Hello DGC!
Hello from prohibition land, the Hot and humid South. Well, first harvest looms nigh- at day 75 of 80 day breeder estimate- trichomes are still clear. I have had the fantastic article from GrowersLove.com about drying https://growerslove.com/blogs/grow-tip-of-the-week/ideal-drying-conditions and to that end I am keeping in mind I am applying tools I have to get best as I can. On budget. Not expecting “Ideal”, trying to create good conditions that I can reasonably maintain for a couple of weeks at a time but with that in mind…I know I am not creating the wheel here and know some of you out there with multiple harvests under your belt in a variety of drying conditions might add some suggestions or tips that you know apply here. I know I don’t have squat figured out, just applying what I have gleaned from multiple articles in last few months.
No room in garden room to dry plus don’t want to add to electrical amperage of Garden as a whole. I’m fine and want to keep it that way- That said, couple of weeks at a time for drying so I figure I can clear out half the closet in my bedroom. Almost nothing in there electrically so a free and open 15 amp circuit to play with less ceiling fan and my few items at bedside. I lined a part of the closet with exterior foam insulation- most of one half the space. The foam sealed part is 2′ X 6′ X 6′. Inside sealed part is 4″AC fan with T controller and 24″ filter set to “ON” @ 2 setting to remove any expelling moisture from plant. It exhausts out of sealed part to far side of closet space and out-
I wheel a Gree 8K BTU portable AC up to closet door I have rigged with bit of foam to fit it and a small drape over the top of unit where control panel is and temp sensor behind it. Cold air exits front of unit into closet- pictured you see the vents on side of unit that is intake. The exhaust I have fixed 20′ of duct to move it out to living room under barely cracked open window. The exhaust air strength exiting at 20′ can blow out birthday candles at 3′. I have run a couple of 12-16 hour tests and have the closet pretty well maintaining 61 via sensors with the AC unit set to 64-
I have a small humidifier with humidistat control. It can fit in the closet no problem. I have a large 45 pt. Dehumidifier that I can run outside of the closet near the door. I plan to set both at 60%-For those that have done it before- Am I missing the way to apply something here? Interpreting the temp/humidity concepts correctly? Only doing a couple of plants at a time, for context-
Damn dude that seems legit long as it holds parameters and doesn’t dry your nuggies too quick your in the money.
Good morning🌲🌲,
Looks like you have set it up for success ol son🤙🏻🤙🏻💯🤙🏻🤙🏻. Killer set up. I’ve had to dry in my grow building the past couple of runs and let me tell you what a pain in the ass juggling the different environments.
You’ll be very glad you did this, tight work.
I tried doing this but the temp sensor wasn’t able to be moved and was in place infront of the intake filter. Sick setup though. Gonna get smelly in there lol.
@COSGrow618- yes, I got lucky with this unit- the temp sensor is behind the control panel on top/front of unit, that’s why the fabric “drape” on top to expose sensor to cooled space-
Damn, I hope it does not get too damn smelly-
backup plan for further odor control is second AC fan and filter running just outside the closet door just standing upright sitting on floor-
Thanks for your interest and reply!
Seems like you have it nailed down if you can hold those conditions. I lost AC for my drying these days so it goes too fast for my liking but it is what it is. Good luck.
Looks great. Just make sure you aren’t blowing any air directly on your flower. It will dry way to fast. Also plan on the humidity spiking for 1-3 days. After that you may have to add a bit of moisture to maintain 60%.
@jigawatt,
Copy that-
I was actually thinking of starting both humid/Dehumid units at 50% day 1, raise to 55% day 2, then both to 60% on day 3 to offset that initial spike. I have seen that mentioned a couple of times but thanks for the heads up- I am spread pretty thin thinking about the totality of it all and easily would have missed that.
Looking good Ozzy!
Theres some good tips from the crew above, but it seems like you’ve build a great little setup and have a good plan. As i told you in chat the other day… You’re way ahead of the game just by putting this much thought and planning into your drying setup. Drying is so important and so often overlooked. Youve done a great job planning and building a dedicated drying space!
Its been fun chatting with you in the DGC Discord group! Looking forward to seeing your harvest!