Super Noob Question - Do I leave fan on when plants are sleeping?

[Jack Dabs]

Hi all

This is my first indoor grow. Had some fantastic results outdoors before (under African skies) and will share a tip on the appropriate thread but am pretty clueless when it comes to indoor, so please bear with me.

I have a DR60 grow tent 60cmx60cmx150cm and already having a little trouble with heat but that is another matter.

I have my light on a timer and I am not sure what to do when the light goes off? Do I leave the fan on to extract stale air or do I shut everything down?

I have the side vent open for ventilation while everything is running but what do I do when the plants go to sleep?
Should I close up the side vent to keep everything very dark?

I have seedlings which are yet to emerge and am running a 250w light on 18/6.

I have the carbon filter attached to the fan and I have a little fan inside the tent too. Think I am going to need another incoming air supply too so will look at that soon.

Until I have an answer I will just leave everything shut down and dark until it switches on again tonight.

Thanks for those who have helped so far, I will open a journal on this my first one.

 

[Antics]

I'm still learning myself, but Personally, I plan to leave my filtration/ventilation fan running even when the lights are off.

Plants need CO2, and as they use the CO2 in the tent, you want to circulate fresh air into the tent to keep fresh air supplied to them.

You shouldn't need an additional fan to blow air in, as long as your ventilation fan is blowing air out, if you've got a small vent or something, it will naturally draw air in.

 

[PlanetJ]

You should have your intake and exit lightproof .. either by using a baffle, or using a looped piece of lightproof duct. You should be running your fans 24/7, both the exit fan (to get used air out, and draw fresh air in) and the fan used for air circulation inside the tent.

I'd advice to cover the intake with a piece of nylon stocking or cheesecloth .. to keep small particles and/or bugs out.

 

[Mike Wright]

I believe transpiration stops in the dark, so I only leave my exhaust fan on during lights out which creates enough air circulation for my taste.

 

[PlanetJ]

I believe transpiration stops in the dark, so I only leave my exhaust fan on during lights out which creates enough air circulation for my taste.

It does .. I've read to keep them moving tho .. in order to strenghten the stems .. I'm a n00b tho, so I'm just a parrot atm

 

[JJ Bones]

My oscillating fans never turn off.

 

[Jack Dabs]

Thank you all really appreciate the advice, steep learning curve but learning very fast.

 

[JJ Bones]

Consider 420mag the rope that will pull you over the steep learning curve

You're not alone

 

[virgingrower]

i'm a newbie to growing myself JD i'm 5 weeks into veg and my extractor/intake/oscilating fans have been running 24/7 since i put my lil ladies in their grow tent



Cheers VG

 

[PlanetJ]

Thank you all really appreciate the advice, steep learning curve but learning very fast.

My 'experience' is nonexistant .. I just started to germinate seeds .. and oh-fuck-now-I-need-a-room-and-lights-DIY-ed my growbox with about the worst materials out there that are cheap .. as long as you dont do anything silly with nutes, it's hard to kill these plants. I'm on day 26 now.

Mine started with waaaaaaay too little light .. then it was enough, but too far away on a badly vented attic .. then I tried to murder them using fertilizer when that topic should not have been in my mind, and my soil does NOT contain any perlite. My box is lined with alu-foil.

Just keep reading this forum, learn from others, watch a few grow journals, and most importantly: have fun

I have never grown anything but fungus in my garage ... if I can do it, so can you

 

[Jack Dabs]

Haha that did make me laugh thanks. Yeah I think you can seriously over think everything which I am maybe guilty of.

I am trying NOT to murder my plants so hopefully it turns out with the same results you have - live plants.

I soaked my seeds in a glass of water for around 18hrs and popped them straight into the soil. That was two days ago and hoping they sprout soon.

I do have another 3 as backup but they damn expensive so hopefully round 1 for the win.

Just been keeping the soil moist but every time I put my finger in it (not too close to where the seed is) it feels dry. Been using a spray bottle and soaking them often so hopefully I am not doing anything wrong.

Really great people on here though, read this forum for a while before joining and the replies have been great so again thanks everyone.

 

[shanker65]

Keep a little breeze on them at all times. Even in lights out. Will help get some thick stems to support big buds!

 

[Monjezi]

My oscillating fans never turn off.

but do you face them away from the plants or do the plants get a little breeze?? lol I'm wondering if i should turn mine completely away or not

 

[deptrai]

I don't know the answer, but what a great question. Thanks for asking!

I'm at day 28 (from sprouting) and have always shut everything down for 6 hours per night.

 

[VladimirPutin]

Old thread is old. Put it back deep beneath the earth's crust please.

Vlad

 

[DRM Ranch]

The ventilation fan has a primary purpose which is to ensure the interior air is adequately saturated with CO2. The plants use up CO2 at a fairly good pace, when it is depleted growth will grind to a halt.

Secondary to that is to help keep temperature in check, however it needs to draw in air that is already at an appropriate temperature to do the actual cooling or heating work. The ventilation fan simply moves this air into and out of the tent. If light intrusion is an issue attach a length of duct that allows you to create an 'S' type duct, light does not turn multiple corners well.

As for air movement within the tent, it is sufficient to simply maintain gentle airflow, not full blast leaf tearing gail force wind speeds.