Air movement in a garden is just as important to your plants as the water and nutrients they thrive on. Air movement not only makes plants physically strong but also helps with CO2 and humidity levels for top-quality harvests. With proper air movement, ventilation, and circulation in your growing space you will maximize yields in quantity and quality.
Air movement is essential to a plant’s ability to breathe, as improper air movement can block stomata from breathing. Stomata are pores located on a plant’s leaves through which they inhale and exhale oxygen, CO2, and other gasses.
Is it worth the hassle?
Without proper air movement plants will attract dust and pollen, which can clog these pores and restrict growth if unattended. In nature, wind and rain would cleanse those plants, but this can be mimicked by using fans (wind) and sprayers (rain). Keep in mind that adding water to any grow will raise the humidity level, which can promote mold and fungus growth on your plants if not addressed. Regulating humidity levels, however, is simply blowing air in, out and around your growing space.
Plants will suffer from too much humidity. Lack of humidity in a growing area can dry plants out, but too much humidity can lead to drooping plants as well as mold and fungal growth. When you add water to your garden (whether through spraying leaves or watering soil) it evaporates and enters the air. Left unattended said water will raise your humidity level, hindering your plants and slowly turning your garden into a breeding ground for pests and disease.What's the proper ventilation equipment for grow rooms?
Duct fans (or vent fans) are great ways to push that air out of a growing area and level out the humidity. Combined with a charcoal filter, your garden will be free from odor, dust, harmful water vapor, pollen particles, and stale CO2. However, CO2 needs to circulate into the garden for optimal growth because you deplete CO2 levels when pushing air out. We go more in-depth with grow room setups regarding this, but here's some basic information to know:
CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) can both help and harm your grow, so it is important that air is circulated throughout your growing space to avoid harming your crops. Fresh air from nature is filled with CO2 and plants love it! So much, in fact, that plants absorb almost all of the available CO2 near its leaves quickly and need it replenished with fresh air that's rich in CO2.
If CO2 is not replaced quickly, dead air forms around the plant which can clog stomata and hinder the plant’s growth. Moreover, high levels of CO2 can poison plants just like it can poison humans. A duct fan with good ducting can bring air from outside and push it air into the area. For advanced growers who use CO2 emitters (tanks, natural CO2, etc…) circulation of CO2 is vital to assure quality yields because too much CO2 can poison plants.
The movement of air through your growing area is as important to your plants as water and nutrients. Water vapors in the air help keep plants from drying and CO2 helps photosynthesis, allowing your plants to grow strong and grow fast.
Too much of either element will harm your plants, so it is important to keep a constant flow of wind on your plants, assure proper ventilation for humidity and CO2 in the air, and provide adequate circulation of fresh air and CO2 in your growing area. By allowing proper movement of air throughout your garden you will assure lush, top-quality yields.