First timer Air flow question

[Cornsage]

Hello! I have been recently approved as a Medical Marijuana patient as well as a cultivator (card and license) of up to 12 plants and I am very excited to get started! This is also my very first post! Also Yay!

We are in the planning stages right now and want to get everything ironed out before ordering seeds.

I have questions that I'd like to run by you experienced growers that I have not been able to find straight answers to online and so any advice would be appreciated!

My partner and I have decided to redo our whole garage to grow the plants and the questions about air quality and airflow came up.

We are willing to install any fans to push/pull the air, but our question is the quality of the air that the plants will need to grow properly. We are thinking to vent the outgoing air into either our attic or just drill into the sidewall and vent into the open air outside. Into the attic would not be end of the world, but I wonder if it would make the inside of our house smell?

In regards to Intake air, do we need to have a hook up to the outside to pull the fresh air in, or would our garage area air suffice? I have read through some of the posts and I know that CO2 is needed to ensure optimal growth but I'm not sure if the air within the garage would be enough?

Oh and if you need more context our thoughts on the growing area would be in a cabinet within the garage, so if we ever have to have the Garage door open for anything, the neighbors would not immediately see the plants/area from the street. The cabinet would a wired rack and be about 36"x8' with walls and doors that lock. It would just appear to be a normal storage cabinet, but we'll customize the inside for growing standards.

Now, the neighbors (who are also friends) that face the side of the wall where the outgoing vent would be are also going to be cultivators as well, so we don't think they would mind any smells, but our state is in the Bible Belt Midwest and our other neighbors may not be like the smells if the wind carries it over to them.

Other then the cultivators next door, none of the others would be in direct contact with that side of the wall. I mean, they'd have to have a reason to be over here as it's a walk around the loop.

I mean, my MMJ card/license should protect me from any legal issues but in my state, it's still a very gray area legally and it's up to the local authority to enforce it or not. Think, "You can grow and imbibe mmj, but you can't buy it here and don't even think of crossing state lines from another location." thought.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to be as detailed as possible to give you an idea of what I'm asking about.

[starramus]

Since you are in a legal state the neighbors who are not growers and most importantly not your friends I say fuggem. Go ahead, and vent out doors rather than into your attic. Cannabis in full bloom gets quite stanky. All life forms emit their associated odors, and rational beings must be tolerant of this fact. Your needs are of a medical nature, and your neighbors should be understanding. Have you ever driven by a feed lot and had the acrid odor of those cheeseburgers growing assail your nostrils? How about a pig farm with smells beyond description? An intake would be beneficial, but as a novice you shouldn't be concerned with CO2.

Good luck, and get those seeds ordered.

[Cornsage]

Thank you very much! So, in your experience, would the Garage air be sufficient or should I pump in outside air?

[starramus]

from your user name I am assuming you are in the midwest. I would use the air from within the garage as cold air from outside might very well be just that too cold. For the other seasons you might need an outdoor intake. Stay flexible.

[dilvish]

if this is going to be a regular thing consider getting ALL the proper equipment. If you are growing in the garage, consider a grow tent. It can be zipped up when the garage door is open and so it is not so obvious you can throw a plain camping tarp over it so the neighbours can't see.

It's also very portable in case you need to move it versus some heavy clunky cabinet. it also has vents for fans and carbon scrubbers.

As far as airflow if it is contained in a cabinet then any smell is just going to air out in the garage. i don't see why you would need to start carving holes in the garage. inside the tent or cabinet all you need to properly control is the temp, humidty and air movement (fans).

I understand the whole "we don't want the neighbours knowing" but frankly my advice is if you are legally allowed and it is for medical reasons, your friends will understand and anyone else's opinion is mute. if the neighbours decide to complain ask them for solutions versus complaints.

We have one go around in this life...stop worrying about how others think and perceive and do what's best for you and yours.

[smoorman]

3'x8'grow space is VERY marginal for 12 plants. There is no way 12 of my plants could fit in my 4x8 tent. If you force air up and out (some kind of fan) then the air that replaces it should be good enough regarding CO2. I agree a tent is best and if you're growing 12 plants then a 4x8 is probably too small. I've got 8 in my tent as shown and adding 50%more would be a disaster as regards circulation , moisture. They are leaf tip to leaf tip as it is. They are also very well trimmed regarding fan leaves. Early 5th week of flower. White widow and Northern Lights. Maybe you should put in tents and folding or sliding 4x8 sheets to conceal the tent?

