Maintaining optimal temperature inside your grow room is very important to grow healthy plants with the best yields. Because you are growing indoors, your cannabis plants depend on you to provide the ideal environment for their growth. Overlooking temperature for cannabis grow room can also lead to issues and therefore it should not be forgotten at all cost.
Before anything else, it should be kept in mind that there is no optimal temperature for cannabis grow room given the differences of climate and temperature of different regions. Another thing to consider is that you must combine indoor environmental conditions and outside temperatures so that you won’t consume too much electricity. Here are a few things to consider when maintaining day and night temperatures for your cannabis grow.
Temperature for Cannabis Grow Room – Day and Night
A few things to keep in mind when it comes to temperature for cannabis grow room for cannabis plants
- Temperatures should not drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit at night and over 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and of course the temperature fluctuations from day to night should not go over 20 degrees Fahrenheit. With these basics in mind, you can bet that your crops will thrive and grow healthy and strong.
- Indoor growing subjects plants to extreme heat especially when high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps are used. Constantly check indoor temperature; indoor growing spaces should have at least a difference of 5 degrees Fahrenheit between day and night.
- Keep in mind that buds could become susceptible to mold growth if temperatures are kept too low or if readings fluctuate too much. Using a dehumidifier will help prevent mold growth and maintaining higher temperatures during the evenings may also help.
- Hot air has high moisture content in water vapor form but when you reduce temperature, water will precipitate and will result in plants all covered with dew. If this is not corrected, moisture could accumulate inside the bud and these could lead to a nasty mold infestation. Again, using a dehumidifier can help prevent mold growth and increasing room temperature especially during night time can also help.
Manipulating growing room temperatures
Cannabis growers often look for ways to grow more yields and improve plant health and one of the earliest discoveries was in the 1980s when a team of researchers from the Michigan State University found the relationship between temperature differences and plant growth. The team of experts discovered that if daytime temperatures were kept lower than nighttime temperatures ‘’negative DIF’’ would result. Negative DIF leads to plants having very low intermodal length. And if temperature during daytime was kept higher than night time, plant stems will grow longer resulting in ‘’positive DIF.’’ It was also very recently that it was discovered that negative and positive DIF were related to the differential expression of enzymes which destroy gibberellins or hormones that are partly responsible for plant growth.
This exciting discovery about the relationship between cannabis plant growth and temperature changes paved the way for growers and breeders to produce plants that are far different from the Christmas tree-like appearance of traditional cannabis plants. They began experimenting on temperature fluctuations to create small and compact plants. Manipulating cannabis growth with the use of temperature is a safe and healthy alternative compared to the use of toxic chemicals and manually manipulating or hindering plant growth.
Manipulating grow room temperature
After revealing that by manipulating plant growth by altering morning and night time temperature, cannabis plant sizes may be changed, manipulating grow room temperatures is the next big step. Grow room temperatures may be manipulated with the use of air conditioning, the use of high-powered grow lights and the use of fans as ventilation system.
Stem elongation due to positive DIF happens during the first couple of hours in the morning. Research studies show that lowering the temperature of your grow room below evening temperatures during the first two hours of turning on the lights could be enough to stop stem-elongation caused by positive DIF. A small air conditioning unit can cool the room and keep the temperature lower than night time temperatures. You can also use a vent that takes in cold air outside instead of an air conditioning unit.
Equipment you need to improve daytime or nighttime temperatures
To be able to experiment with daytime and nighttime temperatures in your own indoor grow room you must have all the important equipment ready. You must have at least a freestanding air conditioner or you can install a vent fan to take in cold temperatures from the outside, in. Your vent should at least have a thermostat to automatically regulate temperatures inside your grown room.
Using grow room lighting that will not burn plants and will not raise room temperatures to the extremes is the ideal set up. High intensity discharge lamps are growing in popularity because these can light up a grow room like another and could cover more plants than any other lamp. But there are certain disadvantages to using HIS lamps. These lamps get too hot and could increase the temperature of your grow room.
You have a choice between using HIS lamps and using cool LED lights instead. If you continue to use HIS, make sure to maintain your AC at the best setting or use ventilation systems to reduce temperature and humidity inside the room. LED lights may not be as bright than HIS lamps but are less likely to increase room temperature and are also energy-efficient as well.
Keep ventilation systems running 24/7 to remove excess heat inside your grow room. Whether you’re set up is a large room, a closet grow or a tent, a ventilation system set up could help you keep temperatures at optimal levels.
A standard room thermometer should also be handy all the time. You must constantly measure indoor temperature and make adjustments ASAP. Get to know your plants before you plant them especially their preferred growing temperatures so you will be able to maximize their growth potential even in an indoor growing environment.