Hydroponic indoor grow tents are excellent ways to grow healthy plants that you normally would not be able to grow, especially if you live in colder climates.
Indoor tents take advantage of the comfortable ambient room temperature in your home to create a hospitable environment for plants while also containing light and humidity. How does this help? Let’s examine the VIVOSUN 4×2-foot grow tent to learn more.
What Is a Grow Tent?
A grow tent is essentially a container for your plants. It is a rigid framework, usually made of plastic or metal, encased in a fabric outer cover. A grow tent is made of metal or plastic poles, usually treated with a coating to keep the poles from rusting, and a canvas material to isolate the environment.
Indoor grow tents are usually made of multiple layers of fabric, with the interior layer being Mylar that usually has a pattern. Mylar is a good interior lining because it can be highly reflective and helps bounce light produced by grow lights back to plants. This helps ensure that the energy usage from your power outlet isn’t wasted.
A second layer that is important for your grow tent is a layer of thickened woven fabric – usually rated at Oxford 600D. This is crucial because this thickness helps ensure that the Mylar does not get punctured from the outside, it helps contain humidity, and it helps prevent light leaks.
You may have a third or even fourth layer of fabric between the Oxford layer and the Mylar, which will help with insulation and retaining light and humidity – these days, grow tents usually have this third or fourth layer and it is for the better.
What Are the Benefits of Using an Indoor Grow Tent?
Grow tents open a world of plants to growers! Everything from medicinal plants to orchids to fruits and vegetables can be grown in a grow tent.
This is because you can create most environments that a plant needs within the tent – most plants, even tropical ones, prefer room temperature, so the problem with growing “hard to grow” plants is not that its too cold, but rather that they don’t have enough light! It’s easy to add a grow light to a grow tent – in fact, you’re able to add more powerful grow lights to grow tents because the light doesn’t escape so if you’re growing something that needs more light (like something with large flowers), adding a high-wattage LED grow light will help your plant along.
Grow lights have become so powerful and so easy to use that you’ll be able to grow most plants quite quickly within a grow tent.
In addition to adding lighting, you’ll also need to add ventilation to a grow tent. Ventilation by using an inline duct fan and circulation recirculate CO2, oxygen, and help balance humidity levels to a point that is comfortable for your plant.
By adding ventilation, we’re getting closer to mimicking the perfect outdoor conditions for your plant, with the added benefits that you can grow plants year-round, anywhere in the world, at little extra cost. Depending on the type of plant you plan to grow, ventilation should be a major consideration and needs to be added to your tent.
So, what are the benefits of using a grow tent?
- Grow tents allow you to grow any plant, anywhere, in any season
- They create the perfect environment for exotic or hard-to-grow plants
- Grow tents are designed to help you save on energy costs
- Grow tents help contain and protect a plant from pathogens and from changes in humidity
- Grow tents insulate powerful lighting like LED grow lights, so you aren’t kept up late while your plants are growing
- Grow tents are easy to use, are easy to set up, and can last years when treated correctly
- Grow tents are relatively inexpensive
- Grow tents help contain your grow entirely to one space, so you’re not getting the rest of your house dirty while you grow
- Grow tents are larger than other indoor growing equipment like grow closets
- Grow tents can be unpacked and stored away when not in use
What Equipment Is Necessary for Growing Indoors?
This is a tricky question because there is so much that can be added into a tent that will be necessary in certain situations but not others. Let’s take a look at the necessary equipment and then we’ll take a look at some accessories that will make life easier.
- Lighting: Grow lighting can come in many different forms, power levels, and capabilities but regardless of whether it is LED or High-Pressure Sodium, lighting is necessary! Without it, your plants would live in a dark box! While you may think putting your plant on a windowsill would be enough for it, most plants just need more light than the winter sun provides, so add a grow light to your tent and grow anything all year-round!
- Ventilation: As previously mentioned, ventilation is crucial for ensuring that humidity does not stagnate in your grow space – stagnant humidity levels can cause mold, mildew, or pests to grow in your space. Ventilation also helps circulate CO2 and remove oxygen.
- A grow pot and medium: A container to grow your plant in is a must! Of course you’re not going to just put your plant on the ground and expect it to grow, but do be aware that growing in a grow tent will cause your plant to grow extra quickly, grow larger, and grow healthier than you expect! We recommend having a few different pots on hand and growing in potting soil to start off with, but in a grow tent the possibilities are endless – from hydroponics to coco coir, you can grow in anything!
Accessories:
- Carbon filters: If you’re growing a plant that has a smell, try adding a carbon filter to the ventilation system to remove those excess smells.
- Hand pruners and trimmers: Simple tools go a long way and a hand trimmer can help you control the growth of your plant.
- Humidifier and/or dehumidifier: Controlling humidity can be tough even with an inline fan. Adding a humidifier or dehumidifier can really help balance that environment out.
- Heater or air conditioner: Depending on where you live and where you place your tent, you may need to add some climate control to your space because your plants may need a bit more stability.
- Grow room glasses: These glasses are designed to reflect a lot of the harsh light that emitted by a grow light (yet is necessary for your plants).
Conclusions
Grow tents are a superb way to improve your plant health. They add a lot of capabilities that you normally don’t have access to when simply growing on a windowsill or growing outdoors.
Grow tents are extremely powerful tools that add a space for experimentation, for production, or for exciting innovations in growing at home! We hope this article acts as a good primer for your next move in growing.
