I hate terracotta pots, those miserable things were all my father bought when I grew up in So CA. They soak up and hold everything and crust up. Spent many year with those. Get some fabric pots. They air root prune (no roots wrapping around) and it’s hard to overwater because they help the soil dry out faster. Mine are in 7 gallon on risers. I’m doing living soil so I want all nutrients to stay in the pot. Therefore I remove the risers to water and once the runoff in the saucers wicks back into the pot I return the risers which speeds drying out.
Environment: Mine are in an unheated, uninsulated metal shop here in the Pacific NW and all week long its been in the 20s and my tent is maintaining mid 70s. I started the grow at the beginning of October and quickly found I wasn’t keeping temps and rh where they needed to be. I struggled for nearly 2 months to get a working system and my plants were shocked and stunted. Before the milkhouse heater temps plummeted and I was afraid I would loose them, they looked terrible.
My working setup:
AC Infinity T8 fan and carbon filter maintains consistent environment when things get too high. I know thats not what these fan are for but it works awesome.
- HT = 86
- LT = off
- HH = 51%
- LH = off
750w oil filled radiator with Inkbird temp controller
- Maintains the main temp without drying out the air.
- sits in front of the only air inlet window I have partially open. This allows the cold air to be heated as it enters the tent.
- Temp = 80 today (I adjust this between 75-80 depending if temps outside drop below 40)
1500w milkhouse heater with Inkbird temp controller
- Maintains bottom temp and can quickly prevent lows from happening.
- sits right next to the radiator in one corner
- Temp = 73 today (I adjust this between 69-73 depending if temps outside drop below 40)
Foor oscillating fan
- blows air around heaters and plants.
- sits on the other side of the radiator in other corner
Upper clip on fan
The two Ink-bird controllers, ACI controller’s sensors and a Govee Bluetooth hygrometer all hang banded together above the canopy.
Rh is usually not a problem here in the great north-WET, but on occasion when it drops low I either water or place some in the saucers to evaporate and that puts it right.
Believe me this was not planned from the start and many were a “scramble too†situation. But as I mentioned it all works great now.
This is it after I spent an afternoon reorganizing all the equipment and wiring that was all over the place.
I’m on a 12/12 flowering, end of 6 weeks today.
This image is on my phone and I access it at each stage to set equipment.
