An accurate thermometer and hygrometer are essential so if you can purchase one that is a day/night or maximum/minimum type that would be best.
One that gives you the highest and lowest temperatures helps you by making sure your growing environment stays within the ranges that are best for cannabis temperature to grow.
Outside of the ranges and there will tend to be more problems. The ideal temperature ranges for indoor growing is 72 – 76°F (22 – 24°C) and the night temperature can drop 5 – 10°F (2 – 5°C).
Though they should not drop (or rise) more than 15°F (8°C) at any time, as this stresses cannabis out when drastic temperature changes occur. Daytime cannabis temperatures above 85°F (29°C) or below 60°F (15°C) will slow growth and should be avoided at all costs.
Cannabis temperature that is below 50°F (10°C) will seriously stress the plants and lower productivity. If the electricity goes out in the middle of winter, be sure to be able to keep the room temperature above 40°F (5°C) to keep your plants alive.
You may need to purchase a generator to heat your water, your garden, and your house, which you can usually do with your garden’s lights. If you are growing in a greenhouse be sure to always have black containers or 55-gallon barrels full of water in them.
During the day, the black containers of water will capture as much sun-heat they can hold or capture during the day and they will release the heat during cold nights. During the summer, you may want to have white plastic to cover them up so the greenhouse does not heat up too much at night.
Cannabis can regulate its oxygen uptake by the ambient air temperature surrounding the plant. Cannabis’s respiration rate approximately doubles every 20°F (10°C) in temperature change.
Temperatures above 85°F (29°C) are not recommended even when using CO2 enrichment in your garden, though many people say you **can** go up to 90°F (32°C) with C02. Ideal grow rooms are located underground since they take advantage of the insulating qualities of the earth.
Though many novice growers forget to think about the hot summer heat when they are building a grow room, especially when growing in the basement of a house. Cannabis temperature can heat up quickly and drastically affect your plants when the air temperature from outside is just as hot as the air going out.
Be sure to have a plan set in place to be able to combat the high temperature of summer heat.
Thermostats/Controllers & Cannabis Temperature
Thermostats measure the cannabis temperature and regulate it by turning on or off the heating or cooling device; this keeps the temperature within the range that you set.
Some houses have a single thermostat that controls the whole house that is centrally located within the house. And a few houses you find will have multiple thermostats that allow you to control the temperature in almost every room of the house.
A single-stage thermostat keeps the temperature the same whether day or night. Two-stage thermostats are a little more expensive, but you can set and maintain different cannabis temperatures for the daytime and nighttime.
New digital thermostats allow you to control the temperature four (4) or more times / seven (7) days a week. This means that you can have, for example, a morning temperature of 70°F (21°C), a midday temperature of 76°F (24°C), an afternoon temperature of 74°F (23°C), and a night temperature of 72°F (22°C).
By setting the thermostat to different temperatures during different parts of the day, you will be able to better regulate your house and cannabis temperatures. Newer digital thermostats are well worth buying as they will save you more money in the long run.
Many new grow room computerized controllers have been developed, that allow you to better control your grow room environment. You can purchase single systems that control only one part of your room (CO2 burner and valve, humidity/ventilation, misting system, etc.).
Other controllers allow you to plug every one of your environmental systems into a single system that is set to what you want and runs it all. Uninsulated grows rooms or rooms that experience significant temperature fluctuations require special consideration before setting up your grow room.
If your room needs to be insulated, go out and purchase 4 x 8 sheets of insulation board and tack it to the walls. Before you build in a room, purchase one or two thermometers and hygrometers to place in the room so you know what the environment will be like.
Analyze every part of the room, consider it accordingly, and then build. It is better to get it close to right the first time than to have problems with your cannabis temperature and a lack of production, then to go back to make changes and re-setup everything.
Temperatures Using CO2 Enrichment
When CO2 is enriched to 0.12 – 0.15 percent (1,200 – 1,500 PPM), a temperature of 85°F (29°C) promotes the exchange of gases.
When enriched with CO2, plant photosynthesis and chlorophyll production can take place at a higher rate, thus causing the plants to grow faster.
When plants are enriched with CO2 they also take in much more nutrients and water to keep their growing up. Be sure to check the reservoir every day for a few days depending on its size and your plant count this ensures the reservoir is not depleted (so re-fill the system with fresh water as well as nutrients).
Also, rooms that have CO2 enrichment need more and better air circulation for cannabis temperature to keep up with the plant growth, humidity, and heat within the grow room. It is commonly practiced among growers to utilize ‘daytime’ lighting for the garden during the night and ‘nighttime’ lights off during the day.
Doing this helps to keep heat issues under better control, and energy costs down and keeps the spinning electric meter not seen at night. Depending on your location, placement of grow room, and other factors when growing indoors during winter, it is best to set the thermostat of the house to around 60-65°F (15-18°C).
By doing this, you will pretty much be able to keep your house warm around 75°F (24°C), with your growing lights on, and a portable air conditioner keeping your cannabis temperature cool. This will also save you money on a heating bill since you are already generating enough heat within the growing room.
However, cooling your house during the summer is a whole other issue. If you can it is best practice to have odor issues under control so you can cool the house off through natural ventilation, by keeping windows and doors open.
Then re-direct the heat that you were using to heat the house during the summer to go out under a deck, porch, chimney, or a discreet location by connecting the duct elsewhere or having a louver attached to the duct to redirect it out the other way.
If you are not able to cool your house down with natural ventilation due to excessive natural heat or excessive humidity in your region, you will have to turn on your house air conditioner to be able to control the cannabis temperature. To keep the electric bill lower, you will need to do a combination of things to offset it.
Alternatives Heat/Cool Methods For Cannabis Temperature
Kerosene heaters work to generate heat as well as CO2 for your garden. When you are looking at purchasing a kerosene heater, look for an efficient heater that produces no odor.
If the kerosene heater has a blue flame it means that it is burning all the fuel cleanly, but if it is producing a red flame then it indicates that only a portion of the fuel is burning and carbon monoxide is being released.
If you see a red flame, shut it off immediately, as carbon monoxide is poisonous. Take the heater in to get checked out and fixed if possible, otherwise replace it.
Diesel oil is another common source of heating indoors though it is not the cleanest fuel to burn. Fireplaces or stoves that use woodwork for heat, but are not the cleanest to work with.
Other options that you can use are natural gas or propane burners, these work well and produce CO2 as a byproduct that can be used for your garden. Other things that are affected by cannabis temperature are insect populations and fungi.
When the temperature cools off, these have a harder time living, reproducing, and slowing down. When the room is warm and moist, these can take over your garden rapidly if not kept in check.
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