The Best Grow Room Setups

The Room

• Almost any room in the house can be made into a grow room, but the room should be dedicated to growing and not used as part of the regular living space due to the high humidity of the room. A spare bedroom makes an ideal grow room, because it has plenty of space for plants and equipment and is easier to ventilate than other areas. A closet can be made into a grow room and will work well as long as adequate air circulation is maintained. Portable grow rooms, consisting of a tightly covered framework, allow only part of a room to be a dedicated for growing and are ideal for those with limited space.

Lighting

• Light in a grow room is essential. The type of light used depends on what is being grown, but in general a serious grow room needs good-quality, powerful lighting. In many cases, adequate lighting can be supplied by fluorescent lights. The cool lights will support the growth of foliage plants, are easy to get and inexpensive to operate. Warmer grow lights are good for flowering plants, but to grow vegetables the grow room should have high intensity discharge (HID) lights, such as high-pressure sodium lights. These may require a special electric circuit. Painting the grow room white adds reflective light and reduces the need for additional lights in the room.

Temperature and Circulation

• The best grow room setups maintain the ideal growing temperature for the plants contained in them. This varies depending on the type of plant, but in general, a nighttime temperature of around 55 degrees Fahrenheit and a daytime temperature of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit works well. Air circulation, provided by fans that bring in fresh air, exhaust old air and move the air around the grow room, helps to maintain the ideal temperature. Moving air also helps plants to stay healthy and minimizes disease problems such as mildew and rot.

Humidity

• A grow room that is too humid will cause the plants to have trouble with respiration, and the plants will most likely sicken and die. If the humidity is too low, the plants may dry out and struggle to survive. The ideal humidity level for a grow room is about 40 to 60 percent. A digital weather station provides accurate readouts so the humidity can be kept within this range. Plants can be misted or circulation can be increased to raise or lower the humidity level, keeping grow room conditions ideal.