Are you ready to build yourself a grow room but don’t know where to begin? We’ve got you! In this step-by-step guide, we’ll teach you how to build your own grow room that will fit your plants. For beginners: how to choose a cannabis home growing kit？
Step 1: Find a space
Ideally, we’d love to have an entire room dedicated to our plants, however, most of the time that isn’t a realistic option, so a grow tent is a great option since you can set it up anywhere in your house. However, there are a few factors to consider before you select a space: size, noise, and power. The size is very easy to understand. The size of our VIVOSUN 4×4 grow tent is 48”x48”x80”, so if you decide to buy a 4×4 tent, you need to make sure your space is big enough to house the tent.
Next, consider the noise created by the tent: LED lights and inline fans will make noise, so if you install your tent next to your bed or somewhere your neighbors or parents can hear you may be asking for trouble. Last but not least, power supply.
Before you install your tent, consider where your outlets are—this is key because your fan and your LED both draw a lot of electricity so it’s best you don’t use extension cables or power strips since these can be a fire hazard. Each piece of equipment should have its own dedicated outlet so that you don’t overload your circuit breaker. Take some time and consider these factors before you buy—planning out your space will save you time and money.
Step 2: Decide the size of your grow tent
We have talked about How to Set up Grow Tent before, so this blog is focusing on building the grow tent area. We have a ton of different sizes of tents available, from 2×2 to 4×4, from 5×5 to 10×10, so there is definitely a size that will fit your space. If you still have questions about the tent sizes, you can check the VIVOSUN grow tent product pages—all the sizes are listed on the website. The rest of this post will focus on setting up systems in your tent.
Step 3: Set up the light system
We want our lighting system not only to fit the tent’s size but also to be powerful enough to sustain a plant through its life. With the VS1000 LED, we not only can replicate natural light, but we can also recreate the specifics of the sun’s light according to the different stages of growth of your plants with a dimming knob (50%/75%/100%). Every variety of plant has its own specific requirements, and it’s up to you to help them adjust the light to make sure your green friends grow up healthy.
Luckily, LED light installation is much easier than setting up an entire tent. This youtube video will show you the unboxing and installation of a VS2000 Full LED Grow Light. You only need to install the 2 hangers into the control panel’s 4 holes and then, hang the grow light from the tent pole using one of our rope hangers. The whole installation process will take you less than 10 minutes.
Step 4: Set up ventilation system
As we all know, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis, and your plants are grown in an enclosed room. In this situation, you’ll need to install an inline fan to ensure airflow to refresh the air. There are great benefits of having a ventilation system:
- Airflow can clean your air and remove odors
- Airflow can help you to control temperature and humidity, creating a healthy environment for your plants
- Airflow prevents mold & pests; mold & pests prefer humid air
- Your plants also love and need clean air. It can help them grow healthier
- Airflow actually strengthens your plant’s fibers—the constant breeze causes the plants to flex, encouraging stronger stems and branches
To set up a ventilation system, you will need three devices: an inline fan, ducting, and a carbon filter. Inline fans simulate natural airflow, increasing your plant’s overall health as we just mentioned. As well, an inline fan is working very well with a carbon filter, which helps remove odors.
While a carbon filter isn’t necessary, it’s a great addition if you are worried about the smell. If you are worried about disturbing your neighbors or others in your house, a charcoal carbon filter can really help reduce those excess smells. And even if you are not growing cannabis, a carbon filter can help keep the air clean in your house, so it is something we recommend.
Finally, the last piece of the ventilation puzzle is a ducting system. It’s a cheap way to connect different “air zones,” where you pull and replace your air from. Ducting can be adjusted easily and can be cut with a pair of household scissors or wire cutters so you can make a lot of use out of a single tube of ducting.
There are four ways to assemble the ventilation system. These are based on whether you have a carbon filter and what kind of air pressure you want to create. You can check out the following graphic for visual representations of each setup. The first diagram shows the fan and filter inside the tent, pulling air from the tent and expelling it outside.
The second diagram (bottom left) shows the filter outside of the tent, with the fan pulling air out of the tent and pushing it through the filter. The final diagram, on the bottom right, shows both the fan and the filter outside of the tent. These setups create negative air pressure inside the tent (the air pressure in the tent is lower than outside).
The top right diagram shows positive airflow (pushing air into the tent, making the air pressure in the tent higher than outside the tent), by pulling air from outside and pushing it into the tent. There is no “right” way to do it, just set up the system in whichever way works for you. Just be sure to have one of the ventilation ports at the bottom of the tent open so that you can equalize the air pressure in the tent.
A final note, here is a quick description of how to set up the carbon filter and fan.
- You need to use the adjustable straps on the carbon filter to attach the carbon filter to the poles. This is relatively easy, just wrap the straps around the poles and adjust them until it is in the correct position.
- You need to attach the inline fan in the same way, either by using ropes or zip ties, or our rope ratchet hangers. If you plan to attach the fan and filter together, fit the flange of the fan tightly into the carbon filter, as tightly as possible. We include a protective cloth on the outside of the filter to trap any dirt or other material from getting stuck inside the filter. You can wash this cover by hand if it becomes dirty.
- You can use insulation tape to strengthen the connections between the carbon filter and the inline fan. This will help keep air from escaping.
- Run the ducting through the vent on the top of the tent and place it right above the hole so you can reach up and pull it down, and then place the ducting in an out-of-the-way place.
- If you want to place the fan outside of the tent, you can pull the ducting into a position to attach it to your fan. You can install the fan by hanging it from screws attached to a 2×4 board, or hang the fan somewhere out of the way. Connect the ducting to the fan with one of the ducting clamps so that it is air-tight.
- Check the order of your ventilation system: internal air→filter→fan→ducting. This is a great, quick reference for a good setup.
If you are new to this area and don’t know where to start, check out our VIVOSUN 4×2 Grow Tent Basic Kit, which is a great beginner’s kit. Once you’re set-up, send us a photo of your indoor grow room!
As always if you have any questions you can message our Instagram or Facebook and we’ll be glad to help you out! We’re happy you’re on this journey and we want to help in any way we can.
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