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How to Set Up a Grow Tent with a Hydroponic RDWC System?

Set Up a Grow Tent with RDWC System

Setting up a hydroponic grow tent with a Recirculating Deep Water Culture (RDWC) system is one of the best ways to achieve faster growth, higher yields, and a more controlled environment for your plants. But let’s be honest—getting started can feel overwhelming. With so many moving parts, from lighting and airflow to nutrient dosing and automation, a small mistake can mean the difference between a thriving grow and a frustrating failure.

That’s why planning ahead is everything. The right setup will not only save you time and effort but will also prevent common problems like poor water circulation, fluctuating pH levels, and temperature swings. Whether you’re a first-time grower or fine-tuning your system, this step-by-step guide will walk you through everything you need to know—from choosing the right location to automating your RDWC system with Growee.

See How Growee Can Save You Time By Automating Your Plants Feeding

 

Water pH – Automated pH Up and Down Control


Nutrients Mixing – Automated Nutrient Dosing with Target EC / PPM Control.


Control From Anywhere – WiFi Connection and mobile App

Step 1: Choosing the Right Location For Your Grow Tent

Finding the right spot for your grow tent sounds easy, but there are some important things you should consider before setting up your tent. Here are four things to consider:

  1. Access to Electricity  – our system will run LED lights, fans, air pumps, water pumps, a dosing system, and ventilation. You’ll need to make sure you have close access to a reliable power source. This can help prevent overloads and keep things running safely.
  2. Access to Water and Drainage  –An RDWC system relies on constant water circulation between the control tank and the grow pods. The water will need to be refilled and drained periodically, based on the plant’s growth stage and water conditions. Placing your tent near a water source and drain – such as a laundry room or basement sink – will make maintenance much easier.
  3. Space for Workstation  -Set up a small station nearby to keep nutrients, calibration solutions, and tools organized. Also, remember that the RDWC control reservoir should sit outside the tent for easy access.
  4. Don’t place it next to a window or a door – this will help prevent bugs and plant viruses from getting into the plants. We should keep the grow tent as sanitized as possible.
the right location for grow tent

Step 2: Selecting Your Grow Equipment

1. Grow Tent Size and RDWC System

Since we’re using a 4-bucket RDWC system, we’ll need a grow tent large enough to fit the entire system, including the tubes and equipment required for water circulation. We should also choose a tall tent that allows us to place the LED lights on top and adjust their height according to the plant’s growth stage. I would start with a 5×5 grow tent and place the RDWC control tank outside the tent.

2. LED Grow Lights

ack in the day, LED grow light technology was still evolving, and the go-to choice was HPS (High-Pressure Sodium) lights. While HPS lights provided great results, they were not energy efficient. Now, LED grow lights are becoming the mainstream choice, offering excellent efficiency and less energy transferred into heat while providing comparable results to HPS lights. This makes them a more sustainable and cost-effective option. 

Just make sure you select a leading brand. The general calculation for light requirements is 300 to 400 watts per square meter. So, in our case, a large (enough to cover the plants) 650-800-watt LED light will do the job.

LED Grow Lights

3. Controlling the Temperature and Humidity Levels

A grow tent is a highly dynamic closed environment, it is an isolated ecosystem that changes at all times from a rise in temperature during lights-on periods to a rise in humidity levels that can create mold, and plants don’t like rapid changes.

The first thing that you should do is… drumroll… Plan ahead! If your growing environment is colder, for example, a basement in Canada during winter, you should use a water warmer to keep the water warm. Also, try to sync between the LED light and a heater—when the LED is off and the temperature drops, the heater will kick on and keep the plants warm.

RDWC growee grow tent

4. Airflow and Ventilation

Air circulation is crucial to prevent mold buildup and diseases related to still air and humidity. If you are placing a fan, turn it to point to the right on the plants and make sure it is turning and creating a standard flow across the tent. 

Many growers install carbon filters to reduce strong plant odors, but proper airflow does much more than just control aromas.

Pro Tip 1: Creating positive air pressure

Positive pressure means that the tent should be blowing like a balloon with the air that is trying to get out of the tent (when it is closed) if the air is trying to get out new air can only get in from the ventilation with the filter, this is the same concept that is been used in  Fume hood.

Pro Tip 2: Shoe Sanitizing Mat 

You need to remember that this is a very delicate environment, and you need to keep things sterilized and clean. One of the most common contamination risks comes from bacteria, fungi, and pests that can be brought in on shoes and clothes during our day at work, from our garden, or even from inside the house. That is why I recommend using a shoe sanitizing mat outside your grow room to kill off any unwanted contaminants on your shoes before entering.

Consider using a hair cover, gloves, and clothing designated for the grow room to limit exposure to outside bacteria. Regularly sanitize tools and work surfaces to ensure a clean and controlled environment.

