What to Monitor in Your Cannabis Grow Room
If you are planning on growing your cannabis at home, then there are many different factors that you need to take into account. The simple reality is that growing cannabis is not rocket science per se; there are many parameters that you need to monitor throughout the growing process.
The reason for this is that, unfortunately, cannabis plants are quite fragile and sensitive to changing conditions. Cannabis plants require certain amounts of light, humidity, nutrients, acidity, their growing medium, and more. If any of these parameters are not within the acceptable range for cannabis plants, then you are going to run into some serious issues.
Therefore, today, we want to take a closer look at all of the main parameters that you need to keep in mind when growing cannabis in an indoor cannabis grow room. We will take a closer look at each of the parameters, explaining in detail why they are so important and how you can monitor them. Let’s get right to it and talk about everything there is to know about monitoring your cannabis grow room.
Check out our guide on 21 Tech Devices for Growing Cannabis at Home.
Lighting
When it comes to your cannabis grow room, one of the most important parameters to keep track of is the light. Of course, your cannabis plants require light to grow. Without natural light that mimics sunlight, they can’t possibly grow big and strong.
All cannabis plants require sunlight to engage in both photosynthesis and respiration. For the record, photosynthesis is when a plant converts its fuel into energy to grow big and strong. You want to provide cannabis plants with a lot of light intensity, anywhere between 800 and 1500 µmol/m2/s PPFD.
However, remember that this is for the flowering stage, but for the vegetative stage, you don’t want this level to exceed 600.
In terms of wattage, for ideal cannabis plant growth, up to 40 watts of light power per square foot is recommended. Generally speaking, the more watts the lights have, the more energy in lumens and PAR they can produce, ultimately resulting in bigger and better growth.
You also need to make sure that the light is kept at the proper distance from the cannabis plant, with around 12 to 16 inches being ideal during the flowering stage. Now, what is interesting to note is that these parameters can be somewhat hard to track, especially regarding the wattage and light intensity.
However, you must be diligent when researching and purchasing your grow light. Ideally, getting a powerful LED to grow light that can produce whole spectrum light is ideal for cannabis growth. Remember, you need red light to allow cannabis plants to flower correctly.
Humidity
Another key parameter to consider when growing cannabis is humidity or relative humidity, which means how much moisture is in the air. The only real way to monitor the humidity in the air is by using a hygrometer. Hygrometers can accurately measure exactly how much moisture is present in the air at any given time.
Now, exactly how much the humidity level should be depends on the growth stage of your cannabis plant. For instance, a cannabis seedling requires a relative humidity level between 65% and 70%.
A cannabis plant and its vegetative stage require the relative humidity level to be between 40% and 70%. A cannabis plant in its pre-flowering stage should have a humidity level between 40% and 60%, between 40% and 50% in the mid-flowering stage, and up to 40% in the late-flowering stage. When your plant prepares for harvest, the humidity should be no more than 40%.
If you are having trouble controlling the humidity, there are several ways to get the levels in check. If the humidity level is too low, add some containers with water into your grow space, increase lighting intensity to cause more water evaporation, or water your plants more. If you need to decrease humidity in the growth space, increase the amount of airflow present, increase ventilation, or use a dehumidifier.
Remember, if the relative humidity level in the growth space is too high, it will lead to the growing medium always being too wet, which can lead to root rot. High humidity levels can also increase pests, disease, and mold. However, if the humidity level is too low, you’ll cause water to evaporate too quickly, which is also not good.
Temperature
The next important parameter to keep track of when growing cannabis is temperature. Temperature is crucial for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, if the temperature in the grow space is too high, it will cause too much liquid to evaporate out of your cannabis plants, therefore causing you to water them more, which may have disastrous consequences in terms of overwatering and root rot. High temperatures can, in general, also just lead to heat stress.
However, if the temperatures are too low, cannabis won’t grow properly, as its growth will be stunted. Low temperatures may also inhibit nutrient uptake and may also cause issues with mold. Therefore, maintaining ideal temperatures is essential.
If temperatures are too high, you can always decrease lighting, increase air flow, or use an air conditioner. If temperatures are too low, you can use a heater, increase lighting, or decrease airflow.
Regarding the ideal temperature for cannabis plants, a seedling should have a temperature between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 65 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.
When a cannabis plant is in its vegetative stage, the temperature should be between 70 degrees and 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 60 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.
When a cannabis plant is in its pre-flowering stage, the temperature should be between 70 degrees and 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 60 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.
When a cannabis state plant is in its mid-flowering stage, the temperature should be between 68 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.