[Jordann]

Beautiful

[D.A.A.S.69]

smoorman, that's the way a tent is supposed to look, great job.

[Canuck147]

Welcome to this forum Cornsage - take all our comments with a grain of salt - we are not experts, just experienced growers.

And as experienced growers we are here to help along the way - some people might say 'do it my way, I'm correct ' - people that are trying to dissuade your ideas or projects obviously aren't trying to help. So pick and choose which answers you like best - and stick with them.

That being said - just use the air in the garage and then vent it outside. Cabinet sounds okay - but you need to have some kind of fan to move the air around.
Cannabis plants love CO2 - but only during lights on time, not dark time.

Most important part of this whole growing thing is - genetics. Figure out exactly which strains will help your household and spend extra bucks to buy quality seeds.

Good luck growing - it's a lot of fun.

[dilvish]

a cabinet that size (3x8) would be far too small for 12 plants. In re-reading your post it occurred to me that a plain tarp drawn across the garage door space would suffice to keep nosy neighbours prying eyes away if and when you open the door. I am assuming it is the vehicle door and not the side door. Other than that I would just use the remaining space just tarped in.

Each pot (fabric is recommended) will be roughly 13 inches wide. so adjusting for plants growing wider than the pot, figure at least 18-20" floor space for each pot multiplied by 12. Then add about 20" walking space on the outside perimeter of the plants for watering etc.

The bigger issue of course will be maintaining proper heat and humidity so tarping the area to enclose it may prove both less expensive and easier to manage.

even in a single car garage there should be enough airspace that you don't need anything more than a couple of good oscillating fans to create a breeze over the plants. Venting to the attic is unwise (humidity) and unless you want to let the neighbours know, don't bother venting outdoors...let the garage walls absorb the smell or you could just open the door every now and again to vent some of the smell if you so desire. There will be enough open air that the plants will actually get a good deal of CO2, assuming a single car garage.

If you do decide to vent outdoors then place the vent up high enough so that it goes out high up and is less likely to annoy the neighbours.

The temp, humidity and lighting all need to be correct too because it's in a garage so you will likely need a humidifier and plenty of safety tested lights.

[Canuck147]

He didn't say he was growing 12 plants - just that he could grow 12.

[dilvish]

Canuck147 first of he is a she and second you are right there was no mention of growing all 12 plants at once. what's your point? I just gave advice based on the number of plants they are legally allowed to grow and in consideration of converting the garage might as well do it for all 12.
Please stop trying to insinuate that my advice is poor or incorrect...this is the second time you have done it.

[SmashGuitar]

dilvish this is just my 2 cents but i don't understand what your talking about? I have read a few posts you made and you make my head hurt! Maybe im just really stoned? You must have good bud! Should i throw out my 10" fabric pot? And floor space 18 to 20" ? What about ceiling space? And walking space 20"? What about my parking space? I got medical so should i plain tarp it so my nieghbours do not notice my car on the street? If i add a few oscillating fans will it keep by law away? Cornsage my advise just do what you feel is right. You are going to make mistakes and learn from them. You will learn what works for you.

[D.A.A.S.69]

Your very lucky, I wish it was legal in my damn redneck state.
If it was me, I'd grow in tents, with good lights, fans, an carbon filters, like most of us do, not all though. It ain't hard to grow, as you will find out, just keep it simple, I'd also suggest autoflowers.
Welcome to GWE.
Have fun.

[Gluteous]

what ever you decide to grow in (tent, cabinet) you need to pull the hot air out and if it's in your garage there's no reason NOT to run it through a carbon filter. Nobody will smell a thing. The exhaust fan will also pull in fresh air (requirement!) from the garage which should be just fine. Better to worry about fan noise then the smell. With only 3 or 4 plants budding it's gonna reek like a mofo.

[Cornsage]

Thank you all so much for your advice! It definitely puts me in the right frame of mind.

I'll have to draw out or take a picture, of what our grow area will be. It'll be helpful to compare notes!