Temperature range or varience

[Dwight Monk]

My grow boxes are out in my shed, getting cooler out as that time of year. Is there a range where variance between high and low temp is a problem? Out in nature there is quite a range between high and low for the day, but then the sun not out 24 hours either lol. Also what is lowest you can go and still get the plants to do something? Put a heat lamp out in shed set to come on/off a few times at night, my range has been 50'sF low to 60'sF high temp. It had got cooler than that prior to that and leaves started going purple on my bigger plant. Got some bag seed I had started last month and a couple clones, just didn't want to waste more time with seeds or buying clones if that is going to cause me issues thru the winter.

 

[AngryBird]

Vegetative Stage: the 70-85°F (20-30°C) range.

Flowering Stage: slightly cooler, around 65-80°F (18-26°C)

from my notes collected on the net over the years

Can your shed be isolated (you have the space/room?) rockwool around and under or foam?

 

[Cultivator]

yeah i second that, over 65f with lights on and def not below 50f with lights off. Id use an oil burner or somethning or find a way to just bring it indoors.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Thanks, that was kind of what I was afraid of lol as what my gut was telling me. We had some "not typical" weather week before last for this time of year, and I have a temp/humidity gauge that tells me 24 hour low/high and it had dropped into the mid 40s. So was kind of a scramble as I could tell the plants didn't like it. I'm not sure the heat lamp idea going to work once it gets into winter, depending on what kind of winter we get this year. Once I did that I"m in the 58-63 range for 24 hours, which my gut told me might be below the low side still, plus haven't seen my power bill yet as those bulbs like those little heaters and real power hogs.

My Wife let me bring in the two ladies I harvested as they weren't drying out there in one of my cabinets (we got hit with a ton of wind and rain and humidity was in the 90% ranges), and didn't want to lose them to mold on my first go round with growing. The one I harvested on the 9th dried out after two days inside, so it is curing in jar (61-62% humidity which in jar which is in range from what I read), the other girl was harvested 3 days later so it may get cut rest of the way up today depending how small stems feel. She had a different upbringing and is older than me along with not liking the smell, but she knows I need to take the edge off of pain from time to time (blue collar dog jobs) so long as I go outside to smoke she fine with it (my Son been doing that for years now). I hadn't toked in over 20 years due to jobs with random testing all the time, so been less than a year as now I'm her 24/7 caregiver and don't have the UA side of things. But she is on Medicaid and that is a Federal program so it being legal in Oregon now but not on the Fed level complicates things, and we had to sign something to affect that money she gets wouldn't be spent on marijuana, so rather it not be in the house coupled with I don't have anywhere to put my boxes inside anyway LOL.

Guess I will not germinate any more seeds or buy any clones and just run my own little test, as my first time growing (the failed try in 1980 don't count as light technology then sucked if you weren't rich) and it has pretty much been an experiment with a lot of "well crap's" thrown in and a bunch of "now I know's" to go with them. As been trying to sex the older one, first with a cutting (that didn't work it shriveled up before that happened) and then made two clones (put one of them in 10/14 light setting since the 7th and it's still not showing), so not sure where that going wrong yet or if it is just bashful (or I'm blind which is a problem with being older, can't see s*** and can't remember s*** anymore lol). And then had two others I had started from seed, but one on right looks bad and may be heading to compost pile soon anyway. I didn't really think things out much ahead of time, and it should have hit me sooner when they managed to stay cool enough when the weather hit 100's for a week that it being cooler in the shed would be a problem once weather went other extreme. Rather not heat the shed to higher temp than the Manufactured Home, let alone the cost as I wouldn't trust a propane heater out there, so maybe I will let plant go bigger and if a Female see if they will flower in the 60s range for temps or not.

 

[Dwight Monk]

Guess another thing I can try is put another light (of a different type) in my boxes for warmth and just try and regulate the temp in the box instead of the shed, as I'm running LED in the boxes and they don't put off much heat (which is nice in the summer). But I imagine that would be hard to regulate the temp, and if I was in Flower that wouldn't work anyway. Guess I will have to rack my brain and see what else I can come up with for options, or just keep on keeping on with the "trial and error" science experiment with an extra emphasis on "ERROR" LOL

 

[TheFertilizer]

I would suggest getting a space heater with a thermostat to keep it at a certain temperature. If you got something like an HPS or MH bulb the heat output would help during on hours but the temps would drop quickly during lights out.

Is it possible to insulate the shed? Even if you have to staple fiberglass insulating rolls straight to the walls that will help some. Maybe look up how to make some solar stills as well. This might be the best route to go anyway, since trying to heat an uninsulated shed with any kind of heater might quickly suck up the electricity bill.

