Too Hot/Humid yet Too Cold Issues

DjPorkchop

DjPorkchop

Hi folks. I got an issue I would like to discus and get some opinions on.
 
I Live in a house that is small. To the tune of about 900 square feet small.Maybe a shade bigger but I don't think so. I have a full basement. The problem is now, it is so humid down there, if I put anything down there it will mildew and eventually grow mold. It is horribly bad and a waste of a really nice basement as I can not afford a dehumidifier large enough to take care of the basement. So with them details, growing up stairs is out of the question I guess and so is the basement during the summer....Unless I keep a million fans running on super high? I still worry about mildew and mold on plants.
 
So, that leaves me the winter time. The basement is not heated in any way shape or form. I thought of putting up a home made grow tent made out of PVC and some kind of liner for the walls and ceiling. I know I need to keep it at  a minimum of 70 degrees. So do I use a grow light setup for growth and a heat lamp both? And that would almost put the kaboshes on using a oscillating fan to strengthen the stems so I would need to reply on some very heavy pruning to toughen the little guys up before they go out side at the beginning of may. I live in Illinois so I have to watch how early I put them out. It can be freezing today, and 85 degrees tomorrow. Literally!
 
So what say ye? I asked on another community and no one bit on the subject and another guy chimed in and thanked me for asking as he has the same exact issue. It really sucks because my basement is so clean and awesome, but so damn wet/humid.
 
 
Thanks for reading! I look forward to a few replies and good discussion.
 
 
Ray
 
Yeah all I have is a little window unit upstairs.
 
Hate to come right out and say it but am to poor to buy another unit for down there. Right now I got a couple fans blowing and windows open to try to keep humidity at bay the best I can.
 
Well, I'm not the kind of person to judge another for their economic situation. I can certainly understand, because believe me, buddy - I've been dog ass poor in my life. I understand!

Maybe the better approach, would be to research a variety that enjoys humidity, and tolerates temperature swings?
 
Yeah I was kind of leaning in that direction. I am new to growing and am not real sure so I will research that some today. Thanks for the tip.
 
As far as wintering goes with a home made grow tent, is a heat lamp in order as well as grow lights? I have 3 grow lights (not sure of strength) and a heat lamp that my Mother in Law gave me that she no longer uses. I like the price! ;-) The heat lamp should work good. She used it to heat a little dog house area in her shed for the winter. She never had an issue with her dogs heat wise. I figure for Illinois frosts, I should germinate at end of December to be ready to move outside by Mothers day.
 
She also game me around 200' of 3/4" pvc. I should be able to build a nice size grow tent with that and have enough left over for s good start on self watering buckets.
 
The_NorthEast_ChileMan said:
 
While I understand your financial situation, I ask you to insure these units are UL Listed, their safety is important considering they're unsupervised and you're upstairs.
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Thanks for that. I appreciate it!
 
The grow lights I know for certain are UL rated and not sure about the heat lamp. The heat lamp came from a major pet supply type of store that we have here. I am sure it is to? Just have not looked at it yet. That is kind of the reason I was leaning towards on asking about the heat lamp. I am not to happy about running it at night while i/my family are sleeping.
 
Now that said the MIL used it for a few years for her dogs and nothing ever went wrong other than a blown bulb, but anything can happen. The only other option is a electric heater and that is not an option really. Those i don't trust. I use it in my garage while I am present.
 
**EDIT**
 
As a matter of fact, the best example I can give that this heat lamp is, is one of those red spot light kind of lamps like in cafeteria to keep food hot. It is 100% Identical right down to the red bulb.
 
What about a couple mini green houses that could be placed in the basement? Easily regulated and away from the harsher winter weather.

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Mine was about 40 bucks
 
I'm dog-ass poor as we speak. Hey, at least it teaches us to be innovative and efficient. I've been trying to find a workaround for reusing my potting mix; down here, the summers are exceptionally hot and wet, so you can add bacterial and fungal pathogens to the neverending nematode issues. It occurred to me that none of the aforementioned critters like heat. I briefly thought about using black plastic to solarize my dirt, but that takes forever, and baking it in an oven...eh. Long story short, I microwaved it. So far, so good, but we'll see what happens over time.
 
To address OP's issues, I had a thought. Can you get your hands on wooden palettes? At the local Home Depot, Lowe's, whatever? If you were to lay them out on the floor and put your pots on those, at least your plants wouldn't be sitting on the floor, where water can puddle. If the pots aren't trapping water under them, setting up a single box fan should keep any runoff evaporating cleanly. Now as far as lighting and heating go, I can't help you there; it's rare that our winter nights dip below 60, so there's no real reason to grow indoors. What I can tell you is that (just based on my own experience), optimal temperature for most varieties is going to be in the 70-85 degree F range. The plants won't grow as fast in cooler temperatures, but you shouldn't see actual damage/death unless you're talking 50 and lower. So 60 degrees isn't optimal, but your plants should grow, even if it's not as fast as you might like.
 
