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Once you have purchased your grow tent and bought your equipment, it’s time to set it all up! Luckily setting up a grow tent is not as hard as it may seem. The grow tent package will contain all the parts needed to set up your structure. The great thing about using a grow tent is that you won't need any extra tools to assemble it. You just need some time and patience.

Before you begin setting up your grow tent, ensure that you have the following components:

• Grow tent
• Grow light
• Carbon filter (Optional)
• Ventilation (Exhaust and intake fans, ducting and clip on fans)
• Extra accessories (Timer and thermo-hygrometer)
• Hanging accessories (Rope ratchets and clamps) 

     

Setting Up the Grow Tent Step by Step

Step 1: Clear and tidy space

Before you get started on setting up your grow tent, you should first take some time to clean up the space you will be using to build your tent.

Step 2: Build your grow tent

Once you have made sure the grow area is clean and you have everything you need, it's time to set up. Make sure to put your tent together at its final location. It can be an inconvenience to build it up only to realise it doesn't fit through the doorway.

The first thing you will need to do is set up the structure of the tent. The structure is usually made up of aluminium bars that connect using strong plastic pieces. These bars are normally numbered or marked to make it easier for you to know where to place each one.

• Lay your tent flat out on the ground
• Locate the bottom of the tent
• Separate your long and short poles
• Assemble the bottom poles first, it should make a square, then place it within the bottom of the tent
• Now that you have your base, you can connect the poles that stand upright to your bottom structure
• Attach your top poles to form your complete pole structure of the tent
• Carefully roll the tent up and over the pole structure and zip it up. Tents are made to fit snuggle over the structure so be careful not to use too much force when fitting the tent as this can cause tearing.

Step 3: Determine Ventilation System

Once your tent is set up, the next step is to start installing your equipment. You will first need to determine where in your tent you want to place your ventilation system. A common ventilation system for grow tents will have: an odour control unit, ducting, an extraction fan, and an intake fan (optional for smaller tents).

There a few common ways of setting up your ventilation system. The preferred method is hanging the filter and fan inside the grow tent. This is the best solution for small to mid - sized carbon filters. It maximizes growing footprint and draws the air in through the filter. This allows the air to move slower, increases the overall effectiveness of odour control, while removing the hottest air from the top of the tent.

If your carbon filter is too large to hang from the ceiling of the tent, you can place it on the floor inside the tent if possible. This is not optimal, as your filter may draw more warm air down to plants when it is active, as well as take up valuable floor space.

Placing the filter and fan outside of the tent is the least favoured option. Even though it may save space, it has two main drawbacks. It pushes air through the filter at higher speeds, reducing the effectiveness of the filter for odour control. It also increases fan noise, because the ventilation is located outside of the tent.

Step 4: Set up your Inline Fan and Carbon Filter

Now that you have determined your grow tent ventilation set up, it is time to start putting things together.

• Attach your inline fan to one of the ceiling bars in your grow tent. Adjustable rope clip handles work great as your fan will hang only a few inches from the ceiling.
• Either slide the inline fan over to fit into an exhaust hole or even easier connect your inline fan to the ducting using a ducting clamp, which can then be run through and out an exhaust hole.
• Hang your carbon filter with strong hanging rope.
• Using ducting, attach the carbon filter to the inline fan so that the fan is pulling air through the filter.
• Confirm your components are the in proper order: Outside air is passively pulled in through the bottom intake ports up into the filter, which then moves the air through the inline fan and out the exhaust holes.

For those using a reflector as would be needed for HID, your set up will be slightly more complex as it’s recommended to have direct airflow through the reflector, cooling the bulb.

A carbon filter is optional. If you don't mind the smell of cannabis in your place, then a carbon filter is not essential.

If you need to keep your grow on the down low, then it is a good idea to install one. You can either set your carbon filter up from the beginning or you could also set it up when your plants start to flower as this is when the smell will be strongest.

Step 5: Set up your ducting

You will need to set up ducting from the outside of your extractor fan to a window so that the stale air doesn't circulate back into the tent. To make this as efficient as possible you will need to try and do it in a straight line or as close to straight as possible. Keep in mind that every bend in the ducting means the air will be extracted at a slightly slower pace.

Step 6: Hang your grow lights

The best way to hang your grow lights is by using rope ratchets, these are cheap and easy to use. They also make it really simple to adjust the height of your lights any time without the chance of the light dropping onto your plants.

Step 7: Set up your fans

This step is very simple. Take you fan and place it in your tent. The best fans to use are clip-on fans, they easily attach to the side bars and you can adjust them to the right height for your plants. You can also use clamps or ropes to string up a fan or get a standing fan if you have a big enough grow tent.

Step 8: Set up you timer

You can now add the few missing important devices like a timer. A timer will help keep your lights and fans operating on set schedule.

Step 9: Safety check

Your tent is now set up! Before turning everything on, double check your electrical connections, hanging straps and hooks. Let your system run for an hour to see how it changes the environmental factors in the tent. Make sure there is adequate airflow and that your lights are not getting too hot.

A good idea would also be to check that there is no light leaking into your tent as this can cause your plants to switch sexes, and turn a female that would have bloomed huge flowers, into a male that will only sprout seeds.

It's normal to see a couple pinholes of light leaking out the tent from stitching.

Step 10: Set up your Thermo-hygrometer

Once you have plugged in all your equipment and tested that it is all working correctly, the last thing to do is check the temperature and relative humidity. 

     

Grow Tent Checklist

You should check your tent on a regular basis to make sure everything is running smoothly. Here is a checklist you can follow:

• Ensure your spill trays are installed correctly
• Make sure your lighting equipment is wired properly
• Adjust your light to the correct height for your plant’s stages of growth
• Check your lighting timer functionality and make sure your day and night cycles are setup correctly
• Seal the ventilation and tent ports to prevent light leaks
• Make sure your ventilation system is working as intended
• Use your hygrometer/thermometer to check the temperature and humidity in the grow tent
• Make sure that no wires are hanging on the floor to prevent any electrical hazards 

     

What not to do in your grow area

Now that your tent is set up and ready for you to grow here are some things to avoid in your grow area:

Leaving your grow tent dirty

Any trash or litter should be off the floor and away from your grow tent. Trash is a hot spot for potential pests to find a way into your grow tent. Always keep your grow tent and the space around it clean and tidy.

Do not clutter the grow tent

Always keep your grow tent organised. Keep your grow equipment in a designated area to prevent clutter. 

     

Some Final Notes

Now that you know how to set up your grow tent all that is left to do is start your growing. Make sure that you have properly checked your equipment and that it is all securely installed before you add your plants.

Always remember, the most important piece of equipment in your set up is still you! You are in control of balancing all the elements your equipment brings like heat and humidity, to create the best environment for your cannabis plants to thrive in.