How To Build A Grow Room for Cannabis Plants? (Part 1)

The most important thing for indoor growers that want to grow delicious cannabis buds is a grow room. Unfortunately, grow tents are expensive. So, the next thing you can do is build one yourself. It's not really difficult, don't worry. And, the best part is that you can customize everything according to the needs of your babies.

Factors to consider – The Basics

Before you start building a grow room or tent, there are a few things you should keep in mind. And, they are:

1. Determine the space

The size of the grow room depends on the space you have. But, you can't use every inch of the room. And there should be some space for you to maneuver your way through. Whether you want to grow plants in your room, closet, or even in the bathroom (not recommended) identify the space available. Obviously, the more space the better because it ensures that you can grow many more plants.

You'll need to fit in lights, fans and even oscillating fans inside the grow room. Think about it carefully because it shouldn't disturb your neighbors. Another factor is odor control if you don't want to advertise the fact that you're growing marijuana.

Also, consider if there is a power source available. Lights need power, so this is important. You can use extensions too. Next comes the water source. It's best to grow in areas where there is some water available. Remember not to build a grow room around a carpeted area because there will be quite a few spills. Last but not the least, select a space that has some ventilation. Of course, you'll be using fans inside the grow room, but a well-ventilated area around the grow room will prevent the grow room from getting too hot.

Here's a video to help you build a grow tent:

2. Create a tight and light leak-proof grow room

When building a grow room, the first thing that comes to mind is a light leak. Why? Since plants depend on light for food, light is essential. For photoperiod plants, light leaks can confuse the plants into thinking that they are supposed to flower. It can also make the plants turn into hermaphrodites and produce seeds instead of flowers.

You will not have an issue with autoflowers since they don't rely on photoperiod; however, light leaks waste light and it won't be beneficial to the plants. Moreover, light leaks can be very distracting and irritating if your grow room sits in a room you inhabit. Many growers use closets for this very reason – they don't want their neighbors to know they are growing cannabis!

You can eliminate light leaks after constructing the grow room by patching up holes and cracks using tapes that don't allow light to pass through. You can also use reflective sheets or Mylar sheets on the inside of your grow room to prevent light from escaping. Also, reflective sheets ensure that the light spreads in a uniform manner around the entire grow room.

3. Make a sketch of your grow room

Before you proceed, make sure you figure out how the grow room should look like. It will certainly help if you can draw it using tools on your desktop or on paper. Since there are many factors to consider from lighting to ventilation to the number of plants the grow room can allow, it will help if you plan earlier.

Here's an example of a simple grow room. You can make partitions if you're growing photoperiod plants to separate vegging and flowering plants, but that's not required if you're growing autoflowers. Also, autos don't take up a lot of space, so a simple grow room or tent with enough space to grow 3-5 plants should be enough. Of course, commercial operations will require a lot more space, but this is a setup for a basic grow room.

Pay more attention to making the grow room airtight. Cannabis plants don't smell too much when they are in the vegetative stage, but they can start smelling like flowers or skunks in the flowering stage depending on the strains you've chosen. It can be a problem later when the plants start flowering, so it's better to think about your options right away. A carbon filter will help you, but creating an airtight room will ensure that nobody is alerted about your projects.

If you're creating a grow tent inside a room, using blackout canvas will make sure that the tent is airtight. Basically, you need heavy fabric with a reflective layer inside to spread the light. Grow tents are usually black on the outside to prevent light from escaping.

Making a grow room airtight will also help you control the temperature and humidity according to your preference. You will be in complete control. You can install fans, dehumidifiers or anything you wish to keep the climate stable. In addition, a grow room sealed well will prevent pests and bugs from entering the room.

4. Calculate lighting

The amount of light you provide to the plants will determine the yields. If your growing area (grow tent area) is small, you don't need too many lights, but if it's big you will need lots of lights. Also, installing too many light fixtures will also damage the plants, and you'll see the tops of your plants curling or burning due to light burn.

On average, plants need about 40 to 70W of light per square feet. It's not advisable to go below 40W or go above 70W. Next, you'll have to figure out the space available to grow the plants. For example, if your grow tent can be structured around a particular space, calculate the length and breadth of that area.

Anything above 3 ft X 3ft will give you enough area to grow 4-5 plants at least. So, for instance, if your area is 4ft X 6 ft, the growing space is 4X6 = 24 square feet. For a grow tent, you can calculate the entire area but if you're constructing a grow room, you will need to focus only on the area the plants will grow (canopy area) and ignore other areas.

Now, if you consider installing about 60W of light per square feet, your light requirement for a 4x6 ft area would be 24 x 60 = 1440W. This means that a 4x6 grow tent would need about 1440W of light. Instead of using one big light to cover all plants, you can use two 600W and one 300W light to spread the light in a uniform manner.

Once you've calculated the number of lights and the wattage it requires, you can then move on to ventilation and controlling heat. You will also figure out the number of fans the room needs because heat can damage your project in an instant if you don't take care of it. While choosing lights, go for LEDs because although HIDs are powerful they produce way too much heat.

Most LEDs come with heat sinks that cool down the tents considerably. You can create a grow tent inside a room that's already cool due to air conditioners but you'll have to work out a way out to keep the temperature inside the grow tent cool.

The remaining factors will be discussed in the next part, so stay tuned!