Transforming Your Bedroom Into A Thriving Grow Room

Growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs can be a fun and rewarding experience, but not everyone has the luxury of a big garden or the space for a grow tent. One solution is to convert a room in your home into a grow room.

There are several factors to consider when choosing the right grow room location. The room should ideally have access to sufficient electricity, windows for airflow and natural light, and high ceilings. It should also be in a low-traffic area to avoid light leaks and be free of carpeted floors, which can retain moisture and harbour bugs.

Once you've chosen your space, you'll need to ensure it's light-tight, configure your setup, and set up an air exchange system. You'll also need to consider lighting options, ventilation, and safety precautions to prevent fires and electrical issues.

With the right equipment and planning, you can successfully convert a bedroom into a grow room and enjoy the benefits of growing your own produce.

Choosing a space: Find a room with access to electricity and water, and with wooden, concrete or tiled floors

When choosing a space to turn into a grow room, there are several factors to consider.

Firstly, you need to ensure that the room has access to electricity and water. For a one or two-light setup, a couple of normal double wall sockets will be fine, and you can always use an extension lead if necessary. It is also important to have a water source nearby, but be sure to use pure, filtered water rather than unfiltered rainwater, as you don't know what you're feeding your plants.

Secondly, it is best to choose a room with wooden, concrete, or tiled floors. Carpets tend to attract and hold moisture and bacteria, and spills are unavoidable, so it is best to avoid them.

In addition to these practical considerations, there are several other factors that can help you optimise your grow room. It is beneficial to choose a room with windows, as this will allow your plants to have natural light, which will cut down on electricity costs. It is also important to consider the height of the room. If your ceilings are under 5 feet tall, you risk damaging your plants from heat burn or bleaching, so it is best to limit their growth. A room that is 8 feet tall will allow you to let nearly any plant grow as tall as it needs to. It is also worth noting that you should choose a room that doesn't receive lots of sunlight, as this can throw off your grow room's environment and increase your power usage and electricity costs.

Finally, it is best to choose a room in a low-traffic area to avoid light leaks and imbalances.

Light-proofing: Block off windows and door frames with reflective sheeting to prevent light from escaping or interfering with your lighting cycle

Light-proofing your grow room is essential to prevent light from escaping or interfering with your lighting cycle. This can be achieved by blocking off windows and door frames with reflective sheeting. Here are some detailed steps to effectively light-proof your grow room:

Identify Light Leaks:

Before covering your windows and doors, it is crucial to identify all potential sources of light leaks. Inspect your grow room during daylight hours and look for any gaps or cracks that allow light to pass through. Pay close attention to the areas around windows and door frames, as these are common entry points for light.

Cover Windows:

To prevent light from entering through windows, you can use reflective mylar film or panda film. Mylar film reflects light away from the windows, reducing the impact of external light sources like the sun. Panda film, on the other hand, has a black side that absorbs light and a white side that reflects light back onto your plants. It is important to note that panda film is made of plastic, so it may wear thin and bubble in extremely hot conditions.

Block Door Frames:

To light-proof your door frames, you can use aluminum foil tape or reflective mylar film. Cover the entire door frame, ensuring that there are no gaps for light to escape or enter. This will prevent external light from disturbing your plants during their dark cycle.

Seal Gaps and Cracks:

For small cracks and gaps around doors and windows, you can use felt draught exclusion strips. These strips can be easily adhered to the surfaces, creating an effective light barrier. For wider gaps, you may need to nail down a strip of wood or use a black plastic flap that overlaps with the edge of the door or window.

Additional Measures:

If you want an extra layer of protection, consider hanging a curtain or blanket over the windows and doors. This will ensure that any remaining light leaks are blocked, creating a completely light-proof environment. Additionally, you can double-check for light leaks by turning off the lights in your grow room and allowing your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Any remaining light sources will become visible, and you can take measures to block them.

By following these steps and using the appropriate materials, you can effectively light-proof your grow room, ensuring that your plants receive the optimal lighting conditions for their growth cycle.

Configuring the space: Decide whether to use the entire room, create a room within the room, or convert an enclosed space

When configuring your grow room, you have three options: use the entire room, create a room within the room, or convert an enclosed space.

