Farming Pro Blog

Grow tents are super easy to pitch and provide an instantaneous ideal environment for plants. If you don’t have a lot of spare room for indoor growing, or you can’t be asked to make a grow space lightproof and well-ventilated, then grow tents could be the answer to your woes! They give you complete control over the growing environment and are suitable for all kinds of plants.

If you’re unsure which grow tent to go for, let’s cover the basics first.

What is a Grow Tent?

A grow tent is a fabric box lined with light and heat reflective material that has multiple vents and the capacity to house lights and other hydroponics accessories. They come in a number of sizes but are all lightproof, waterproof and airtight.

You can enhance the growing environment through the use of:

• Air conditioners
• Humidifiers
• Heaters
• Lights
• Fans

What are the Benefits of a Grow Tent?

Grow tents are an additional starting expense, but it’s a worthwhile investment. Grow tents have a reflective interior coating, so light is used efficiently, and it costs less to provide plants with nutrients and water as well.

Other benefits include:

• Increased photosynthesis
• Cheaper than controlling climate and ventilation in an entire room
• Odour and noise control

Things to Consider Before Choosing a Grow Tent

Now that you know the basic structure and purpose of a grow tent, let’s turn over a few more stones.

What size grow tent do I need?

If you’re growing a lot of plants pick a bigger tent, if not, pick a smaller one. Simple! The other thing to consider is whether you’ll be entering the tent or managing your plants by reaching inside. If you plan on working alongside your plants, you’ll need to ensure there’s enough room for your body too.

How tall will my plants grow?

Your tent needs to accomodate for the maximum height your plants might reach. For the most variety or flexibility, choose a grow tent with adjustable poles or an extension kit.

Where will I place my grow tent?

If you plan on housing it inside, such as your garage or a spare bedroom, any standard grow tent will be fine. However, if you’ll be placing it outside, choose a grow tent with the toughest materials and compact stitching.

How will I create good ventilation?

You’ll need an electrical port or connection of some type to set up a ventilation system. If you’re placing your grow tent indoors, make sure you have a window or other opening available to set up your exhaust fan vents.

What accessories and other features do I need?

You have the option to add extra lights, hanging ventilation fans, air ducting, or other accessories and features inside your grow tent. Choose a tent with strong support poles so you can customize your growing environment.

If you have any other questions about choosing a grow tent for indoor growing, reach out to our friendly team through our Contact Us page! :)

There are 3 main types of grow lights for hydroponic farmers or indoor gardeners: HID, CFL and LED lights. Their commonality lies in their production of light that provides a spectrum similar to that of the sun, their tailored output of varying colours, temperatures and intensity, and their 3 letter acronym names!

All 3 grow lights have pros and cons, and at the end of the day, it simply depends on what best fits your needs. Read on to learn more about grow lights, and if you have any questions, hit us up!

HID

High Intensity Diode lights can be used with either a HPS or MH bulb. High Pressure Sodium bulbs emit a wavelength that’s ideal for plants in their flowering cycle, and Metal Halide bulbs emit a wavelength that’s best for plants in their vegetative cycle. Many growers tend to use MH bulbs early in their plants’ growing cycle, to focus on growing the body and foliage of the plant, and then they switch to a HPS bulb when the flowering process begins.

HID lights are popular amongst growers because they’ve been around for a long time and they produce a lot of useable light for plants, and therefore produce the highest yield and fastest growth rates. However, they’re the most costly of grow lights and they produce a lot of heat, so you need to have good ventilation and extraction systems in place. HID bulbs also degrade over time and need to be replaced every 3-5 grows, and due to the power of these lights, a separate lighting ballast is required to power the bulbs.

CFL

Compact Fluorescent Lamp bulbs come in a range of types, with the most popular being the spiral CFLs and T5 fluorescent tube lighting. CFLs produce less heat, which makes them a good choice for baby plants that need help sprouting seeds and growing clones.

CFLs are less powerful than other grow lights but they also cost less, making them a good choice for growers who have a limited space to work with, have a strict budget, or who want to grow a small amount without investing too much in other equipment. On the other hand, the limited heat means mature plants will have a much slower growth rate. Some growers begin with a CFL grow light and then switch to a more powerful HID or LED light once their plants begin to mature.

LED

Light-Emitting Diode lights have recently progressed enough to become a popular choice for both professional and hobbyist growers. LED lights are more efficient than HIDs, in that they create more usable lights for plants while producing less heat, and therefore use less electricity. This makes it more cost-effective and the temperature is easier to control. LED lights will generally produce less yield than an HID, but more than a CFL.

In short, choose a grow light that best suits your plants’ stage in growth, your budget, your growing environment, and your crop goals. Happy growing!

Hydroponics, also known as indoor growing, is picking up traction because of its efficiency, higher yield and reduction of labour. Hydroponics uses on average 20 times less water than soil-based gardening, 20% less space for growing, and the growing environment is sterile, which means there’s no need for pesticides. You only use around 10% of water compared to soil-based gardening, and it can be recirculated, allowing you to conserve water. If you’ve been curious about starting your own hydroponics garden, read our guide to learn more about the 4 key things you need to know before embarking on this road.

1. Grow Area

Before you do anything else, you need to think about where you can start growing your plants. Some popular growing spaces include basements, closets and spare bedrooms—easy to see why indoor growing is becoming popular in the cities aye? But your grow area can’t just be a random space you happen to have free. It needs to be completely light-proof and have good ventilation. Artificial lights will be used to nurture the plants, so even a sliver of natural light will confuse them and affect their growth. A lot of growers tend to make holes for vents and then cover them using ducting to make it light-proof. If you’re a no muss, no fuss kinda person, the easiest way to get started is with a pre-made grow tent. These can be set up anywhere and are already light-proof and have ventilation systems in place.

2. Grow Lights

When it comes to hydroponics, you need something more powerful than your average household light bulb. There are 3 lights to choose from: HID, CFL and LED. You can read in depth about grow lights here (link to first blog on lights).

• HID Lights

Most powerful indoor lights with the highest temperature—also the most expensive. Ideal for growers using a 1m2-sized space or larger. Two types of bulbs: HPS or MH. Requires an external ballast, ventilation and reflector.

• CFL Lights

Average power but affordable. Ideal for very small spaces or smaller yields. Good for seedlings and clones.

• LED Lights

Most efficient and cost-effective. Creates more light with less heat, using less electricity. Will produce a lower yield than HID lights, but more than CFL lights.

3. Ventilation

Just like you need to crack the window open from time to time, plants need ventilation to breathe fresh air, regulate temperature and keep humidity levels down. Many growers use heavy duty duct fans and ducting for ventilation, and it’s highly recommended that you attach a carbon filter to the end of ducting to remove any unpleasant smells. It’s also important to keep the air flow moving, and this can be easily done with small clip fans that create a gentle breeze.

4. Growing Medium

Regular indoor growing can be achieved
with good quality soil, but hydroponics doesn’t use soil. Some good
growing mediums that support the root system include perlite, rockwool,
expanded clay, peat moss, clay pellets, gravel, sand, and vermiculite.