Cannabis Indoor Growing Class 2025: Choosing Your Grow Tent and Setting Up a Hydroponic System
I am basking under the glow of the grow lights—it's warm and cozy in here!
Greetings, and welcome to the next 2025 Cannabis Indoor Growing Class where you’ll discover everything you need to know to get big yields inside. My friends Christian and Jackie, long-time outdoor cultivators, are trying their hand at indoor cultivation for the first time. They’re learning everything they need to know about the plant life cycle - and you can gain the same knowledge right alongside them.
Previously, we germinated Purple Caper auto flower seeds using Vivosun 1-Pack 40-Cell Seed Starter Trays. While the seeds work to pop, it’s the perfect time to ensure your grow tent is set up properly and ready to go.
Choosing the Right Cannabis Grow Tent
Setting up a grow tent for indoor cultivation is a great way to maximize control over the growing environment. A well-organized tent optimizes plant growth, ensures privacy, and streamlines maintenance. Here's a detailed guide to setting up your grow tent and adhering to best practices:
Size: Determine the appropriate size based on the number of plants and available space. Common sizes range from small 2’x2’ tents for a few plants to large 4’x8’ tents.
Material: Opt for durable, lightproof materials with reflective interiors (e.g., Mylar) to enhance light distribution.
Accessibility: Look for tents with multiple access points and observation windows for convenience.
Christian and Jackie have set up their Vivosun grow tent right in their home office, making it easy to monitor as they learn and refine the process. This convenient location allows them to keep a close eye on their plants throughout the day, ensuring optimal conditions and quick adjustments as needed. During the winter, the tent will serve a dual purpose by acting as a heater, helping to warm their office and saving on energy costs. Once summer rolls around, they plan to relocate the tent to their cooler basement.
Christian and Jackie are using a Vivosun Smart Grow Tent Kit in combination with a 5-Gallon DWC (Deep Water Culture) Hydroponic System Kit, a choice that offers exceptional convenience and control for their first indoor grow.
Ease of Setup
Pre-Configured Components: The kits are designed to work seamlessly together, including the AeroLight Wing, AeroWave fan system, and GrowHub controller.
Step-by-Step Guidance: Clear instructions make it easy for beginners to assemble the system confidently.
Control and Automation
GrowHub Controller: This device automates and monitors key aspects like light schedules, fan speed, temperature, and humidity via a smartphone app.
DWC Simplicity: Automatically delivers oxygenated nutrient solution directly to the roots, promoting faster growth.
Affordable Investment
These kits provide a cost-effective way to start hydroponic cultivation without the hassle of sourcing compatible components individually.
At the heart of every Cannabis tent is the lighting system
Unboxing the AeroLight Wing
AeroLight Wing AW400
Vivosun’s newest tent kit features the brand-new AeroLight Wing AW400, a cleverly designed light fixture equipped with two integrated fans for enhanced airflow. I had the opportunity to speak with Steven, (Vivosun’s Product Director), about this innovative addition to the brand’s catalog.
"Our goal with the AeroLight family (including the AeroLight Wing AW400) was to redefine what grow lights could do, combining advanced functionality with user-centric design. We wanted to create a solution that not only meets the needs of growers but also anticipates them, making it a transformative tool for indoor gardening."
Key Takeaways
Steven highlighted three core innovations that set the AeroLight family apart as a forward-thinking solution for growers:
Optimized Light Performance: The AeroLight family delivers the perfect balance of brightness, spectrum, and even light distribution. This ensures plants receive consistent and uniform light coverage, promoting healthier growth at every stage.
Innovative Fan Integration: The groundbreaking fan-light combination provides additional vertical airflow, working seamlessly with horizontal airflow from clip-on fans. This creates a 360-degree circulation system within the grow tent, ensuring uniform temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels. By reducing hotspots, pests, and mold risks, the AeroLight family helps cultivate healthier, more resilient plants.
Smart Growing System (SGS): With the integrated SGS system, growers can remotely control their setup and access pre-configured growth recipes. This smart technology streamlines the growing process, making it more intelligent and convenient, whether for hobbyists or professionals.
Steven added:
"The AeroLight family is more than just a series of grow lights; it’s a complete ecosystem designed to empower growers. From optimized light output to innovative airflow and smart control capabilities, it’s all about growing smarter and achieving better results with less effort."
Take a look at the technical specifications outlined below. If you're interested in the AeroLight Wing AW400, click here! Use the code Ed420 at checkout to save 15%. 🌱
Hydroponic Cannabis Cultivation
Jackie is hard at work assembling the Vivosun Hydroponic System, carefully following the instructions to the letter. In hydroponics, vigilance is key—given the significant amounts of water involved, any missteps could lead to flooding. To avoid potential problems, they ran the system for a couple of days before starting their operation, ensuring everything functioned perfectly.