One thing you might want to consider, since you're talking about cooler temps, would be pubescens varieties. Most of them are really delicious peppers that are pretty highly prized, and are not generally considered easy to grow because they don't like too much heat.
 
DjPorkchop said:
Thanks for that. I appreciate it!
 
The grow lights I know for certain are UL rated and not sure about the heat lamp. The heat lamp came from a major pet supply type of store that we have here. I am sure it is to? Just have not looked at it yet. That is kind of the reason I was leaning towards on asking about the heat lamp. I am not to happy about running it at night while i/my family are sleeping.
 
Now that said the MIL used it for a few years for her dogs and nothing ever went wrong other than a blown bulb, but anything can happen. The only other option is a electric heater and that is not an option really. Those i don't trust. I use it in my garage while I am present.
 
**EDIT**
 
As a matter of fact, the best example I can give that this heat lamp is, is one of those red spot light kind of lamps like in cafeteria to keep food hot. It is 100% Identical right down to the red bulb.
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I hate to admit it, but on the few nights we had temps below fifty this winter, I moved all of my more delicate/rare stuff into the garage and set up a space heater and a box fan, which worked well. Didn't love doing it, but there was nothing flammable anywhere close to it, it was on a concrete floor, it has one of those built-in shutoffs if it gets knocked over, there was no way for a stray animal to get in or something, and I figured if something STILL happened, it would trip the breaker.
 
Rymerpt,
That is what I was thinking of using that pvc pipe for that I mentioned my MIL gave me. A nice little indoor grow room for the winter. I would need to germinate at the end of December/first week of January to make it outside ready by mothers day 2017. My basement is not heated. No wind at all, but not heated and here in Illinois we easily see temps below zero on a regular basis. And why it bolded your username i'm not sure  lol sorry about that.
 
Mike your right. The tough financials does teach us a thing or two. I have pulled off some things that amaze me that I would normally never try to do. As far as the planters sitting on the floor, that don't hurt my feelings none as the basement don't flood or hold water. The water issue i'm referring to is the humidity on the walls and the floor. it don't puddle but the floor never dries. I have lived in this house for 4 months now and it has been wet ever since. Ever since I got my fans going down there it has gotten better.
 
Now all that said, If I do a indoor grow tent with the pvc, I will make sure the floor of it is pallets as they are easily removed in the summer so they wont grow mold from being humid. Hopefully by next summer I will have a plan in order to attack the humidity issue. I would call the landlord but .... We are kind of talking to him! ;-)
 
DjPorkchop said:
Thanks for that. I appreciate it!
 
 and not sure about the heat lamp. The heat lamp came from a major pet supply type of store that we have here. I am sure it is to? Just have not looked at it yet. 
 
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I recently bought a major manufacture https://www.mars-hydro.com/ Mars300 LED Grow Light with Veg/Bloom Spectrum https://www.amazon.com/MarsHydro-Mars300-Spectrum-Hydroponic-Greenhouse/dp/B00XC3LBI2/ref=lp_14252941_1_5?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1472662472&sr=1-5 and there is no UL Listing certification.
 
One thing you might want to consider, since you're talking about cooler temps, would be pubescens varieties. Most of them are really delicious peppers that are pretty highly prized, and are not generally considered easy to grow because they don't like too much heat.
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That was exactly my thoughts, but I didn't really want to suggest it, because there is always the crowd that can't grow peppers of any kind, who will claim (or even argue) that you can't grow them in humid conditions. Nevermind that guys like you are proof. Because there are very few places in the continental US that are more humid than Florida...

I know a few people growing them here, so the thought of C. Pubescens definitely crossed my mind.
 
Yeah the heat is really no biggie we can deal with that, but the humidity inside or out in Illinois is bad. I looked at weatherbug the other day here and it was 84 feels like 98. I got a screenshot of my phone that said it was 102 feels like 118. lol Them days it is so bad you need an oxygen bottle to walk around with. If a breeze blows it feels like someone letting out a real deep breath on the back of your neck. YUCK! So humid grass still soaking wet at 3 in the afternoon. What's not to love  lol
 
And good point on the . I am sure it is to?
 
I should never assume. I need to make real sure.
 
If you can get your hands on an HID grow light (say 400w) it should make the temp of a tent adequate (no need for heat lamp). But also warmer temps in a tent will make more humidity too. Your best bet would be to plumb some kind of exhaust fan that pulls air from your upstairs living space and is exhausted out of the basement.
 
hogleg said:
If you can get your hands on an HID grow light (say 400w) it should make the temp of a tent adequate (no need for heat lamp). But also warmer temps in a tent will make more humidity too. Your best bet would be to plumb some kind of exhaust fan that pulls air from your upstairs living space and is exhausted out of the basement.
Click to expand...
 
