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Hydro 101 with Deonna Marie: The Importance of a Clean Environment in Your Grow Room

Written by Deonna Marie
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Cleanliness is next to godliness.

One of the most important, and often overlooked, rituals in your grow room is maintaining a clean environment. Cleanliness is key to maintaining healthy, pest-free plants. If you want to take this grow game seriously, one of the first things to remember is to start with clean and sterilized growing media and equipment. Also, check that any new plants or clones are free of any signs of pest or disease before introducing them into your growing environment. To help you keep a clean growing environment, I’ve put together a quick checklist that will help you keep your grow room nice and tidy, and also help put your mind at ease.

- Wash your hands before you go in to your garden and even between tending to plants if one of your plants appears sickly, diseased, or stressed.

- Remove all dead leaves and excess plant matter from your garden; tidy up scattered plant material and spilled nutrients. Pests and diseases thrive on decaying plant matter.

- Remove any dead or dying plants from you growing space. This is another measure to help prevent mold or fungus. It may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how many would-be growers let laziness drag their operation into the ground.

- Keep a separate set of hand tools specifically for your garden. Keep these tools in the grow room and do not use them on houseplants or outside plants. Pests and disease ride from plant to plant on dirty tools.

- Disinfect tools by dipping them often in isopropyl alcohol or 10% bleach/water solution.

- Keep your grow room humidity at the low end, 50-60% if possible. On a similar note, keep it cool. 75° is best.

- Always make sure you have proper ventilation and air movement. Not only does stale air inhibit maximum plant growth, but it helps create an environment that is all too friendly to mold and fungus.

- Do not overwater. Overwatered mediums help promote mold, mildew, and algae formation, which can spell certain death for your crop.

- Never come in to your indoor grow room after working with outdoor crops and animals. Do it in reverse: indoor gardening first, outside gardening last.

- Do not allow people to smoke in your grow room. Whenever someone smokes, make sure they wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching plants.

- After every harvest, however pest- and disease-free it may have been, make sure to disinfect your grow room with organic cleaners. Alternatively, you can also use a mild bleach solution for the same purpose. If you use pest bombs, make sure to unplug all electronic equipment first.

Okay growers, there you have it. By following these simple tasks, you will have a healthier grow, and a clean environment for your plants to grow up strong and healthy. Sometimes we can’t prevent everything that could go wrong, but the more diligent you are the better chance you have of avoiding problems. Until next time, Grow big or go home!