Planning my first grow in cold weather

[Zaku]

First off, first post here and I'm excited to try growing my own plants.

I live in southern Michigan, gets really really cold in the winter time. Can hit in the low single to negitives at any point. I can't grow outside due to my dog might eat the plants and I don't want the neighbors to know what I'm doing and I can't grow inside my house. That means the only place I have is the garage. It is not insulated but there is a single window on the side of the garage letting a good amount of light in.


For the time being, I will be growing one or two clones. No clue which ones just yet. I was thinking about getting a small grow tent kit and just keep the plants in there all the time. Will the light from the tent keep the plants heated up enough without worrying about mold or rot? Is this a good plan or is there a better way? What would be a good suggestion for a good strain that can handle cold weather? Bonus points if it's CBD.

 

[Phytoplankton]

You may have issues depending on how cold the garage gets at night, cold night temps will certainly slow down growth. If you're running lights 24/7 in a tent, at least until the weather warms up, it may keep it warm enough. You could add a small space heater for when the lights are out. I would recommend a tent, it's easier to control the light/heat, and relative humidity, if the garage floor is a cold slab, put some insulation or pieces of styrofoam under the drip pan to keep the roots cozy. HPS lights throw a lot of heat, but are more expensive to run, LED generate less heat (at much reduced electricity costs), but still add several degrees to the temps. Mold spores are everywhere, no way around it, they're floating in the air as we speak! IMHO, you'll be better able to control the grow (temp, RH) in a tent.

 

[JoetheChro]

First off, first post here and I'm excited to try growing my own plants.

I live in southern Michigan, gets really really cold in the winter time. Can hit in the low single to negitives at any point. I can't grow outside due to my dog might eat the plants and I don't want the neighbors to know what I'm doing and I can't grow inside my house. That means the only place I have is the garage. It is not insulated but there is a single window on the side of the garage letting a good amount of light in.


For the time being, I will be growing one or two clones. No clue which ones just yet. I was thinking about getting a small grow tent kit and just keep the plants in there all the time. Will the light from the tent keep the plants heated up enough without worrying about mold or rot? Is this a good plan or is there a better way? What would be a good suggestion for a good strain that can handle cold weather? Bonus points if it's CBD.

Sounds like a good place to set up, will be battling the cold but it's doable. My nighttime outdoor temperature can hit -10'c but doesn't matter, just run your lights when it's your nighttime.

Mold or rot is easy to get around, just keep the airflow moving, will end up with some purple buds with all the cold.

If you don't mind me saying so, I feel your biggest challenge will be your daytime garage temperature (which will be your plants nighttime temperature) the ambient air around the grow tent in the garage will have to be kept moderately warm in order for your plants to do well. I've gone down to 9'c for my plants nighttime, seemed the limit. Get a heater in there if you can and keep an eye on airflow to stop rot from extra condensation

 

[bluter]

scratch the tent, build an insulted cabinet, and heat that. i've done it a few times. you only have to heat the growing area that way and not the whole garage. otherwise insulate the garage, buy it a furnace and eat that cost all winter. i know guys who wound up doing that in the end anyway.

the only other choice is find a better place in the heated envelope of the house.

 

[JoetheChro]

scratch the tent, build an insulted cabinet, and heat that. i've done it a few times. you only have to heat the growing area that way and not the whole garage. otherwise insulate the garage, buy it a furnace and eat that cost all winter. i know guys who wound up doing that in the end anyway.

the only other choice is find a better place in the heated envelope of the house.

This guy calls it as he sees it.

You’d be losing a lot of growing space if you built a cabinet (lot of your time too). If you had a tent could be growing a lot more than 2 clones. Literally food for thought. I’d like to hear your plans either way, will be here for the ride

 

[bluter]

This guy calls it as he sees it.

