Growing in Michigan Winter Months

Whats good everyone. I need help from growers that have experience growing in high humidity and extremely cold climates.

Been growing in california for the longest time and now I'm starting a small medical grow op in Michigan. Never grown in such a cold environment before. I have a room in the garage that I am currently retrofitting to have a Flower room and also a veg room. Both are in the same area divided by a sliding door. Since its so cold I will try to seal the room up as best I can. Which means I will be implementing the use of CO2.

Flower room is 7'8'' Length x 5'6'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft is 340 Roughly
Veg Room / Mother room is 7'8'' Length x 3'11'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft 240 Roughly

I intend to run a single 1000W Gavita DE on a light rail in the flower room. Oscillating fans to prevent stagnant pockets of air. Like I mentioned before CO2 will be implemented into this grow room.

For the Veg room I will most likely run T5 lighting or possibly set up an HID Metal Halide. Ive used LED for veg before and they work great for California temps but here in Michigan I don't think they will be as beneficial. Oscillating fans to move air around.

The two rooms are again, right next to each other divided by a sliding door. My main concern is keeping the room warm enough for the plants to grow properly. I would like it to be in the Mid 70F. The room currently stays around 50F during the day, and 40F at night. It is usually 10F warmer then the outside temp with no heating units. The winter so far has been relatively mild and has only dropped into the mid 20F a few times. It will get much colder in the upcoming winter months.

Questions -

1. Will a 11k BtuH heating unit be enough to heat this room to an optimum growing temp? (both the veg and flower room) Combined Cubic foot is 580 Roughly. Of course the Gavita will help bring the temps up a bit as well.

2. Are there any heating units that someone can recommend for this particular application?

Im sure that I will have more questions in the future but for now these are my main concerns. If the temps are too low to work with then I will have to find another space to do this grow. I would like to utilize the space that I have in this structure if possible.

Any input would be much appreciated as always.
Thanks.

GhostBud420 said:

Whats good everyone. I need help from growers that have experience growing in high humidity and extremely cold climates.

Been growing in california for the longest time and now I'm starting a small medical grow op in Michigan. Never grown in such a cold environment before. I have a room in the garage that I am currently retrofitting to have a Flower room and also a veg room. Both are in the same area divided by a sliding door. Since its so cold I will try to seal the room up as best I can. Which means I will be implementing the use of CO2.

Flower room is 7'8'' Length x 5'6'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft is 340 Roughly
Veg Room / Mother room is 7'8'' Length x 3'11'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft 240 Roughly

I intend to run a single 1000W Gavita DE on a light rail in the flower room. Oscillating fans to prevent stagnant pockets of air. Like I mentioned before CO2 will be implemented into this grow room.

For the Veg room I will most likely run T5 lighting or possibly set up an HID Metal Halide. Ive used LED for veg before and they work great for California temps but here in Michigan I don't think they will be as beneficial. Oscillating fans to move air around.

The two rooms are again, right next to each other divided by a sliding door. My main concern is keeping the room warm enough for the plants to grow properly. I would like it to be in the Mid 70F. The room currently stays around 50F during the day, and 40F at night. It is usually 10F warmer then the outside temp with no heating units. The winter so far has been relatively mild and has only dropped into the mid 20F a few times. It will get much colder in the upcoming winter months.

Questions -

1. Will a 11k BtuH heating unit be enough to heat this room to an optimum growing temp? (both the veg and flower room) Combined Cubic foot is 580 Roughly. Of course the Gavita will help bring the temps up a bit as well.

2. Are there any heating units that someone can recommend for this particular application?

Im sure that I will have more questions in the future but for now these are my main concerns. If the temps are too low to work with then I will have to find another space to do this grow. I would like to utilize the space that I have in this structure if possible.

Any input would be much appreciated as always.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

fun

ok first thing u need is a temp gun .......this will allow u to look over your area and figure out where the cold spots are (as u add insulation u can make sure it is enough to stop it)

the main thing is your door of the garage .......your best bet is going to be build a floating wall intront of it and using the spray foam to make it moveable later......u poly wrap the walls and lay down 2 inch foam board sealing it and insulation that is removeable leaving little damage to walls for better resale/getting back deposit (the poly wrap comes in a 20ftx100ft so u can wrap the whole thing in one and tape the edges down to cement )

now for u i would do the ceiling with 2 inch foam board like a drop tile ceiling ( this way all the heat from your lights and burner is trapped in for winter....but summer u can take them out and let it leak out of the room )

after that your temps should run hotter the amount of heat u will need to add in will be different .....it might even be possible for a mini split ac/heat system to do the work for u giving u a investment for your summer months in cooling your area

