Heat issues in a tent/potential solution

Today I wanted to discuss a solution that is seldom ever talked about by new growers, or even advanced growers for that matter.

Struggling with heat in a grow tent is a common issue that many people struggle with. Often this issue can spiral out of control as growers think the solution to their problem is to increase airflow through the tent. This practice is often counterproductive because it causes things that are harmful to the plants and the growing environment. This increased airflow removes moisture from the tent and causes plant stomata to close in an attempt to retain moisture. When this happens the plants move water very slowly through their system (think of plants like a water pump). This can lead to several issues including nutrient deficiency, leaf burning, leaf tip and edge death, and even root rot.

As many people know, H2O is a crucial part of photosynthesis and without it plants struggle to maintain a balance between an optimized root zone and canopy hydration. If heat issues are caused by electrical components within the grow space then the relative humidity inside the space is actually reduced since the air inside the tent cannot physically hold enough water molecules.

To resolve this issue you must first assess the humidity within the space. If you exhaust air slowly from your grow space and the temperature spikes but the humidity drops much lower than what is ideal for your current stage of growth then you actually have a humidity problem, not a heat problem.

The solution to this problem is actually to add humidity to your tent. As you increase humidity in your grow space the temperature of the air will actually reduce since the H2O molecules in the air absorb the heat from the air. You would be surprised just how much you can reduce temperature by simply increasing the humidity in your grow space. Ever heard of a swamp cooler? Same exact principal.

By simply increasing the RH of your grow space you can reduce temperatures dramatically within your space. Another key tip is to place your temperature probe or device away from direct light but still near the top of the canopy so that you get the most accurate representation of the actual temperature of your space. Direct light can increase the reading of a probe by as much as 10 degrees, especially if your light has infrared in its spectrum.