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Can i grow in my basement?
- Thread starter ponzi314
- Start date
I would, but with a tent and all of the goodies. You won't be able to maintain the needs for these girls in the open basement.....well efficiently. My basement eventually equalized humidity compared to the tent so I had to start venting outside to lower the humidity. I feel it would be a hard process without the proper goods.
MagicMike66
New member
I grow in the same environment. You’ll struggle with heat and humidity unless you can extract the air outside. Otherwise you’re just circulating the same air
Phlash
New member
I think you would be best off setting up a grow tent in the basement instead of just growing open unless of course your aim is to utilize the entire basement. Don’t worry too much about the temp or humidity at this point until you define the space and understand the heat load you are going to be putting into that space. Remember rh is directly tied to temp so an increase in temp will subsequently reduce rh in your grow space.
HeavyMetal1
New member
You could use the water from your dehumidifier, but it may not put out the volume of water you may require. As your basement dehumidifies the output of water will decrease as of course that is the point in running the unit.
StickyNugsAZ
New member
You need alot more dehumidifier than you think because the plants add alot of moisture. You might want to consider a hot style grow light to increase heat in the tent for veg.
HeavyMetal1
New member
You will need to vent to the outdoors or your basement will become excessively humid. At your ambient basement temperature your dehumidifier will likely ice up reducing its ability to dry the air. It will not be able to keep up because you will be continually adding humidity back into the basement. You very well could be encouraging mold and mildew growth inside your home. I used to live in a climate what yours sounds as if it may be and it was a constant battle for us and we never even grew any plants in the basement.
Rootsruler
New member
Before anything, how big is your basement? Do you have a way to exhaust air in the basement outside like a window or large vent? Is this window near a lot of foot traffic if stealth is an issue? How big a tent are you planning on using?
If your tent is big enough you should have enough heat from your lights and dehumidifier to be able to sustain a respectable level. If you can't get the temps up you can employ a small heater to help you get there.
If you haven't decided on a tent brand I would suggest you go with AC Infinity. Their kits are complete and their gear is good quality. If you're going with a larger size tent you may want to bypass their light and use another brand like Medi Grow or Gavita.
What style of grow are you using? SOG/SCROG/Organic?
MagicMike66
New member
You’ll need a heater inside the tent if it’s cold. I know this from experience. if it’s cold outside the tent it will be cold inside it too. You also have an LED light which ain’t putting out much heat. HPS would better suit your set up. Dehumidifier ain’t heating up a basement but it will slightly heat if you put inside the tent.
Rootsruler
New member
Is your basement temp stable or does it fluctuate during summer? Same with humidity? So your basement is roughly 20' x 30'?
That's big for a 3 x 3 but it'll work. Most growers have issues with heat but it seems like you are lucky in that you don't have to contend with that. A small space heater on an inkbird or some other way of regulating temp should be all you need to be able to control the temperature you want your plant to be at at that particular stage of growth. Try and figure out how you can exhaust the air in your tent outside of your lung room/basement so that only fresh air is entering the tent.
If your basement is averaging 80% humidity on average you are going to need a fairly large dehumidifier. I use a DIY auto irrigation system so I use dehumidifier condensate that I have draining into my reservoir for feeding the plants.
IMO, you're underpowered when it comes to your light. I'm shooting for 30 watts per square foot in my 5 x 5. I have 25 sq/ft of tent space x 30 watts = 750 watts. For me to properly power my flower period 750 watts is where I want to be. For you it would be 270 watts. Your light is 100 watts. Lighting is the one area that you really don't want to skimp on as it powers everything in your grow. I'm currently running two 275 watt COB style lights, similar to your SF-1000, in the 5 x 5 but will be upgrading to a bar style light to accomodate my grow style. I'll probably go with a Gavita 1700E Pro if I can find a good used one because they're pricey. I'm also looking at a Growers Choice ROI-E720 or a Medic Grow Smart 8 if I can't find the Gavita.
