Reasons to Use a Grow Tent for Weed
With marijuana being legalized in Canada and more and more throughout the USA, there is an ever-growing need for homeowners to find ways to efficiently and safely grow the weed of their choice. The fact that marijuana is still a big part of the black market tells me that maybe I want to consider hiding the fact that I am growing it. That’s not the only good reason to use a grow tent for your weed.
So, what are the reasons to use a grow tent for weed then? Benefits of using a grow tent for weed include (but not limited to) being able to grow year round regardless of your climate; grow tents improve the energy efficiency of your grow op; bugs and insects are less likely to be a problem in a grow tent; optimization of lighting and grow cycles are enhanced; grow tents are portable.
Those are some of the main reasons to consider using a grow tent for your marijuana. I will discuss each and a couple others, like circulating cleaner air and privacy as well. There could be other reasons, however, these I feel are the most important. After reading, I trust you will too. I am also going to go over a few related questions I found online that fit in well with this discussion.
Now, let’s get to it!
**** If you just want to cut to the chase I would like to recommend THIS GROW TENT which is a link to Amazon. I have purchased one myself and will be testing it and writing about it soon****
Should I use a Grow Tent for Weed?
Before we get into all the great reasons for using a grow tent, let’s answer this commonly asked question in the marijuana community. If you should use a grow tent for weed or not? The straight answer is yes, you should. If you can afford it along with other components of the tent like filtration and fans then yes, get one. Do yourself a favor, you will never regret this purchase if you plan on growing marijuana on an ongoing basis.
Reasons to Use a Grow Tent for Weed
Now, I will go over the reasons you should consider setting up a grow tent for your weed.
Grow Tents Can be Used Year Round
The excellent thing about growing within a structure like a portable grow tent is you can essentially keep growing all year round. Since you control the climate inside the tent, it doesn’t matter if it is the middle of January or July.
Improve Growing Efficiency by Using a Grow Tent
Because you are growing in a confined area, creating the ideal conditions for your plants you by default are improving the efficiency at which your weed grows. Sure, it is true that weed is called weed for a reason and will grow almost anywhere, however, it won’t give you the buds you desire unless you provide it with the ideal conditions.
You can keep growing marijuana in tents all year round. You don’t have to wait for the right season to start growing outside.
Insects and Pets should not be an Issue When Using a Grow Tent
Grow tents come with zippered doors which will prevent your pets or other critters from getting inside.
As well, you have now virtually eliminated the chances of having any kind of insect on your marijuana plants, unless you bring them in with the soil you use.
On the other hand, it will also be easier to treat your plants for pests if, by chance, some were to gain access to the inside of the tent.
Optimize Lighting and Growth Phases by Using a Grow Tent
When utilizing a grow tent for weed, you decide exactly what light the marijuana gets as well as how long and when. I just ordered a 1000 watt LED light to try out in a 24” x 48” tent. I only want to grow one plant at a time, as it’s just me enjoying it and honestly, I do a lot of my growing just for the pleasure of horticulture. Anyway, I can’t wait to show my results in an upcoming article.
When using a tent, you can set the height and the time your lighting is on and off inside the tent. This way, you better replicate the summer and fall seasons to first encourage heavy vegetation (plant) growth and then the flowering stage so you can get some big juicy buds on your plants.
The tent stops light from getting in when lights are supposed to be off. This will reduce the chances of your plants hermaphroditing.
Having an enclosed space also means you can maximize the flowering stage and have as big of buds as possible. Meaning you can leave the lights on for the flowering stage for as many days/weeks as you need to. You can’t always count on Mother Nature, especially if you are in a region prone to frosting in the fall. A tent saves the plants from frostbite.
The Portability of a Grow Tent Can’t be beat
This one is pretty obvious. Because the grow tent is portable, you can change its location daily, if you had to. I was thinking of setting a new tent up in my garage but wasn’t sure on where to place it. Well, it doesn’t really matter because if it is in the way I can pull out the plants and gear, move the tent and put everything back in in a matter of minutes.
This can be done in the basement or any other room of your house. It really is an ideal way to grow plants.
Control the heat and humidity in a Grow Tent to Grow Big Buds
Marijuana prefers a warm and somewhat humid growing environment. If you can regulate the heat and humidity to what the plant requires, the result will be big thick buds to smoke. That’s the goal, after all?
It is really easy to heat a grow tent. I have an article on the
topic where I give you different ideas and maybe some you hadn’t thought of. Please check it out when you are done here. How to Heat a Grow Tent.
You can also control the humidity and air flow by adding some moisture as well as installing an inline vent made for the tent, which can either draw in or pump out the air depending on your needs. You can find the inline ventilation grow tent kits through this link, which takes you to Amazon so you can get an idea of what I am talking about.
Since the tent is sealed up fairly well, not a lot of outside air flows to the inside easily. Therefore, having some sort of ventilation system setup will improve the air flow as well as enhance the plants health and growth.
Using a Grow Tent Provides Privacy While Growing Marijuana
There is still a stigma attached to people who grow and use marijuana even in regions where it is legalized. In Canada there is still a stigma when people talk about growing or using marijuana and it is legal to do both in the Country. I never hear others talking about it as much as I would of expected, them too.
