The smell of premium bud is probably euphoric for you but not for your neighbors. Chance are that you want to control the smell of cannabis in your grow room. The sweet, almost skunk-like fragrance isn’t to everyone’s liking. Here are a few ways to control the smell of your indoor cannabis grow room.
Pick a Less Fragrant Strain
Let’s face it, all strains smell different. Some are very pungent, and others have very little odor. Pick a strain of marijuana that is well known to produce far less odor than its skunky cousins. Durban Poison, Northern Lights, Blue Mystic, Jack Herer, BC Mango, Polar Express, Hash Bomb, and Wipeout Express are strains famous for their low fragrance. Another thing to consider is picking smaller cannabis strains such as auto-flower varieties because their compact size produces less odor than larger strains.
Use Carbon Filtration Units
Carbon filters depend on activated carbon to reduce the smell of even the skunkiest weed. The impurities are processed through a filter and the smells neutralized. An exhaust system can help direct the air and pull unwanted heat away from the plants. If you can’t afford an exhaust system, then use a fan to direct the smell into the carbon filter.
Use a Grow Tent to Control Odor
Invest in an airtight grow tent. It must have at least 600D walls made of fabric to contain the smell. A well-designed grow tent comes equipped with built-in parts so you can hook up ventilation and an air filter system.
Maintain Control of Heat and Humidity
If the grow room is hot, then the weed will have a greater odor. Ideally, you should maintain as low a temperature as possible to reduce the unwanted smells. However, do not keep the room too cold or your marijuana won’t grow and form buds. The reduced temperature will help control the odor of the plants.
Tub of Ona Gel for Odor Control
Years ago, when cannabis growing was illegal everywhere, old-school growers would use a tub of Ona gel. They would place the tubs around the room to help reduce the smells or perhaps mask the aroma a little. Ona gel is an odor neutralizer. One thing to note about Ona gel is that many growers say that the odor neutralizer will alter or change the smell of your bud which is something that you don’t want to happen so avoid using the gel when your plants are flowering (use it outside your grow room/tent).
Get Air Circulating Inside the Grow Room
One way to reduce heat and humidity to help eliminate smells is to keep the air circulating inside of the grow room. Air must flow throughout the room every few minutes to remove CO2 and reduce the marijuana odor. You don’t need a fancy ventilation system to achieve this in a small grow room. You can use simple oscillating fans combined with a duct intake in addition to exhaust fans. The odor will be reduced, humidity kept in check and excessive heat eliminated.
Dry and Cure On The Down Low
Many new cannabis growers are unaware that the drying and curing phase of marijuana cultivation is the smelliest. You’ll want to dry and cure the harvested buds in a grow tent or grow room with a carbon filtration system running full strength to stop the aroma from escaping.
Ultimate Way to Control the Smell of Cannabis
The only real way to truly control the smell of cannabis in your grow room is to grow fewer plants. If you’re growing in an apartment building or somewhere that requires stealth practices, then the only option to truly contain the smell is to grow one or two plants in a grow tent or box within your grow room. The fewer plants that you have the less chance of anyone outside of the grow room encountering the smell.
All the above tips can help you control the smell of cannabis in your grow room. However, none of them will fully eliminate it. Ultimately, your best bet is to cultivate low smell strains in combination with other grow room odor control measures.