How to Build Your First Indoor Grow Room

If you’re interested in growing cannabis or another, similarly needy plant in a room of your house, you’ll need to set up a full indoor grow room. Doing so gives you a large, convenient space in which you can totally control the climate and ultimately get more consistent, fuller growth in your plants.

So what do you need to get started?

The Room

Everything starts with choosing the right room of your home. You have a few options here. You could convert one room of your home to be a full grow room, or you could create a kind of room within a room, setting up a tent or something similar within the room of your choice.

In any case, you’ll need to think about the following:

·       Size. How much space are you going to need for your grow? You may or may not have a room of adequate size. It’s possible to grow plants in small conditions, and in some ways, it’s advantageous because you’ll have tighter control over the environmental conditions. That said, if you’re trying to grow many plants, bigger is better.

·       Electrical outlets. You’ll need reliable power supplies for much of your equipment, including your lighting and your fans. Make sure you have several well-placed outlets in the room you’re choosing.

·       Water sources. Though not a strict requirement, it’s a good idea to have a reliable water source in the room. Rainwater isn’t good enough for certain types of plants, so it pays to have tap water available.

·       Noise and privacy. Also, think about the noise and privacy of the room. Fans and other equipment can produce a lot of noise; will you be able to hear it throughout the house?

·       Windows. Most of the time, windows are a good thing. But the extra light could compromise your sensitive growing conditions.

·       Flooring. Carpets may be comfortable, but they easily trap moisture and microorganisms, presenting a hazard for your grow room. It’s better to work with a hardwood floor or something similar.

Walls and the Foundation

You’ll likely need to cover the walls with a material that is durable and hygienic to create a better growing environment and minimize the possibility of contamination.

This is where grow room vinyl panels come in handy. PVC-based wall panels provide a hygienic, chemical-resistant, and reliable framework for the rest of your grow room. They can be assembled to create an entirely new grow room from scratch, or used to retrofit a room of your house to be more suitable for indoor growing. They’re also remarkably easy to install and are easy to maintain.

If you’re creating a room within a room, you can achieve this by simply setting up a tent.

Install Lighting

Next, you’ll need to install lighting. There are many considerations here. Your lighting rig is going to have three main components: the ballast, the lamp, and the reflector. The ballast is the support structure of the lighting rig, the lamp is what’s actually responsible for producing the light, and your reflector will be designed to funnel as much light as possible to your plants directly. You may be able to manufacture some of these components yourself, using materials as simple as aluminum foil.

The type of bulb you use will have an impact on your growing as well. For example, LEDs are typically good throughout the growing process, but fluorescent bulbs are better for propagation. You’ll also need to consider different wavelengths of light; daylight bulbs do a great job of simulating daylight at higher temperatures, but you may need a lower temperature bulb for certain phases of growth.

Use Fans and Humidifiers

Fans and humidifiers will help you circulate air and keep that air adequately moist. Plants consume carbon dioxide similarly to how we consume oxygen; if there isn’t enough carbon dioxide in the air, the air will be stale and not suitable for growing. Fans forcibly exchange air to keep the environment fresh and supportive.

Additional Tips for Safety

These additional tips can help you keep your environment safe:

·       Keep wiring tidy. Use zip ties to keep your wiring bundled up and out of the way.

·       Install safety measures for children and animals. Small children and animals should be kept out of the room at all times.

·       Always read instructions. Pay attention to manufacturers’ warnings and instructions.

·       Keep a fire extinguisher on hand. High temperatures can increase your risk of fire; always keep a fire extinguisher on standby.

Setting up an indoor grow room is a lot of work, but the rewards are well worth it. Do your research in full before buying any equipment and make a sketch of how you want the room to look before you do any installation.