DIGS :
EW’S ECO HOME & GARDEN ISSUE
How to Pimp Out your
Grow
Room
Key investments can make
your harvest bud big-time
BY DANT E Z U ÑIG A-WEST
W
hile not all grow rooms are created
equal — size does matter — there are
a few aspects you don’t want to skimp
on, no matter what. Sure, a great deal
of your setup is dependent upon both
what you are growing and on how much of it you intend
to grow, but some factors remain universal to producing a
good crop inside the house. Let’s take a quick look at what
you can do to really pimp out your grow room this season.
Regulating temperature and humidity makes all the
difference on what is going to happen in your space, and
environmental controllers are the brains of the operation.
These units are priced from moderate to very expensive.
But with the right environmental controller, you won’t
even need to go into your grow room for a few days.
“The more spendy units can manage humidity,
temperature, light timing, CO2; they are a great way to do
up your grow room and defi nitely worth the investment,”
says Jessica Tutt, indoor garden expert at Aqua Serene.
“From a consumer perspective it is far more worth it to
go for one of the larger environmental controllers so you
aren’t always having to build onto a smaller one later.”
Tutt recommends the Sentinel CHHC4; it’s a total
environmental controller, and you can use it with a
regulated tank or a CO2 burner. “When you drop that little
bit of extra bling for a nice environmental controller, you
are getting so much more quality, and in this particular
situation it really does make all the difference in the world.”
Basically, with one of these units, your indoor grow room
functions as if it were a utopian outdoor growing situation.
Another way to get that extra edge out of whatever it is
you’re growing, be it tomatoes, peppers or relatively legal
medicinal herbs, is to invest in a solid pH meter.
“A lot of gardeners have trouble with spending a
hundred dollars on a good pH meter, when in reality it
can increase your yields like crazy,” says another Aqua
Serene employee who helps people build effi cient grow
rooms. “Feeding your plants at the correct pH is crucial.”
Luckily in Lane County we are fortunate and blessed
with really clean water, but in any city the pH is going
to change pretty regularly. So knowing where you are
at before you add your nutrients is really important, and
once you add them you defi nitely want to know where
your pH level registers. There is a very specifi c pH range
at which your plants are going to take in that nutrition.
Tutt says Bluelab pH pens are a solid bet for monitoring
your pimped-out grow room. It’s a basic meter that is
compact and geared to the needs of the average gardener,
from a company that is known for reliable products.
Pest control is something that all Oregon gardeners are
familiar with. Fungus gnats, mites, mildew — our little hu-
mid valley is home to all sorts of things that can ruin your
crop. Keeping your grow room free of these pesky critters is
a must. And it’s best to do so without polluting your consum-
ables. Here’s a tip — try mixing a bit of the broad-spectrum
botanical product Azatrol with some peppermint Dr. Bron-
ner’s castile liquid soap as a tag-team preventative to spray
on during the vegetative state of your grow. It can keep the
vermin at bay and ensure a safe, healthy harvest.
ew
For more info on hooking up your grow room, check out
www.aquaserene.com
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EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 8, 2012 11