Building a grow space is a complicated process and for those thinking of doing so , commercial grower Dan Vaillancourt offers his expertise and tips on how to construct a professional growroom .
Moulds , pests , below-par product , and crop failure are just a few of the implications caused by a poorly designed growroom . To properly set up a professional grow space you need to first take it to the drawing board and ensure that these crucial steps are taken care of .
Room To Grow ?
The first step is to assess your growing space or facility by measuring everything and creating a floorplan of the area . It is important at this point to mark down everything about the area that you will be growing in such as water hookups , power supply , ventilation , and drainage if you have that already situated . If your room or facility requires these services still that ’ s fine ; in this case its best to revisit this once we have a plan in place so the services are installed exactly where needed . If you are starting from the ground up just skip this step and move on .
End Goal ?
Of course , you want to set up a successful grow space but what is your end goal ? If it is to grow your legal amount for personal consumption , medical reasons , or you are starting a commercial recreational facility for profit , this needs to be incorporated into the planning at this point . We also want to make sure the grow area is purpose-built , meaning if you are growing for extractions or setting up a vertical farm , we incorporate the right grow systems , lighting , and floorplan .
Budget
Before we dial in the best grow systems and equipment to install into your new growroom , it ’ s important to go over your budget for this project as this will greatly determine the equipment and amount used . Make sure to think ahead when you consider your budget and equipment as it may seem cheaper to get into this by just outfitting as much cheap stuff as possible , when in fact that can cause a lot of problems down the road . It ’ s often better to start smaller with good equipment and a proper functioning room and then work your way into a larger space if that works better for your budget .
“ By failing to prepare , you are preparing to fail .”
— Benjamin Franklin
Lighting
While good LED grow lights are ideal due to their high PAR values being closer to the plants , cool operating temperature , and reduced electricity consumption , they do cost roughly twice what a 1,000W HPS light and ballast costs . This comes with immediate savings in HVAC needs and energy consumption though so consider everything and try to think about costs down the road . CMH or HPS lighting requires the bulbs to be changed often , so keep this cost in mind with them . The bulbs will look okay at a glance , but when looking through a PAR meter they often tell a different story . LED lights generally last 50,000 hours or more , while HID / HPS lighting typically lasts for 10,000 – 18,000 hours . LED lights can come with a plethora of spectrum options that are near impossible for other grow lighting options to mimic such as far red and UV that can be easily turned on or off . LED lights will also reduce your HVAC and energy requirements by roughly half compared to its 1,000W HID / HPS lighting counterparts , making LED our first choice if your budget complies .
Maximum Yield 23