I need some help.. 1st grow

[eskimobro90]

first ill give an overview of my set up, then ask my question.

I have a 5x5 grow tent

2 x Phlizon CREE COB Series 1500W LED

4 x fans

6in intake and exhaust fan - ac infinity system set on 5 power constantly

4 in intake and exhaust fan - ac infinity system set to come on when temp gets above 78

I have a sensor that turns a heater on when temp is below 70

I have another sensor that turn humidifier on if it gets below 43% humidity and turns on a dehumidifier if it get above 46% humidity


4 plants in 7 gallon cloth pots.

they take about a gallon each every other day, I vacuum any run off


I've been battling white mold all grow, 2 plants I was able to cure in veg phase, the other 2 battled it up until yesterday when I killed them.


here is my question. its 68 degrees and 80% humidity outside where I live.. im constantly battling the high humidity durning the off hours. my dehumidifier is for a large bedroom, but can't seem to keep it stable for very long.


does anyone have any advice?

[Mr.furley]

Coco or soil?
You shouldn’t be watering that often with that high of a Ambient humidity, I would try to stabilize your humidity around 30%. Start by removing your humidifier then think about give your pots 2 to 3 day in between watering but watering more in volume. You should be lifting the pot when they are wet to see how heavy they are and until they are lite and dry.

[eskimobro90]

thank you for the response!!..

I am using soil, the humidifier only gets triggered when humidity is below 43%. when I wait 2 days before watering I see some leaves drooping, but I basically wait 2 days every 3rd watering (if that makes sense). I water 1 gallon per plant, gives a good amount of run off. im also watering pretty slowly, I use a 3 gallon low flow pump can.

should I lower the amount of air circulation because of the outside humidity?

[eskimobro90]

thankfully somehow the mold didn't get to the other two plants.. I know from reading this seems impossible in a closed grow tent, but I check twice a day and cant find one sign of white mold. that being said the two other plants are lolipopped and looking pretty well.. even with my humidity fluctuations. for the last 24hrs, the humidity has been maintained really well... seems to be the day I water that has the most issues, which makes sense.

[Mr.furley]

I wouldn't worry about the humidity dropping as low as 20%, after that I'd worry about it so I still would remove that humidifier. You have white powdery mold because of humidity so obviously you need to lower it not raise it, most likey never. In soil you shouldn't be watering to runoff your washing away your nutrients you should only give enough to let your pot and I would still suggest ixnay the water in 1 gallon everyday.

What is the size of your outlet fans and do you vent it out of the room your tent is in?

[eskimobro90]

the humidifier is inside for when the lights are on... and even then its on a sensor.. so it never turns on unless needed.. that same sensor is what turn the dehumidifier one when its too high.. I try to make as little run off as possible, so 1 gallon every other day seems to do the trick

[Toker1]

Where is your dehumidifier located? Because if it’s inside the tent you may be exhausting the dry air it creates.
try moving the dehumidifier just outside of the tent, so the air the fans pull into the tent is more dry.
also, might want to get a larger dehumidifier. I realize the one you have is sized for a large room, but at 80% ambient Rh the dehumidifier’s capabilities are limited.

[Toker1]

Yeah, you are either controlling the elements or your are susceptible to them. Unfortunately there is no in between.

[eskimobro90]

what if I went closed system? stuck a AC unit in the tent and called it a day? Or replace the dehumidifier with a AC unit.. they dehumidify and cool the air.. pump its exhaust out, would that solve both my humidity and temp issues?

[Toker1]

I think you are on the right track... but the tent walls are really thin. The AC would be cranking like mad and would not be very efficient. The electric bills would be fairly high from running that much AC. This may increase your production cost from what you are doing right now.
What about a simple shed? Wouldn’t look suspicious and you can insulate it. Pop your tent inside and then you can see if your dehumidifier will keep up with the ambient Rh?
You could still seal the room and run AC if you want... just remember with out fresh co2 the plants will suffer. Typically Seals rooms need to supplement co2 into the grow space.

[mat6977t]

My question is this what were you treating with and how much were you using to kill a plant?

[eskimobro90]

I used neem oil through out the veg.. the two plants that had issues got a heavy dose.. but I should clarify, I killed the plants to try and save my other 2.

[eskimobro90]

when the lights turn on tonight, I will upload detailed photos of my grow tent for opinions... this current grow, im just hoping to get something smokable.. but id love thoughts on the set up for my next one!

[eskimobro90]

today is 60 degree F and 90% humidity outside...

[eskimobro90]

sorry to keep bombarding here...

so its 2hrs in to my dark period and my humidity is 40% (because dehumidifier is set to medium and 40% target).. but now temp is 77F... the dehumidifier is causing more heat... so then I turn up the intake.. which pulls in more humid air, but temp goes to 71F.. so im in the battle now of cool air vs dehumidifier.

id think that the lower humidity is more important that the lower temp..

[mat6977t]

eskimobro90 I had a short lived white fungus out break. Started as a stop gap with baking soda and water. Then used a light treatment of Nukem. Haven't had another issue.

[eskimobro90]

thank you! if it comes back ill be sure to check that method out

[dphipps1020]

My tent is usually around 80-85F (I think) when the lights are on. I don't usually pay too much attention to it, I watch my leaves mostly cause they will tell me when they're too hot. The plants don't seem to mind the warmer temps, just not too warm. If your temps got to high 80s to 90s then I would probably worry but 77 shouldn't be a problem. As for humidity, mine stays a bit higher because I have hydro going in there but otherwise I feel like it would be fairly low. I don't really monitor that any more either to be honest. Everything I have going seems really healthy though, with one exception that I'm going to say has a water sensitivity. Basically it looks over watered whether wet or dry (a few curled up, droopy leaves but otherwise healthy). Dehumidifier you probably need, but if it was me I'd get rid of the humidifier seeing that you have plenty of humidity already in the air that you can use to your advantage. That could also lower your heat a little bit. Just my thoughts, hope they help.

[Toker1]

You are correct... the plants can handle it. Only issue is pests love it too. In temps higher than 80F bugs breed faster and in larger numbers. That’s why it is recommended to keep the temps lower. If you do get an infestation, lower temps will slightly help control the population.

[dphipps1020]

Yeah I'd like to get them down a little more. Getting some 315 CMH lights for it so I'll be taking the 600W HPS out. That should cool things down a little bit.