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Cultural Healing and Life

The Indoor Garden Environment - Part 1 - Location


JJ the Gardener
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The Indoor Garden Environment

Part 1

~A Cultural Healing and Life Compilation and Writing.

:Diamond:

 

 

 

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Environment Introduction

 

Garden order of importance 

Quality and strength of light + garden environment + nutrition + management/technique/method = grow operation. 

 

It is not rare for new gardeners to make basic errors when designing or planning an indoor garden.  They often think of the harvest and what the optimum level for this and that when creating a grow environment but they rarely take into genuine consideration the plants themselves when planning and building grow environments.  The following is my attempt to answer this aspect.  First, lets change our perspective to that of the plants.

For many of these plants the indoor garden environment is all they will ever know of nature and life.  By creating a garden environment worthy of this aspect you not only respect the harvest you desire but the life that produced the harvest for you and in so doing we co-exist together in a sacred life cycle harmony that for some is a serious perspective and for others the basics will do.  This is my attempt to lay the groundwork for either direction and all the ways in between.

When we properly respect our plant partners and the harvest (by harvest I mean managing the crop) the happiness along with the fitness of the plant combines to bring back to you in a tangible form a glorious harvest worthy of the life and harvested crop that you have provided and managed for.  To some this is sacred, to others this is just taking care of a plant.   

A plant that is in synergy with its environment, light and nutrition is a healthy and happy plant.  When this happens the best of the genetics is possible by promoting the plants during their life stages or just take an easy growing approach it is all up to you.

  • Note; Sometimes when a plant is in too good an environment we may have to alter the environment to induce a degree of stress to encourage the transition and/or to ripen or potentially face extended grow periods.
    • Certain conditions can affect plant physiology such as hormones and trigger the beginning or the encouragement of a development period.
      • Aspects such as temperature and humidity followed by light timings for quality to life cycle for various plants and qualities there of.

 

To be wise in creating a garden environment is much more than construction and math.  It is to understand and appreciate the life and physiology of plants, environmental aspects and all those as aspects as a whole. 

  • When these aspects are aligned the full spectrum and strength of your lights will be happily received and they will fittingly energize achieving plants that most will think they could not achieve prior to this appreciation.

In the gardening community we often are more unwise at some point in our gardening lives.   Early in our learning/experience we can tend to prescribe plant problems and aspects incorrectly as to other causes and effects than those that are environmental based or at least in part based. 

  • This misunderstanding often affects the reality of what we actually know of gardening compared to what we think of we know. 
    • At "common and harmless" levels it is just maybe a bit humbling to be corrected or to just learn correctly on a subject that you believed was one way but in fact was another reason or effect of. 
    • At worst, it directly causes harm to yours or others crops. 
  • Market affect on this type of grower:
    • Before spending one bit of money or energy on adding "boosters" and such from light to nutrition unless your garden environment is happily in balance with your plants  or you have largely wasted (ineffective results) and increased the cost of your environment.
      • Their is a difference between a not as healthy plant but normal looking plant gaining health than a very healthy plant gaining a "boost.' from an additive or such.
        • Most people fall into the category of "not as healthy but normal looking plant gaining health."
          • This an aspect why many forums will say boosters do not work, I comment on environment not boosters in general but use as illustration.  

We will be discussing each aspect that makes up the grow environment so that you will be able to influence and manage your environment effectively for each stage of plant growth or just the general grow period as up to you.

  • We will discuss standard grow area sizes and locations associated with personal medical grow rooms and indoor gardens associated within the normal garden community.   
    • In this discussion we will be giving recommendations that represent store bought or easily assembled products. 
      • This is not a marketing gimmick nor an endorsement of any products as they are used for illustration purposes and to be realistic to what I believe many in this category will use, at least initially.
        • I do not give endorsed views other than possible situations based on unique and/or specific needs and availability of products to a perspective gardener.

 

Grow Environment Formula

Location (Grow Area)

+

Operational Temperature  (actual operating temperature)

(Day - High & Night - Low)

(To estimate ambient temperature + estimated operational temperature, take into consideration fans, lights, CO2 burners)

+

Humidity

+

Ventilation

+

Air quality

+

Climate Adjustments

(CO2, HVAC adjustments in addition to normal ventilation)

  = Grow Environment for Day and Night, can customize for each plant stage of development.

 

 

 

:digger-smiley-emoticon:

Home Location Selection and Analysis

Location location location as they say.  We all think of grow areas differently.  For some, it is a tent, for others it is an attic, a basement, a closet or just a room.  Regardless of location we have to take some key aspects into consideration and then we want to work on removing any limitations to making a grow location suitable for a plant to call home, as everyone knows "home is where you make it."

Many indoor gardeners do not really select or choose a grow area than they tend to use what is available to them.  Regardless of how we may select the grow area, we need to understand the area wisely.  This is often an aspect that many people take for granted and not much effort is put into effectively appreciating this aspect and often a price is paid for this lack of competence. 

Once a location is chosen and analyzed it needs to be cleaned and prepared correctly. 

  • "Best practice" may be to create a room within the room as to enable the typical construction of a sealed room easier, cleaner and more efficient.
  • Thick or insulated type of walls are best for maintaining stability.
    • Thick walls like rock.
    • Modern insulated walls.
  • A tent is generally not a significant issue as it is affected by the ambient room temperature for which the tent resides.
    • Generally I dislike tents but they are fine to use and have their use depending on a variety of needs.
    • Tent is influenced by the surrounding air in the room.
      • Use air around tent like a lung room.
  • Determine your base ambient temperatures.
  • Determine Cubic Square Feet of grow area
  • Address location negatives
    • Understand the grow area ambient temperature during the seasons and with day and night temperatures.
      • This is your base ambient room temperature.
        • Base Ambient Room Temperature = The "empty" grow area in Day (high) and night (low) for each season.
          • We will use these base high and low numbers in our future calculations and analysis, notice the word and.
    • Basements and attics may have damp and mold that needs cleaned and addressed.
      • Window areas in attics often need addressed.
      • Attics are typically not well insulated and the base ambient temperatures usually vary with the seasons
        • Mostly effected by high and cold temperature extremes.
        • This is one reason an attic garden is less favored unless it favors condition for a particular plant type.
      • Basements may have mold aspects
        • Using mold resistant white paint is an option.
          • Hospital paint that has anti mold/fungus properties.
          • I recommend use in grow areas regardless for "best practice" aspect.
          • Basement base ambient temperature should be stable throughout the year.
    • Flooding issues
      • Old or not well managed drains
        • Address tree root maintenance for pipes if applicable.
    • Bugs/pest issues.
      • A thorough cleaning and competent bug management is typically sufficient.
        • Definitively remove any pre-existing infestations and ensure their will be no return.
      • If the location was previously used for growing then ensure to clean and sterilize for pollen, bugs and molds.

 

Good Location Video information.

 

Location Summary

Regardless of where and how we select our garden areas.  It is our job to create and manage a favorable environment as possible for the harvest.  It just so happens to get a good harvest we have to have healthy plants. 

The following information is about various aspects of the environment and how to manage for the location for which your garden resides.  Since the best answer for some situations can vary from situation to situation it is important to understand the flexibility ventilation and its various setups that offers various management and control over your environment and plants.  Remember, no matter the gritty appearance of a starting location you are creating a home!

 

 

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