Cannabis Grow Room Controllers & Sensors: From Tents to Greenhouses with Kelley Nicholson (Ep. 173)

How do you set up sensors and environmental controls for a cannabis grow, from a small tent all the way up to a commercial greenhouse? This week I'm joined by Kelley Nicholson with Autogrow. Kelley has been working with indoor and greenhouse growers for over 26 years, and about 12 years ago she stepped away from growing system design and equipment sales to focus on environmental, irrigation and nutrient controls. Controllers aren't something I know a lot about, so I learned a lot in this one. We start with a small tent or home grow and work our way up to greenhouses and multi-zone commercial facilities, talking about where your sensors belong, how accurate they really are, what controllers cost at each size of grow, and what to look for when comparing systems. Her biggest piece of advice is to make a list of what you need and what you want before you start shopping. Black Friday Sale, November 10–30: 25% off select KiS Organics products plus three Black Friday bundles. No code needed. https://kisorganics.com/collections/black-friday-2026 Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:27 Meet Kelley Nicholson of Autogrow 4:19 Starting small: what to monitor in a tent or home grow 9:26 Why sensor quality and accuracy matter 13:07 Scaling up to greenhouses: sensors and zones 16:57 Controller tiers: Trolmaster vs. larger systems 22:18 Will your equipment work with your controller? 24:38 HVAC sensors vs. canopy sensors in tiered grows 28:10 Biggest mistakes growers make with controls 32:11 Switching controller brands as you expand 35:45 Training, support and subscriptions 38:29 Mobile apps, remote access and historical data 41:16 What to look for when comparing systems, plus irrigation and fertigation 48:14 Moisture probes: one per cultivar or per zone? 51:21 Final thoughts 55:48 Outro Show notes and related products: https://kisorganics.com/blogs/podcast/episode-173-environmental-controllers-explained-from-grow-tents-to-commercial-greenhouses-with-kelley-nicholson-of-autogrow Autogrow: https://autogrow.com/ Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast/id1258365194?mt=2 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1MM4vf9NGTO3ti58a4yLVb Shop: https://www.kisorganics.com Instagram: @KISorganics Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KISorganics If you got something out of this episode, subscribe so you don't miss the next one. Happy Growing!