BONSAI makes me SICK...(clickbaity title)

[Atom#28]

A rant: (I figured I’d share my experience and thoughts here, in case anyone else is considering a grow tent in their house)


I am sick.

But I don’t really blame bonsai. It’s not bonsai’s fault I have had a persistent upper respiratory infection since Christmas. My poor wife had to break the news to me: she’s pretty sure my indoor grow tent is to blame. To be more precise, she thinks it’s pumping out mold spores straight into our lungs. As much as I try to stay in denial, I think she’s right

It’s sad because I’m super obsessed with my little indoor jungle. It has been so therapeutic for me, but now my kiddo has the same cough that I’ve been battling and I have to dismantle the jungle.

My 5 ficus will be fine cuz I can bring em to work. They will grow in my office, albeit at a much slower pace. Same with the jade and the p. afra. And the 3 Chinese elms should be able to hold on till spring. There’s a serviceberry that’ll need lighting support as well. I think I can keep everything alive without a big, lovely, humid, and bright grow tent.

The bottom line: Health comes first. And a quick search on PubMed and CINAHL show that there are plenty of studies that verify the health risks associated with indoor grow rooms and the moldy air they create.

So even though I know I could try improving ventilation, or reducing humidity, or treating the substrate with some kind of antimold chemicals, I don’t want to put my fam’s health at risk while I experiment with possible solutions.

Someday I’ll have a greenhouse instead.

 

[StoneCloud]

Dang!!! I commend you on doing the right thing though.

I know how you feel, I am probably too obsessed with my trees as well, but I can't help it. I may be nuts but trees "call" to me its crazy!!

What type of grow tent? Was it fully enclosed or just a top and screen sides?

Maybe start getting more species that can stay out all year in your climate, this would help make you happy!!!

and whatever you do, don't go buying a Harbor Freight greenhouse I've looked into them, they are complete garbage

 

[just.wing.it]

Dang man!
Hope you and the kid recover fully and quickly!

 

[bonhe]

Thanks for sharing this with us. There are a lot of problems with confined humid environments! I wish you and your family will recover soon.
Thụ Thoại

 

[Paradox]

A rant: (I figured I’d share my experience and thoughts here, in case anyone else is considering a grow tent in their house)


I am sick.

But I don’t really blame bonsai. It’s not bonsai’s fault I have had a persistent upper respiratory infection since Christmas. My poor wife had to break the news to me: she’s pretty sure my indoor grow tent is to blame. To be more precise, she thinks it’s pumping out mold spores straight into our lungs. As much as I try to stay in denial, I think she’s right

It’s sad because I’m super obsessed with my little indoor jungle. It has been so therapeutic for me, but now my kiddo has the same cough that I’ve been battling and I have to dismantle the jungle.

My 5 ficus will be fine cuz I can bring em to work. They will grow in my office, albeit at a much slower pace. Same with the jade and the p. afra. And the 3 Chinese elms should be able to hold on till spring. There’s a serviceberry that’ll need lighting support as well. I think I can keep everything alive without a big, lovely, humid, and bright grow tent.

The bottom line: Health comes first. And a quick search on PubMed and CINAHL show that there are plenty of studies that verify the health risks associated with indoor grow rooms and the moldy air they create.

So even though I know I could try improving ventilation, or reducing humidity, or treating the substrate with some kind of antimold chemicals, I don’t want to put my fam’s health at risk while I experiment with possible solutions.

Someday I’ll have a greenhouse instead.

I dont think you need to give up having your plants in your house. You dont need a grow tent to have your plants inside.
I have ficus and brazilian rain trees in my basement for the winter with no grow tent at all.
Just need to make sure they have enough light and water. They dont really need the humidity of a grow tent.

Can you set up something like this?

 

[sorce]

I personally hope you stay mildly sick long enough to know you actually CAN keep the tent because you found the actual problem.

Best.

Sorce

 

[Bonsaidoorguy]

all larger indoor grow rooms that I've been in have a dehumidifier to keep humidity down and prevent mold and fungus. When I had one going I could pull three quarts of water a day when the RH was high. And that was a fairly small room. Mold is nothing to mess with.

 

[Carol 83]

That's scary. Nothing is worth risking your family's or your health. No reason the ficus and the p.afra's won't do fine with a grow light, or even decent sunlight from a window. Spring is just around the corner.

