What does Ventilation mean?
In horticulture, ventilation refers to the systems and equipment in place that allow for the exchange of stale air for fresh air inside the grow space.
Ventilation is an important aspect of environmental control in any indoor garden because it allows for the removal of excessive heat and humidity, and generally helps provide fresh air (including critical carbon dioxide required by plants) and good airflow for plants. A lack of ventilation will result in slow growth and poor overall crop performance. Things like mold and pests are often attributed to a lack of ventilation.
Ventilation is a key factor of gardening indoors, whether you’re using a greenhouse, portable grow tent, your kitchen’s windowsill, a spare bedroom, or a commercial warehouse.
More Info On Ventilation
The most important aspect of the ventilation system is the exhaust fan, which exhausts unwanted heat and stale air from the garden. The exhaust fan is typically the first piece of equipment purchased for any ventilation system. It can be installed directly in the wall, or in a series of metal ducting in a larger room – just make sure that you have your exhaust fan positioned high up in the grow room, as heat rises.
The second piece of the ventilation system is the fresh air intake. This should be placed low in the grow room, preferably on the opposite side of the room from the exhaust. This arrangement will help provide the best airflow for the entire room, provided no large obstacles are standing in the way.
Additional components of an effective ventilation system include strategically placed oscillating fans throughout the room, and filters to help with air purification. It should be noted that ventilation systems for sealed grow rooms differ slightly than those for greenhouses. For example, in a greenhouse, you can get away with natural (non-mechanical) ventilation systems, whereas in a completly sealed room you will require much more than an open window.
Many modern growers also combine ventilation efforts with air-conditioning systems and special lighting reflectors, all of which work together to help improve the growroom environment.
To aid in your ventilation efforts, additional effort is required to make sure plants aren’t overcrowded so that they all have enough room to grow.
This definition was written in the context of Indoor Gardening
