Trying to decide whether to start growing cannabis in a tent? Grow tents come in all sorts of different shapes and sizes, and choosing the right one may be confusing to start with. Let's simplify the process of setting up an indoor operation and have a look at the many benefits of cannabis grow tents. Read on to find out why grow tents are the way to go for most indoor growers around the world.
Cannabis Cultivation in Grow Tents
Grow tents tend to be the quickest way of getting a grow up and running without worrying about light leaks. A completely dark, uninterrupted period is a fundamental aspect of indoor growing that should not be overlooked. Even the smallest light source such as a small LED power light on a piece of equipment can be enough to disturb a cannabis plant's dark cycle.
Grow tents make setting up easy and most of them can be put together in no time. They generally consist of a tubular, metal framing which connects together at the corners and comes with some support bars for extra stability and hanging lights, ventilation, or other equipment. The tent is covered using a light-proof, reflective material which has a few holes (at the top and bottom) for ventilation tubes, as well as zippers for opening and closing or entering and exiting.
The Pros and Cons of Grow Tents
There are many advantages to using grow tents but whether they are a good choice for you depends on the space you have available and your budget. Large tents can get quite expensive so if you're working on a big scale you may want to build individual spaces instead, or adapt the whole space into one grow room. Tents are ideal for small-scale grows and and allow for easy maintenance.
Grow tents allow one to build various spaces, making rotative cycles much more manageable.
A grower can have a vegetative room in one tent and a flowering room in another, meaning they can harvest more times each year.
Perpetual harvests are possible by setting up a two or three tents where the conditions are set in each and the grower doesn't have to mess around with the configuration as often as the plants move through their cycle. The plants can simply be moved to another tent that is ready to receive them.
| Pros of Grow Tents: |
Cons of Grow Tents: |
- Full control over environment
- Clean, protected space for cannabis plants
- Saves the hassle of building your own
- Helps to distribute light, increasing efficiency
- Does not allow light inside when fully closed
- Possible to grow all year round
|
- Large tents can be difficult to set up/take down alone
- There are many cheap brands on the market that do not offer good quality
- Some grow tents are overpriced
|
Types of Grow Tent for Cannabis
There are plenty of different levels of size and quality to choose from when it comes to grow tents. One of the main things to look out for is their durability or 'Denier', which should be labelled with the letter 'D' followed by a number (e.g. D750). The higher the number, the thicker the fibres used to make the outer layer of the covering.
As for the inside covering, this is usually some kind of white or silvery reflective material, most often a type of polyethylene plastic with unique properties for distributing light efficiently. The reflectivity of the inner material tends to fall somewhere between 40 - 90% (or even higher), depending on the quality of the tent. The higher, the better.
Keep in mind how much equipment you plan to hang inside the grow tent. The frame should be sturdy and as a minimum be able to support the weight of your lights, carbon filter and extractor fan. Although most tents are designed to support extra weight, thicker poles are the safest best to avoid having the grow tent collapse suddenly.
Basic Grow Tent Setup
Most grow tents come with instructions indicating how they should be set up. Putting them together is straightforward and requires you to connect the frame parts together before pulling the cover over it and fixing it into position.
Depending on the design of the grow tent or space you're working in, it might be easier for you to lay out the cover on the floor first and build the frame on top of it (over where the base/bottom part of the cover will end up being).
Consider where your ventilation extraction should lead and position your grow tent accordingly so you can connect the equipment properly. It is recommended to have some space either side of the tent so you can access the plants at the back if you need to.
Equipment needed for a fully functioning grow tent:
- Inline fan
- Extractor fan
- Oscillating fan(s)
- Ducting
- Carbon filter
- Grow lights
- Hygrometer
After your tent has been mounted you're ready to install the lights, ventilation system and other equipment. Setting up the extractor fan first means it's out of the way and you won't be trying to work around your lights to fix it into position.
Once you have everything connected, your grow tent is ready to go and just requires regular maintenance and cleaning to keep your grow cycles running smoothly.
Grow Tent Maintenance
Maintenance of your grow tent mostly involves keeping the correct environment to keep your cannabis plants happy. Some grow lights, like HPS or MH produce a lot of heat, which can accumulate quickly in a sealed space. Your ventilation system needs to be good enough to replenish the air at least once per 1-2 minutes, which will prevent hot, stale air from building up in the space.
We suggest checking your cannabis plants daily so you can make adjustments to your lights and fans so they always meet the demands of your cannabis plants. Using a hygrometer you can easily check if the environment is adequate.
Finally, keep your grow tent as clean and hygienic as possible. Routinely clean up dead leaves or dust, and make sure to wipe up any spillage. The cleaner you can maintain the environment, the less likely you are to experience problems with pests or mold.
Grow Tent Tips and Tricks
To wrap things up, here are some quick tips for keeping your cannabis plants happy in the grow tent:
- Set up multiple tents for perpetual cycles.
- Consider the addition of a humidifier or dehumidifier if you experience issues with high or low humidity.
- Set your temperatures between 20-26°C.
- Maintain humidity between 60-65% (vegetation) and 45-50% (flowering).
- Ensure air movement below the plants as well as the tops.
- Consider using LEDs instead of HIDs if heat or space are big issues.
- Fix a ScrOG net to the corners of the tent for an efficient way to maximise yields in the limited space.
- Make sure the tent is properly zipped up/closed before lights off.
- Cover any lighting on equipment inside the tent (like power lights from extension cables).
- Disinfect/sterilise the tent between grows.
- Use timers to automate your lights.
- Check the tent daily.
Grow tent setup by Fleetwood from GrowDiaries.
Conclusion
As there are literally hundreds of different grow tents on the market, there is one to suit almost every grower. It might take some research to find the perfect sized tent for the space you have available, but the investment will pay off. With a grow tent, you won't have to worry about damaging the inside of your home trying to build one yourself. They're easy to put together and you'll have a grow space up and ready to use in no time.
If you found this article useful or have any tips regarding grow tents, please share your thoughts with other growers in the comments section!
External References
The globalization of cannabis cultivation. World Wide Weed: Global Trends in Cannabis Cultivation and its Control. - Potter, G.R. & Bouchard, M. & Decorte, Tom. (2013).
Cannabis Indoor Growing Conditions, Management Practices, and Post-Harvest Treatment: A Review. American Journal of Plant Sciences. - Jin, Dan & Jin, Shengxi & Chen, Jie. (2019).
Understanding global patterns of domestic cannabis cultivation. Drugs and Alcohol Today. - Barratt, Monica & Bouchard, Martin & Decorte, Tom & Frank, Vibeke & Hakkarainen, Pekka & Lenton, Simon & Malm, Aili & Nguyen, Holly & Potter, Gary. (2012).
This article was updated December 2020.
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