Cannabis Grow Tents

Grow tents are an excellent method of growing cannabis, and they’re available in all sorts of shapes and sizes. We’ve written about how to set up a grow tent on a tight budget before, but this time we’ll focus on how to save space with a smaller tent.

This step-by-step guide will teach you everything you need to know about indoor cannabis cultivation, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced outdoor grower. With this guide, you’ll be able to grow high-quality cannabis indoors in no time.

Why Use a Tent to Grow Cannabis

There are many advantages to using a grow tent for your indoor gardening.

Enviromental Control

By growing cannabis in a tent, you are able to control the light, humidity, moisture and air levels needed for optimal plant growth. This is especially useful if you’re trying to avoid pests. When you’re growing outdoors, you don’t have this luxury –you’re at the mercy of whatever climate conditions happen to be occurring.

Security

Not only will a grow tent give your plants their own space, but it also comes with great lighting containment features. If you need to keep your set-up hidden, this becomes an incredibly valuable perk. Another upside to using a grow tent is that you have more control over aromas.

Portability

Tents provide the perfect solution for those who need a temporary structure that can be easily and quickly set up and taken down.

Better Results

By growing in a tent, the process becomes more streamlined, especially if you’re new to horticulture. In addition, most good tents have reflective interiors that amplify lighting effects and photosynthesis for both leaves and buds.

Why Go Small?

A grow tent is a fantastic way to produce potted plants without having to worry about the space or budget constraints that come with other methods. You’ll need less equipment overall, which means less initial investment, and fewer things that can go wrong.

How Small is Small?

Ultimately, it depends on what you need. You can grow cannabis in a small tent, which is perfect for seedlings or clones. Or, you can have fewer taller plants that you take care of from when they’re seeds until they’re ready to harvest. Tents are sized according to how many square feet they are; so, for example 2’x2′ means the length is two feet and width is also two feet.. Having a taller tent – as long as it’s still reasonable – allows more space inside for plant growth while still providing adequate lighting overall.

Depending on the size of your living space, you might want to consider buying a mini tent. These tents come in various sizes; find one that fits your needs and is comfortable for everyone. Just keep in mind that a small tent won’t have as much space as traditional camping tents or grow rooms – they are meant to be smaller.

Before you finalize your decision on what size grow tent to buy, consider how many plants you want to cultivate and the strain. Ensure that you will be EPA-approved for the strain specific and height of the plant. Buy agrow light, fan, carbon filter for smell containment if necessary,and double check that all those things fit in the dimensions of chosen tents before making your purchase!

Another thing to consider when picking out a grow tent is how much space you’ll need for all of your equipment. You don’t want to buy a tent that’s too small and cramped, but you also don’t want one so big that there’s wasted space. We recommend finding the best quality grow tent you can afford since it will only be beneficial in the long run.

What You Need to Set Up a Grow Tent

In order to have a thriving garden, you will need more than just a tent –  you will need some quality equipment.

Grow Light

LED lights are the best choice for a small grow room because HPS, HID, and HPI lighting emits too much heat. These types of lightbulbs also take up more space and can be dangerous if they’re not used properly. An LED panel that’s 15 watts will give you around 3000 lumens without giving off any extra heat. Alternatively, any small 60-watt LED panel should do the job just fine if your tent is on the smaller side. You likely won’t even need to use it at full capacity since higher wattage lights can still be controlled effectively–this means your electric bill will be lower too!

During the vegetative phase, keep your lighting at 50% power or lower. Once it’s time for flowering, increase the power to between 50%-75%. If you want more control over your lighting schedule, consider buying a controller that can be operated through an app. Just remember to check in regularly; not doing so on time can mean failure instead of success.

The location of your lighting depends on the size of your tent and how many plants you want to grow. If you only want a couple plants, and your tent is tall enough to fit it inside, then place the light at the top of the tent. Otherwise, side placement works better because it allows light to penetrate more areas. You can get a good quality reflector with your purchase if you buy from certain sources, but don’t forget to include a hanger too if needed for LED lights specifically.

Ventilation for a Small Tent

Ventilation is key in a small tent because without adequate airflow, the space will quickly become stuffy and ill-suited for your plants. If there’s not good ventilation or ducting, your plants will consume all of the available carbon dioxide so rapidly that it inhibits photosynthesis.

To improve air circulation and avoid stagnant air, add a small outtake fan or exhaust fan. If possible, position the fan on the inside of your Grow tent above the plants. Mounting the fan in this way will change the airflow throughout your entiregrow space–reducing hot air and humidity while giving your plants fresh air.

Managing Aromas

When growing in a small and confined space, the need for odor control is naturally less than in larger grows. Depending on the location of your tent, you may or may not need a carbon filter – but if you do, you can easily attach one in front of your outtake fan. The downside to this is losing some precious interior space inside your tent since fans, lighting, and odor control must be considered before setting everything up. Are you willing to make that sacrifice? If not then buy a slightly bigger size.”

Watering Your Plants In a Small Tent

An extra small tent is only meant for two or three plants, so you won’t have the space to walk around watering them. You also won’t be able to install any automatic watering systems or hydroponics. Hydroponics are too difficult in such a confined area.

Instead of rushing, take your time with this operation. If you have the opportunity, remove each plant and water it individually – however be careful not to splash water on the leaves as that can cause fungus problems. Use a small watering can or bottle so you have more control over the amount of water being used.

Cannabis Growing Techniques

You will need to learn some new methods for gardening if you want to garden in a limited space. If you don’t know these techniques, the most common ones are LST (Low-Stress Training), HST (High Strain Techniques), ScrOG (Screen of Green), and Defoliation. The last one is key for gardening in small spaces – by taking off excess leaves, you make sure your plants get enough light to produce good sized buds.

Choosing Your Strain for a Cannabis Tent

With a smaller grow tent, you have less space to work with and fewer strain options. Indica plants are shorter and bushier while sativas are taller and thinner– take this into account when picking out your tent size. You’ll need to decide if you want a taller & narrower one or shorter & wider based on the type of plant you’re growing.

Additional Tip: When flowering, sativas generally experience a height increase of 200-300%, whereas indicas only stretch by 50-100%. Indicas are more appropriate for small grows. Even better – autoflowering strains exist which don’t rely on extra lighting and typically finish shorter than some indicas.

Summary

Before starting to grow, map out the available space, decide how many plants will be grown, and choose your strain. After that’s been determined, buy a cannabis tent based on the equipment needed–not the other way around!

Make sure to check plant height and pot sizes before starting your project. The most important thing is to ensure you have enough space for what you need. Whether you go micro grow (one or two plants) or small tent (two to four), this is a great introduction to indoor cannabis cultivation with minimal outlay, minimal fuss, but maximum fun!