Cold Building ?

[Buddaluva]

I have a metal building that gets way to hot in the summer to grow in , and of course just as cold in the winter

Do any of you think it would be ok to grown in it in the winter since the plants will be in the building ?

Even though its cold they wont be in it directly and would be protected from frost on colder nights ,

I have a 150 hps that would be over them when lights on

Would this work ? any thoughts

Much thanks for your replies

 

[greenmatter]

do you have any neighbors who would wonder why there is never any snow on the garden shed? how cold are you talking about? a 150 would not heat a metal shed where i live. it is easier to keep a grow warm than it is to cool it but you would need a space heater when the lights go off or run a flip flop so there are lights on all day.if i had to pay the electric bill i would do it with two bulbs. doable yes, really simple ..... not so much. why not build a cabinet and make your life a little easier?

 

[Buddaluva]

No neighbors to worry about ,

And how ever cold it is during the winter it is the same temp inside , their no insulation

Here is the pic of the building im talking about

 

[wisco61]

It really depends on where u live. Does it freeze in the winter? What is the coldest it gets?

 

[Buddaluva]

I live in n.c ,

yes it freezes in the winter , we got a good bit of snow last year

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

You'd need better than above freezing temps, otherwise the plants won't grow. You might get away with lights-on temps from the lamp but a 150 won't put out much indirect heat in the metal shed. You'd definitely need space heat at night and possibly during cold light on periods.

Have you thought about putting the 150 indoors? With proper venting, you could operate no more than several degrees above ambient room temp.

 

[Buddaluva]

Ok thanks you all ,

I probably wont mess with it then ,

maybe i could put plywood around the walls on the inside or some shit idk

Might just be best to leave it alone ,

Thanks again you all

 

[DutchBoy]

Insulate it, plywood the walls, hang a light, put in a space heater when the light is off, I have seen awesome gardens in shittier shacks than that.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Depending on the weather, you might could grow other than winter time. Summer would be a bitch unless you could vent excess heat. 8 week strains might be possible in spring and fall. You'd have to block all light leaks in the shed.

 

[greenmatter]

build a micro cabinet man! if you have a light do something productive with it. if the cabinet is indoors you won't have the huge ambient temperature swings that you have outdoors. that little 150 won't be that hard to work with. empty a kitchen cabinet and start reading, there are plenty of guys killing it in small spaces. don't just say fuck it because the shed won't work out for you. adapt to the situation

 

[stonedar]

grow some autoflowers, leave the lights on 24 hours. the lights may heat it enough. maybe can even use a larger light. worry about the plants root area, the leaves can take colder temps if the roots are kept warm.

 

[Buddaluva]

build a micro cabinet man! if you have a light do something productive with it. if the cabinet is indoors you won't have the huge ambient temperature swings that you have outdoors. that little 150 won't be that hard to work with. empty a kitchen cabinet and start reading, there are plenty of guys killing it in small spaces. don't just say fuck it because the shed won't work out for you. adapt to the situation

Well i need the shed but im not giving up

I have a micro cab but if i put it in the building it would still get just as could as the building would right ?

As far as emptying any cabinets , i just cant do it ,

My house is not that big , i have 3 kids and every cabinet i have in my house is being used , so im stuck with growing outdoors ( which i did but a deer ate my plants up ) and the building

here is a pic of the micro cab , and my outdoor plants after the deer got a hold of them ,

their are 3 plants that were fully bloomed and just about ready for harvest , now they are only a few colas left

The chicken wire you see was to keep a rabbit out that kept getting to my bottom branches , but oh well now lol damn deer just knocked it down for thumper

 

[GFORCE]

you could use that shed all year round for growin mate, it's just about how you insulate it . Its exactly the same problem that alot of growers get in the uk while growing in their converted lofts. Here in the uk the most common insulation used is this a board called kingspan . it keeps temps very stable all year round . at times temps can reach over 110f because of the use of tiles and slate as a roof covering and in winter they can get down below 14f in winter .The only problem with using such a good insulation is that sometimes the snow stays on the roof long after everyone elses has melted lol

 

[Buddaluva]

I have this Plastic storage cab that im gonna turn into a grow cab ,

I bought this reflective insulation stuff to put in it ,

Since what im using for reflectiveness has some insulation in it do you think it would be ok in the building in the cold ?

 

[greenmatter]

you just have to figure out how to keep it warm enough when the lights are off. that could be a real tough one to pull off, winter where i live the temps can go from -20 to +60. hard thing to get right without some stoner engineering and at least some automation. some one mentioned running autos with 24 hours light/heat source. it could simplify a thing or two

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I have this Plastic storage cab that im gonna turn into a grow cab ,

I bought this reflective insulation stuff to put in it ,

Since what im using for reflectiveness has some insulation in it do you think it would be ok in the building in the cold ?

No better than you would. Seriously, you want something similar to your living conditions. Mid 70s to high 70s is prime. Low 80s is fine but approaching to much heat. High 60s is fine but growth starts to slow down the colder it gets.

 

[Buddaluva]

Think one of those little propane tanks , like they use for grills and shit , with one of those heater heads attachments would be enough heat ,

I guess all i can do is try it out and see

 

[Señor Chang]

Building within a building will help keep things warm.
The propane heater is an idea... you get the benefit of that co2.
Maybe get some water containers in the building.
They absorb heat during the warm/light periods and release it in the cooler time.
If you grow hydro keep your water warm but not over 75 degrees.
The rest of the plant can stay warm from that to a certain degree.

I have my ballast under my reservoir.
The blumat drip system is constantly warming my coco medium.
I could further insulate the supply line but don't feel its warranted in my situation.
If you had a flip flop you could have two areas.
Each providing heat during a 12 hour period.

I have two tents side by side on a flip flop.
I have both the tents loosely wrapped in thick plastic to help hold the heat in.
I have cut sheets of styrofoam on the floor for further insulation.
My airpots are loosely wrapped in plastic so as to hold the heat in after the light has gone out.
The flip flop is what makes it all possible.
That or a second ballast...
Ballasts put off a lot of heat.
Shame for that to go to waste.
You have to be creative with your solutions.
Don't rely on 1 thing but a lot of small adjustments to your environment to get the desired result.
Good luck, you can do it!

 

[kifmaster]

dont put your plants on the ground, elevate them on wood platforms or in trays, cold ground will hurt roots.

you're gonna wanna insulate that room with atleast a layer of fiberboard sheetrock n insulation.

also keep in mind your roof is pretty low so you'll have to grow babies