When a cannabis plant is in its late flowering stage, the temperature should be between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.
As a cannabis plant gets near its harvest time, the temperature should also be between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit during the night.
The Nutrient Solution
Yet another critical parameter to keep in mind when growing cannabis at home is the nutrients. The three primary nutrients that cannabis plants need to grow include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Now, you can’t just go providing your cannabis plants with unlimited amounts of all of these nutrients during all growth stages. Exactly how many nutrients they get will determine the overall quality of their growth. Either too little or too many nutrients can have detrimental impacts on the health of your cannabis plant.
- During the seedling stage, cannabis plants should get a 2–1–1 nutrient ratio.
- During the vegetative stage, the suggested NPK ratio is 3–1–2
- The recommended NPK ratio is 1–2–3 during the pre-flowering or transition stage.
- The recommended NPK ratio is 1–3–4 during the flowering stage.
- The recommended NPK ratio is 0–3–4 during the late flowering stage.
Total Dissolved Solids
When it comes to the nutrient solution, you then also need to think about the TDS or total dissolved solids, which is a measure of the concentration of dissolved substances, including nutrients and minerals, in your watering solution.
The total dissolved solids should be between 100 and 300 parts per million during the seedling stage. During the vegetative stage, your cannabis plant should be getting a nutrient solution with a TDs level between 300 and 600 parts per million.
During the pre-flowering or transition stage, your cannabis plants should be getting a nutrient solution with a TDs level between 400 and 800 parts per million.
During the early flowering stage, the total dissolved solid range should be within 800 to 1200 PPM. Then, during the late flowering stage, you should reduce the amount of total dissolved solids back down to anywhere between 400 and 800 parts per million.
The pH Level
As far as you’re growing medium and the nutrient solution, you also need to maintain ideal pH levels. pH levels are significant, and this refers to acidity or basicity. The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 1 being extremely acidic, 14 being basic, and 7.0 being perfectly neutral.
Cannabis plants generally prefer the pH level to be slightly acidic, although it depends on the medium you are growing in. For instance, if you are growing in a hydroponic system, a PH range between 5.5 and 6.5 is ideal, whereas a PH range between 6.0 and 7.0 tends to be best if growing in soil.
The pH level is very important to monitor, and this is something that you can do with either pH strips or a digital pH meter.
The reason for this is because the pH level of your nutrient solution and the growing medium is directly related to how well your cannabis plants can intake nutrients. If the pH levels are too high or too low, it will cause your cannabis plant to not be able to intake nutrients properly, which can lead to stunted growth and a variety of other issues.
Carbon Dioxide
Something that many home cannabis growers may not know is that supplementing their cannabis plants with additional carbon dioxide can be very beneficial. Now, this can sometimes be difficult to do because you need an indoor grow space that is well-sealed. You don’t want any carbon production going to waste.
However, the simple fact is that cannabis plants do use carbon dioxide in order to respirate, which is the term used when plants breathe. Just like human beings use oxygen and produce carbon dioxide when we breathe, plants use carbon dioxide and produce oxygen when they breathe.
Therefore, generally speaking, the more CO2 is present in a grow space, the better off your cannabis plants start. During the vegetative stage of growth, the CO2 levels should be between 800 and 1,200 parts per million. The CO2 levels should be between 1000 and 1500 parts per million during the flowering stage.
Other Parameters to Monitor in a Cannabis Grow Room
There are a few other factors or parameters that you need to consider when growing cannabis indoors. Some of these are not as easy to track as others, but they are worth mentioning.
- You should try to maintain ideal ventilation levels inside of your grow room. You never want the air to be still because this can lead to mold and pests, cause higher temperature and humidity levels, and cause other issues. You always want good ventilation and airflow in your grow room.
- Although it’s not exactly a parameter per se, you do want to monitor the appearance of mold, pests, and diseases on your cannabis plants. If you see any mold, pests, or diseases, you must take the appropriate steps to remedy the situation immediately. These are all things that can have disastrous impacts on your cannabis plants.
- You may also want to monitor the overall height, size, and growth progress of your cannabis plants during each of the crucial stages. Cannabis plants should achieve certain heights within certain periods of time, and you can keep track of these changes to see just how well your cannabis plants are performing.
Conclusion
The bottom line here is that if you keep all of the above parameters in mind when growing cannabis, you shouldn’t have any problems achieving the best possible results. Cannabis plants need the right amount of temperature, humidity, light, nutrients, and more. If you provide cannabis plants with the appropriate levels of all of these, you should be just fine.
