HELP!!!! What do I do About temps that get to 30 and below

[sidekick20]

I been put between a rock and a hard place....my only option of growing is to move my grow tent to a shed in my backyard. I live in the midwestern area of the U.S and those temps get cold in the winter (30f and below)...what would be a way to keep my plant warm or is it ok??

oh yeah veg is 18-6
and flower is 12-12

 

[JamieShoes]

welll as long as you make sure its very safe to do so, you could consider a "shed heater" that is also a co2 emitter... let me go google some stuff and I'll be back with a link or 2

 

[JamieShoes]

now dont get me wrong, I know NOTHING about these things, but you might want to investigate

http://www.progressive-growth.com/proddetail.php?prod=8017fd


edit - hmm that one claims not to emit heat.. so maybe not that one..lol..

 

[sidekick20]

thanks...whats the worst that can happen if they get cold with no heat?

 

[JamieShoes]

depends on other factors too mate... if the humidty stays low and its not "too" cold, they'll go purple

if the humidity is high, they'll get mildew ...

if it's too cold in the beginning they wont grow or wont grow very quickly....

 

[Gantz]

and if it gets too cold for too long...well...they'll do the same thing that most annual plants do when winter is coming : DIE

 

[Jdubb]

Growing in a shed in the backyard is completely do-able, but just moving your grow tent to a shed is just not something you can do without proper planning and forethought. Heck..... I grow in my shed in the backyard, but not in a grow tent buddy! I live in the Pacific Northwest and in order for my "Shed" to be grow worthy I had to put alot of money and time into that puppy to make it work for my and my current situation, not to mention the crazy temp fluctuations we get around here.

I would suggest that you develop a solid plan for the shed before making any moves with that grow tent. Here are just a couple of things I would hammer out if I was in your situation.......

1. Can you insulate it and if so what's the best plan of attack for your particular situation.

2. Do you have enough power to that shed to support your current grow safely? If not how will you acccomplish that?

3. If you can answer the 2 questions above fairly easily, or there not an issue for you, how are you going to heat that sucker? If you don't go the CO2 generator route will you have enough available power to run possibly a couple of Space or baseboard heaters in there? (1-2k watts average power consumption for this)

4. By moving out to the Shed, will there be hightened security issues by having neighbors in close proximity?

I hope some of this helps you, and if I can be of further assistance to you please don't hesitate to PM me.

P.S.
In order for my grow to work properly in my shed I had to frame up and fully insulate 2 seperate rooms inside of my shed, and run a new dedicated power line to the sucker.

 

[sidekick20]

thanks jdubb...no i cant insulate...i jus have the tent and a 400 watt light...i thought about adding a space heater but that would needs it own line and i dont want to run to many cords outside...and suggestions on how or what to insulate with??

yes i will have enough power running to it..

no theres not any security issues...when i get home i'm goint to try ro upload a pic of my shed

 

[Rodney]

Sorry to hear your op got kicked out to the shed Sidekick. Growing in a normal shed year round will take alot of extra construction/ alterations and plenty more added juice as was stated above. So to do it right you'll have to consider your options for heating. You will need one ESP when lights out. They make small rotating with fan 1500w with a thermostat to keep your shed at optimium temps (growth nearly stops at 50f )only $45. So to do this you'll need the recuired power lines. Insulate the whole interior of the shed (ceiling, walls, floor, doors) with thick 2" foam board with metallic sides. You can cut it (comes4x8') to fit snugly and tape it all around with aluminum tape(great stuff). Your insulating the room and also lightproofing it so no light escapes. Ventilation is next with a sealed room you can exhaust with one good blower and create passive intakes. When exhausting hot air from your shed in the winter will create steam. Use caution and vent it wisely also scrubbing before air leaves the room is also a good idea. If you have neighbors,somebody going to and from a small shed in their backyard everyday in the middle of winter is something to ponder. Good luck with the new space.
Rodney

 

[PistilPete]

i just had almost the same problem, sidekick20.
your plants will definitely suffer from temps in the 30's. very slow growth. smaller plants die off. seeds/clones are extremely hard to root at those temps. flowering slows to a crawl.
i think the thing that hurts the plants the worst is the huge swing in temps. 30 at night and 75-80 during the day really messes with the plants ability to do anything really. i started getting all kinds of deficiencies that i couldn't remedy. some bounced back once i regulated temps, others went in the trash. it really makes things difficult and you'll be working alot harder to keep your plants happy.
good luck bro.

 

[fishheadbob]

If you're in the midwest US I think you're going to see a lot lower than 30 degrees. Since you cannot insulate I suspect you're going to be S O L . Better luck in the springtime.

 

[TexasToker]

Plant productions slows down dramatically at anything below about 55 degs just so you know. According to Cervantes though, it can drop at night to 5-10 deg F, with little effect on growth.

If daytime temps are below 55F growth can actually stop though.

The humidity in the shed will also affect the temps. You really will not know what your temps are until you are up and running.

Edit: Is it an Aluminum shed?

 

[Lakota412]

So far this "winter" (yeah right) I have had to deal with -34*f temps. I grow in an insulated shed. I have to use space heaters when the lights are off. 2X1000 watt hps vented. I utilize the heat from the lights when they are on by adjusting the timer on the fan used to cool them.

I'll install a 120v thermostat using it to turn the ex fan used on the lights to turn it off and on.

get ya a space heater, find some way to insulate the shed.

Fighting the cold sucks, good luck.

 

[Rodney]

Sorry about your losses Pistil Pete. Yeah you gotta keep those temps above 55f no way around it. If running hydro water temp can get very low and also cause stress.
I'm in a house and I still needed to put the submersible heaters in the veg rezs.
And run that 1500w oscilating heater with thermostat.
It's the life of the op during winter months. Too cold they don't live
Just like AC in summer. Too hot they don't live.
It's not easy doin the lords work

 

[sidekick20]

thanks guys....gave it 3 tries and FAILURE....so fuck it...i gotta sneak it back in the house when my moms gone...i jus dont know how to fell right now..lol

 

[TexasToker]

I personally would not grow in my parents house if they did not want it there. That is just disrespectful and irresponsible. That is just my opinion though.