Common Mistakes to Avoid With Grow Tents

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The invention of indoor grow tents was one of the best things to ever happen to gardeners. Finally, their crops weren’t at the mercy of the elements or pests, and they could have complete control over their yields. 

While there’s no denying that there are many benefits associated with grow tents for gardeners, that doesn’t mean everyone knows how to use them to their full potential. If you’re about to buy a new grow tent and want to avoid making as many mistakes as possible, learn about some of the most common ones below. 

Choosing the Wrong Size

As tempting as it can be to purchase the cheapest grow tent you can find, price shouldn’t be your first consideration. Instead, it would be best if you bought a new tent based on how many plants you have or how many you intend to have. You can’t just cram them all in there and expect them to grow well. 

If you’re unsure how to buy a tent based on growth potential, talk to your local grow tent stockist in NZ. We’ve also included some helpful information below. 

• 2 x 2 feet – 1-2 plants
• 2 x 4 feet – 2-4 plants
• 3 x 3 feet – 2-4 plants
• 4 x 4 feet – 4-6 plants (pair with a 1000w HID or LED light)
• 5 x 5 feet and 4 x 8 feet – 4-10 plants
• 5 x 9 feet and 8 x 8 feet – 9-16 plants
• 10 x 10 feet – 12-18 plants
• 8 x 16 feet – 16-32 plants 

Of course, these guidelines can differ depending on the plants you grow, but they can give you a general idea of what to look for while shopping. 

Buying An Inferior Tent

Times can be tough, and you might not have a huge grow tent budget. However, buying an inferior tent might mean you end up buying another one anyway, especially when it fails long before it should. 

Not all grow tents are made equally, so do your homework before jumping into a purchase. Some of the best brands include Gorilla, Seahawk, Jungle Room, and Pinelab. 

Seahawk is a popular brand for propagation, while Pinelab offers desirable 4 x 4-foot tents for between four and six plants. You might also choose Jungle Room to benefit from superior materials and Gorilla for various sizes to suit your growing requirements. 

Once you’ve identified a brand that suits your needs, look for desirable features that make some grow tents stand out for all the right reasons. At a minimum, your new grow tent should have a steel frame for strength, ducting ports for your grow tent accessories, zipped doorways for convenient access, and diamond mylar reflective walls for ideal growing conditions. 

If you buy inferior materials, they might not last as long as you might have hoped, or they might not utilise the latest technologies for a superior growing experience. 

Not Controlling the Climate

The whole idea behind using a grow tent is to have complete control over the elements. This is a problem many gardeners encounter with outside gardens, and a perfect crop is never guaranteed. 

However, a perfect crop is not guaranteed in a grow tent either, especially if you don’t purchase products to manage the elements and conditions like humidity and temperature. When you buy your new grow tent, don’t forget to purchase important accessories like thermostats for temperature, hygrometers for humidity, heater/portable AC units, and humidifier/dehumidifiers. 

Overheating Your Plants

When you’re not used to growing plants inside, it’s easy to make the mistake of overheating your plants. Even though some of the best grow lights on the market, like LEDs, don’t produce as much heat as other lighting options, they still produce a small amount, and plants can be susceptible to overheating when lights are placed too close to them. 

When plants experience overheating, they can dry out and stop growing. You might then have dedicated all that time to growing your plants from seed for nothing! Prevent this from being a problem by keeping lights a safe distance away from plants. Maintain appropriate hydration levels and take action if you notice the outer edges of your leaves turning brown. 

Not Having Enough Lighting

Lighting gives you control over photosynthesis, which is a necessary process for plants to turn water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide into simple sugar for them to use as fuel. Without this process, Earth would look much different than it does today. 

Just because growing in a grow tent is much different than growing outside, it doesn’t mean your plants don’t still need light. Choose your lighting based on the surface area of your tent, how many plants you have, and how you have your lights positioned. Consult your local grow tent stockist if you’re unsure how many lights you need or how to arrange them. 

Buy Your Grow Tent With Confidence

You won’t be an expert at growing plants in grow tents immediately, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be an expert with time. If you’re ready to have complete control of the climate for superior plant yield and health, now might be the right time to purchase a grow tent. 

And now that you’re aware of the most common mistakes people make, you might be better positioned to avoid them and produce healthy, happy plants.