Humidity Issues!

[OMGReptar]

I’m not sure what the cause of it is, but I’ve been having issues with high humidity recently. I’m about 4 to 5 weeks into my grow and this is the first time it’s happening. Humidity was staying around 55%, but now it’s always around 65%. I recently up-potted to 5 gallon pots, could that be the issue? I have no idea...

I put a dehumidifier in the room, but it isn’t doing much of anything. It’s a small one anyway that I didn’t spend too much money on. I’m growing in a 2x4 grow tent and I have a 4” jet exhaust fan that I’m running on its highest setting, which I didn’t have to do before (the middle setting has been perfectly fine up until now.

How can I keep the humidity down? Are there other ways than a dehumidifier? If not, what dehumidifier works for you?

 

[013]

Hey OMG,

I would chalk it up to the upcan and larger volume of soil holding more moisture. I have 2 GE dehueys but don’t run them in the grow areas since they push my heat & light bill up in summer.

short of dehueys other options might include.... lollipop the lowers, add a fan or two, after watering tilt your buckets for a few hours at an angle to better drain the soil, use plant elevators to get air under the buckets, don’t let water sit in your trays or drip pans

not much help - but see what else comes in....

 

[Rexer]

my personal favorite in a pinch, buy an uncented RV moisture grabber, they're cheap and in a pinch can save your crop. A bucket of rock salt in the corner (you have to set it up properly, and make sure plants don't touch it). There are old school tricks that work, I just need more coffee to remember more of them. I used an RV moisture grabber (they come in huge packs) and it worked like a charm.

 

[OMGReptar]

my personal favorite in a pinch, buy an uncented RV moisture grabber, they're cheap and in a pinch can save your crop. A bucket of rock salt in the corner (you have to set it up properly, and make sure plants don't touch it). There are old school tricks that work, I just need more coffee to remember more of them. I used an RV moisture grabber (they come in huge packs) and it worked like a charm.

Nice! I’ll check it out. Thanks!

 

[OMGReptar]

Hey OMG,

I would chalk it up to the upcan and larger volume of soil holding more moisture. I have 2 GE dehueys but don’t run them in the grow areas since they push my heat & light bill up in summer.

short of dehueys other options might include.... lollipop the lowers, add a fan or two, after watering tilt your buckets for a few hours at an angle to better drain the soil, use plant elevators to get air under the buckets, don’t let water sit in your trays or drip pans

not much help - but see what else comes in....

Thanks for the tips! Always helpful!

 

[bluter]

the plants are gonna add a lot of moisture as they mature. in veg i wouldn't worry as much so long as they don't get condensation forming on the walls of the tent or on the leaves of the plant. i'm a bit more picky / different story in flower.

good news is it's gonna dry up fast just as a seasonal response around most parts of north america. winter is super dry. rh can be in the low teens here. it's already dropped below 40%.

 

[SoGnotSOG321]

This is coming up frequently, larger pot/container then a rise in RH. It's a cycle, the upsized pot increases plant growth and its respiration increases right along side with the extra soil.
Are your plants looking ok? Have you run into humidity problems in the past that could be relevant now?

 

[OMGReptar]

This is coming up frequently, larger pot/container then a rise in RH. It's a cycle, the upsized pot increases plant growth and its respiration increases right along side with the extra soil.
Are your plants looking ok? Have you run into humidity problems in the past that could be relevant now?

This is my first so grow, so I have no background knowledge from experience yet.

 

[SoGnotSOG321]

Oh I didn't mean that to be directed just at you. I recently switched to 5 gallon clothe pots and ran into the same thing. It overwhelmed my tent and ventilation so I had to expand and update. I keep an eye on RH but I dont fret because it drops below 50% when its 75 in my grow room. Our temperatures dropped out last night right at freezing and today barely hit 60f, my RH in the grow is about 45% at 73. I raised it 10% by bringing in a wet hand towel and laid it over one of my fans.

 

[Edzzed]

I have a dehumidifier on wheels. It also has a length of garden hose attached to it and dumps water into a cooler. Tent has 5 pots in it and is 4x4 feet. You need a larger dehumidifier. You can see mine in the rear right corner. https://www.420magazine.com/community/attachments/20190410_135416-1-jpg.1769960/

 

[Weaselcracker]

65 RH is definitely nothing to panic about, just keep lots of air flow (movement fans) going for now while you sort things out.

Hard to recommend a particular dehumidifier because models come and go so fast and available brands vary depending where you live. I use one that draws 400w, and in a 8x8 flowering room it’s enough to bring the RH down to 60 or so. Without it my Rh would often be in the 80s, and hardly ever less than 70. I grew that way for several years and managed to get by, using the right strains and lots of fans, etc.

If your source of fresh air is humid- like if it’s coming straight in from the outside world and your climate is humid, then you’ll probably need a dehum. Because your space is small you may be able to get by with the sort of thing that Rexer mentioned. Just do your research first because there are so many zillions of products out there.

 

[bluter]

65 RH is definitely nothing to panic about, just keep lots of air flow (movement fans) going for now while you sort things out.

this right here.

i've grown through loads of 'non-optimal' conditions. shooting for, and paying for, the best possible conditions becomes an expensive pandora's box. always found it best to adapt to what you've been given, and work within your means.

at some point chasing perfection creates a point of diminishing return.

 

[SoGnotSOG321]

If I had the financial means, I wouldn't discount the expenditure, it makes sense if you aim to control all the variables and can afford it, then they are no longer variable. My DIY grow is not quite 'contained' or even remotely as sophisticated as many seen here, even those kiddy tents work, but I've never thought what I do have isnt going to be worth the effort, along with some research from here, giving me good target numbers.

 

[013]

Try a small fan near soil line to move the air, most here have multiple fans going granted a 2 X 4 isn’t big but more circulated air is not going to hurt. In my 4X4 I run 2 small fans down low and an 8 inch fan up top.