If you want to grow weed but don’t have the space for an entire room, a cannabis grow tent is ideal. You can save money and better control smells by adjusting your plants’ environment. Keep reading to learn everything else you need to know about cannabis grow tents.
If you want to grow a large amount of high-quality cannabis, you’ll need a specific growing environment. This might be your backyard or green house depending on where you live.
Many of us are limited to growing cannabis indoors due the law or weather conditions. When we take our grow operations inside, it is important that we recreate an outdoor environment as much as possible.
If you want to ensure a higher chance of success for your Cannabis grow operation, you need to create a controlled environment. Indoor cannabis grow tents allow you to do just that.
What Is an Indoor Weed Tent?
A cannabis grow tent is a type of indoor growing space that many people prefer. It gives weed the perfect environment to develop while also not needing you to redesign an entire room.
Grow tents come in all shapes and sizes, small enough to fit in a cupboard or large enough for majestic sativa specimens. They’re much more than just a plastic sheet too – they have features like power outlets and ventilation so you can run water, electricity, and air in and out of them. Plus, good grow tents are made with quality materials that help to regulate temperature, humidity light exposure, airflow, and more.
Why Use a Cannabis Grow Tent?
Utilizing an indoor grow tent for weeds has already been shown to be beneficial, but there are even more reasons why having a grow tent is essential for most indoor growers.
Pros of Using a Marijuana Grow Tent
Here are some reasons why you might want to grow cannabis in a compact and ideal environment, without taking over an entire room:
- An affordable solution to creating a grow space for cannabis
- Optimised environment improves crop yield and quality
- Insulation saves money on heating
- Helps to prevent infestations
- Keeps dust and dirt out of room
- Helps to maintain stealth by containing heat and smell
- Can work as a place to house mother plants or plants at varying stages of growth
Cons of Using a Marijuana Grow Tent
The benefits of using a tent to grow weed greatly outweigh the drawbacks.
- Initial cost can be expensive (depending on what you buy)
- Grow tents still require a degree of space
Despite these disadvantages, they pale in comparison to the numerous advantages. The fact is that it costs money to set up an indoor cannabis grow—with or without a tent. However, if you use a tent, you have greater potential for yielded gains. Also, whether you have a tent or not, growing cannabis requires ample space.
Where Should You Set Up a Cannabis Grow Tent?
Your grow tent’s placement is nearly as critical as the tent itself. A well-placed grow will make your gardening experience easier and more successful, while a poorly placed one will give you little to no benefits and cause frustration.
Here are some factors worth considering:
- Light proofing: Grow lights are incredibly bright, and if they spill out of the growing tent, it can be very irritating. Additionally, light coming in at night disrupts the plants’ natural circadian rhythm and causes extensive damage. To mitigate these risks, you need to choose a space that is completely dark.
- Airtight: While this may not be top priority, it can certainly save you some money and effort in the long run. An airtight grow space will keep odours from seeping out and temperature/humidity more stable–factors that can also be optimized with other methods though an airtight room makes life much simpler.
- Air exchange: If you’re able to afford it, investing in a ventilation system can improve the quality of your air significantly. Not only will it maintain appropriate levels of oxygen, CO₂, and humidity, but if you also install a carbon filter elsewhere in your exhaust system, offensive smells will be much less noticeable.
- Climate control: Potted plants don’t thrive well in an airy garage; you need some type of heating and humidity control.
- Connectivity: To avoid any headaches down the road, make sure your grow tent is set up near a power source and water source. Trust me, you don’t want to have to lug heavy buckets of water through your home every day because you didn’t plan ahead! Also, try to keep cords and wires neat by placing your tent next to a outlet. A little bit of forward thinking will save you a lot of trouble later on.
What Factors Are Important When Choosing a Grow Tent?
With so many grow tents on the market, it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. But don’t worry–we’re here to help. Below, we’ve outlined some of the key factors to consider when making your purchase so that you can choose the best option for your needs.
Cost
Although there are high-priced grow tents, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good quality one. There are many cheap models that offer everything most growers need.
Tents range in price from around 100 to several hundred pounds. However, even the cheaper tents come with great features like Mylar lining, observation windows, and multiple inlets.
By taking the time to compare your options and do your research, you can ensure you’re getting the best product possible without overspending.
Materials
When it comes to choosing materials for your grow tent, the most important consideration is the fabric of the inner liner. You want a reflective material that will maximize light and help you save money on your electricity bill. The outer shell can be made from a variety of different materials, but canvas is usually a good choice because it’s tough and long-lasting.
Although reflective materials tend to be more costly, here are some of your available options:
- Aluminium foil (55–60% reflectivity): This is a low-cost and beginner-friendly option that won’t last long, but it’s reflectivity isn’t the worst. If you’re experience level is low and you don’t need amazing results, this could be a decent choice for you—but keep in mind it probably won’t deliver great yields.