You’d be losing a lot of growing space if you built a cabinet (lot of your time too). If you had a tent could be growing a lot more than 2 clones. Literally food for thought. I’d like to hear your plans either way, will be here for the ride

i built 8 x 8 x 8 heated cabinets. you could walk right inside them to work. heated with 1500w electric heaters and the lighting. once the heat built up it didn't take much to keep it there. the whole thing including the floor was insulated. it's important to keep the cold off the bottom. that's where the biggest heat sink is.

 

[JoetheChro]

i built 8 x 8 x 8 heated cabinets. you could walk right inside them to work. heated with 1500w electric heaters and the lighting. once the heat built up it didn't take much to keep it there. the whole thing including the floor was insulated. it's important to keep the cold off the bottom. that's where the biggest heat sink is.

That’s sweet, I applaud it. A cabinet isn’t an 8x8x8 though Just maybe throw some ideas out and let our man here work out what he wants to do for himself we’ve got some good theory going here

 

[Bill284]

First off, first post here and I'm excited to try growing my own plants.

I live in southern Michigan, gets really really cold in the winter time. Can hit in the low single to negitives at any point. I can't grow outside due to my dog might eat the plants and I don't want the neighbors to know what I'm doing and I can't grow inside my house. That means the only place I have is the garage. It is not insulated but there is a single window on the side of the garage letting a good amount of light in.


For the time being, I will be growing one or two clones. No clue which ones just yet. I was thinking about getting a small grow tent kit and just keep the plants in there all the time. Will the light from the tent keep the plants heated up enough without worrying about mold or rot? Is this a good plan or is there a better way? What would be a good suggestion for a good strain that can handle cold weather? Bonus points if it's CBD.

Hey @Zaku Welcome to 420magazine my friend.
I'm glad your getting a grow going.
Until June you will likely need some heat.
Those oil filled radiators seem safer in a tent than a micro furnace.
Some Styrofoam sm under the tent to keep it off the concrete would help also.
Here is a thread to meet everyone and say hi.
Happy growing.

Stay safe
Bill

 

[bluter]

Those oil filled radiators seem safer in a tent than a micro furnace.

those oil filled radiator type heaters put out way more even heat. miles better than an electric fan type.

 

[SmokingWings]

I live in southern Michigan, gets really really cold in the winter time. Can hit in the low single to negitives at any point.

Welcome aboard. I am in lower Macomb County which is in the Detroit metropolitan area in the southeast corner of the state for those who might not be familiar with the area.

I used to play around with several hobbies and had them set up in a garage. It was rough in the winter because of the trapped cold and just as rough in the summer because of the trapped heat. Biggest problem was not the nights when it dropped down to the single digits. It was when it stayed between the low teens to the mid-upper-20s continuously for 4-5 days.

Every now and then someone in one of the mid-western states brings up their plans on using a garage or an outbuilding. I get the feeling it was not as easy as many of them were thinking for a first time grow. Read up on on the different ways of heating and cooling a tent or grow room and it will start to fall into place.

 

[Pbass]

Cement floor retains cold something fierce. If you only want two plants and be a stealthy perpetual grow, build a room or box or tent in your basement. Otherwise wait till June and do a tent in the garage big enough to grow enough weed for the whole year or three. How close are your neighbors? It doesn't not stink. CHeers, gl to you!

 

[SmokingWings]

Cement floor retains cold something fierce.

Which can come in handy when the summer sun heats the garage up to 90 or higher. Or, in the fall when it it is getting cold outside an the concrete slab is still retaining some of that summer heat.

 

[bluter]

Which can come in handy when the summer sun heats the garage up to 90 or higher. Or, in the fall when it it is getting cold outside an the concrete slab is still retaining some of that summer heat.

concrete is a heat sink all year long. it never retains heat unless it is outdoor. pops built hockey rinks for a living and knows piles about concrete floors.

 

[Hafta]

@Zaku ,
Welcome to 420. Obviously everyone here wants to help. I hope everything is completely clear right now Just keep asking and it will all settle in so you can decide what to do.

 

[connoisseur33]

First off, first post here and I'm excited to try growing my own plants.

