Growing near the equator

[swimmingjoker]

Going to be my 1st time growing and would appreciate some input as I have not found much tips on growing near the equator.



I live near the equator and at the top of a fairly tall apartment and my only immediate neighbours are below me.

I am considering either an 'outdoor' setup with a sealed greenhouse on a 3x10 balcony or an indoor setup in a 10x10 room where I can replace the window with polycarbonate to let uv rays through.



I would like to take advantage of the natural climate since its a 12/12 and sativas are my favourite, will the indoor setup with sunlight hitting my plants be sufficient?

Will the strong winds help dissipate the strong smells and make it viable for an outdoor setup?



My main concerns that are at the top of my head are humidity/mold and smell. Thinking of varieties to grow, durban poison comes to mind since I'll be looking for mold resistance and sativas are able to tolerate the high humidity climate.



Either setup my current plan is to treat it like a sealed box with ventilation in and out with activated carbon filters and disposable desiccant nearby.



Would appreciate any insight/advice.

 

[Old-School]

Depending on what you mean by "near" the equator...
Your situation is interesting so I did some reading.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=253700

The guy "Weezard" posted some info on his experience growing on a Hawaiian Isle which is located closer to the equator than most of us.

Seems like you have a specific window for your sativas and might want to supplement lighting which might interfere with your stealth.

Make a journal and keep it updated so others may learn from your trials.

Good luck!

 

[swimmingjoker]

Yup, did look through the hawaii thread. I don't need to say where it is exactly but a couple of hints is easy to know which country.
All equator countries have really harsh laws, more so when the babble heads claim to be ultra religious but are the biggest hypocrites

I am staying in a high rise unlike the other thread, so my initial aim was to take full advantage of the strong winds and sunlight while having no neighbours except below me.
However, the strict laws mean that I will definitely have to have every aspect covered to the last detail before I even start.

 

[SPLFreak808]

Outdoor would definetly be good for flowering you literally cannot beat equator sun with lights. I also live extremly close to the equator. Were talking 11-13 hour days almost year around in an extremly high UV environment. My only issue is hawaii is over-populated with farms and gardens, so always take the extra step to keep bugs away!

 

[swimmingjoker]

I'm in SEA, I'd say 11 hours min sunlight but avg temp runs 95 or more due to the height I live at.
I was thinking if indoor, I would have 3 windows to let light in and bugs can be dealt with mesh screen protectors over the windows.
My next decision would be whether to control the temp with an ac or simply let the wind blow through the windows.

If smells can be combated through strain and winds without alerting downstairs neighbours that;s great.
If not I will have to run an ac 24/7 and run a ventilation system.
Not sure about humidity since sativas can handle more but ideally below 70%.
Will probably use desiccant to handle that as it's cheap and I don't want to raise more flags using a dehumidifier.

 

[qwizoking]

Cool. I grew landrace sativas..have fun

 

[SPLFreak808]

I'm in SEA, I'd say 11 hours min sunlight but avg temp runs 95 or more due to the height I live at.
I was thinking if indoor, I would have 3 windows to let light in and bugs can be dealt with mesh screen protectors over the windows.
My next decision would be whether to control the temp with an ac or simply let the wind blow through the windows.

If smells can be combated through strain and winds without alerting downstairs neighbours that;s great.
If not I will have to run an ac 24/7 and run a ventilation system.
Not sure about humidity since sativas can handle more but ideally below 70%.
Will probably use desiccant to handle that as it's cheap and I don't want to raise more flags using a dehumidifier.

I flower under 50-80% humidity with no issues. Dont cram too many plants in one area. Also, you need a dust shroom to block bugs. I used to pull through a double window screen with 8" ducts and still ended up with white flies at one point and trust me they were solid and i even did a vacuum test to confirm my duct work only pulled through the double screen(no leaks). If its the mesh that are already installed on houses that you are thinking of, it will not block gnats and white flies which can host mites!, better safe then sorry like me lol. Also if i cannot give my plants atleast 10 hours of direct sunlight exposure i would rather just do an indoor flowering room with a super or DE hps. Also at 95f, you might need to run an air conditioned room regardless. Sealed w/c02 even better.

 

[qwizoking]

will the indoor setup with sunlight hitting my plants be sufficient?

No


Will the strong winds help dissipate the strong smells and make it viable for an outdoor setup?

There will be little smell anyway and yes


My main concerns that are at the top of my head are humidity/mold and smell. Thinking of varieties to grow,

A citrus, or tropical sativa. Lime citrus, sour, cheese

durban poison comes to mind since I'll be looking for mold resistance and sativas are able to tolerate the high humidity climate.



Either setup my current plan is to treat it like a sealed box with ventilation in and out with activated carbon filters and disposable desiccant nearby.

Not necessary imo. I usually flower outdoors year round. Qp to 2 ozs..ive had some less sativa give an oz or less.


Guererro region mexico, west tx...

 

[swimmingjoker]

My apartment get hits hard with sunlight 10-11 min daily but regardless of set up I will be installing lights, possibly LEDs for efficiency.
Was considering evaporative cooling but my climate already has high humidity.
Will probably have to run ac if there isn't an alternative to lower the temp.
Hmm not sure about to go about ventilating, if it's a sealed room without a tent do I drill holes into my wall and install an exhaust system to draw out at the top and in near the bottom of the wall?

 

[qwizoking]

Ive done many plants in 90°-low 100's

 

[swimmingjoker]

Interesting, if the yield doesn't suffer too much at those temps, I would be much inclined to run without an ac.
If my mesh screens are able to stop mites, will windows on all sides in my 10x10 with said mesh be enough for ventilation?

 

[qwizoking]

No you need airflow, bot just for temps. I like ~2000cfm box fans

Heat wont hurt yield but large day/night temp differences can help to fluff...raise night temp

 

[swimmingjoker]

Damn not exactly handy with tools myself, most renovation usually done by contractors.
Doesn't look like I can find a good excuse to set up an exhaust fan in and out on my wall either.