Optimal Humidity Levels for Marijuana:What Humidity levels at each Stage of Live
We are going to take some time to delve into some much-needed information to further you understanding of the importance of humidity levels when growing marijuana plants.
What is Humidity?
Humidity is expressed as the quantity of water vapor in the air. Humidity plays a necessary role in influencing how much evaporation occurs in cannabis plants. Your plant will take in more nutrition and water when the humidity is low. If for any reason the evaporation strain gets to be too much, marijuana plants will guard itself against scarcity by closing its stomata. So naturally this will stunt the growth of your plant due to the lack of water absorption.
This is why you must have the proper humidity levels in your marijuana grow tent. When the plant is in the growth stage, it will need high humidity, unlike the blooming phase. This is mainly because the roots of baby plants are much smaller. Measure the humidity using a hygrometer. In the first stages of growing your plant, the humidity can be about 70%, and you can reduce it by 5 every week until it gets to 40%. Included in this article is a helpful schedule to assist you with the right information on humidity levels for both indoor and outdoor growing.
What Is Relative Humidity
Relative humidity is the ratio between the amount of moisture in the air and the greatest amount of moisture the air could hold at the same temperature.
In other words the hotter it is, the more water the air can hold. at that is because air holds different quantities of water at different temperatures.
When the temperatures in your grow room climb the humidity levels will climb with it and moisture starts to condense.
Where does the water go when temperatures drop?
Once the temperatures drop, at night time for example, it condenses onto the surface of plants and grow-room walls, just as dew condenses out side.The greater the temperature variation, the greater the humidity variation will be, the more variation can increase stress to your plants.
Extra heat or ventilation at night can be necessary if the temperature variation exceeds 8/10°C (15°F)
Humidity Levels for Seedling and Sprouts
Seedlings and very young plants enjoy higher levels of humidity which allows them not to sweat too much, saving energy for the plant and enabling her to focus on root development.
Optimal Humidity
You'll want to keep the humidity levels over 70/75% until the plant has grown her 1st or 2nd set of leaves. Once the main leaves have grown the plant can photosynthesis much better than using the cotyledon's.
Humidity Level during the Vegetative Stage
During the vegetative stage you'll want to keep the humidity levels between 40% and 60%.
Higher humidity levels will
- (May) increase chances of diseases
- High humidity slows down evaporation rate
- Stomata close
- Slows growth
Lower humidity may/will
- Lower chances of diseases
- Increase plant sweating (water is evaporates easier)
- Stomata's open up
- Growth increases
- You'll need to water your plants more often
It's important to note that if you decide to go into the lower levels of humidity you'll need to keep them well hydrated, or else this will be lived as a huge stress.
In any case you go for, as with the temperature you should aim for steady relative humidity levels.
If you decide to reduce or increase the humidity levels you should do so gradually.
Humidity Level during the Flowering Stage
As your plant start flowering, you can gradually decrease the humidity level. At this stage the roots are very mature, so the plant is able to take in the most nutrients and water.
You will want to reduce the humidity level in the flowering stage since mold has a tendency to flourish in high humidity environments. With age, there is a higher chance of your marijuana plant getting mold.
As a result of the high humidity, water gathers around the tops and that when mold has the opportunity to develop. Bud rot is the most frequent type of mold.
Basically here you'll want to stay in the 40%-50% humidity bracket.
How to Raise
So, you have a few options for raising the humidity in your grow room. For starters, you can try spraying water on the walls and flower. Also, try putting the lights further up so the temperature will go down a little near the plants. This way you won't have to turn on the extractor fan as often. If you put bottles or buckets of water around the grow room, or even wet towels, this will raise the humidity level.
Now, the best way to accomplish your goal is using a humidifier. Humidifiers transform water into water vapor and shoots a constant mist consisting of high humidity into your room. Depending on which one you buy it may come with a humidistat (wiki) to monitor the humidity level and will even turn on if it goes beneath the value you set it to.
Best Humidifier For Grow Room
Playing the role of mother nature is quite hectic, almost all the time.
As long as the environment of a grow setup is concerned, gardeners are always in search of best humidifier for grow room. Whenever it's dry, a good humidifier can literally save your day.
ECO Farm Hydroponics 8L Capacity Humidifier
Being able to provide ample humidity to your plants is a crucial duty, especially in winter.
To make sure that you be able to do so, the ECO Farm Hydroponic Humidifier can work for 14-28 hours at a stretch. If you take the light cycles and dark cycles of indoor grow tents, that would be just a picture-perfect match anyway.
Based on the humidity work that the device is doing, it can easily cover a grow tent of up to 30m² of ground area.
Now, it's the most unique and standout feature of this device. And it's the 360-degree nozzle that rotates around its body. A coverage tactics of this sort will be ensuring a uniform distribution of humidity around the tent. Sometimes, growers come up with a tension of where to place the humidifier or so. With this feature enabled, you don't have to worry about that at all.
Among other significant features of this model, we got to mention the 8L water tank. Considering the capacity of this model, a 8L water tank can support the continuous operation of up to 28 hours. Also, the water tank is quite easy to clean.With the favor of the classic knob control, you can adjust the mist output just as you want.
In case you want to make use of mini humidifier in your office, home or bedroom, ECO Farm humidifiers would be a good choice over there as well.
How to Decrease
Once your marijuana plant starts flowering the humidity will need to be decreased, so it is necessary to dehumidify. Try using the extractor fan on a higher setting than usual or even you can even shoot cold air into the room. Dehumidifiers are most certainly your best option. It has the capability of taking moisture from the air and draining it or holding it in a reservoir. Make sure to get a larger humidifier because the smaller ones fill up quickly.
Keep in mind that the humidity outside may influence the humidity in your marijuana factory. For instance, if on a rainy day the humidity increases quickly, you can shut off the extractor fan or turn it to a much lower setting. Make sure the temperature doesn't rise too quickly, because you're getting less cold air from outside.
Conclusion
Though you'll have to consider many factors as a cannabis cultivator, humidity is one of the most important. With too much humidity, your crops will suffer from bud rot, mold, and other diseases; with too little moisture, they may wither and die. With the tips in this guide and a functional humidity control system, it's possible to grow a green, lush, and flavorful crop.