Here is a short video of my current setup. Details are below.
The tent is made by Vivosun.
It's 48-in L x 48-in W x 80-in H (122-cm L x 122-cm W x 203-cm H).
The tent also has several vents, all of which, are kept completely closed.
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Underneath the tent is a garage mat. Since the tents are sewn together, the seams can leak just slightly. An absorbent garage mat captures any water that might leak through the seams to prevent damaging the floor. These mats can be found in various sizes on Amazon or at Home Depot.
Plastic hardware cloth is attached to the frame of the tent with zip ties. Wire or plastic covered wire mesh is too heavy and more expensive.
I use four 48-in aquarium strip lights by Current USA. I prefer aquarium lights for two reasons:
1. They are sealed, so they will not be affected if they get wet, and they will last longer than grow lights.
2. Aquarium lights have more options regarding light spectrum. These lights from Current USA let you customize the spectrum, so I add extra red spectrum to promote blooming.
The lights are turned on/off by a smart plug. These smart plugs are controlled through an app on my phone, and unlike timers, don't have to be reset after power outages.
At night, I use a portable a/c unit by Zero Breeze to cool the tent. I use the basic model without a battery backup.
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The a/c operates using an infrared remote, so it can't be used with a conventional timer. However, it is automated using a hub from Switchbot.
The cold air is blown into the tent while the warmer exhaust is directed up toward the ceiling.
The intake is on the unit outside the tent, so it doesn't remove humidity from the tent. The condensation drains into a 2-gal container.
There is one humidifier that runs in tandem with a fan.
The humidifier is controlled by a smart plug that lets me create a customized schedule.
One oscillating fan is placed in the bottom in order to push cool air upward. The fan always runs on the highest setting.
There are no fans in the upper area of the tent. Using fans in the upper part of the tent pushes warm air down, and causes temps to rise.
The fan is controlled by a smart plug that lets me create a customized schedule.
Temperature and humidity are monitored with two Bluetooth sensors by Sensorpush. I use the HT.w Water-Resistant Temperature / Humidity Smart Sensor.
I can check the temp/humidity through an app on my phone.
My typical growing conditions are below:
Here is my full daily schedule:
8:00 am: Lights On; A/C off
8:00am – 8:30am: Humidifier (Level 10) with Fan
(I typically hand-water the plants sometime between noon and 4:00pm)
12:00pm – 12:30pm: Fan Only
3:00pm – 3:30pm: Fan Only
6:00pm – 6:30pm: Fan Only
9:00pm – 9:30pm: Humidifier (Level 10) with Fan
9:30pm: A/C on
10:30pm: Lights Off
11:00pm – 11:10pm: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
12:00am – 12:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
1:00am – 1:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
2:00am – 2:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
3:00am – 3:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
4:00am – 4:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
5:00am – 5:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
6:00am – 6:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
7:00am – 7:10am: Humidifier (Level 4) with Fan
I use cedar mounts for almost all my plants. I buy them premade from Andy's Orchids.
I use Spagmoss from besgrow. Since I live in a condo in the city, the compressed mats of sphagnum are easy to store. I use the 100g portion.
I water almost every day in the summer, but in winter, I sometimes skip every third day.
I use a 2-gal battery-powered sprayer (FH25E) by Sprayers Plus.
I don't use a misting system. I have tried them in the past, but they are very inefficient and wasteful.
I use tap water without any modifications except fertilizer.
The sprayer puts out a powerful but gentle stream. The battery holds a charge for over a month when used once per day, and it now only takes about 5 minutes to water all my plants.
I fertilize once per week with 1/2 tsp. of Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster.
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