justugh said:

fun

ok first thing u need is a temp gun .......this will allow u to look over your area and figure out where the cold spots are (as u add insulation u can make sure it is enough to stop it)

the main thing is your door of the garage .......your best bet is going to be build a floating wall intront of it and using the spray foam to make it moveable later......u poly wrap the walls and lay down 2 inch foam board sealing it and insulation that is removeable leaving little damage to walls for better resale/getting back deposit (the poly wrap comes in a 20ftx100ft so u can wrap the whole thing in one and tape the edges down to cement )

now for u i would do the ceiling with 2 inch foam board like a drop tile ceiling ( this way all the heat from your lights and burner is trapped in for winter....but summer u can take them out and let it leak out of the room )

after that your temps should run hotter the amount of heat u will need to add in will be different .....it might even be possible for a mini split ac/heat system to do the work for u giving u a investment for your summer months in cooling your area

Click to expand...

Would you leave a way to bring in cold air for the final days of flowering?

Uberknot said:

Would you leave a way to bring in cold air for the final days of flowering?

Click to expand...

that is just cut a hole in one of the ceiling tiles and run a 4 inch ducting with a booster fan on 2 different sides
1 to suck in the fresh air and 1 to dump out the warm oxygen ...keeping pressure and Co2 lvls but with u cool temps at off hours

I too am in MI and have done exactly what Justugh said about the floating wall. Then insulate the room from top to bottom. I use (2) 1K hps lights in an 8x10 ish size room and it controls the temps while the lights are on(adds heat to the room). When lights go off, I have a tiny $15 1500W electric heater that has a thermostat that I use to keep the temps up just while lights are off. It only runs every 15-20 min or so and it only runs for about 30-45 seconds. I have my intake setup to pull air from outside and my exhaust fan is set up on a thermostatic outlet so when it gets above my desired room temp (78*F) it kicks on exchanging the room air and cooling the room down. You are likely to also need a humidifier as well once the winter months really kick into gear here in MI. Michigan winters will eat up the humidity in your room causing big drops in RH.

GhostBud420 said:

Whats good everyone. I need help from growers that have experience growing in high humidity and extremely cold climates.

Been growing in california for the longest time and now I'm starting a small medical grow op in Michigan. Never grown in such a cold environment before. I have a room in the garage that I am currently retrofitting to have a Flower room and also a veg room. Both are in the same area divided by a sliding door. Since its so cold I will try to seal the room up as best I can. Which means I will be implementing the use of CO2.

Flower room is 7'8'' Length x 5'6'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft is 340 Roughly
Veg Room / Mother room is 7'8'' Length x 3'11'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft 240 Roughly

I intend to run a single 1000W Gavita DE on a light rail in the flower room. Oscillating fans to prevent stagnant pockets of air. Like I mentioned before CO2 will be implemented into this grow room.

For the Veg room I will most likely run T5 lighting or possibly set up an HID Metal Halide. Ive used LED for veg before and they work great for California temps but here in Michigan I don't think they will be as beneficial. Oscillating fans to move air around.

The two rooms are again, right next to each other divided by a sliding door. My main concern is keeping the room warm enough for the plants to grow properly. I would like it to be in the Mid 70F. The room currently stays around 50F during the day, and 40F at night. It is usually 10F warmer then the outside temp with no heating units. The winter so far has been relatively mild and has only dropped into the mid 20F a few times. It will get much colder in the upcoming winter months.

Questions -

1. Will a 11k BtuH heating unit be enough to heat this room to an optimum growing temp? (both the veg and flower room) Combined Cubic foot is 580 Roughly. Of course the Gavita will help bring the temps up a bit as well.

2. Are there any heating units that someone can recommend for this particular application?

Im sure that I will have more questions in the future but for now these are my main concerns. If the temps are too low to work with then I will have to find another space to do this grow. I would like to utilize the space that I have in this structure if possible.

Any input would be much appreciated as always.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

if u want there is a trick i know

it is a twist on air polishing ..........u set the carbon filter on the ground and u have it sucking in the cool co2 air then u use the ducting to take it and dump it over top of the plants (it stablizes the areas temps flux and keep the co2 cycling in and aroudn the plants so u get the best reading on the controller at bud lvl)

if u want u can run the ducting across the room block the end and put slits in the ducting to make it spray out or u can use a vent on the end to defuse it in the center of the room or father spot away from the burner /tank adding in the gas

I agree with what justugh advised. Vapor barrier and insulate, especially the doors and windows.
I grow in Alaska and have found out the hard way that cold spots will collect frost which in turn will melt and create huge mold issues, especially on Sheetrock.
If your not creating negative pressures in your room through ventilation, the moist heated air will find any leaks in the buildings envelope and condense as it cools.
I've also had air leaks that freeze things in their path, especially in subzero weather.
If your garage is well insulated and sealed tight you should be able to heat it fine with a few 1000 watters and set the thermostat on your heater to come on when needed.