Christian and Jackie chose to embark on their first indoor cannabis cultivation with a hydroponic system. To further streamline the process and save time, they opted to grow auto-flowering plants. While auto-flower varieties don’t typically match the quality of regular photoperiod cannabis plants in terms of potency or yield potential, they offer a significant advantage: they shave 4–6 weeks off the growing cycle. This faster turnaround makes them an excellent choice for growers looking to maximize efficiency and minimize time investment.
Their decision was influenced by several factors:
A New Challenge: Hydroponics was entirely new territory for them, and they wanted to embrace the challenge and steep learning curve it presented.
Precision and Control: Hydroponic setups require specialized equipment, such as reservoirs, pumps, and grow trays, but they provide unparalleled control over water, nutrients, and oxygen delivery.
Higher Yields and Efficiency: With disciplined management, hydroponics rewards growers with faster growth rates and higher yields compared to soil-based methods.
While hydroponics involves managing a substantial amount of water in the grow tent—posing a risk of leaks or water damage, the benefits of precision and accelerated growth make it particularly appealing, even for commercial operations. Ultimately, Christian and Jackie’s decision reflects a commitment to growth, not just of their plants, but of their skills as cultivators.
Photo 1: It always pays to take inventory! Double-check that you’ve got all the parts before getting started. Photo 2: The hydroponic system is fully assembled—just add the clay pebbles and run some tests to ensure everything is working perfectly! Photo 3 (below): Jackie adjusts the drip irrigation ring to ensure water flows perfectly without any spills.
Hydroponic Cannabis Cultivation: Pros and Cons
Pros
Precise Nutrient Control
The plants are provided precise nutrient solutions, tailoring them to plant needs.
Faster Growth and Higher Yields
The controlled environment and immediate nutrient availability result in accelerated growth and higher yields.
Water Efficiency
Recirculating systems minimize waste, making hydroponics more sustainable than traditional soil cultivation.
Cons
Complex Setup
The hydroponic system takes a bit of effort to set up, but once it's up and running, it’s nearly maintenance-free.
Nutrient Monitoring and pH Control
Careful attention is needed to maintain the correct nutrient balance and pH levels, as imbalances can quickly affect plant health. This only requires a few minutes twice a week.
Less Forgiving
Mistakes in nutrient delivery or system maintenance, can lead to immediate and severe consequences. This is NOT a common occurrence.
By weighing these pros and cons, growers can determine whether hydroponics is for them. Don’t be intimidated because the system is easy to use. It offers significant advantages in growth speed, yield, and resource efficiency and is easy to set up and maintain.
Additional Adjustments for a Thriving Cannabis Grow Environment
Christian and Jackie have enhanced their setup with thoughtful adjustments:
Photo 1: Enhanced Airflow with a Second Fan
Why: Improves air circulation, reduces mold risk, and strengthens plant stems.
What They Did: Added a second oscillating fan to ensure consistent airflow.
Photo 2: Nutrient Boost with Dynomyco Spark Mycorrhizae
Why: Mycorrhizae enhance root health and nutrient absorption, promoting higher yields.
What They Did: Incorporated Dynomyco Spark Mycorrhizae into their grow medium (Rock Wool).
Photo 1: CO₂ Enrichment with Green Pads
Why: Increased CO₂ levels boost photosynthesis, especially during flowering.
What They Did: Installed Green Pads, which release CO₂ when exposed to humidity.
Photo 2: Easy Water Management with Marked Water Levels
Why: Simplifies monitoring and maintaining optimal water levels.
What They Did: Marked the ideal water level on the outside of their DWC buckets with tape for quick visual checks with pink tape.
Photo 1: Additional Environmental Monitoring
Why: Having multiple temperature and humidity measurement points provides a more accurate understanding of the tent's microclimate, ensuring even conditions throughout.
What They Did: Brought in a second humidity and temperature measuring unit to track conditions at multiple locations within the tent. They can monitor it on their smartphone.
Photo 2: Optimized Humidity with an Additional Humidifier
Why: Maintaining 60% humidity ensures ideal conditions for plant growth, especially during the vegetative stage. (Note: Sometimes you will need to add a dehumidifier if the humidity gets too high.)
What They Did: Brought in an additional humidifier to consistently achieve the desired humidity level of 60%.
These adjustments showcase Christian and Jackie’s dedication to creating a thriving environment for their plants. By focusing on airflow, nutrient supplementation, CO₂ enrichment, water management, and precise environmental monitoring, they are setting themselves up for a successful grow. These thoughtful upgrades reflect their commitment to learning and refining their process, ensuring they achieve the best possible results from their setup,
What's Next? Transplanting and Maintaining Your Cannabis Plants for Optimal Growth
Here's a sneak peek at my next blog: The plants have been in the tent for 13 days and are growing at an impressive pace! Their vibrant light green color is a clear sign of rapid, healthy development.
Stay tuned for more updates!
If you are interested in the Germination Kit, the Light, or any of their equipment, check out the Vivosun Shop! They’re offering some fantastic sales, and by using the promo code Ed420, you’ll enjoy an exclusive 15% discount.