GENERAL HYDROPONIC TENT SET - UP

Your average grow set up is made up of a few key components. The first thing you will need to do is set up your grow tent. Majority of grow tents on the market are made out of a double sided canvas. On the external side of the grow tent you'll find a black non-reflective surface, normally made out of nylon or polyester, while the inside is layered with a reflective plastic material, normally made out of biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate, designed to maximise light absorption and reduce loss of light. All grow tents come with a metal frame that you will need to assemble yourself. 

Once you've established your grow tent build, its time set up the rest of the system. No matter what hydroponic set up you utilise, every set up needs a reservoir, This reservoir will be your plants main resource of nutrients that (depending on what system you use) will be pumped through a network of tubes, nozzle sprays, drip nozzles and water pumps. 

One important thing to keep in mind when installing your carbon filter and air conditioner is that they need to be on opposite sides to your grow tent. On top of this its important that you place your air conditioner in a position where it can intake fresh air from an opening around your tent. This ensures that hot air or carbon dioxide isn't being recycled back into the plants healthy breathing space. By placing these two in opposite ends of the tent also maximises the efficiency of each piece of equipment. Your carbon filter will be connected to a metallic exhaust tube in which it is then fitted to one of the tents openings, this will ensure that any carbon dioxide from inside the tent is blown out, creating fresh space for you plants to breath in oxygen. The air conditioner it self is implemented to keep grow tent temperatures down. Heat is often produced from such things like grow lights, carbon filters and exhaust and fans. If your running a system that requires more than 12 hours per day of use it is very important to keep temperatures down as hot temperatures can be very decremental to the plants you are growing.

Hydroponic accessories:

After covering the main components of your grow set up, we must now address the smaller, less major pieces of equipment that will assist you in your grow journey. Firstly lets talk about nutrients. All base nutrient solutions consist of three major compounds; Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, you will most likely see this referred to as NPK. These components are essential to healthy plant growth and yields. Nitrogen is a key component in a plants early growth cycle, nitrogen is often used in a higher ratio then the other two compounds due to its positive affect on the plants root system. Nitrogen is also vital to the production of chlorophyll, which allows the plant to photosynthesise (the process in which plants produce sugars from water and carbon dioxide). The next compound we will address is phosphorus. Phosphorus plays a key part in structural growth of the plant (stems and leafs) while also playing a major part in improving crop quality and seed production among other things. The last compound making up the NPK solution is Potassium. Potassium is often seen as a general treatment for the health of any plants. Potassium can play a key part in things like crop yield and flavour (taste). supplementary compounds like iron, zinc or magnesium are common compounds found in a lot of NPK solutions. 

Water and air pumps are also essential in any hydroponic set up. Water pumps are often placed inside the main reservoir. Water pumps are used to transport the nutrient solution in the reservoir to the growing medium in which your plant is sitting in. This is done through a system of tubings linking your water pump and planting pots. Air pumps are usually located somewhere near the outside of your reservoir. The air pump is then linked, through a tube, to a air stone submerged in the reservoir itself. The function of an air pump is that it intakes fresh oxygen and pumps it through the air stone into the nutrient solution, this maximises oxygenation within the water and therefore maximises oxygen uptake from the plants root system. 

Controlling the Ph of your nutrient solution is key to a healthy grow. PH levels for plants in hydroponic set ups usually sit between 5.5 and 7.5 on the pH scale. A way to measure your pH level would be through either a pH kit or a pH pen. PH kits are often used in testing the pH of house hold pools. These same pH kits are utilised in hydroponic set ups. Normally in the kits you'll have a; test tube vile (In which you stop your nutrient sample), pH scale card, and a pH dye indicator. Another, more costly but more accurate, way in testing the pH level in your hydroponic set up is using a pH pen or meter. A pH pen is a rectangular piece of equipment that has electrical conductivity probes on the tip of the pen. Ph pens are quite easy to use and there fore a lot of people prefer this as appose to a pH kit. simply place the probe end a inch into the water and wait a few seconds to get a reading. the reading will show up on a small screen located on the side of the pH pen. IF there is a need for lowering or increasing the level of your nutrient solution, you will need products like the Hy-gen pH up or the pH down. Simply add until you achieve the right pH level for your grow.