Regardless, having your weed growing in a tent is a great idea for privacy reasons. You don’t need the neighbors in your business and you definitely don’t want criminals or thieves knowing you have big, huge buds growing in your garage.
The issue of privacy turns into an issue of safety, depending on how you are looking at this.
Just keep your growing done in private and you shouldn’t have any problems.
***So, now that we have all of that covered, you should be good to go, however, there are some other related questions I am going to answer that will help you even further understand the reasons to use a grow tent for marijuana. In no particular order, here we go***
Do Grow Tents Keep the Smell In?
This is a great question and the answer is yes, mostly. Until you unzip the tent to have a look at your crop. The way these tents are manufactured to keep light in and out helps with also keeping the wonderful aromatic smell of juicy buds inside the tent.
As well, if you get an inline ventilation system setup, you can direct the smell outside if you want to. I have an article on whether marijuana will smell up your house or not so check it out when you’re done here.
What Does a Carbon Filter do in a Grow Tent?
I love the idea of a carbon filter for a grow tent. I don’t have one yet only because of the cost. I do know though from experience with my aquariums that using carbons will take impurities out of the air like it does in water. Carbon will help clean the air so it is virtually odor-free except for what is coming straight off the plants.
- Do you need a carbon filter in a grow tent?
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- You don’t “need” one but having one will improve the overall experience of growing your marijuana. From what I have seen, they are definitely worth the investment.
- How do you use a carbon filter in a grow tent?
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- A carbon filter will be used in conjunction with your inline ventilation system. Very easy to set up and convenient. So, every time the ventilation is running, the air is flowing through the carbon.
Do You Need a Fan in a Grow Tent?
You don’t technically need a fan but they do provide some benefit to the success of your grow.
Having a fan on will help strengthen the stalk of the plant which is good because you don’t want it falling over when the buds start getting big. A fan also helps circulate the air to help the plants soil dry as well help push the air to an inline vent, where it can be taken out keeping the air fresh inside.
How long should a fan be on in a grow room is a common question. It can be on as long as you want. If you don’t want it running constantly, I would have it on when the lights are on. This might help dissipate some of the heat from the lighting. When the lights are off, keep the fan off so maximum growth can happen.
That being said, having a fan on 24/7 is okay. It boils down to what you think is right for your specific situation.
How Do I Raise Humidity in a Grow Tent?
Sometimes you will want to increase the humidity in the tent. Not all growers do but if you have very dry air by default you might want to.
An easy way to add humidity is to fill a 5 gallon pail with water and just sit it in the room. It will keep a small to medium sized tent humid enough. If you have a large tent try more pails.
Would it be okay to put a humidifier in a grow tent? I think it would be, whether you use a cool mist or regular style it would be a quick way to get moisture in the air. I have used one of those Vicks Vapo-Rub cool mist units just to give it a blast once in a while and it works great. I have also used the 5 gallon pail trick, which is my favorite.
How Big of a Grow Tent Do I Need?
Probably one of the more important things to know is how big of a tent do you need.
I would shoot for at least 24” x 24” floor space per plant. For height 5’ is plenty, however, if the tent is higher, you have more room for apparatuses like lighting and ventilation.
Are Grow Tents Insulated?
I haven’t run into any that are insulated but that doesn’t stop you from insulated a tent yourself if you feel you need to. You could use rigid Styrofoam insulation boards or wrap the outside of the tent with a couple water heater insulation blankets. There are all kinds of ways to do this. You just need to be creative.
Do You Need a Grow Tent for Hydroponics?
Whether you are growing marijuana or something else, if you will benefit from regulating the lighting for the plants, you will need to use a grow tent even for hydroponics.
How Much Light Does a Grow Tent Need?
On my last marijuana plant, I used a 50 watt LED plant. The plant had fairly nice-sized buds but not big huge ones. If I had used my 1000 watt light, the buds would have been much larger, yielding a bigger better harvest.
If you still need a suggestion I would say:
- Buy as high of a wattage as you can afford. You will not give a marijuana plant to much light. The problems with lighting come when the light fixture itself is to close and it scorches the plant(s).
- For every 24”x 24” area shoot for around 400 watts of light for maximum growth. I can recommend a light if you want. This LED light on Amazon would be perfect for an area that is approximately 24”x 24”.
How Much Negative Pressure Should a Grow Tent Have?
If you open the door once a day and aren’t using an inline vent forcing air out with no air being brought into the tent, you will get negative pressure. It’s probably not an issue for most growers until you start taping up stitching on the tent, trying to seal every tiny hole.
To answer the question, I don’t know how to say it in technical terms. What I would look out for is if your tent walls look like they are being sucked inwards. If you see that you definitely have negative pressure. Open up the zipper a bit and it should fix itself as well turn down the inline fan.
Conclusion
So, just to conclude, there are obviously many really good reasons to use a grow tent for weed. I feel the most important ones are related to having a successful crop. Safety and privacy are also very important.
Good luck!
Not sure you want to use a grow tent? How about checking out my article on grow tent vs grow room and see if maybe a grow room is for you.
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