It can be a challenging task for most beginners & also for experienced growers to do the management of humidity. Fortunately, dehumidifiers make it possible for you to keep the humidity in your grow room optimal all through the year.
The relative humidity is a very crucial variable in the cultivation of cannabis. And it is basically something that even first-time growers of cannabis are required to wrap their heads around for the production of a decent harvest. The reason is that the cannabis plants are known for liking warm temperatures, the reason is that the warm air usually holds more moisture than cold air.
You would have the desire of doing the measurement & controlling the humidity in your grow room for the creation of the perfect environment for your plants. In this blog, we will guide you on how can you control the relative humidity in your cannabis grow room by making use of a dehumidifier.
What is meant by a Dehumidifier?
As it is suggested by their name that dehumidifiers are those appliances that are designed basically for the reduction of the humidity in a special area. Most people make use of dehumidifiers for controlling the humidity in their homes for their comfort. They also do this for the prevention of the growth of mildew & mold which generally thrive in humid conditions.
However, dehumidifiers are also having industrial & commercial applications, such as decreasing the humidity in indoor swimming pools, ice rinks, pools, storage warehouses, and many more.
How A Dehumidifier Used To Do Its Work
There are two major types of dehumidifier on the market:
- Refrigeration dehumidifiers: These generally work by drawing in air from the environment over a refrigerated coil. The water that is present in the air usually condenses on the coil and after that, it gets dripped into a collection tray or bucket where it might be disposed of or get recycled.
- Desiccant dehumidifiers: These dehumidifiers generally draw abundant air with the assistance of a wheel that is covered with desiccant which is basically water that does the absorption of substances such as silica gel.
Rather than dripping into a tray, the water that is absorbed by an adsorption dehumidifier is removed during the regeneration phase by evaporating the moisture from the desiccant with a stream of warm air. Now the moist air gets condensed on a plate of metal, from where the water gets dripped into a collection tank.
How to do the selection of right dehumidifier for growing cannabis
Whether you are just getting started to grow cannabis or you are a highly experienced grower, you would like to have the requirement of a dehumidifier for controlling the humidity in your growing space. We have given below some of the main things that you would have the desire to keep in your mind when you are going to select a dehumidifier for your indoor grow room.
Your Budget
Your budget is going to have a huge impact on the kind of dehumidifier that you are going to select for use. Unfortunately, most often not making use of a dehumidifier not results in pest or mold issues that are having the potential of ruining your entire crop.
Your budget is going to have a huge impact on the kind of dehumidifier that you are going to select for use. Unfortunately, most often not making use of a dehumidifier not results in pest or mold issues that are having the potential of ruining your entire crop.
Fixed vs Portable Dehumidifiers
Portable dehumidifiers do the collection of water in a reservoir tray that is having the requirement of getting emptied regularly. On the other hand, fixed dehumidifiers make use of the drainage pipes for running the collected water into a larger container or drainer where it might be reused.
Both fixed & portable dehumidifiers are having their pros & cons. For instance, portable models are having the benefit of what you have expected from them. Being portable means that you can easily move them around your grow room or you can do the transportation of them into a new growing space.
On the other hand, fixed dehumidifiers are having the benefit of being less hands-on, as they ultimately drain the water which they have collected from the environment. However, they are more complicated for setting up which generally makes them suitable just for the large and permanent grow rooms.
Volume of Reservoir
It is another crucial aspect for taking into consideration when you do the selection of a dehumidifier for your cannabis grow room. Dehumidifiers which are having large reservoirs obviously have the requirement of being emptied less frequently, but they also basically take up more space and they are even more expensive.
If you are going to grow in a small room or tent then you might have the requirement of making the sacrifice of making use of a small dehumidifier and emptying it more frequently for avoiding limiting your grow space even further.
On the other hand, if space & budget are not a big concern for you. Or most often your grow room goes unattended for a very long period of time. You might have the desire of going for a dehumidifier with a large reservoir.
Grow Room Size
Most of the dehumidifiers that you will find in the market during the present day are fairly efficient. It means they will definitely do a sincere job of keeping the relative humidity in a small grow room or tent at an optimal level.
However, if you are an experienced grower of cannabis with a large-scale growing room, you are required to do the investment in a larger dehumidifier which can effectively dehumidify the space with which you are working.
How to create a Dehumidifier for growing cannabis
If you are on a tight budget, then there is a way for building your own dehumidifier. While it will not hold up in the long run and you could not do the comparison of any of the commercial dehumidifiers presently on the market. It might be a viable option if you are on a super tight budget.
Equipment
- 2x 20I buckets
- Large bag of rock salt
- Drill
Directions
- Make use of your own drill for making a few drainage holes in the bottom & sides of one of your buckets.
- You can place the bucket with the holes into the one that is without holes.
- Just pour the rock salt into your top bucket.
- You can place the dehumidifier into your own grow room and you can also check on the reservoir every single day.
The concept here is extremely simple. The rock salt in the top bucket will be drawing moisture from the air. It will condensate & drip into the reservoir bucket on the bottom. The level of humidity in your own grow tent will do the determination of how much water your dehumidifier would capture and how often you are required to change the rock salt.