Shoe Sanitizing Mat 

Step 3: Automating Your Hydroponic Grow Tent with Growee

Now that your grow tent and RDWC system are set up, it’s time to talk about automation. Hydroponic automation is what makes modern growing efficient and hassle-free. This is where Growee’s system comes into play.

Automating Your Hydroponic Grow Tent with Growee

1. Automating pH Control

Let’s start with a fact, the water pH changes all the time, especially in recirculated systems like RDWC that is why one of the biggest challenges in RDWC  is maintaining the correct pH range. 

Growee’s pH Controller continuously monitors and adjusts pH levels in real time, ensuring your plants stay in the ideal range without the need for manual adjustments.

Automating pH Control

2. Automating Nutrient Mixing 

Most growers will use 4-6 different parts to mix the best fertilizer “cocktail” for their plant’s stage and needs. RDWC systems require precise nutrient dosing to avoid overfeeding or underfeeding your plants. 

 Growee’s Smart Dosing system mixes it for you and automatically adjusts nutrient concentrations (EC levels) based on your plant’s needs. Since RDWC systems allow lower EC levels compared to other hydroponic methods, automation ensures that the system maintains optimal nutrient strength without unnecessary fluctuations

3. Keep it tight 

To keep everything organized and accessible, consider a DIY inline setup for your Growee automation system. This allows:

  • Easy access to probes and dosing tubes
  • Clean cable management
  • Minimal disruption when adjusting the system

An organized hydroponic system not only looks better but also makes maintenance much easier.

Growee doser - Automating Nutrient Mixing

Final Thoughts

Setting up a hydroponic grow tent with an RDWC system is a great start to building your first high-end grow room. The yield potential is larger than with solid-based grow tents and coco-perlite pods. When done right, it will save you time and effort while maximizing yields.

My first job was in a welding shop, and the head welder had a saying – “Measure twice, assemble once.” It’s important to plan ahead and try to anticipate all the grower and system needs. Keep everything organized and in its place.

Automation tools like Growee simplify hydroponics by dealing with the tedious work, leading to fewer mistakes and less need to go down to the basement to deal with everything on a daily basis. It saves time, deals with nutrient mixing, maintains pH balance, optimizes plant health, and makes hydroponics fun.

FAQ

A grow tent should be placed in a location with easy access to electricity and water, away from direct sunlight, windows, and doors. A basement or laundry room often works well.

Windows and doors can introduce pests, diseases, and unwanted temperature fluctuations to your grow tent environment.

Air circulation is crucial to prevent mold, mildew, and stagnant air, ensuring healthy plant growth.

 Positive air pressure means more air is being blown into the tent than is being sucked out. This helps prevent contaminants from entering through any small openings.

RDWC stands for Recirculating Deep Water Culture. It’s a hydroponic system where plant roots are submerged in a nutrient-rich solution that is constantly circulated between a control tank and grow buckets.

RDWC systems offer excellent oxygenation to plant roots, leading to rapid growth and high yields.

Water changes depend on plant growth stage and water conditions. Generally, you’ll need to refresh the nutrient solution every 1-2 weeks.

The size of your grow tent will depend on the size of your RDWC system. A 5×5 grow tent is a good starting point for a 4-bucket system.

LED grow lights are the most energy-efficient and cost-effective option, offering excellent results comparable to traditional HPS lights.

A general rule of thumb is 300-400 watts per square meter of grow space.

Use a combination of ventilation, fans, heaters, and dehumidifiers to maintain optimal temperature and humidity levels.

Growee is an automation system that helps manage pH levels, nutrient dosing, and other critical aspects of hydroponic growing.

Growee’s pH controller continuously monitors and adjusts the pH level of your nutrient solution, ensuring optimal conditions for plant growth.

Growee’s Smart Dosing system automatically mixes and dispenses the correct amount of nutrients, preventing overfeeding or underfeeding your plants.

Common mistakes include inadequate ventilation, improper temperature and humidity control, and neglecting to sanitize the grow environment.

Use a shoe sanitizing mat, wear gloves and dedicated clothing, and regularly sanitize tools and work surfaces.

You can find a wealth of information online, in books, and through hydroponic gardening communities.

Do you want more free time?

Hey, We are Growee. We would like to help you save time and get the best results with our smart hydroponics controllers

About Growee

Our goal at Growee is to simplify and smarten urban farming. Our product line is tailored for small-scale growers, and we’re proud to support home growers and commercial growers in over 30 countries worldwide.

The company was founded by a group of engineers and hydroponics enthusiasts and has gained recognition for its innovative technology, including several awards from the Israeli Innovation Authority.

Small-scale growers face the time-consuming task of manual water monitoring and adjustment. Growee’s automated hydroponics system simplifies this process, enhancing efficiency and increasing hydroponic yield

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