The smell of cannabis is usually what attracts people to it, the pungency and taste giving an indication of its strength. But for the purposes of growing, it can simply become a way to draw attention to your growing area and cause yourself potential problems. This articles discusses a few methods aiming to keep the smell under control.
For many growers, an important factor to the success of their growing operation is keeping it a secret. And for this, keeping the odour under control is extremely important. For those growing weed outdoors, odour is not usually a problem, so long as you choose the perfect location to grow. However, for indoor growing operations, the very characteristic smell of weed can become a huge problem.
The general rule about keeping the odour under control is common sense. This means being sensible about strain choice, the location which you choose to grow your plants, and sensibility about your ventilation system.
Choose a low-odour strain
The first thing to consider if you are about to grow some plants in your spare room is the strain. If you are trying to control the odour, it is important to choose a strain that is already low in odour. For example, Northern Lights was bred to be grown indoors, and it is a strain that already has a low odour. It is also good for those first-time growers!
Durban Poison is another strain that is good for growing indoors to keep the smell under control. It’s almost odour-free despite having an extremely high THC content.
If maintaining odour is a real concern for you, then be sensitive about which strain you choose to cultivate in your home, because some products to neutralize smell can affect the aroma and taste of your weed. However, if you are still looking to grow a strain that is a little bit smellier than those suggested, here are some techniques for managing the smell.
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Odour neutralizers
Odour-neutralizing products are extremely effective if you just have to look after a few plants in a small growing operation. They are cheap solutions to this problem and they are easy to use. However, using them for an extended period of time can actually change the taste and smell of your final product. That is how effective they are at neutralizing odours!
The best odour-neutralizing product to use is ONA gel, as it is effective against the powerful smell of weed. It comes in a jar, and all you have to do is open the jar close to your growing area and leave it alone. You can generally leave it there for over a month and sometimes up to 6 weeks. However, it is recommended that you don’t expose it to the same air as your plants because of its powerful ability to change the taste and smell. You can use it in living areas or around your growing area.
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Carbon filters
A carbon filter is by far the most effective way to look after a very pungent weed circumstance, especially if your growing operation is bigger than just a few plants. Although they are the most expensive, they are extremely effective, and this is the method relied upon by most growers. They are sometimes called carbon scrubbers, and are units that contain activated carbon which neutralize almost any smell, including the pungent aroma of a cannabis garden.
The carbon filter is installed in your growing area in such a way where the smell of your w iseed effectively being forced into the carbon filter. The idea is to use a fan to create this force, whether push or pull, into the carbon filter. For most growers, this means installing the carbon filter into their exhaust system somehow. This effectively means the hot air from your grow room is pulled out through the exhaust system, and the carbon filter inside of the exhaust system scrubs the smell of weed from your air. It scrubs your air clean!
How to use a carbon filter
If you are shopping for an exhaust system, look for one that is 6 inches in diameter. Anything smaller probably won’t be powerful enough to look after your grow operation, and anything bigger is only really recommended for commercial operations because they are enormous and expensive to run. Six inches is the perfect diameter for a carbon filter.
Every fan is going to have a different Cubic Feet of air per Minute rating (CFM). Check the CFM of your fan, and get a carbon filter to match the rating. This makes sure your fan is strong enough to pull the hot air through your carbon filter. The carbon filter should be opposite to the fan in your exhaust system.
Carbon filters can literally last forever, and they are the most effective solution to a smelly grow room.
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What is not recommended
There are some tempting, yet ineffective and potentially damaging to your weed plant, solutions out there that are not recommended. There are other, cheaper air-neutralizing products on the market such as wall plug-ins. As a general rule, they are not usually good enough to mask the smell of weed, and they aren’t recommended as a solution to this problem. The same goes for air purifiers.
Ozone generators are a new addition to grow rooms and, despite being effective at masking odours, are extremely bad for you, your plants, and the environment. This is especially true if you are growing cannabis inside your house, because everyone there will be exposed to ozone, which is damaging to the lungs. Furthermore, your plants are also breathing in ozone, which means it makes it into your final product.
Finally, don’t seal off your room completely to keep the smell locked in! Ventilation is important for your grow room, because sealing off the room to fresh air keeps stale air locked in. Your plants could get very sick this way. Plants like fresh air. Be clever about where you put your ventilation to make sure the air is not being vented into an area where people are spending a lot of time.
Great info!