Proper air circulation and ventilation in your grow tent is imperative to a high yield grow.
Let's look at the science behind proper ventilation:
- Plants, such as cannabis, need a supply of carbon dioxide to properly thrive. If new air is not brought into/pumped out of your tent, then your supply of carbon dioxide may be reduced, harming plant growth
- Stale air, or air that is not moving, can help mold, mildew, and other dangerous contaminants thrive. This is bad. Don't let this happen. Powdery mildew is the enemy. We hate powdery mildew, which seems to love grow tents
- Strong wind and proper even airflow can help stems grow stronger, and more capable of holding up high yield cannabis buds.
So now I hope you understand the need for proper grow tent ventilation setup.
What you need:
Grow Tent (or grow space with a way to hold up lights)
Rope Ratchets (for hanging grow light)
Grow Light - compare cannabis grow lights
Exhaust Fan
Ducting
Ducting Clamps
Carbon Filter (optional) - learn about carbon filters
A way to hide exhaust vent from outside (if needed, explained below)
Step 1: Set up your grow tent
Step 2: Install both fan and carbon filter(if you plan to use one). These items are often tough to install after the grow light, so get these parts in place before you go to the next step
Step 3: Install your grow lights in the tent with rope ratchets. Don’t plug in anything until you’re about to start growing.
Step 4: Inside the grow tent, connect everything with ducting. You will need ducting clamps. Connect carbon filter to light, and light to exhaust fan.
Step 5: Outside the grow tent, install ducting to bring air from fan to exit outside. Use ducting to connect the exit port on your fan to wherever you’re going to exhaust hot air. Try to create a short straight path that’s as air-tight as possible until air is safely outside.
Step 6: Ensure intake hole is open so new fresh air can enter the tent. Also make sure that there’s a window or door open in the grow room so fresh air can come inside to replace the hot air being vented out.
Tip: Make sure there is no extra slack in the ducting if possible. you will need extra ducting to be able to adjust your lights, but use something like binder clips or chip clips to bunch together extra ducting.
Keeping a straight path that air has to go through will help make the whole exhaust system more efficient.
If things are getting too cold in the grow area (for example in winter months), you can exhaust the heat back into the grow room to help warm things up, or you could turn down the overall air being moved by your fan by putting it on a timer or using a fan speed controller. Some growers even exhaust the heat into the house in the winter for free heating.
