No matter what you grow, or how much space you have to grow it, grow rooms can get a little...messy, over time.
We don’t just mean with the various dirt and soils you need for proper and safe plant growth, although it’s good to keep an eye out for that as well. With the amount of greenhouse shelves you need in grow rooms, as well as the rest of the storage you need for tools and grow supplies, things can get a little cluttered in there.
If this is starting to bring back memories of your home grow room or indoor greenhouse, don’t fret! Here’s four of our favorite tips for keeping a grow room decluttered and ready to produce healthy plants:
Careful pot arrangement
Whatever it is you grow, the chances are good you have a lot of pottery around for individual plants. Ceramic pots, plastic grow boxes, whatever the case may be, these can quickly become disorganized and take up too much space if not placed properly. If you keep your pots on grow room work tables, make sure to arrange your pots in an orderly fashion and enforce a limit on how many pots can be kept on each table to avoid overcrowding or messy rows - make sure each row has the same amount of pots.
Preventing water spills
One of the trickiest parts of growing plants indoors is regulating the amount of water they get. Outdoor plants don’t have this problem, as the water can get absorbed by the ground (or it just trickles down the driveway out into the street), but you don’t have that luxury with indoor grow spaces - puddles on the floor or excess moisture on tables can promote the growth of mold and fungus that can kill your plants. If you use a hydroponics system to cycle water through your plants, try to use an open hydro table to help prevent excess moisture from pooling up in your plants (or on the table, risking corrosion and damage). Whatever kind of table you use, make sure to mop regularly under tables and keep an eye out for leaks.
Avoid clutter on the floor
Chances are, your grow room is already arranged to provide aisle space between the tables and grow racks so you can easily walk around and get to your plants. Much like if you were running a warehouse or a retail store, keeping these aisles clear so you can safely walk through your grow room will go a long way towards preventing clutter and accidents. Clean up all spilled dirt, leftover trimmings, or the aforementioned water puddles to make sure you can get through the grow room safely, and if you have any tools or supplies that can’t be stored any higher (bags of soil, larger cultivating tools) use table undershelves to keep them safely off the floor.
Schedule a regular deep clean
Much like any other room in your house, a good way to keep on top of any potential mess is to schedule a regular deep clean of everything in your grow room. And when we say ‘deep clean’, we mean deep: vacuum out your vents and fans, polish the tables to prevent rust or mildew, and replace any pots that may be damaged or too dirty to use. Sure, it’s kind of a pain, but it’ll save you a lot of hassle and potentially damaged plants or equipment in the long run, and when your vents work fine and your plants grow healthy, you’ll be glad you did it.