 

[Dave Groomer]

I would suggest getting a space heater with a thermostat to keep it at a certain temperature. If you got something like an HPS or MH bulb the heat output would help during on hours but the temps would drop quickly during lights out.

Is it possible to insulate the shed? Even if you have to staple fiberglass insulating rolls straight to the walls that will help some. Maybe look up how to make some solar stills as well. This might be the best route to go anyway, since trying to heat an uninsulated shed with any kind of heater might quickly suck up the electricity bill.

I picked up an oil-filled electric heater with thermostat for around $60 online. I set the temp for 68 and the plants didn't get colder then that.

 

[Dwight Monk]

I would suggest getting a space heater with a thermostat to keep it at a certain temperature. If you got something like an HPS or MH bulb the heat output would help during on hours but the temps would drop quickly during lights out.

Is it possible to insulate the shed? Even if you have to staple fiberglass insulating rolls straight to the walls that will help some. Maybe look up how to make some solar stills as well. This might be the best route to go anyway, since trying to heat an uninsulated shed with any kind of heater might quickly suck up the electricity bill.

It is about half insulated on the walls, prior to me owning place someone put a blue tarp up on wall and ceiling, may have been a leak or something so haven't insulated or checked to see if insulated that wall. But will do that as can't hurt for sure. The heat lamp bulb only a 250W as I figured anything over that I would probably be better off with space heater, but space heater concerns me with outlet as they draw a lot and I'm not able to rewire it, as it all runs off breaker out by the meter (pretty sure it only a 20 amp breaker at the most). May just have to do my growing 9 months or so out of the year, just don't want to waste seeds/clones as they kinda spendy.

 

[icke]

what temp for germination would you ? sorry for butting in

 

[TheFertilizer]

It is about half insulated on the walls, prior to me owning place someone put a blue tarp up on wall and ceiling, may have been a leak or something so haven't insulated or checked to see if insulated that wall. But will do that as can't hurt for sure. The heat lamp bulb only a 250W as I figured anything over that I would probably be better off with space heater, but space heater concerns me with outlet as they draw a lot and I'm not able to rewire it, as it all runs off breaker out by the meter (pretty sure it only a 20 amp breaker at the most). May just have to do my growing 9 months or so out of the year, just don't want to waste seeds/clones as they kinda spendy.

I think you can manage on 20 amps especially if you don't have your living space on the same circuit.

400w lights = 4 amps
100w exhaust fan = 1 amp
100w circulation fans = 1 amp
23 watt CFL for clones = 0.23 amps
20 watt heating mat = 0.2 amps
750w space heater = 7.5 amps
1500w space heater = 15 amps

Amps = Wattage/Voltage so those examples are approximate

A simpler way to look at it would be to multiply your fuse current rating by the voltage, so 20 x 110, meaning you can run 2200 watts on that circuit. (Assuming you don't run any 220v devices)

I think you will actually be able to to manage a space heater especially if you insulate well enough that it will work on a low power setting. Don't forget to take advantage of free energy either, if you have windows look up solar stills.

 

[Dwight Monk]

I think you can manage on 20 amps especially if you don't have your living space on the same circuit.

400w lights = 4 amps
100w exhaust fan = 1 amp
100w circulation fans = 1 amp
23 watt CFL for clones = 0.23 amps
20 watt heating mat = 0.2 amps
750w space heater = 7.5 amps
1500w space heater = 15 amps

Amps = Wattage/Voltage so those examples are approximate

A simpler way to look at it would be to multiply your fuse current rating by the voltage, so 20 x 110, meaning you can run 2200 watts on that circuit. (Assuming you don't run any 220v devices)

I think you will actually be able to to manage a space heater especially if you insulate well enough that it will work on a low power setting. Don't forget to take advantage of free energy either, if you have windows look up solar stills.

I'll have to double check breaker and see what it is at. Had a contractor put in a wheelchair ramp and his table saw kept kicking it out, so the 20 was a guess and maybe it less than that (last time I was in there to redo my wall power socket the spiders inside it were huge LOL).

 

[AngryBird]

what temp for germination would you ? sorry for butting in

Marijuana seeds can germinate in many temperature conditions, but grow best between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (23-26 C). Cooler temperatures slow seed germination and promote fungal growth such as fusarium and pythium which can rot the seed and root. Temperatures above 90 degrees can also inhibit germination.


needs humidity around 60-70 %
taken from my notes collected over the net.