One of the things that drives vigorous growth is high PPFD and balanced nutrition in a well draining medium. With a properly powered light you can use the dimmer function to apply the right amount of light at the growth stage the plant is in to push it to its maximum potential. If you don't have a light meter to measure how much light is hitting your canopy I suggest you download an app like Tent Buddy or similar. This way you can accurately measure the amount of light your plants are getting and can adjust accordingly depending on stage of growth.
I like to use DLI(Daily Light Integral) as a guide to how much light at what stage of growth I want to give to my plants to maximize their growth and keep them as healthy as possible so that when they're in flower they have the foundation they need to grow big fat colas. I'm currently running an AC Infinity T6 6" fan w/Controller 67 in the 5 x 5 but I think I need to upgrade to their T8 - 8" fan w/Controller 69 pro wifi for better airflow in that size tent. The T6 is doing the job but I'm putting it through it's paces. I don't like to run gear full out as it shortens their life span.
Pic of a harvest I just did in the 5 x 5. 3 different strains/cultivars.
That's big for a 3 x 3 but it'll work. Most growers have issues with heat but it seems like you are lucky in that you don't have to contend with that. A small space heater on an inkbird or some other way of regulating temp should be all you need to be able to control the temperature you want your plant to be at at that particular stage of growth. Try and figure out how you can exhaust the air in your tent outside of your lung room/basement so that only fresh air is entering the tent.
If your basement is averaging 80% humidity on average you are going to need a fairly large dehumidifier. I use a DIY auto irrigation system so I use dehumidifier condensate that I have draining into my reservoir for feeding the plants.
IMO, you're underpowered when it comes to your light. I'm shooting for 30 watts per square foot in my 5 x 5. I have 25 sq/ft of tent space x 30 watts = 750 watts. For me to properly power my flower period 750 watts is where I want to be. For you it would be 270 watts. Your light is 100 watts. Lighting is the one area that you really don't want to skimp on as it powers everything in your grow. I'm currently running two 275 watt COB style lights, similar to your SF-1000, in the 5 x 5 but will be upgrading to a bar style light to accomodate my grow style. I'll probably go with a Gavita 1700E Pro if I can find a good used one because they're pricey. I'm also looking at a Growers Choice ROI-E720 or a Medic Grow Smart 8 if I can't find the Gavita.
One of the things that drives vigorous growth is high PPFD and balanced nutrition in a well draining medium. With a properly powered light you can use the dimmer function to apply the right amount of light at the growth stage the plant is in to push it to its maximum potential. If you don't have a light meter to measure how much light is hitting your canopy I suggest you download an app like Tent Buddy or similar. This way you can accurately measure the amount of light your plants are getting and can adjust accordingly depending on stage of growth.
I like to use DLI(Daily Light Integral) as a guide to how much light at what stage of growth I want to give to my plants to maximize their growth and keep them as healthy as possible so that when they're in flower they have the foundation they need to grow big fat colas. I'm currently running an AC Infinity T6 6" fan w/Controller 67 in the 5 x 5 but I think I need to upgrade to their T8 - 8" fan w/Controller 69 pro wifi for better airflow in that size tent. The T6 is doing the job but I'm putting it through it's paces. I don't like to run gear full out as it shortens their life span.
Pic of a harvest I just did in the 5 x 5. 3 different strains/cultivars.
So in the winter my basement was a solid 56-58 degrees with humidity around 40%. But now that its summer the temp has raised to about 63-65 on average but the humidity JUMPED to almost 90%. We just moved into this house so its all new to me(first time home owner).
I order this unit, says it can do a large space (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/honeywell-70-pint-dehumidifier-white/6449541.p?skuId=6449541)
Ive always just exhaust the tent into the same room. Im wondering if this contributing to leafy product on my first grow(mind you this will be my 3rd indoor grow)
Im a little sad to hear about the light because i bought it by recommendation of this site. I based my build of this (https://www.growweedeasy.com/harves...grow-kit-complete-setup-weed-growing-tutorial) and just got a little taller/wide tent for more room. Im still only growing 1 plant at a time.
