There are many growers for whom growing in a closet is the only option of growing indoors. They don’t have access to large indoor spaces like sheds or garages. Hence a closet is the only indoor space they can use.

This article will cover some guidelines about how to set up your grow space in a closet.

Why Grow in a Closet?

The biggest advantage of growing in a small space like a closet is concealment. No onewill find out about your operation if your closet is not used by other people in the house. The chances are that your closet is going to be small. The setup we use at Groindoor.com is 2’ x 3’ x 4.5’, which is sufficient for three adult plants.

You won't need expensive equipment like dehumidifiers or big grow lights, which makes your budget lighter on your pocket. Moreover, it’ll be easier to focus your attention on a limited number of plants.

Planning the Closet Setup

Before beginning setup, you have to select appropriate equipment and an appropriate strain.

Grow supplies

Make sure you take due measurements of your closet before selecting a grow tent. The ideal arrangement is that there should be extra space once your tent is inside the room. This additional space will be necessary for keeping other necessary items.

You’ll have to choose your equipment according to space as well. You’ll need grow light and a ventilation system as well. For lighting, LEDs are the best option. Grow tent heat is an issue with growing in closet space, so the lighting source has to generate less heat. This is why LEDs are the best option, as they generate the least amount of heat compared to other light sources.

Strains

You’re going to have limited space, so you need to select strains that grow small. This doesn’t translate into a lesser yield, so you don’t need to worry about that! But you will need strains that have bushy and short growth. Auto-flowering strains are the best option for growing in closet spaces.

Water and runoff

It goes without saying that you’ll need to water your plants, which is an issue to consider in closet growing operations. Disposing of spillage will be another issue that you’ll need to consider.

Your grow tent can hold the majority of your mess, but not all of it. In this case, investing in a shop vac is your best bet for taking care of the runoff. Use it to suck it up and dispose of it in your bathroom or outdoors, whatever suits you.

Setting up Your Closet Grow Space

The following steps can help you set up your closet grow space.

Clean out closet space

Firstly, you need to clean out your closet space. It’s best to remove all the items that you store in that space. There shouldn’t be anything in that closet except your tent. Once you’ve cleared it out, you need to thoroughly disinfect and vacuum it to remove any bacteria that may infect your plants.

Set up the tent

The next step after clearing out your closet is setting up the grow tent. We’ve compiled a detailed grow tent setup guide that can walk you through this. The process is pretty simple. At GroIndoor.com, we have Secret Jardin grow tents which are simple to set up. We also provide an instruction manual for each tent.

Set up the poles first, and assemble the frame of the tent. After that, it’ll be easy to cover it up with the canvas and zip it up.

Setting up ventilation

Setting up a ventilation room can be tricky for a closet grow room. There are some ways in which you can do this. You will need a carbon filter and a fan. You'll need to choose a strategy that works best for your space. Ideally, your fan and carbon filter should be hanging inside your tent.

However, if your tent cannot accommodate that, you can place your carbon filter on the floor outside your tent. This may not be a great option for managing the odor, but if you need to conserve space for plants, you may not have any other choice.

Ducting the air in a closet grow setup

Ducting in a closet can be a tricky situation as well when you are growing up in a closet. There are several options for this. If your closet has a light, you can remove the bulb and create a duct for the air in the ceiling.

If you don’t have a closet light, this is where things get tricky. One option is to simply duct out the air from the tent into the closet and let it stay there. This can work if your plants don’t particularly smell strong. But if they do, then you may have a problem. The smell will definitely seep out, especially during harvest or when the plants are flowering.

There is another option in this case. You can cut a hole in one of your closet walls and place your ducting in that. Use tape or a wall patch to seal it up. Once your growth operation is complete, you can patch up the wall. This option is admittedly on the extreme side of things. There are chances that this can cause mold to grow in your closet walls because you’ll be introducing humid air in a dark space. We advise caution for this method.

Read on: Tips And Tricks To Setup Indoor Grow Room And Grow Tent Ventilation.

If this is your first attempt at growing, you can also check out our post on atmosphere and ventilation. This will improve your understanding of what an ideal growing environment is like.

Set up grow lights

Once you’ve set up your ventilation system, all that remains is hanging your grow light. It's important to know how much heat is generated by your light source. Ensure you check the documentation for your grow light for how much distance should be kept between it and your plants.

The easiest way to adjust the height of your grow light is to use adjustable light hangers. You can increase the height of the light as your plants start to grow.

Tips for growing in a closet

You just need to set up your controllers and monitors and move in your plants after the setup. However, closet grow operations are a different ballgame compared to standard grow tents or grow rooms. Follow these tips that you need to know for managing your closet garden.

Training your plants

The efficiency with your grow space is key in managing a closet grow operation. This means that your plants will have to be trained to grow short and grow bushy, with a lot of colas. Long branches with a lot of space between growth nodes are not ideal.

Most closet growers take a low-stress training method. This makes your plants grow laterally, which saves headspace. Check out our guide on plant training to learn about different plant training methods.

Don’t let your plants grow too much during the veg phase because you’ll have a difficult situation during the flowering stage. You’ll be forced to cut away flowers to manage your space.

Most closet growers grow the plants to half of the targeted size and then switch to the flowering phase.

How to control plant stretching

Even if you have trained the plants you’re growing, stretching can still be an issue. Stretching would lead to an increase in plant height with a decrease in plant yield. It could also lead to your plants getting burned or branches breaking off once flowering begins.

One way to deal with stretching is by choosing lights that have a high proportion of red light. The other tried and tested method for decreasing the effects on your plants will make them grow healthier! Another thing you can do is manage plant stress. This can be done by preventing large temperature swings between the day and night and minimizing transplant shock.

Final thoughts

If closet growing interests you, get your grow tent now! Groindoor.com is your one-stop shop for all things grows! We have a wide range of growing tents ranging from 2' x 2' to 20' x 20’. Growers particularly favor the Secret Jardin and Gorilla Grow Tent Shorty Line so do check these out!