Tips For You to Control Humidity in A Grow Tent
Indoor growing has become increasingly popular among growers who want to grow different varieties of plants in their homes, especially with the development of indoor growing light.
Whatever the reason may be, growing indoors allows you to control the environment of the plants and have a high-quality yield.
One of the tricky factors that several growers struggle with is to control humidity.
It is something that can significantly improve the environment of a grow room and make it much more favorable for your plants.
What Is The Role Of Humidity In A Grow Tent?
Before we begin, let’s start by learning some of the most basic terms that we’ll be talking about in this article. This will help you keep up as we dive deeper and learn more about how humidity affects your crops.
Meaning of Humidity
Humidity is the amount or the concentration of water vapor in the air.
Water vapor is when water is in its gaseous state and is not visible to the naked eye. In simple terms, humidity tells us how much water vapor the air is holding.
What Is Relative Humidity?
As the name suggests, relative humidity is a measure of how much water vapor is present in the air compared to the maximum amount it can hold.
This amount is typically expressed in percentages. For instance, if the humidity is at 85%, the air only can soak up 15% more.
When the relative humidity reaches 100%, it means that air is completely saturated, has reached its maximum capacity, and cannot soak any more moisture. At 100% relative humidity, the dewpoint and air temperature are equal.
How Are Temperature And Relative Humidity Related?
By now it may be apparent to you that temperature and relative humidity are inversely proportional. Even though they don’t affect each other directly, humidity affects the amount of moisture content in the air.
For example, if the temperature in a room is 24°C (or 75°F) while the relative humidity is 0%, the air temperature would feel as if it is 21°C (or 69°F).
When the temperature increases, the capacity of the air to hold more vapor increases as well. As the relative humidity of the atmosphere decreases, the temperature increases and vice versa.
When it comes to plants, high relative humidity affects the transpiration process and makes it difficult for the plant to take nutrients from the soil.
How To Control Humidity In A Grow Area?
Signs Of Low Humidity In Indoor Plants
With low humidity levels, plants are not able to get the moisture they need from their surroundings and are likely to suffer from dehydration.
Low humidity can cause slow growth of the plant and can make the plant dry and crisp. One may also notice curled or shriveled up leaves.
If you notice wilted leaves and stems and are sure that this isn’t due to overwatering, it could be due to very little moisture or low humidity.
Signs Of Excessive Humidity In Indoor Plants
Humidity sets the perfect breeding ground for mold, fungus, and bacteria and when it is coupled with poor air circulation, it can make your plants prone to fungal diseases.
These are some signs of fungal diseases:
- Black spots: Black/dark-colored spots on the upper side of leaves.
- Rust: Rust-colored spots on the underside of leaves.
- Powdery mildew: White powder-like growth on different parts of the plant.
- Botrytis blight: Gray, fuzzy mold.
Tips To Control Humidity In A Grow Tent
- If you’re growing your plants in a designated grow room or just have plants around the house, make sure to install a central heating system or humidifier/dehumidifier to control humidity and temperature.
- Keep your subtropical and tropical plants in humid areas and install a humidifier controller to ensure consistent moist control.
- Closely and thoroughly inspect your plants frequently.
- Keeping plants closer together makes the air more humid.
- When growing plants in a greenhouse, ensure to have an efficient air circulation system as a temp and humidity controller .
- If your grow tent is equipped with grow lights, it is necessary to ensure proper airflow in it so that the temperature is regulated.
- Suitable for large growing operations, this system actively pulls fresh air inside the growing area from an intake port.
Originally published at https://medicgrow.com on December 3, 2021.
