Choosing a Grow Tent

Tent Size

To choose the size of the tent that you need, determine how much space you have, and how many plants you want to grow. I would strongly recommend actually measuring how much space you have. A 3×3 tent is much bigger than you would expect. For tent height, you should measure your ceiling height in the basement, then get at least 72″ if it will fit. You need space for the plant water saucer, pot riser, pot, hanging grow light, carbon filter, and 18″+ between the top of your mature plants and the bottom of your grow light. The more vertical space you have to work with, the better. As for floor space, each plant should be given 2-4 sqft of space inside a tent. You can cram more in, but near the end of flower, you’ll be glad you went with less plants. This would imply the following:

Light Leakage

Light leakage, or a lack of, is important because even the slightest bit of light getting to the plants when the grow lights are off can confuse the plants and stress them out. Stressing the plants with light can cause them to hermaphrodite, produce pollen sacs, and turn your nice frosty buds into buds full of seeds. So read the reviews and focus on how many holes there are from sewing the tent together. The less, the better.

Zipper Quality

Zipper quality is important because you will be opening the tent almost every day. You want to be sure the zipper is metal and most people agree that it is built to last.

Frame Supported Weight

The frame of the tent will need to hold up your light(s), carbon filter, and fans. Check how much the manufacturers say their tent can support and compare it to whichever light you’re thinking about purchasing. These grow lights can get heavy.

Green Window

The green window is more of a perk than a requirement. Cannabis plants do not ulitilize much of the green spectrum of visible light. Therefore, if you are wondering if your grow lights are on, and you have a green plastic window, you can peak inside to check on your plants without confusing them. These windows are typically not open all the time. There is typically a flap that is Velcro or zipped to keep bright light coming out when the window is not in use.

Multiple Doors

If you choose to grow more than 3 plants, you will want more than one door on the tent. While they are little and you can reach in over the plants to water them, it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. But as they grow taller, you will appreciate multiple openings to access the plants for water, trimming, and analyzing leaves for deficiencies or diseases. I have 3 doors on my 3×3 tent with 4 plants, and it’s just enough to get in, water plants, and remove leaves as the plants mature.

There are a lot of brands that try to talk up their grow tents. My opinion is that most are good enough. In the end, you just need a shiny tent that can hold up your lights. Another perk to the tent is if you choose to expand, you can always buy a bigger one and use the original for a mother plant to take clones from, or as your seedling and vegetative tent. Feel free to ask more questions in the comments below.