I live in southern Michigan, gets really really cold in the winter time. Can hit in the low single to negitives at any point. I can't grow outside due to my dog might eat the plants and I don't want the neighbors to know what I'm doing and I can't grow inside my house. That means the only place I have is the garage. It is not insulated but there is a single window on the side of the garage letting a good amount of light in.


For the time being, I will be growing one or two clones. No clue which ones just yet. I was thinking about getting a small grow tent kit and just keep the plants in there all the time. Will the light from the tent keep the plants heated up enough without worrying about mold or rot? Is this a good plan or is there a better way? What would be a good suggestion for a good strain that can handle cold weather? Bonus points if it's CBD.

SWEET. I actually thought it wasn't legal there. Turns out it IS. I grew it on my roof top. Great spot

 

[Zaku]

Thanks for the input everyone!

I did a bunch more research since I posted my original post here.

1st off, I was looking at a small tent, around 48 x 24 inches. For whatever odd reason, I thought two plants would take up most of the room in there but it seems like I can fit a lot more in there than just two. I did see a video that someone had a tent around that size with everything needed and about six plants in there with more than enough room.

Sadly I can't do a large cabinet in there. It's already filled up with all of these other projects/fun stuff in there. And I don't feel comfortable leaving a oil heater in there 24/7 during the winter.

Good point about the concrete floor. I bet I can figure something out to keep the base off the floor.

 

[bluter]

1st off, I was looking at a small tent, around 48 x 24 inches. For whatever odd reason, I thought two plants would take up most of the room in there but it seems like I can fit a lot more in there than just two.

plan for 2 sq/ft per plant. everyone tries to shovel more but that's really all you get .... especially if just starting.

I did see a video that someone had a tent around that size with everything needed and about six plants in there with more than enough room.

stay the fuck off you tube and shit. way better folk will give you a lift here brother.
loads of serious folk will help.

the place is a bit old school but it's solid. you can search past grows in the the same style, if you don''t wanna listen to the rabble to see what worked too.

Sadly I can't do a large cabinet in there. It's already filled up with all of these other projects/fun stuff in there. And I don't feel comfortable leaving a oil heater in there 24/7 during the winter.

you can build a cab any size. i built light rigs for a carpenter who built custom cabs for high end customers. if you go to any home reno show pre-fabs units are featured everywhere.

we did cabs as small as 2 x 2. you don't have to be master carpenter to do a diy cab. if you can cut wood and keep all your fingers you're gold.

Good point about the concrete floor. I bet I can figure something out to keep the base off the floor.

always toss some carpet or any insulating material over a concrete floor

 

[SmokingWings]

concrete is a heat sink all year long. it never retains heat unless it is outdoor. pops built hockey rinks for a living and knows piles about concrete floors.

I have to disagree. I have been in the garage or in the family cabin, which was built on a floater slab ,when the air temperature was well below freezing. Water left on a counter or table top would be frozen solid. However, puddles of water that might have been on the floor stayed liquid.

It would take hours of heating to raise the temperature of the floor up a degree or two.

Outside has its own unique circumstances because of sunlight on concrete by itself can raise the temperatures enough to melt ice or snow even when the temps are in the mid to upper 20s. Until sunset of course and then the outside concrete cools off.

 

[bluter]

I have to disagree. I have been in the garage or in the family cabin, which was built on a floater slab ,when the air temperature was well below freezing. Water left on a counter or table top would be frozen solid. However, puddles of water that might have been on the floor stayed liquid.

It would take hours of heating to raise the temperature of the floor up a degree or two.

Outside has its own unique circumstances because of sunlight on concrete by itself can raise the temperatures enough to melt ice or snow even when the temps are in the mid to upper 20s. Until sunset of course and then the outside concrete cools off.

never store a battery directly on concrete. the concrete pulls the energy out faster and drains the battery to the point it can't charge. it does this because concrete acts as a sink. it will do it at any time of the year.

the water froze because of the air temp. the air temp will both rise and fall faster than your floor temp. your floor temp will never reach your air temp though, unless heated internally.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Welcome @Zaku !