Overall I like growing in the winter better than the summer. For me it's easier to control the heat in the winter months.

What is the coldest a sleeping room can be during the day? So far Colo nights are okay with HPS and MH running.

The op in MI should be okay cause the Gavita will warm his house.

justugh said:

fun

ok first thing u need is a temp gun .......this will allow u to look over your area and figure out where the cold spots are (as u add insulation u can make sure it is enough to stop it)

the main thing is your door of the garage .......your best bet is going to be build a floating wall intront of it and using the spray foam to make it moveable later......u poly wrap the walls and lay down 2 inch foam board sealing it and insulation that is removeable leaving little damage to walls for better resale/getting back deposit (the poly wrap comes in a 20ftx100ft so u can wrap the whole thing in one and tape the edges down to cement )

now for u i would do the ceiling with 2 inch foam board like a drop tile ceiling ( this way all the heat from your lights and burner is trapped in for winter....but summer u can take them out and let it leak out of the room )

after that your temps should run hotter the amount of heat u will need to add in will be different .....it might even be possible for a mini split ac/heat system to do the work for u giving u a investment for your summer months in cooling your area

Click to expand...

The temp gun is a great idea thanks for that.

The grow room itself is already built. Its framed, insulated drywalled and the seems have been mudded. Maybe I should have specified that. There was existing vents that I have taped up to prevent the heated air from escaping. In the summer I plan to take the tape off and vent out hot air when needed or continuously. Do you think it will be 100% necessary to insulate the garage doors? The windows i could probably figure something out for but its a double car garage so there is 2 separate doors. Sounds like its going to be a brutal winter lol.

Thanks guys

Well I came across a product called silvertanium for insulating garage doors. I'm wonder if this will be sufficient enough.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/26779258?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228018261448&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=40875987272&wl4=aud-261800281900:pla-78766839272&wl5=9017612&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=26779258&wl13=&veh=sem

GhostBud420 said:

The temp gun is a great idea thanks for that.

The grow room itself is already built. Its framed, insulated drywalled and the seems have been mudded. Maybe I should have specified that. There was existing vents that I have taped up to prevent the heated air from escaping. In the summer I plan to take the tape off and vent out hot air when needed or continuously. Do you think it will be 100% necessary to insulate the garage doors? The windows i could probably figure something out for but its a double car garage so there is 2 separate doors. Sounds like its going to be a brutal winter lol.

Thanks guys

Click to expand...

depending on the style of the door yes .........think about it 1/4 of the walls is something made to move to allow access to the outside (they are normally thin or made of cheap metal

if i had to guess i say just little under half the heat lost is tho that and drafts
temp gun will show yah what i am talking about ........u might check your camera see if has a IR mode that could show u too

GhostBud420 said:

The temp gun is a great idea thanks for that.

The grow room itself is already built. Its framed, insulated drywalled and the seems have been mudded. Maybe I should have specified that. There was existing vents that I have taped up to prevent the heated air from escaping. In the summer I plan to take the tape off and vent out hot air when needed or continuously. Do you think it will be 100% necessary to insulate the garage doors? The windows i could probably figure something out for but its a double car garage so there is 2 separate doors. Sounds like its going to be a brutal winter lol.

Thanks guys

Click to expand...

If you have the newer foam core steel garage doors you could get by without insulation but I would tape some poly sheething over them, otherwise the front of your garage, especially under the eves, will look like a frosted Christmas tree from moist air collecting and freezing from the seals on the door.
Older wooden garage doors lose a lot of heat.

Okay, well I'm convinced for sure then that I will definitely have to insulate the doors. Sorry but I have never experienced a climate quite like this so excuse me for questioning that idea. I guess I don't realize how ridiculously cold it will get.

GhostBud420 said:

Whats good everyone. I need help from growers that have experience growing in high humidity and extremely cold climates.

Been growing in california for the longest time and now I'm starting a small medical grow op in Michigan. Never grown in such a cold environment before. I have a room in the garage that I am currently retrofitting to have a Flower room and also a veg room. Both are in the same area divided by a sliding door. Since its so cold I will try to seal the room up as best I can. Which means I will be implementing the use of CO2.

