Airflow is critical to the health of any plant. In fact, without adequate air flow, plants cannot survive. Airflow is especially important for cannabis plants because they require high levels of CO2 to thrive. If the air around them becomes stagnant, the cannabis plant will begin to suffocate and may experience negative health outcomes like stunted growth, wilting, or even death. The best way to ensure that your cannabis plants receive sufficient airflow is to use a circulation fan. Circulation fans are inexpensive and effective at providing the necessary circulation of air, which will have numerous health benefits for plants. However, fans do have their drawbacks. One of the biggest problems with using fans is that they create excess noise. While some people may not mind the sound of a fan, others will find it annoying and too much of a disturbance to use and these noisy fans might disturb family members, roommates, or neighbors, maybe drawing unwanted attention. Another problem with fans is that they only circulate air in one direction. When you place a fan near a window, it will only push air into the room. – you will need to place the fan somewhere clever if you wish to bring airflow into the room.
Yet, airflow is crucial for cannabis. Airflow has a number of particularly important benefits for plants: proper air circulation has numerous health benefits to plants. A gentle breeze, as that found in nature, stimulates plants by flexing stems and leaves, which causes the plant to produce auxin, a chemical compound that improves cell development, stimulates new growth, and to produce chemicals that help plants fight pathogens. Breezes also help refresh carbon dioxide and balance humidity within the canopy where it can be trapped by foliage, which in turn raises the potential for fungal growth. Airflow should not be too strong and not too gentle; instead, it should mimic airflow found in nature, breezes that bend and flex plants without breaking them.
Airflow is a major factor in how efficiently your cannabis grows. Airflow is necessary for many reasons including cooling down the air temperature around your plants, removing excess moisture, and providing proper ventilation. When it comes to airflow, there are two types of airflow systems: passive and active. Passive airflow systems use natural forces to create airflow while active systems use fans and pumps to move air throughout the room.
Passive airflow systems consist of vents, windows, doors, and other openings that allow air to flow naturally. These systems work best in rooms where there is little to no movement of air. Because these systems rely on natural forces to move air, they are not very effective at moving air across the entire room. In addition, these systems do not have any control over the amount of air that moves through them.
Active airflow systems consist of fans, blowers, and pumps that move air throughout the room using electricity. Active systems are able to adjust the speed of the fan or pump to increase or decrease the amount of air flowing through the system. These systems are great for larger spaces since they can effectively move air across the entire room without having to open any windows or doors. However, if you plan on using an active airflow system, make sure that you have enough power outlets to run the fans and pumps. Also, make sure that you keep the fans and pumps away from the marijuana plants to avoid damaging the leaves.
While airflow is crucial to maintaining the health of your plants it means that air can move into living spaces that might make the space uncomfortable, especially if air has a pungent or bad smell. There are a few ways to solve this problem: adding an activated carbon filter or using a wet towel to cover one of the ventilation ports can capture scent molecules that pass through a ventilation system. An activated carbon filter works best because “activated” means the carbon has an electrical charge that causes scent molecules to attach to the carbon through magnetism; once the scent molecules attach to the carbon they will not leave. This helps maximize airflow systems to be both efficient while not disrupting living spaces.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of both passive and active airflow systems, try to place your plants near the center of the space and position the fans and pumps in the middle of each side of the room. If you want to improve the efficiency of your active airflow system, consider installing a humidifier. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers help prevent the buildup of condensation on the inside of the pipes and fans, which can damage the equipment.
If you wish to truly improve the efficiency of your airflow, add a clip-on circulation fan to your space. A clip-on fan can attach to any pole in a grow tent, making it an out-of-the-way, convenient solution while also reducing clutter. The VIVOSUN AeroWave, in particular, takes this technology to an improved end: the patented square-shaped rubber padding fits this fan on any type of pole – the rubber is firm yet pliable so whether the pole square, circular, or somewhere in between the AeroWave won’t slip or scratch the surface it’s mounted on. In addition, the AeroWave is compact and portable and works well in high humidity and utilizes a 20W copper motor that produces only 40dB of noise.
The AeroWave is a popular addition to grow spaces because it offers all the benefits of a traditional floor fan but from a better position in the tent: clipped to a pole. The AeroWave in particular reintroduces an excellent way to be a better grower without the extra effort.
