The impact of different air exchange rates on cannabis growth is an important consideration for indoor growers. Proper air movement prevents mold and fungus growth, distributes heat and humidity, and helps keep the cannabis plant healthy.
In addition, adequate ventilation reduces the amount of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted into the environment. These VOCs are a major health concern because they can cause ozone and particulate matter formation, as well as contribute to the greenhouse effect.
Temperature
One of the most important things to consider in cannabis growth is the impact of temperature on your plants. This can have a major effect on the quality of your harvest, so it’s important to be aware of how to control it correctly.
The ideal temperature for growing marijuana is between 68-77 degrees F (20-25 degrees C). The lower the temperature, the slower your plants will grow.
When you’re growing outdoors, a slight variation in temperature is acceptable (up to about 20 degrees F). However, indoor cannabis growers should be very careful to keep their temperatures consistent.
In the vegetative stage, cannabis plants prefer temperatures in a range of 70-85 degrees F (20-30 degrees C). They also want the lights on during the day and off at night to ensure optimal plant health.
Temperature is especially important in the seedling and flowering stages, as these are when cannabis plants produce buds. Buds are the most potent parts of your marijuana plant, so you need to give them the best possible conditions to grow strong and healthy.
Keeping root zone temperatures between 70 and 78 degrees F (18-25 degrees C) is essential for healthy growth and a heavy harvest. The roots are the primary pathway for water and nutrients to reach the rest of the plant.
You can use a thermometer to monitor your root zone temperatures and make sure that they stay within the recommended range. This is the ideal time to spritz your plants with water to keep them healthy and hydrated as well.
The temperature you choose for your grow room can impact several different aspects of cannabis production, including bud color, trichome production, and smell. It can even affect your plants’ growth patterns, so it’s important to pay attention to these factors when you’re monitoring your plants’ condition.
The temperature impact on cannabis growth is significant, but it can be controlled easily with the right technology. It’s important to note, though, that while there are some common standards for the ideal temperature, you should still test it a few times in order to get the exact results you want.
Humidity
When it comes to controlling humidity in your grow room, it can be a challenge. The best way to get started is by using a simple, inexpensive hygrometer that lets you monitor the relative humidity of the air in your grow space.
Humidity levels are influenced by many factors including the amount of water vapor in the air, temperature, air exchange rates and more. Keeping a constant eye on humidity is essential for maximizing plant health and producing the best quality buds possible.
High indoor humidity can have negative effects on cannabis plants, leading to reduced yields and a loss of nutrient uptake. It also can encourage mildew and mold growth, which can lead to plant damage and a loss of revenue.
In addition to affecting moisture levels inside your grow room, humidity can influence the rate at which your cannabis plants transpire, a process where water vapor from the leaves and stems is drawn out of the plant and into the atmosphere through osmosis. This is an important factor for a cannabis grower to keep in mind because it can have a direct impact on the size and final quality of your buds.
The ideal humidity level at any given stage of cannabis growth is dependent on the specific genetics of the strain and the environment it grew in. During the vegetative phase, the cannabis plants need to maintain a relatively low RH of around 50%. This is because cannabis plants at this stage have a large surface area that they can transpire through and the lower humidity level is required to keep them healthy.
Once your cannabis plants enter the flowering phase, they begin to create a robust root system that allows them to absorb more water than at the vegetative stage. At this point, the humidity should be lowered to 40 to 50 percent because a higher level can allow for mold and mildew growth.
Bud rot is one of the most unpleasant experiences a grower can have if they don’t take control of their humidity levels during the flowering stage. This can result in moldy, rotten buds that are totally unusable.
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a colourless, odourless gas that plants use for photosynthesis. It is also the smallest component of the Earth’s atmosphere and is a known as a greenhouse gas. It contributes to climate change by trapping heat in the atmosphere and reducing the amount of sunlight that enters the Earth’s surface.
A recent study published in Nature Sustainability found that the cannabis grow industry is responsible for significant emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases. They estimate that the carbon footprint of a pound of dried marijuana produced indoors is equivalent to burning between 7 and 16 gallons of gasoline, depending on where the cannabis is grown.
The researchers measured greenhouse gas emissions from grow ops in several states where pot is legally grown. They discovered that the most energy-sucking components of a growing operation are lighting, heating and air conditioning, ventilation systems and CO2 input.
Adding a little bit of CO2 to your grow room can make a difference in terms of the speed with which your plants can grow. However, it is important to keep in mind that too much CO2 can cause problems with your plants – they can become weak or yellowish in the middle of the growth cycle, and this will lead to lower yields.
When CO2 is used correctly, it will boost bud formation and give your plants the nutrients they need to bloom at a faster rate. It can also make your plant’s leaves more nutrient-rich, which will increase their overall health and produce better quality buds.
There are many ways to add CO2 to your grows and you can either buy a simple system that you can attach to the top of your canopy or you can buy a professional system that will measure the PPM of CO2 in the air and put it into your grow room at the right PPM for the best results.
According to the researchers, a wholesale switch to outdoor cultivation would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96 percent and lower the overall climate impact of a kilogram of dried cannabis by up to 42 per cent. The exact size of the impact would depend on things like local land use, the energy grid and the weather.
Oxygen
When growing cannabis, it’s easy to focus on light, nutrients and space and forget that air circulation is also crucial. Without sufficient air exchange, your plants will be unable to keep up with their growth and their environment will slowly deplete.
One of the main reasons that oxygen is so important to cannabis is because it is a vital component in nutrient absorption. It can help to speed up the rate at which your plants absorb essential vitamins and minerals and it is also a major factor in keeping your grow room at a safe level of carbon dioxide, which is necessary for good health.
Another reason why oxygen is so important to cannabis is because it can boost the levels of beneficial terpenes that are released when you grow marijuana. Terpenes are chemicals that give marijuana its scent, as well as many other effects such as psychedelic and anti-inflammatory properties.
The terpenes that are produced in marijuana are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and when they’re released into the atmosphere, they can affect air quality. According to William Vizuete, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Public Health, each 1,000 t yr-1 of terpenes produced in marijuana is linked to a 1 ppb increase in daytime hourly ozone concentrations.
While ozone is dangerous for humans, it’s not as harmful for plants and animals as it is for non-plant life. However, as we discussed in the previous section, there are a lot of VOCs in the environment that can interact with each other and cause ozone to form.
Fortunately, the impact of VOCs on ozone is significantly reduced in plants-rich environments that are more suitable for outdoor growing. But even then, there are still risks associated with VOCs.
For instance, when marijuana is grown in greenhouses, it is likely to produce more VOCs than indoor cultivation. This is because a greenhouse’s climate is typically warmer and more humid than an indoor grow room.
To avoid these issues, many greenhouses are utilizing controlled atmospheres where the plant is grown in an environment that’s low in oxygen. This has proven to be very effective for improving yields and terpene levels in cannabis.
