Alright I'm on kind of a tight budget to for my first grow which is to begin in june. i can get cfl's, water, nutes, pots, soil, etc. etc. but is humidity and pH really that big of a deal? I mean, will it SIGNIFICANTLY affect my plants? Should I measure pH/humidity periodically during my grow? And how to I go about manipulating pH/humidity in my grow closet? Sorry for all the questions I just really don't want to have everything in check and then f*ck up in the pH/humidity area and be like "wtfishappening????!!!!!" So yeah, anyone out there with some info it's much appreciated.
In my opinion, humidity isn't that big of a deal, however, I'm sure that someone will disagree with me. As long as water isn't dripping off the walls or your watering cans evaporate empty instantly because of crazy humidity, I think you will be fine. pH on the other hand is a BIG deal. i wasn't checking pH, and my city water pH changed dramatically. my plants couldn't absorb the nutes with the pH off so much. I was then using a test kit, but they are very inaccurate. I splurged $36 for a digital pH meter, and am much happier. Read as much as you can on here (specially the stickies). Good luck with your grow.
Humidity is not a big issue if you have proper ventilation in your grow tent..it should be if properly ventilated whatever your house is... assuming you dont keep your house like the Amazon. If your grow room/tent lacks that then the moisture from the plants evaporating under your lamp will build up. You'll have issues ranging from Mold, insects and general unhappiness of your plants eventually. How do you manipulate it? Well proper ventilation will keep it at whatever your ambient humidity is. Go to Walmart and get a Humid/Temp gauge they sell them for 10-15 bucks. Regulating is easy....a humidifier for dry air, dehumidifier which sucks water out of the air for a wet environment. Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot sell those year round. Amazon does as well. For PH testing yes its a big deal. Your plants like a certain PH Range. A general rule of thumb is to keep around a pH that ranges from 6.0-7.0 for soil (with the pH kept mostly between 6.5-7.0), and a pH between 5.5 and 6.3 for hydroponics (keeping it mostly in the 5.5-5.9 range). When you go outside those values you can get nutrient lock. Basically the plant says no no its to acidic or alkaline and it will stop absorbing nutrients and you start getting deficiencies. You can kill a plant fast if the ranges are not met. It would be like you would start dying or eating if the only thing you had to eat was battery acid. If all you ate was Oranges which is acidic then eventually you would have some issues. Basically to do that you test your water and use a kit to balance it. Its easy to do. Amazon is your friend for ordering that stuff or use the below link. This probably all sounds overwhelming but its really easy. Anyone growing seriously be it pot, roses, prize tomatoes does it as well. Indoor Grow Lights by High Tech Garden Supply | Your Online Hydroponics Store
As long as the plant has water, humidity means nothing when it comes to a successful grow should all other conditions be ideal Now a mess up ph from the start = death at a very young age Mess up ph during flowering = poor or no buds for you
I agree. Especially if your growing indoors and have a climate controlled house. No air conditioned house is usually more then 40-50% humidity.
Ph and humidity are 2 totally different things The ph has to do with the water,soil,ect The humidity is in the air to put it simply All that is needed to measure humidity is a hygrometer which also tells you the temperature (8$) With the additional information it would make it easier to diagnose any future problems that may arise A cheap liquid ph tester is all I have ever used really and I have had harvests So buy 1 for a few dollars and reap the benefits
I once had all the correct elements except for the humidity, it was too dry because of running a fan and exhaust fan this desert environment, in which I didn't realize at the time, was turning my plants yellow constantly had to be watered, and gave the impression it needed nitrogen but the whole time I kept the grow run too dry. The reason I know is because i'm using the same batch of seeds and took away the fan and didn't run the vent yet and these plants are huge just under a flourescent light....big difference
humidity really comes into play when your flowering. during the veg cycle its recommended that you maintain around 50%. for flowering it will need to drop to about 20% - 30%. too much humidity during the important flowering cycle will encourage mold and fungal growth which when started can be very devastating to your crop and lead to botrytis (bud rot). pH is important in that it can help or hinder your growing potential. the trace elements play vital roles in how and what the plant absorbs and can mean the difference between a good harvest and spectacular one. it really depends on where you live and your climates relative humidity. i have the opposite problem, it is hella dry here and i have to battle spider mites which thrive in hot, dry conditions. keep this in mind, indicas (which you are most likely growing) come from high, dry steppe climates where the soil is very well draining. your recreating that environ in your closet. if anything heat buildup and airflow are more pressing matters to closet growers. mj likes to grow around room temperature. too hot or cold will stunt its growth.