Grow Tent Growing Tips

Grow Tent Growing Tips

Grow Tent Growing Tips

the INs & OUTs, DOs & DONTs of Tent Growing

[quote]If you don’t have a high temperature shut down relay installed and your cooling fan or air conditioning fails, your tent can overheat to the point of crop loss or worse. They aren’t terribly expensive-especially for the added peace of mind they supply.[/quote]

tent growing tips spearmint crop

Above: Grow Tent Growing Tips for producing healthy gardens, like this Scotch Spearmint being grown for resin production.

Grow Tents are great for growing a wide variety of crops, including hydroponics, when gardening indoors with grow lights.

A good grow tent allows just about anybody to start a garden indoors with a minimum of construction or making any permanent alterations to existing rooms or buildings, versus conventional grow room construction or setting up closet gardens.  Grow Tents keep bright light sources from intruding on surrounding spaces, and prevent light from outside sources  interrupting critical dark periods inside of the growing enclosure.

The reflective surfaces can also help to improve growth rates and crop quality too, because no light is wasted; all of it being reflected back to the crop instead of lighting walls or ceilings far away from the plant canopy.  Grow tents are typically supplied with leak proof flooring, helping to protect flooring or carpets when used in accordance with the manufacturers specifications.

There are some things that can help you get the most out of your tent growing experience, as well as some things you would be wise to avoid for the best cropping results possible.

 DOs in Tent Growing

Make sure you have adequate cooling power from your vent fans or air conditioner.  In a conventional grow room you may be able to get away with exhaust fan only with passive intake.  However, with a tent things can heat up quickly, so an active air intake fan is recommended.  Usually one size down from your exhaust fan works well.

Consider carefully how to make the best use of the internal volume and floor area for crop versus equipment. If you put a pedestal fan on the floor, you just lost space for crop yield-try mounting from the ceiling with boards, ie invert your pedestal fan.

Air-cooled lighting fixtures are recommended in grow tents.  Not only do they help optimal growing temperatures easier, they can have an added measure of safety, protecting hot lamps from touch surfaces in the event of an accident or mishap because they are shielded with a sturdy lens.

If your fans run on a thermostat, humidity can spike quickly if fans shut off during the dark period.  Installing a dehumidifier for the dark cycle helps keep humidity optimal, avoiding problems and producing healthier crops.

DON’Ts in Tent Growing

Don’t overload your support structure. Check the specifications on how much weight your tent frame can support, and where to hang it from. Carbon filters and air cooled reflectors can be heavy weight.  TIP–if necessary anchor heavier equipment into structural studs from the room or building and suspend the equipment into the tent with chains or support wires through small cuts to the exterior tent covering.

If you don’t have a high temperature shut down relay installed and your cooling fan or air conditioning fails, your tent can overheat to the point of crop loss or worse.  They aren’t terribly expensive-especially for the added peace of mind they supply.

Having conventional gas fired CO2 generators directly inside a grow tent is not advised. If not using water cooled models, consider a lung room if you are serious about expansion.  Or simply use CO2 pads for smaller jobs or bottled CO2 tanks and regulators for bigger endevors.

Don’t lean on your tent or prop anything up against it.  Setting up in an out of the way or little used space is usually a good idea.

grow room vent fan filter

 

About Erik Biksa 246 Articles
Erik Biksa has been writing about and discussing hydroponics growing, related technologies and cropping methods since 1999 in a variety of professional publications and platforms globally Erik has travelled the world learning and teaching modern growing techniques and technologies and is appreciated by many growers for his informative yet hands on approaches. Presently, he is the Editor at Grozine Hydroponics Mag.