up on plywood with 2x4s under the plywood. Put plastic on top of the plywood. I’m a builder, didn’t see it from weed growing tents, just life in general.

SchwiftyGrower · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
So the plastic is not flat on the outter bottom? I cannot see it but it looks pretty flat wround the bottom in the photo. I see the inner has ridges but if the outter is flat and flush I cannot see there being any difference from that and the bottom of the tent.

Gotcha, this option is to prevent mold from getting on your tent. I am assuming your mold issue is coming from your wood floors. I personally would never set anything tent related on wood flooring and why I’m recommending you put it inside of a liner like this. Otherwise you’re going to want to find the source of the mold.

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

Trying to find a solution with things I may have around the apartment. LOL.

I am not so worried about the tent I do not want to ruin the floors of the apartment. From the pattern on the floor, it looks like the main build up is where the pots were in the tent. They were in plastic drainage trays but they are large and flat pressing against the floor. I was thinking maybe a layer of towels on the floor between the tent, then using milk crates in the tent for the pots to sit on. So there is not a large flat surface pressing against the floor. Just the rim of the crate.

This is very frustrating. Damn wood floors, I need a place with carpet

SchwiftyGrower · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
Trying to find a solution with things I may have around the apartment. LOL.

I am not so worried about the tent I do not want to ruin the floors of the apartment. From the pattern on the floor, it looks like the main build up is where the pots were in the tent. They were in plastic drainage trays but they are large and flat pressing against the floor. I was thinking maybe a layer of towels on the floor between the tent, then using milk crates in the tent for the pots to sit on. So there is not a large flat surface pressing against the floor. Just the rim of the crate.

This is very frustrating. Damn wood floors, I need a place with carpet

Yeah maybe some plastic grates to lift the tent up a few inches to allow airflow and not allow the tent to sit directly on the floor. :)

I also wouldn’t recommend carpet.

I recommend tile or concrete :)

LoveGrowingIt · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
Trying to find a solution with things I may have around the apartment.

That sure looks like mold. There must be moisture trapped between the tent and the floor. I'm sure it can be cleaned. How to prevent it is another matter. I'd find a way to get some airflow below the floor of the tent. 2x2s probably would work okay and don't cost much. The challenge is to find something that allows air to flow and can support the pots in the tent.

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

2x2's.... that might work. I wonder if I can get those at the local hardware store.... I have some milk crates I can put the pots on.

LoveGrowingIt · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
2x2's.... that might work. I wonder if I can get those at the local hardware store.... I have some milk crates I can put the pots on.

A hardware store should have them. I was thinking of putting something under the tent to support the pots. Four 2x2 cut to the right length should work. Put some in the middle to support the pots and some at the edges to support the tent. Most stores will cut them to size.

I was also thinking of balusters that come in 2x2 sizes and should be 42 inches long, so they're already cut to a size that would work for a 3x3 tent. What size is your tent?

Galgrows · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
Trying to find a solution with things I may have around the apartment. LOL.

I am not so worried about the tent I do not want to ruin the floors of the apartment. From the pattern on the floor, it looks like the main build up is where the pots were in the tent. They were in plastic drainage trays but they are large and flat pressing against the floor. I was thinking maybe a layer of towels on the floor between the tent, then using milk crates in the tent for the pots to sit on. So there is not a large flat surface pressing against the floor. Just the rim of the crate.

This is very frustrating. Damn wood floors, I need a place with carpet

That's what i have under mine a throw rug. I've not moved the tent so gawd i hope that isn't what i find undr mine ive got beautiful wood floors too.

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

LoveGrowingIt said:
A hardware store should have them. I was thinking of putting something under the tent to support the pots. Four 2x2 cut to the right length should work. Put some in the middle to support the pots and some at the edges to support the tent. Most stores will cut them to size.

I was also thinking of balusters that come in 2x2 sizes and should be 42 inches long, so they're already cut to a size that would work for a 3x3 tent. What size is your tent?

Gonna order this. https://www.amazon.com/smabee-Inter...sprefix=12+interlocking+grates,aps,89&sr=8-16

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

Galgrows said:
That's what i have under mine a throw rug. I've not moved the tent so gawd i hope that isn't what i find undr mine ive got beautiful wood floors too.

OH No! I just came back from the hardware store with no luck. I was asking about a moving blanket under it... he said the blanket would just hold the moisture. Good luck, I hope you have better luck than I did. Not sure where you are but here in Minnesota we have had some really hot and humid days this year. More then normal.

SchwiftyGrower · Sep 23, 2024

WickedMichelle said:
Gonna order this. https://www.amazon.com/smabee-Interlocking-Flooring-Facility-Gray/dp/B0D17W2GHJ/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2PVWX4AY3M3WR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9e-m2o254-fiJOOYc0Zkj_O-VD5LZOnH9SaNkBRXQj_xJriEqvJhNsjNgUsYDpwyC1cca8rrZfgpj6-8Ed6nc1LMsxtRwj0gocj678YYVSK9FxyIscGnULfd19VoT8GSu0vtvlG3JGXlmrLVI0nvVnDWApBk4fVIXOWduvBtKFl1pIGHMPNaZPlUZOBI-mlCUxVWICkPl6TCmLrej-WCphilpZLSziUjWtSKXdcIRx8.CuK08_kdmFv8_CABb7gfUUBBFXMYTJiwuXWNlITseqI&dib_tag=se&keywords=12"+interlocking+grates&qid=1727121417&sprefix=12+interlocking+grates,aps,89&sr=8-16

Great find!! I’m sure these are going to work out great!

orggrwr · Sep 23, 2024

I have cheap throw rugs from Wal-Mart between my hardwood floors and tents. They have been in the same place for about 2 years with no problem. I just checked when I read your post.

WickedMichelle · Sep 23, 2024

SchwiftyGrower said:
Great find!! I’m sure these are going to work out great!

Fingers crossed. Shipping delays the grow a bit but not bad.

How do I clean the grow bags? They seem really fragile. I can almost see through some spots. All the soil is out but there are some roots on the sides and bottom. Not much but some.

Can anyone identify this and how to prevent it again?

Can anyone identify this and how to prevent it again?

WickedMichelle

SchwiftyGrower

WickedMichelle

SchwiftyGrower

WickedMichelle

SchwiftyGrower

Amazon.com : Tierra Garden GP112B Square Garden Tray, 3-Feet, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden

WickedMichelle

Amazon.com : Tierra Garden GP112B Square Garden Tray, 3-Feet, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Jimmie

SchwiftyGrower

WickedMichelle

SchwiftyGrower

LoveGrowingIt

WickedMichelle

LoveGrowingIt

Galgrows

WickedMichelle

WickedMichelle

SchwiftyGrower

orggrwr

WickedMichelle

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