I order this unit, says it can do a large space (https://www.bestbuy.com/site/honeywell-70-pint-dehumidifier-white/6449541.p?skuId=6449541)
Ive always just exhaust the tent into the same room. Im wondering if this contributing to leafy product on my first grow(mind you this will be my 3rd indoor grow)
Im a little sad to hear about the light because i bought it by recommendation of this site. I based my build of this (https://www.growweedeasy.com/harves...grow-kit-complete-setup-weed-growing-tutorial) and just got a little taller/wide tent for more room. Im still only growing 1 plant at a time.
Rootsruler
New member
It's a common mistake. Most people underpower their lighting as it's usually the most expensive piece of gear you'll buy. You can always add another panel if you want or upgrade to a bar style light which, IMO, gives you better overall coverage in the tent.
It's going to be tough to raise the temperature in the winter so you may want to go with a double ended HPS light in the winter to add heat to your tent. Right now they are practically giving them away used as everyone is moving to LED for cost savings through less power for lights and less power needed to cool the room but in your case running an HPS will cost more or less the same if you have to have a heater constantly running. Might as well run the HPS and get good light spectrum performance and temp regulation all in one. Look for either Gavita or Dimlux 1000watt double ended lights.
How To Choose the Right Size Dehumidifier | Sylvane​
Dehumidifier sizing chart
I use Honeywell fans to circulate air in the tent. I like their build quality and performance. If their humidifiers are as good as their fans then this is a good choice. I like that it has as drain hose so that you don't have to constantly be dumping the reservoir it has. I use my dehu condensate as RO water for the plants. When I turn on my auto irrigation system I have the condensate drain into the irrigation reservoir and top it off accordingly with water and reset the PPM's of the reservoir solution. No need to dump and mix a new reservoir solution.​
Since you're growing one plant at a time look into SCROG method of growing. I've seen a boost in my dry yields from using this method along with not having to separate flower sizes to keep drying and curing easy.
It's going to be tough to raise the temperature in the winter so you may want to go with a double ended HPS light in the winter to add heat to your tent. Right now they are practically giving them away used as everyone is moving to LED for cost savings through less power for lights and less power needed to cool the room but in your case running an HPS will cost more or less the same if you have to have a heater constantly running. Might as well run the HPS and get good light spectrum performance and temp regulation all in one. Look for either Gavita or Dimlux 1000watt double ended lights.
How To Choose the Right Size Dehumidifier | Sylvane​
Dehumidifier sizing chart
| Conditions in your Space | 300 sq.ft. | 500 sq.ft. | 800 sq.ft. | 1,200 sq.ft. |
| Slightly Damp 50-60% Humidity Air feels ... | 20 pint | 25-30 pint | 35-40 pint | 50 pint |
| Moderately Damp 60-70% Humidity Occasion ... | 20 pint | 25-30 pint | 35-40 pint | 50 pint |
| Very Damp 70-80% Humidity Wet spots on w ... | 25 pint | 30 pint | 45 pint | 55 pint |
| Wet 80-100% RH Seepage/ some mold | 25-30 pint | 35-40 pint | 45-50 pint | 60 pint |
I use Honeywell fans to circulate air in the tent. I like their build quality and performance. If their humidifiers are as good as their fans then this is a good choice. I like that it has as drain hose so that you don't have to constantly be dumping the reservoir it has. I use my dehu condensate as RO water for the plants. When I turn on my auto irrigation system I have the condensate drain into the irrigation reservoir and top it off accordingly with water and reset the PPM's of the reservoir solution. No need to dump and mix a new reservoir solution.​
Since you're growing one plant at a time look into SCROG method of growing. I've seen a boost in my dry yields from using this method along with not having to separate flower sizes to keep drying and curing easy.
90Gizmo
New member
I have a 30'x60' basement and bought two humidifiers for it. Took two months to notice $400/month of electricity. Nonono. Now I run a box fan 12/12 and, luckily my basement has two windows, a window exhaust fan on the same schedule. I have walled off a quarter of it in a corner for a couple years to use as a clean room. so you can rehabilitate some space. It's just a matter of how much you want to spend.