If you think that you’ll be able to set up your grow room in a matter of minutes, think again. Getting a grow room up and running is hard work, and there’s a lot of equipment that’s needed to make the space complete, but more importantly, to keep the plants happy.
There are a few obvious pieces of equipment, like lights and fans, but there are a lot of little things you’ll need as well. The best way to make sure you have everything you need, including all the small bits and pieces, is to sit down and make a list.
But even if you do that, you’re bound to forget an item or two. Use this equipment guide to grow rooms to help make sure you have everything you need to make your next indoor gardening experience a success.
Cotton Twine (or Pipe Cleaners)
Although you won’t need cotton twine or pipe cleaners for the beginner phases of the grow op, you’ll definitely need them as the plants get bigger. In order to keep control of the garden, it’s really important that you “train” the plants by tying them down, and this is best done with twine.
Training plants is basically a way to make sure they grow in the direction you want them to. It encourages lateral growth and opens up the plant so that even the bottom branches can receive the light they need. Long pipe cleaners also work well for this, but most growers opt for twine since it’s easier to handle.
Having a ball of twine or string will also come in handy for other small grow room tasks, like hanging lightweight items like insect catchers or a small thermometer.
Waterproof Plant Labels
No matter what you’re growing in your indoor garden, always make sure to label the pots properly. This practice is mostly done by cannabis growers who are growing different strains, but it’s also important for growing tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, or whatever’s in your garden.
Choose labels that are 100% waterproof and that easily secure into the soil. Larger labels let you jot down quick notes about the plant, like any signs of stress or weakness you see or number of weeks in the grow room.
Advanced Hygrometer
Controlling humidity in a grow room is a lot easier said than done. There are a lot of things that can affect the humidity levels, like over or underwatering the crop. To help maintain the right humidity, you’ll definitely need a humidifier or dehumidifier, but it’s also a good idea to buy a few small hygrometers.
A hygrometer is a device that measures the relative humidity of the surrounding air. Most humidifiers and dehumidifiers come with a built-in hygrometer and humidistat, but what a lot of growers don’t realize is that the humidity can be vary in different parts of the room.
This is why it’s a good idea to have several small hygrometers placed in different spots throughout the grow room. Use the one on your humidifier/dehumidifier, but also place one in each corner so that you don’t run into humidity-related issues for any of the plants. Don’t worry, it’s easy to find hygrometers for around $10.
Duct Tape (and Lots of It!)
Even if you don’t have anything specific in mind for duct tape, this handy material will likely serve many purposes in your grow room over the next few months. Some of the most common issues that indoor growers come across can be easily solved with a piece of sticky duct tape.
Duct tape is great for quickly patching light holes, sealing extraction fans and carbon filters, and securing loose ducting. It’s an all-in-one tool that’s cheap but also valuable, and no grower should go without it. Just try to find a reflective tape if you plan on using it for the interior of the grow room.
pH Testing Tools
There are a lot of moving parts to growing indoor plants successfully. Lights, ventilation, air circulation, humidity, and temperature are the main ones that come to mind, but pH is another big one. Unfortunately for plants, pH often goes forgotten, especially for new growers who don’t realize its importance.
Regularly checking the pH levels of each plant helps to ensure that it can drink up all the nutrients it needs for healthy development. A pH that’s off means that the roots aren’t able to uptake nutrients from the soil, and the whole plant ends up suffering.
The easiest way to keep this from happening is by using a pH testing tool. There are a few different options for this, including paper testing kits and electronic pH meters.
Grow Room Sunglasses
Even though your plants benefit from the highly-intense grow lights that run for at least 12 hours each day, your eyes certainly won’t. The best way to keep your eyes protected is by wearing a pair of grow room sunglasses whenever you’re working with the plants. The best glasses block out UVA and UVB rays, alleviate glare, and reduce eye strain.
