Putting together the perfect grow room or grow tent takes a bit of effort, planning, and research. Ultimately, though, you’ll have a functional space to grow your very own plants, which is incredibly rewarding. That said, you can always improve your grow room for even better results.
If you find yourself anxious to produce even bigger and better yields, there are some small changes and additions you can make to improve your grow room. The best part is that these minor changes can make a huge difference in your yields.
Table of Contents
- Add Supplemental Lighting for Increased Growth and Flowering
- Use CO2 Bags and Pads to Promote Plant Metabolism, Strength, and Overall Size
- Apply Neem Oil to Your Plants to Protect Against Pests
- Invest in Environmental Controllers and Timers to Maintain a Healthy Grow Room Environment
- Add Some Small Fans for Airflow
- An Improved Grow Room Means Better Yields
So if you’re ready to take your grow room to the next level in a few small steps, here are some easy changes you can make to see amazing results in your grow room.
1. Add Supplemental Lighting for Increased Growth and Flowering
You may think your grow light will be enough to get the job done, but even the best grow lights will miss a few spots on your plants. Though reflective material such as mylar and panda film definitely helps and is highly recommended, your main grow light might not offer all the wavelengths of light to benefit your plants. That’s where supplemental lighting comes in handy.
Using a few extra lights in your grow room will ensure that all of your plants are receiving the proper amount of light to help them thrive. Supplemental lights also allow you to curate the right combination of wavelengths so that your plants receive the best possible spectrum.
Supplemental LED Grow Lights
LEDs make great supplemental lights. This is because LED grow lights offer red and blue wavelengths for your plants. Red light is great for leaf growth and flowering, so you’ll get richer yields. Meanwhile blue light helps with stem growth and promotes height. In addition, LED grow lights feature different diodes that target white light and UV light.
- 24 Watt Advance Spectrum LED Grow Light Panels (Price: $36.95) — This red LED grow light is great if you’re specifically looking to target leaf and fruit growth during the flowering stage. A blue LED grow light panel like this one is a solid choice if you want to promote stem growth during the vegging stage.
- KIND XD-Series LED Grow Light Bar (Price: $349.95) — Though it’s a lot wider at 47.4in x 3.1in x 2.3in, this LED grow light is a great choice if you’ve got the space for it and want to maximize your canopy’s exposure to light intensity and a variety of wavelengths of light.
- California Light Works SolarSystem 550 with UVB Kit LED Grow Light (Price: $1,059.95) — If you want increased growth with UV lighting and customization options, this LED light allows you to adjust and program the spectrum channels and customize light recipes. This is great if you’re going to be using it for a lot of different plants that would thrive in different types of lighting.
Supplemental T5 Grow Lights
There are also a range of fluorescent T5 lights that offer coverage from 2ft x 4ft to 4ft x 4ft. These can be linked together to cover any large area you may need some extra lighting for. There’s a good T5 light for nearly any plant and grow medium, from clones in starter cells that could benefit from a blue spectrum to flowers, fruits, and trees that prefer a red spectrum.
- Yield Lab Complete 4 Foot 54w 2 Bulb T5 Fluorescent Grow Light Kit (6400K) (Price: $129.00) — Easy to set up and compact enough to fit in most grow rooms, this T5 grow light kit is ideal if you need something to boost your plants during the vegging stage.
- Yield Lab Complete 54w T5 Four Bulb Fluorescent Grow Light Panel (2700K) (Price: $129.00) — If your flowering and fruiting plants need some extra light coverage, this fluorescent T5 grow light can be placed at the top of your grow room.
- PowerVEG T5 4' Grow Lights (Starting at $29.95) — These supplemental T5 grow bulbs give you wavelengths outside of what 2700k and 6400k bulbs offer, including UV, All Blue, and All Red bulbs.
2. Use CO2 Bags and Pads to Promote Plant Metabolism, Strength, and Overall Size
Carbon dioxide, or CO2, is a vital part of the photosynthesis process — it’s a naturally occurring compound molecule that helps accelerate the metabolism of your plants, ensuring they’re well fed and easily converting sugars into nutrition. As such, incorporating CO2 bags into your grow room is a great way to help your plants grow faster, which means more yields in a shorter amount of time.
- EZ CO2 Homegrown CO2 XL (Price: $37.00) — CO2 bags like these are sure to give you bigger and better yields. These bags contain fungal mycelial mass that cultivates CO2. Setup is easy: All you need to do is hang the CO2 bags above your plants.