 
Thanks for that I will check in to that light.
 
As far as raising humidity goes, In the winter i wont worry about it, it is the temp I am worried about keeping high enough to grow them to get them ready for outside by mothers day. As far as growing anything in the summer goes, that is where the worry comes in. To prove my point to my wife, I took a start that I had gotten of mothers tongue downstairs and kept it up and it grew mold in the dirt and started to on the foliage as well.
 
As far as me piping air in to the downstairs goes, I literally got a small window AC unit that is big enough to cool the living room and hallway and not even the 2 bedrooms. No way it would touch anything downstairs. And I cant force any warm air in the winter. I have baseboard electric heat.
 
How many plants? What species?? You might have said,but I didn't see. I will guess C.chinense because that is the most popular species it seems. I sow C.chinense the last week of March in zone 5b and am sick of picking by late August.. If you are trying to save money,don't start in December like you mentioned!  You can sow in March,and save the lighting/heating costs and purchase a cheap greenhouse to put them out in around mid-April.Transplant after Memorial Day and sit back and watch.It's more about the practices you use than the money you spend on gadgets.Seems like you want to do this on a shoestring,that is why I offered the advice I did. 
 
Not a lot of plants since I am a beginner. I need to keep it to a manageable lot for me as my back is extremely bad and I can't exactly get up and down at will. I do need help. And I am afraid to plant to many. I don't want it to be a job. I just want to have fun, but yet have enough of a harvest to ferment some hot sauces and make me some powders for dry rubs since I do a lot of BBQ and running my smokers.
 
As far as species goes, I am sure I will try my hand at a super hot or two. other then that it is going to be The milder categories for now. I absolutely love hot stuff but don't want to spend a bunch of money to grow the hot stuff. I been reading and reading today and my wife threw a fit when she saw light prices and stuff like that. We are literally on a shoe string budget as you mentioned. I am on such a tight budget, my germinating greenhouses are egg cartons with the tops cut out with saran wrap as the "Glass Ceiling"  :-)
 
My wife actually for a while today told me to forget about growing until she started pricing pods and getting them shipped to the door. Then she was back on track with growing them. Especially when I told her I was going to grow lettuce and sprouts as well such as alfalfa sprouts, beans sprouts and grow thyme and stuff like that. Once I got in to the category that she likes, things worked out for me ;-)
 
And Thank you very much for the advice. I'll take all I can get. I have never grown anything other than tomatoes in a topsy turvy, which I might add grew bad @ss!
 
If you can get your hands on an HID grow light (say 400w) it should make the temp of a tent adequate (no need for heat lamp). But also warmer temps in a tent will make more humidity too. Your best bet would be to plumb some kind of exhaust fan that pulls air from your upstairs living space and is exhausted out of the basement.
Click to expand...
You can buy LED lights on Amazon for lower cost, with equivalent lighting. This will keep the color spectrum limited to only the required wavelengths, and also will reduce heat enormously. (not to mention saving a ton of electricity) You can get a light like this for just under $100 these days. They work great!
 
DjPorkchop said:
Not a lot of plants since I am a beginner. I need to keep it to a manageable lot for me as my back is extremely bad and I can't exactly get up and down at will. I do need help. And I am afraid to plant to many. I don't want it to be a job. I just want to have fun, but yet have enough of a harvest to ferment some hot sauces and make me some powders for dry rubs since I do a lot of BBQ and running my smokers.
 
As far as species goes, I am sure I will try my hand at a super hot or two. other then that it is going to be The milder categories for now. I absolutely love hot stuff but don't want to spend a bunch of money to grow the hot stuff. I been reading and reading today and my wife threw a fit when she saw light prices and stuff like that. We are literally on a shoe string budget as you mentioned. I am on such a tight budget, my germinating greenhouses are egg cartons with the tops cut out with saran wrap as the "Glass Ceiling"  :-)
 
My wife actually for a while today told me to forget about growing until she started pricing pods and getting them shipped to the door. Then she was back on track with growing them. Especially when I told her I was going to grow lettuce and sprouts as well such as alfalfa sprouts, beans sprouts and grow thyme and stuff like that. Once I got in to the category that she likes, things worked out for me ;-)
 
And Thank you very much for the advice. I'll take all I can get. I have never grown anything other than tomatoes in a topsy turvy, which I might add grew bad @ss!
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Good idea keeping it small.  I have started seeds on a window sill,and also grew out 25 plants that I started under a 2 bulb t-8 light that cost me $10.  After your first season you will triple or quadruple your plant total the following year. You won't have any control over it!!  And 2 superhot chinense will give you more than enough pods than you need.
 
Good luck and have fun!
 
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