Using the Entire Room

Using the entire room is the simplest option. However, it may be harder to control the climate in a large, empty room. You will need at least one grow light for every 1.2m x 1.2m space. It may be easier to control the climate if you fill the room with tents.

Creating a Room Within the Room

The best and cheapest way to create a grow room is with a grow tent. Grow tents make it easier to maintain the optimum climate (e.g. temperature and humidity) and prevent bug infestations and diseases. They also protect the rest of the room from the heat and humidity in your grow space.

Converting an Enclosed Space

If you plan on growing in a small space, you may encounter heat problems. Choose a high space (at least 5ft is good, but more is ideal). Ensure there's a constant flow of new air in your setup. If you don't have much headroom, try using a smaller light, like a T5 Grow Light, as it will produce less heat.

Lighting: Choose the right type of light system, including the appropriate wattage, and ensure good light coverage

Lighting is one of the most important elements of an indoor grow room. The right lighting system will help your plants carry out photosynthesis and get the best yields. Here are some tips on choosing the right lighting system for your grow room:

Types of Lights

There are three main types of lights used in grow rooms:

• Fluorescent Lights: These are suitable for beginners with a small grow room and only a few plants. They are a cheap option and produce less heat compared to incandescent lamps. They also save energy and have a longer lifespan. However, fluorescent lights are not powerful enough for the flowering stage.
• High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Lights: HID lights are quite powerful and emit a considerable intensity of light. They are excellent for indoor plant growth but are expensive. There are three types of HID lights: High-Pressure Sodium (HPS), Metal Halide (MH), and Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH). You need to keep HID lights at a suitable distance from your plants and take safety precautions to protect yourself and others in the area.
• LED Grow Lights: LED lights are the best option for indoor growing. They are efficient, with around 80-90% of electrical energy converted into light, and they emit minimal heat. This means lower energy bills and a lower temperature in your grow room. LED lights are directional and can offer different spectrums as required by plants. For example, Spectrum X LED grow lights offer four spectrums: V1, F1, VS, and FS. You can control the intensity of light with a dimmer. While LED lights are initially expensive, they are cost-effective in the long run due to their efficiency and long lifespan of about 15-20 years.

Wattage

The amount of wattage you need depends on the size of your grow room and the number of plants. As a general rule, you will need one 600-watt light for every 6 feet of space. For bedrooms, a 600-watt HPS/MH grow light or a 450-540-watt LED grow light is recommended for three to four plants.

Light Coverage

Make sure your lighting system provides adequate coverage for your plants. Supplemental grow lights can be used to broaden the spectrum and enhance yield quality. It is also important to maintain a constant flow of cool air in your grow room to prevent heat problems. Use an extractor fan to remove hot air and ensure there are input holes or an air input fan to force new air in.

Ventilation: Set up an air exchange system to replace stale, CO2-depleted air with fresh, CO2-rich air

Ventilation is an important part of designing your grow room. Plants need fresh air to breathe and to maintain optimal grow room conditions. Ventilation also helps with temperature and humidity control, disease and odour control, and providing fresh air exchange.

To set up an air exchange system, you will need to calculate the volume of your room by multiplying its length, width, and height. For example, a room that is 5 feet long, 7 feet wide, and 10 feet tall would have a volume of 350 cubic feet.

Next, determine the CFM (cubic feet per minute) requirements by dividing the volume of your room by the number of minutes in which you want to exchange the air. For optimal results, it is recommended to exchange the air in your grow room at least once every two to four minutes. So, for our example, 350 cubic feet divided by 2 or 3 minutes would give us a CFM of between 116.67 and 175 CFM.

Once you have determined the CFM, you can select an exhaust fan and carbon filter with a CFM rating that meets or exceeds your requirements. It is recommended to go for a slightly higher CFM to account for other factors such as the number of HID lights, carbon filters, and other equipment.

In addition to the exhaust fan and carbon filter, you will also need an intake port to allow fresh air to enter the grow room. This can be a small hole or gap under a door, a drilled hole, or a window with a vent. Some growers also recommend placing a circulating fan near the intake port to actively "pull" in the fresh air.

By setting up an air exchange system with adequate ventilation, you will be able to replace the stale, CO2-depleted air in your grow room with fresh, CO2-rich air, creating an optimal environment for your plants to thrive.

Frequently asked questions