Humidity

[chickenman]

Researching proper humidity and temps for both drying and grow rooms, I need some dialing in.
How about 70 deg and 50% humidity for drying, was told this is ideal.
Also any recommendations for veg temps and humidity as well as flower temps and humidity..Posting this on Colo forum as were dryer than most other areas Thanks Farmers CM..........

 

[putembk]

CM, right on about being dry. I have been running a humidifier just to keep the humidity close to 50%. I agree for dry/curing 50% is best. As far as grow/veg doesn't the strain make a difference as to where the best humidity range is. I always try to keep my rooms under 60% because I have heard Chemdog has a tendency to get mold. I run my fans 24 hrs a day because when the lights are out the humidity goes above 60%.

 

[Dorje]

During veg I don't mind if humidity gets up to 70% or so. I try not to let it get much over 50% when the buds are filling out.

I agree drying is best with higher humidity than we usually have here in CO but I haven't used a humidifier. I dry by hanging without a fan going, usually takes 5 days or so, just gotta catch it before it dries out too much, with higher humidity it wouldn't matter as much.

 

[putembk]

During veg I don't mind if humidity gets up to 70% or so. I try not to let it get much over 50% when the buds are filling out.

I agree drying is best with higher humidity than we usually have here in CO but I haven't used a humidifier. I dry by hanging without a fan going, usually takes 5 days or so, just gotta catch it before it dries out too much, with higher humidity it wouldn't matter as much.

I am in the final stages of curing some Brainstorm Haze which turned out big dense buds and at 50% I let them hang for 7 days with a indirect desk fan on them. Then went to sack/turkey bags for around 10 days and finally jars. The humidity has been under 30% for a while now and I agree without a humidifier a close eye is necessary.

 

[TurboAllWD]

I agree with Dorje on the veg/flower humidity.

Always end up with too much humidity in the dry room unless I use a dehumidifier, most likely because the dry room isn't big enough and my whole place hovers around 50% anyways. So i use a little bit of ventilation to keep temps at or under 70, along with a dehumidifier to keep it at 45-50%. Without the ventilation the dehumidifier would raise temps to 75+ degrees.

I jar when they feel pretty dry and use a couple hygrometers. The cure zone seems to be 58-65% for me, if they go in the jars too dry i notice less smell and taste. Seems like they dont cure unless they go in with at least some moisture.

 

[putembk]

Funny, the whole world is trying to dissipate heat and I'm trying to keep it. If left alone my overnight temps would drop well into the 50's. And the humidity rarely goes over 50% even in the spring. In flower right now my temp is 73 at the tops of the plants an r/h is 43%. In veg temp is 76 and r/h is 54%. The basement is 64 and r/h is 47% with a humidifier running 12 hrs a day.

 

[PoopyCoopy]

colder is better for drying.

Cold and dry is best really.

think fridge with a fan in it ;)

 

[sky high]

I dry in a spare bedroom....heater vent closed.... temps 60F.....no fan/no care about humidity. At this time of year it takes 7-10 days to get a snap. After that it's into the turkey bags.....a few burps.....then seal it up. I go for a slightly damp product...something you can sit out and it's perfect to smoke in an hour or so. After a week or so in the bag it becomes a huge lump of bud all stuck together. This keeps the bud very nice all the way til the next harvest.

yum. Best of luck with yer cure, kids

s h

 

[ttystikk]

Funny, the whole world is trying to dissipate heat and I'm trying to keep it. If left alone my overnight temps would drop well into the 50's. And the humidity rarely goes over 50% even in the spring. In flower right now my temp is 73 at the tops of the plants an r/h is 43%. In veg temp is 76 and r/h is 54%. The basement is 64 and r/h is 47% with a humidifier running 12 hrs a day.

Sounds like you need some insulation, weather stripping and plastic over your windows, bro!

 

[putembk]

I dry in a spare bedroom....heater vent closed.... temps 60F.....no fan/no care about humidity. At this time of year it takes 7-10 days to get a snap. After that it's into the turkey bags.....a few burps.....then seal it up. I go for a slightly damp product...something you can sit out and it's perfect to smoke in an hour or so. After a week or so in the bag it becomes a huge lump of bud all stuck together. This keeps the bud very nice all the way til the next harvest.

yum. Best of luck with yer cure, kids

s h

sh, sounds like you don't use jars in the final stages. Are you just using the turkey bag and no sack? I have noticed that after being in the sacks for a while the buds actually start to smell like the sack. I move them into jars when they don't get that spongy feel after 2 days and then the final smell/taste starts to come out and after a week of burping the jars. I try to cure for 30 days it seems to be ripe about then.

 

[putembk]

Sounds like you need some insulation, weather stripping and plastic over your windows, bro!

All windows are sealed but it's hard to heat a 2400 sq foot unfinished basement with a 10' ceiling. No worries however all I have to do is turn the heat up, that is if I'm willing to pay the heating bill. Just the opposite of a/c in the summer. One advantage, I can move the lights closer to the tops of the plants. I have them about 6 to 8 inches away with no sign of heat stress.

 

[ttystikk]

All windows are sealed but it's hard to heat a 2400 sq foot unfinished basement with a 10' ceiling. No worries however all I have to do is turn the heat up, that is if I'm willing to pay the heating bill. Just the opposite of a/c in the summer. One advantage, I can move the lights closer to the tops of the plants. I have them about 6 to 8 inches away with no sign of heat stress.