- Emergency blankets (70% reflectivity): You can also cheaply line the space with emergency blankets that are highly reflective. However, they crease and tear easily like foil.
- White sheeting (90% reflectivity): If you’re okay with a bit of wonkiness, this product is a great and cheap option for you. However, it can be tough to set up if you’re inside of a tent.
- Panda film (85–95% reflectivity): The black-and-white specialist film is more expensive than other options, but it’s worth the money because it reflects a lot of light, is durable, and doesn’t wrinkle. This makes it ideal for growing cannabis.
- Orca film (85–95% reflectivity): Orca film is the more expensive and durable option when compared to panda film. If you’re dedicated to growing crops, then this will be a worthwhile investment in the long run. However, if you’re just starting out, it may be too much.
- Mylar (90–95% reflectivity): Grow tents usually come with this material installed for a good reason: it’s reflective and much cheaper than other options. The only downside is that the fabric is delicate, so handle it carefully.
Size
If you’re new to growing, it can be tough to choose the right size. Trainings techniques, pot sizes, and genetics can all have a big impact on plant size. To figure out how many plants you need per m², start by estimating the dimensions of your final crop. Then select a tent with appropriate dimensions.
For novice horticulturists, a grow tent with an area of 1m² is big enough to cultivate a good quantity of cannabis. Tents this size aren’t too pricey (around 100 pounds), so it shouldn’t be challenging to also locate an affordable lighting system.
Features and Quality
Although tents don’t need to be technologically advanced, several key features are necessary for a good one. A tent lacking these limitations can be quite the nuisance.
Here’s what to look out for:
- A sturdy frame with a lot of junctions: To prevent any accidents, always confirm that your grow tent frame can support the weight of anything you plan on Suspending from it–lights, ventilation systems, etc. A set of LEDs for a 1m² space might only weigh 2kg while an HPS lighting system could weighs 5kg. Exhaust systems often weigh 6kg or more. Therefore, Always make sure your frame can hold at least 12 kg!
- A good number of air-exchange ports: To ensure fresh air for your plants, you need at least three exchange ports: one for the exhaust fan, one lower down to pull fresh air in, and one to let stale air out.
- A number of entrances: Do you want one or multiple zips on your tent? With larger tents, being able to access it from various sides is key. Plus, having see-through observation windows can come in handy. That way, you won’t have to open your tent and mess up the environment every time you want check on your plants. Just ensure that there’s a dark covering for this window so light doesn’t escape.
- Odour control: A grow tent by itself does not offer complete odor control for a weed grow, but it will help to conceal the scent. If you want to be truly inconspicuous, you should install a filter in your exhaust system.
- Automation: If you want to automate your grow process, you’ll need to purchase and set up timers and pumps yourself. Unfortunately, grow tents don’t come with this automation included. The bright side is that most tents are just as good for being automated.
Hydro or Soil?
You can grow your plants in soil or hydroponically. If you choose the former, then they’ll be situated on the floor and should fit comfortably (tip: square pots help maximize space per m²). Hydroponic setups, however, can require extra space depending on which system you choose.
Having additional reservoirs outside of your tent will give you a major advantage, just make sure to buy a model with more than three inlet ports.
In other words, ebb and flow systems, deep water culture, and wick systems don’t need a large space to work like soil grows. A system such as nutrient film technique needs more room to function properly though, so you might need a bigger tent for that.
Other Considerations
If you want to set up your grow tent for cannabis properly, you’ll need more than just the basic equipment. You’ll have to put together lights and exhaust systems, which are often not included when you buy a grow tent. However, these fixtures are essential for ensuring a successful growing experience.
Useful additions are:
- Cable ties
- Duct tape
- Reflective tape (for sealing gaps around ducting)
- Straps (for heavier setups in bigger tents)
- Power extension cables
Can You Make Your Own DIY Cannabis Grow Tent?
If you want to take advantage of the benefits provided by an indoor grow tent but don’t want to spend money on one, you can make your own.
With a little patience, you can easily create a system that produces quality crops. Just remember that you’ll need to spend some money upfront; though, you could save significantly by making your grow tent rather than purchasing one of the more premium commercial tents.
Indoor Weed Grow Tents: A Perfect Cultivation Solution
The best way to grow marijuana indoors is by using a grow tent, unless you can dedicate an entire room in your house specifically for this operation. This would include protecting the walls and hanging lights from the ceiling. Even then, it’s not worth going through all of that trouble unless you plan on growing a large quantity.
In conclusion, grow tents are probably your smartest option. You have a lot of choices to select from, including making your own tent. Weigh the pros and cons of what you’ve read here, explore our more comprehensive articles for additional insights, and see what else is out there!