When it comes to growing weed for fun, there are few better methods than using a grow tent. They are convenient, easy to use, and essentially foolproof so ideal for the beginners out there. Growing indoors can require a lot of complex setup as well as difficulty controlling the environment and temperature. Using a tent removes all of these obstacles while also being much cheaper and faster to set up than an indoor grow space. In this article, we will have a look through what a grow tent is, what you’ll need, and the whole setup.
What is a Grow Tent?
A grow tent is basically what it sounds like, it’s a tent that you use for growing. It is a small structure that is fully reflective inside and allows for adding fans, heaters, lights, and everything else the plants will need. They essentially create a perfectly contained environment so no matter what a strain needs it can have it. These tents are especially useful for those who stay in colder areas or places where the weather is unpredictable. It can be tricky to heat a cupboard grow space if it touches an outside wall. This can create condensation and thick stone walls can store cold. Finally, for anyone who needs something a little more discreet than garden planting or ripping out a room/cupboard, the tent is by far the best option.
The interior of a grow tent is made of reflective mylar which helps spread light to every part of the plant. Sometimes, an issue growers face is only the top of the plant receiving light, reducing the yield. By ensuring the light gets everywhere you give the plant more energy to produce more buds. It is also extremely hard for pests to get into a grow tent. It is very difficult to pest-proof a cupboard, but tents zip up and have zero entrance points other than the circulation vents. If you are new to growing, tents give you an option that is almost impossible to cock-up.
Preparing
There are just a few things you need to think about before you bring a grow tent into your home.
Where? – As I said tents are pretty adaptable but they are still tents. If you have a spot in your house where there is space for it that has a stable temperature then that’s the place to be. Probably don’t put your grow tent in your garage, for example. Near a sink is also a good idea so that you have a ready water source, and close to a plug socket so you don’t have to trail an extension chord across your place.
How Thick? – The thickness of the canvas will affect how durable your tent is. Funnily enough, the tents go by Dernier just like tights, but about 600D is average for a grow tent. This is the best way to go, the cheaper the tent the thinner the fabric and the fancy boys can get up to 1680D. The thicker the better, which I suppose is a general rule for life.
Ventilation, Ducts and Windows – Always check out the port sizes before you get any of your hardware for your tent. You likely want a dual synching port that creates a seal around the pipes and keeps the tiny ecosystem balanced. Thicker fabric will also keep lightproof so you have control over every aspect of the climate. Some tents will also have viewing windows so you can peep at your plants without unzipping the front of the tent. Properly research ventilation for your tent. Ventilation stops overheating, keeps the air in the tent fresh, and stops the air from becoming too moist. Make sure the intake isn’t blocked by any walls or furniture so that the clean air can easily get in.
Ease of Access – Though you don’t want to be constantly going in and out of the tent, you need to get to the plant. You have to water it, feed it, clear away any dead leaves and check the dryness of the soil. If you want to do a little bit of grooming you want to make sure you have enough space to get in there. Make sure you go for a higher quality tent with a good zipper. If your zipper jams you’re screwed as you won’t be able to get into your plant and may have to break your door open and end up spending twice as much on a new tent. Just go a bit fancier to start with.
You may also want a floor tray in the tent which makes it easy to get the plant in and out of the tent if you have some more intense work to do. Also, after you’ve finished growing, you can take this tray out and clean it rather than doing the whole floor of the tent.
Putting In The Plants
How many plants you can have depends on the size of the tent. For a new grower, I would go for a smaller tent and just have one or maybe two plants that you can focus on. It will also depend on the grow technique you’re using. Some people prefer to just pop the plants in and let them do their thing, others prefer Screen of Green, Sea of Green or Low Stress Training. People tend to use these methods to fully take advantage of the light in a grow tent. However, if you’ve never grown before you might want to keep it simple by just popping a plant in and looking after it. Being best friends with it, and focusing all your energy on making it happy.
Odour Control
Once your plant is growing you may need help stopping it from stinking out your house. Make sure your tent is well ventilated, do not skimp on your ventilation equipment. You can either use passive ventilation where a fan is blowing air out but the in duct is just letting air into the tent. Active has a fan at both sides of the tent. Active ventilation is better for very smelly plants and a carbon filter is always a good idea.
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