How to set up a closet to grow cannabis plants

To set up a closet to grow cannabis plants, you’ll need to follow these steps:

Choose a suitable closet: Select a closet that is large enough to accommodate grow lights and plants. You’ll need access to electricity and the ability to ventilate air.

For one or two plants, a small 2×3 foot closet should do. Larger spaces allow for more plants. Remember that plants stretch during flowering, so having tall ceilings in your closet is helpful. You’ll need to reach plants at the back of the closet easily throughout the grow to water, train, and prune, so plan your grow closet setup accordingly.

Small closet grows usually have to deal with controlling have excessive temperatures. You’ll need to set up ventilation to exhaust hot, humid air. You’ll need air intake vents or a small intake fan as well. The smaller the cubic footage of your grow closet, the more the heat output of your lights will raise temperatures. A 4″ inline fan works for small closets such as 3×4 foot. Use a 6″ fan for bigger closets. Inline fans with carbon filters are needed to minimize odors.

Consider combo sets such as the Vivosun Smart Grow system provide an LED light and ventilation fan with a wifi controller. The 100 watt output is suitable for small grows. Use a higher powered LED for larger spaces..

If you’re planning to set up a grow closet in a basement, make sure the humidity isn’t too high and the temperatures don’t get too low. Dehumidify the area if needed. If you live in a hot climate, consider using a closet in a room with air conditioning. Keeping the proper humidity and temperature for growing weed is critical. Don’t wait until you’re halfway through your grow to consider these things, by then it will be too late and your weed plants will suffer.

You’ll also need to make sure that the closet doesn’t have light leaks around the door. Stand inside the dark closet with lights on in the room outside to test for leaks. For a stealthy grow, choose an out-of-the-way location so people can’t hear the sound of your fans or other grow equipment. Access to a nearby water source is helpful but not a requirement if you don’t mind hauling buckets.

Prepare the space: Clean and seal the walls, floor, and ceiling of the closet to create a clean, sterile environment for growing weed plants. You’ll need to wash down everything to sanitize between grows.

Use flat white paint on closet walls to reflect light. You can also buy highly reflective mylar for the walls. If your closet floor has a rug, remove it.

Install grow lights: Choose grow lights that are suitable for the size of your closet and the needs of your plants. There are several types of grow lights available, including fluorescent, LED, and HID (high intensity discharge) such as high-pressure sodium or metal halide.

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  Fluorescent grow lights are great to build a grow closet for vegetating cannabis plants, but they lack the light intensity for quality flowering.

• HPS and MH lights produce a lot of heat, so while they’re great for maximizing yield be careful to balance the heat output with the size of your grow closet setup. This is especially important if your grow closet isn’t located in a climate-controlled room.
• LED grow lights are the best choice to balance bud yield and quality against heat output, and are a great choice to set up a grow closet for weed plants.

Regardless of the type of grow light you set up in a closet, make sure the light intensity and coverage area is adequate for the size of the space.

Set up ventilation and circulation fans: Proper ventilation is critical for controlling temperature and humidity in your grow closet.

Install an exhaust fan with a carbon filter to regulate these factors and provide fresh air for your plants. Suspend the a carbon filter with straps or bungee cords on the closet ceiling to remove odors. If you need to have your ventilation ducting go through a closet wall or door, make sure to block light leaks around it.

You’ll also need circulation fans to ensure proper air movement in your grow closet. Two small clip fans will work well in tiny closets, put one above the canopy and one below.  For larger areas you’ll need to increase air movement accordingly to ensure plant leaves are constantly moving in the breeze.The AC Infinity Cloudray A6 fan has much more power with 10 speed settings.

Choose the right pots and growing medium: Select pots and a growing medium that is suitable for cannabis plants. Soil is good for new growers, and coco coir is also a good choice to grow hydroponically. Other mediums will work as well, depending on the size of the closet you’re using to grow cannabis.

Make sure the pots have drainage holes to prevent excess water from accumulating and causing root rot. Fabric bags are a great choice, but if you’re looking to save money you could reuse (sanitized) plant containers or grow bags.

Decide how you’ll water your plants:  The simplest method is to buy a 5 gallon bucket and hand-mix nutrients. You could also set up an automated watering system. If you’re not able to easily reach plants in the back of your closet, automated drip lines are a big help.

Install monitoring equipment: To ensure that your grow closet setup is operating optimally, it’s important to install equipment to monitor temperature, humidity, and other factors. The simplest way is a thermometer/hygrometer with a probe to place in the closet. Bluetooth-enabled monitoring is a nice upgrade to let you check in on your plants using a phone app.

Summary: Setting up a closet to grow cannabis plants

By following these steps you can set up a closet to grow cannabis plants quickly and easily. It’s important to do your research and educate yourself on the specific needs of cannabis plants in order to provide them with the best grow location possible. Focus on getting your grow closet set up properly up-front, it will save you many headaches along the way.

Make sure to use high intensity lighting if you want dense, thick buds. Be careful to monitor temperature and humidity conditions. The room should be lightproof, with adequate circulation and ventilation. Use a carbon filter to remove odors. Always sanitize your grow room between grows to reduce changes of pests or disease.