Are you trying to find out how to set up a grow tent with LED lights? To be honest, the whole process is fairly easy and you should be able to do it within a single day. Grow tents are useful because they trap the ambient light and give you a dedicated area to grow your plants.
While instructions may differ slightly based on your exact light, tent and accessories, this step-by-step guide will help you get the area ready and to fully set up your grow tent so that you can start growing plants immediately. We will also go over the LED light installation, which may actually be the easiest part.
Step 1: Prep the Area
The first thing that you must do before anything else is to clean and prep the area where you’ll be installing the grow tent. Many people forget this until after the tent is put together, which makes everything much harder.
Prepping the area doesn’t need to be extravagant, just make sure that it’s ready for the tent. This includes deciding between an indoor or outdoor location, clearing away any clutter, measuring out the area to make sure that it’s big enough and flattening the area to ensure that the tent can lay flat after it’s all put together.
Make sure that the area is also accessible to power cords. You’ll need cords to run the LED light and ventilation equipment. An area without power won’t work very well, so be mindful of this.
Step 2: Put the Tent Together
This step largely depends on the tent itself. Many tents are already put together and you just have to remove them from the packaging. In this case, all you have to do is remove the tent and properly align it so that it’s standing upright.
Other tents will have to be assembled. Even in this case, the instructions tend to be very easy. Most of these tents are made so that you just have to run plastic lines through the tent and snap them in place. You should be able to get the tent ready within 20 minutes or less.
Read your tent’s instructions to ensure that it’s put together properly. Also, now is a good time to test out any straps, zippers or holes to ensure that everything was properly made and that there aren’t any flaws. You don’t want to find a big flaw when you’re halfway through installing lights or ventilation equipment.
Also, be sure to look at the light installation area to get an idea of how it works. This will be located near the top of the tent. Some tents have a plastic installation area or hooks, while others have straps. Get acquainted with your tent because now you’ll be doing the setup work.
Step 3: Install the Lights
Next on our guide on how to set up a grow tent with LED lights is installing the light itself. LED lights are uniquely suited to grow tents since they provide a ton of light and lumens, but are relatively light weight. This makes them easy to install and keeps them from tugging on the tent.
Remember in the last step when you were told to look at the light installation area? That’s important because you’ll be hanging the light there now. Most tents will have some equipment to make this easier, and most lights come with installation equipment like ropes or straps.
If there isn’t anything there, then don’t get dismayed, you just have to buy your own installation equipment. Get a few rope ratchets and tie them near the top of the tent and let your light hang from them. Be sure to get ropes that can support at least double the weight of the light, just for safety.
Pull lightly on the light to make sure it’s secure. You don’t want it coming undone. Just a few small tugs should do the trick. From there, run the power cord from the light to your outlet and turn it on briefly to ensure that it’s up and running.
Step 4: Install the Fan
Ventilation is key to plant growth, so you absolutely need a fan for your growth tent. In fact, most tents come with a hole so that you can easily fit the fan within it. Setting up the fan is very similar to the light, and it’s just as easy.
Just use some rope ratchets or straps and hang it from the top of the tent. It’s even lighter than the light, so this will be easy on your arms and you shouldn’t need heavy duty rope or installation equipment. Like with the light, give the fan a small tug to ensure that it won’t fall out of place. If it falls, it can break and crush your plants.
Step 5: Add the Carbon Filter
Carbon filters may not be an absolute necessity, but they are incredibly helpful. They ensure that your tent won’t smell, and believe me, your tent can smell terrible if you don’t have a filter there to remove the odor. The filter acts to trap the odor and keeps everything smelling fresh.
Not only that, but since air will constantly be leaving your tent via the fan, bad odors will definitely get around. Carbon filters are fairly heavy, so it’s best to get rope ratchets and tie it near the top of your tent. You’ll want it near the fan.
The filter will come with tubes so that you can easily connect it to the fan. This ensures that the air that leaves the tent is as odorless as possible. Just put the filter near the back so that it doesn’t interfere with anything and you’re ready to go.
Conclusion
The last thing on our guide to how to set up a grow tent with LED lights is to put your plants in and make sure everything works together. Putting a tent together definitely takes some time and work, but not as much as you think. After a few steps, your tent will be up and ready to go. Just make sure that everything is safely secured at the top of your tent and you’ll be all good to grow plants wherever you want them.