- EZ CO2 Pad (Price: $18.95) — If you’re growing seeds and clones using a propagation tray, it’s a good idea to add a CO2 pad. Spray the pad with water using a spray bottle to activate the CO2, and your plants will grow with stronger roots and stems.
- Active Air 20 lb CO2 Tank (Price: $171.04) — If you have the space for it in your grow room, a CO2 tank could be a worthwhile investment. Though you’ll have to refill it regularly, it’s a good choice for growers who want to use and reuse a CO2 tank versus replacing CO2 bags and pads.
3. Apply Neem Oil to Your Plants to Protect Against Pests
Pests and fungus can be detrimental to your harvest. Luckily, regularly applying neem oil to your grow tent or grow room — about an once every 10 days — can help keep these issues at bay and target any threats that are already present.
Neem oil can help prevent and get rid of pests like spider mites, white flies, fungus gnats, and nematodes, all while sparing the harmless insects — so you can ensure your plants are safe without having to worry about killing any friendly bugs in the process. Neem oil will also protect your plants from things like powdery mildew, rust, rose black spot, and other types of fungi.
You should be sure not to wait until a problem occurs. Prevention is the safest option and can save you a lot of stress in the long run. You can also use neem oil to water your grow medium so that it can work as a growth stimulant and help to prevent root rot.
Whether you already have a pest problem or just want to prevent it, you should consider neem oil an essential for your garden maintenance. Plus, it’ll leave your garden looking beautiful and healthy by polishing your leaves with a nice, natural shine, all without clogging stomata. This ensures that your plants can still absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen and water vapor so that they grow properly.
- Dyna-Gro Neem Oil Leaf Polish 1 Gal. (Price: $113.95) — If you have a lot of plants, or you’re going to be growing multiple cycles fairly close to each other, your best bet is a gallon of neem oil.
- Dyna-Gro Neem Oil Leaf Polish 1 Qt. (Price: $34.95) — If you’re growing out of a smaller grow tent, or if you don’t plan on growing too frequently, you should be good to go with 1 quart of neem oil.
4. Invest in Environmental Controllers and Timers to Maintain a Healthy Grow Room Environment
Although they tend to be on the pricier side, environmental controllers are a great addition to your indoor garden and remove a lot of the busywork associated with maintaining your environment. Different plants need different amounts of light at different intervals depending on where they’re at in the grow cycle. An environmental controller will help you set up the perfect grow schedule. They can also help control the environment so your plants can thrive in ideal conditions.
As an added bonus, environmental controllers can help you save money on your electric bill. This is because these controllers are set on to automatically track the different running features of your grow room, which means they’ll only run as much as they need to.
- iPonic 614 Environmental Controller (Price: $1,181.95) — This environmental controller helps regulate your grow room’s temperature, humidity, vent fans, and CO2. In addition, this system allows for high-temperature shutoff and fully automatic settings, giving you full control over how your grow room runs.
- Autopilot Desktop CO2 Monitor & Data Logger (Price: $119.99) — Though it doesn’t have all the features of the iPonic 614 Environmental Controller, this grow room monitor will give you accurate readings of your space’s CO2 and temperature. So if you notice any extreme temperatures or CO2 changes, you can adjust manually as necessary.
- 24-Hour Programmable Electric Timer Control (Price: $7.95) — Simple and to the point, this programmable timer allows you to set times for your grow room equipment.
5. Add Some Small Fans for Airflow
While large fans are important for circulating air in and out of your growing area, investing in some smaller fans is also a good idea. A few small fans will provide a nice gentle breeze that will help the branches of your plants grow stronger and allow their leaves to breathe. This all makes for an overall stable environment for your growing area.
- 6" Desk & Clip Fan (Price: $15.95) — A small fan that can be easily and quickly attached to your grow tent’s poles. Clip fans are a good way to increase airflow, though you’ll need a few spread throughout your grow space.
- Active Air Heavy Duty 16" Metal Wall Mount Fan (Price: $80.96) — These fans are larger, provide stronger airflow, and oscillate to promote air circulation. They’re a perfect option for a good ventilation boost without the force of an inline fan.
An Improved Grow Room Means Better Yields
As you can tell by now, little additions like the ones listed in this article can make big changes in different important factors that go into maintaining your indoor garden. Lighting, airflow, and the overall environment are all affected — and boosted — by adding lights, fans, CO2, as well as investing in neem oil and environmental controllers.
It’s important to keep in mind that even small differences can have a great effect on your plants. You’ll be surprised by how these small changes can be so beneficial to your yields, so take the time to customize your grow room to perfection. You’ll be glad you did when it comes time to harvest.