 

[Japonicus]

@Atom#28 you might consider an ozone generator. Research it. Some are sensitive to it more than others
and you need to be aware of amounts of ozone vs the space it is in, (over done anybody will have an adverse reaction.
Some run their generators while gone and off while at home, I run mine 24/7-365)
but there's different types of generators. Personally I use BioZone which uses a specialty UV lamp that
creates an air borne ozone plasma. I don't have an indoor grow, but I do keep my humidifier at 50% Fall-Spring
a little less the colder it gets below 20ºF. Even if you remove your tent, if you were creating mold, it will still be there.
Ozone is used to sanitize the air, surfaces, and some used car dealers will use generators inside all locked up
to remove smoke and mold or musty odors. You know the levels are too high when the air smells pungently of
ozone and the air feels damp to breathe in, but that's what one wants to cleanse an area too, just not good to inhale
such laden air for long. Some dope growers use it to kill the smell too...

Hope you guys get better soon!

 

[Atom#28]

Thanks, everyone, for your kind words and advice. So if I go back to a table and lights, open-air style, do you guys think the drastically lowered humidity would also lower the possible spores?

 

[Atom#28]

I personally hope you stay mildly sick long enough to know you actually CAN keep the tent because you found the actual problem.

Best.

Sorce

Help me understand what you mean.
Here’s my deal: I’m an RN. I work with sick people erry damn day. I also have a child who attends daycare. In other words, I might be coughing and snotty because I’m surrounded by foreign germs and crud all day. I AM skeptical that my lil jungle is really making me sick. But now that my daughter is having similar symptoms, I gotta be more pragmatic and open minded. Even if it’s only 5% chance the cause is my trees, I just can’t.

 

[Tieball]

Well done on reaching a conclusion rather than hanging on and continuing a poor health environment. Denial won’t work. Follow your plan.....outside trees and office trees. And, keep an eye on the office tree situation. Health first.

 

[Paul G]

I run lights and a humidifier on the upper floor of my bungalow. I got the humidifier because my p!ants were unhappy with the dry air, but as a result MY health improved as well. I keep it at 60%. There's no mold and I haven't lost a tree in a while (inside, at least). Good luck!!

 

[Paradox]

I dont run any humidifiers and my trees do fine as long as I keep them watered and under lights

 

[sorce]

Help me understand what you mean.
Here’s my deal: I’m an RN. I work with sick people erry damn day. I also have a child who attends daycare. In other words, I might be coughing and snotty because I’m surrounded by foreign germs and crud all day. I AM skeptical that my lil jungle is really making me sick. But now that my daughter is having similar symptoms, I gotta be more pragmatic and open minded. Even if it’s only 5% chance the cause is my trees, I just can’t.

I understand.

I would think there is a much more likely chance you'se happen to be sick from elsewhere. Could be you from work, kids from daycare.

Could be an outside force, weather, etc, could have caused both these sicknesses and a jump in mold, pollen, fungal, activity in the trees.

That activity could even worsen your symptoms, but the cause may be something else. Perhaps you can remove that cause?

I believe it is much more likely plants have a good effect on our indoor air quality.

But this reminds me of what Leo was saying with the Legionaries and Soil thread, we all have our own immune systems, and they're not all created equal.

True, but what's truer for me...

We all have the ability to create everything around us, some just need that power increased, or need to understand how to wield it better, so they don't bring themselves negativity.

George Carlin said it was the "swimming in sewage", I think it was the "not being afraid to swim in it" that led to better immune systems.

Only because I don't think people can have the conversation of survival of the fittest, and the lack of it destroying our society. That is the Truth truth truth!

These people, that are weak, are ruining our ability to be strong, simply because there is more of them now, and we, as a society, are believing their bullshit!
Try not to believe that bullshit and I reckon your symptoms may go away.

M.O.M.

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

I have no troubles keeping my tropical in my basement, under lights.....no tent. Just steady 60 degrees F and artificial light.

 

[Atom#28]

Baby steps.... no walls. Low humidity. UV hepa filter.....

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

A possibly simple solution.

An EXHAUST FAN - use a duct, powered with a fan to blow humid and possible mold spore laden air to the outside.

Pick up a piece of plastic duct, for a tent as small as the one in the photo, a 4 inch or 5 inch diameter duct with similar size fan. Have the fan exhaust air from the closed tent to the outside. If you keep the air pressure inside the tent slightly negative to the room, you won't have mold and humidity traveling though the house. You might have to "Rub Goldberg" the exhaust out through a window. Or maybe a clothes dryer vent duct sort of arrangement.

 

[Bolero]

OMG …..Is this the end of…???

 

[Mike Hennigan]

hope this sorts out your health problems! But was just curious... why was a serviceberry in there?