Ok, so what you REALLY need is more plants and more lights, lol

 

[putembk]

Ok, so what you REALLY need is more plants and more lights, lol

Great idea!! That would sure solve my heat problem. Only problem is I would end up like the guy in Highlands Ranch that was growing in his basement. As I remember he is now in the crow bar hotel with his cell mate buba.

 

[Dorje]

Great idea!! That would sure solve my heat problem. Only problem is I would end up like the guy in Highlands Ranch that was growing in his basement. As I remember he is now in the crow bar hotel with his cell mate buba.

lol, yup... best to stick to the law and be legal.

It actually sounds like you need to make a room within a room and insulate it... If you do that you'll have enough watts per volume of space and will have no trouble keeping it hot enough. With co2, your goal should be mid 80's when the lights are on.

 

[putembk]

lol, yup... best to stick to the law and be legal.

It actually sounds like you need to make a room within a room and insulate it... If you do that you'll have enough watts per volume of space and will have no trouble keeping it hot enough. With co2, your goal should be mid 80's when the lights are on.

This is turning into a good thread. Dorje, I don't use co2 and have been told that mid 70's at the top of the plant was the correct temp with the lights on dropping 10 degrees when off. What are your thoughts on this as well as the correct root temp?

 

[Dorje]

This is turning into a good thread. Dorje, I don't use co2 and have been told that mid 70's at the top of the plant was the correct temp with the lights on dropping 10 degrees when off. What are your thoughts on this as well as the correct root temp?

Well, #1 is USE CO2!

I just picked up a CAP1 co2 generator for $200 on CL along with a Sentinel chhc-1 temp/humidity/co2 controller for $400.

If you have natural gas in the basement, plumb a line over to a ng powered co2 generator, otherwise use propane.

Your yields will increase by 1/3 or so and flowering time will be reduced by 5-10%. It will also add heat, which would be a plus for you.

It takes a bit of rigging (one relay), and you can use the co2 gen as a heater at night too, the chhc-1 has an output for a heater, otherwise you can rig up a thermostat.

As far as temps go, about 80 w/o co2, 85 with co2 seems to work well. I wouldn't let nightime temps drop more than 10 degrees if possible, too much temp drop leads to increased RH and more chance for powdery mildew.

 

[putembk]

Well, #1 is USE CO2!

I just picked up a CAP1 co2 generator for $200 on CL along with a Sentinel chhc-1 temp/humidity/co2 controller for $400.

If you have natural gas in the basement, plumb a line over to a ng powered co2 generator, otherwise use propane.

Your yields will increase by 1/3 or so and flowering time will be reduced by 5-10%. It will also add heat, which would be a plus for you.

It takes a bit of rigging (one relay), and you can use the co2 gen as a heater at night too, the chhc-1 has an output for a heater, otherwise you can rig up a thermostat.

As far as temps go, about 80 w/o co2, 85 with co2 seems to work well. I wouldn't let nightime temps drop more than 10 degrees if possible, too much temp drop leads to increased RH and more chance for powdery mildew.

Thanks, will consider all advice. Just talked to my brother-in-law and he is going to put a heat vent near my intake vent that leads to my flower room. I'm thinking I can control the temps with some duct work.

 

[Dorje]

Thanks, will consider all advice. Just talked to my brother-in-law and he is going to put a heat vent near my intake vent that leads to my flower room. I'm thinking I can control the temps with some duct work.

To increase heat during the light cycle it would be far more economical to simply insulate your growing space. You can get a duct with a flapper door you can put on a timer so you're not heating during the light cycle.

The other issue with not using co2 is that if you don't have a lot of air exchange your co2 levels will get depleted, and it sounds like if you exchange enough air where you're at things will be too cold. Honestly, co2 is key for indoor growing.

 

[putembk]

To increase heat during the light cycle it would be far more economical to simply insulate your growing space. You can get a duct with a flapper door you can put on a timer so you're not heating during the light cycle.

The other issue with not using co2 is that if you don't have a lot of air exchange your co2 levels will get depleted, and it sounds like if you exchange enough air where you're at things will be too cold. Honestly, co2 is key for indoor growing.

I don't think insulating the grow space is the problem, imo it's air exchange. My room is 225 cubic feet and my 6" can fan turns that over twice a minute. I think I need to raise the temp in my basement. One good thing, it's like a refrigerator in the summer. I can keep my temps low well into summer. I didn't have to turn on the a/c until July.
Also, does co2 increase the quality as well or just the yield? For my needs I want better quality more so than yield.

 

[Dorje]

I don't think insulating the grow space is the problem, imo it's air exchange. My room is 225 cubic feet and my 6" can fan turns that over twice a minute. I think I need to raise the temp in my basement. One good thing, it's like a refrigerator in the summer. I can keep my temps low well into summer. I didn't have to turn on the a/c until July.
Also, does co2 increase the quality as well or just the yield? For my needs I want better quality more so than yield.

Yes, co2 increases quality as well... denser buds.

With a controller like the chhc-1 or igs-220 you'll be able to control your temp, humidity and co2 at the same time. It's a big initial outlay in cash, but you'll get it back in one cycle, I promise.

For now, you can put a speed control on your can fan as well. It's not ideal, but a $5 dimmer switch at home depot works as long as you don't try to run the fan at too low of a speed... or run the fan on a thermostat, you can get a line-voltage t-stat at Grainger for about $25.