Flower room is 7'8'' Length x 5'6'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft is 340 Roughly
Veg Room / Mother room is 7'8'' Length x 3'11'' Width, Height is 8'1'' - Cubic Ft 240 Roughly

I intend to run a single 1000W Gavita DE on a light rail in the flower room. Oscillating fans to prevent stagnant pockets of air. Like I mentioned before CO2 will be implemented into this grow room.

For the Veg room I will most likely run T5 lighting or possibly set up an HID Metal Halide. Ive used LED for veg before and they work great for California temps but here in Michigan I don't think they will be as beneficial. Oscillating fans to move air around.

The two rooms are again, right next to each other divided by a sliding door. My main concern is keeping the room warm enough for the plants to grow properly. I would like it to be in the Mid 70F. The room currently stays around 50F during the day, and 40F at night. It is usually 10F warmer then the outside temp with no heating units. The winter so far has been relatively mild and has only dropped into the mid 20F a few times. It will get much colder in the upcoming winter months.

Questions -

1. Will a 11k BtuH heating unit be enough to heat this room to an optimum growing temp? (both the veg and flower room) Combined Cubic foot is 580 Roughly. Of course the Gavita will help bring the temps up a bit as well.

2. Are there any heating units that someone can recommend for this particular application?

Im sure that I will have more questions in the future but for now these are my main concerns. If the temps are too low to work with then I will have to find another space to do this grow. I would like to utilize the space that I have in this structure if possible.

Any input would be much appreciated as always.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

Welcome from a fellow michigander , I would not waste juice on a heater, Use more lights during the on cycle and a heater during the off time. If you have the coin to do so then add some insulation to it , You could go as far as adding another set of interior walls inside of the garage, Like a room inside of a room, It will stay warmer that way if you could do it. Use an hid for veg too, In this case heat is your friend. Where abouts in michigan are you? I'm in the petoskey area and it gets far colder the more north you are as opposed to the florida winters they have in the southern parts of the state lol.

Budget Buds said:

Welcome from a fellow michigander , I would not waste juice on a heater, Use more lights during the on cycle and a heater during the off time. If you have the coin to do so then add some insulation to it , You could go as far as adding another set of interior walls inside of the garage, Like a room inside of a room, It will stay warmer that way if you could do it. Use an hid for veg too, In this case heat is your friend. Where abouts in michigan are you? I'm in the petoskey area and it gets far colder the more north you are as opposed to the florida winters they have in the southern parts of the state lol.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much. I'm in the southern part of Michigan Ann Arbor area. I know it gets crazy cold up north. I think you're right about using the HID in the veg room. Definitely need to utilize what I can to keep the plants warm.

GhostBud420 said:

The temp gun is a great idea thanks for that.

The grow room itself is already built. Its framed, insulated drywalled and the seems have been mudded. Maybe I should have specified that. There was existing vents that I have taped up to prevent the heated air from escaping. In the summer I plan to take the tape off and vent out hot air when needed or continuously. Do you think it will be 100% necessary to insulate the garage doors? The windows i could probably figure something out for but its a double car garage so there is 2 separate doors. Sounds like its going to be a brutal winter lol.

Thanks guys

Click to expand...

Garage doors suck my friend. I have a big one in CO and it is insulated. See how it feels at night. You will be able to tell. Check on craigslist under for sale for insulation. I guy in CO sells those thick sheet cheap in bundles. Maybe in MI too. No Detroit insulation though. LOL!

GhostBud420 said:

Well I came across a product called silvertanium for insulating garage doors. I'm wonder if this will be sufficient enough.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/26779258?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222228018261448&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=40875987272&wl4=aud-261800281900:pla-78766839272&wl5=9017612&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=26779258&wl13=&veh=sem

Click to expand...

Freaking box says here's proof but I cannt blow up the pic to see there before and after temp gun pics?? !! Might be a good find.

Bakersfield said:

If you have the newer foam core steel garage doors you could get by without insulation but I would tape some poly sheething over them, otherwise the front of your garage, especially under the eves, will look like a frosted Christmas tree from moist air collecting and freezing from the seals on the door.
Older wooden garage doors lose a lot of heat.

Click to expand...

Got one in Colo. Already been through below +20 F at night and newer foam insulated doors are pretty cold.

Freddie Millergogo said:

Got one in Colo. Already been through below +20 F at night and newer foam insulated doors are pretty cold.

Click to expand...

20 degrees! Holy crap that's cold, lol.

Bakersfield said:

20 degrees! Holy crap that's cold, lol.

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Well that was only November. We already are below zero the past few weeks in the middle of the night. Next week is supposed to be colder.