green thumb gardening
Baby
it's
Cold
outside
BY KENT GRUETZMACHER | Even though you're
growing inside, the weather outside still has an
influence. Follow Kent Gruetzmacher’s advice to
keep your crop’s environment consistent even if
the temperature outside is icy cold.
to popular belief, indoor gardeners face challenges with
C ontrary
the changing of the seasons. This is because no matter how well-
built and insulated a growroom is, the weather, temperature, and
humidity outside greatly affect carefully controlled indoor climates.
However, the industrious indoor cultivator knows how to offset these
climactic fluctuations and harness the changes to achieve a bountiful
harvest. Now that January has arrived, there are several steps growers
can take to overcome the weather.
134
Maximum Yield USA | January 2017
CO2 ENRICHMENT
The effectiveness of CO2 enrichment
in a growroom is dependent upon
several significant factors, including the
infrastructure of the room, the use of air
conditioning, lighting logistics, and the
type of CO2 emission device being used.
It’s important to note, however, that all of
these variables interact with fluctuations
emanating from the outdoor climate.
During the warm summer
months, air conditioning units in
sealed rooms and exhaust fans
in tradi tional rooms have to work
overtime to keep the temperature
at an ideal state, regardless of CO2
enrichment. The winter months allow
for much more versatility concerning
the use of CO2, as colder weather
plays an essential role in keeping
temperatures cool in growrooms.
With the flexibility afforded by
winter temperatures, indoor gardeners
should choose their CO2 enrichment
systems in conjunction with their
specific needs. With sealed growrooms
that continue to use air conditioning
in the winter months, cultivators
have the option of using notoriously
warm propane CO2 burners without
overheating their rooms or overworking
their air conditioning units. Propane
CO2 burners are beneficial largely