Indoor Gardening—Total Control with a grow tent

Total Control with a grow tent

The ability to create optimal growing conditions all yearround is certainly one of the primary factors that makes indoor gardening so appealing. Sometimes, though, dialing in the proper environment for your plant-of-choice can be more challenging than anticipated. Hot peppers may struggle in chilly basements, leafy greens may suffer if humidity is too low, tomato yields may be low without enough light intensity—the list goes on. Fortunately, one of the best, yet often overlooked, methods to gain total control over your plant’s environment is also one of the simplest. It’s the use of a grow tent.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the connotation that grow tents are reserved solely for cannabis cultivators attempting to conceal odors and control light cycles, they’re actually incredibly practical for just about any variety of edible plant. Grow tents are essentially micro-climates, agnostic to grow methodology (soil, hydroponics, etc.) and available in a myriad of other width, length and height combinations for any specific scenario. Small (2’ x 2’ x 2’) propagation tents are perfect for starting seeds or rooting cuttings. Medium (4’ x 4’ x 6’) tents can be just right for a vining cherry tomato plant. Bedroom-sized (10’ x 10’ x 6’) tents can handle an entire garden.

Most commercially available grow tents are comprised of a metal or heavy-duty plastic frame, wrapped in a canvas exterior with zippered openings for easy plant access. Sealable openings around the edges of the tent provide space for power cords and irrigation lines to enter and exit. They also serve as access ports where inline fans can force cool, C02-rich, fresh air into the tent from the surrounding environment and push warm, oxygenrich, spent air out. This allows the tent to be fully closed at any given time without suffocating or cooking its botanical occupants. Without inline fans, the tent would need to be constantly open so that the air within could be exchanged at least once every few minutes.

Modern inline fans also tend to be equipped with speed controllers (some fancier and more automated than others), giving greater control over temperatures and humidity levels. If the space is too humid or warm, the fan speed can be increased to clear out the air more rapidly. The opposite also applies. To keep temperatures warmer and more humid, turn fans down. Because the tent is fully closed, portable humidifiers and dehumidifiers can be placed directly inside to assist in situations where fan speed is unable to overcome extremely low or high humidity levels.

Carbon filters can then be added to both intake and exhaust fans, further isolating the interior of the tent from the outside world. As air enters, a filter will remove undesirable particles before they reach the plants. As air exits, a filter will strip away odors that your plants may emit.

Another common indoor gardening dilemma, solved by a tent, is finding a suitable location to hang your grow lights. The skeleton of the tent itself is strong enough to bear the weight of most lighting solutions, and crossbeams on the tent’s ceiling are ideal anchor points for the wires, chains or ropes that typically accompany grow lights. For a few bucks, you can also pick up a pair of ratcheting rope hangers, that make height adjustment of your lights a breeze. This is particularly advantageous if you’re using a dimmable LED light. When plants are small, the light can be dropped closer to their canopy and the intensity reduced, thus saving money on electricity. As the plant grows larger, the light can be raised accordingly. The canvas exterior of the tent is usually lined along its interior with reflective mylar that also improves electrical efficiency by limiting the amount of wasted photons and bouncing them right back to the plants.

And when it comes to differing photoperiods, plants with similar light cycle needs can be separated from those that may be in conflict. For example, if you’re growing peppers with 16 hours of light per day and also want to grow lettuce with no more than 12 hours of light (to prevent it from bolting), there needs to be some sort of division between light sources. With grow tents, each type of plant can be in its own enclosed environment with its own light and timer, eliminating the risk that your peppers’ long days impact the production of your greens.

All technical issues aside, my two favorite advantages of using grow tents are far from scientific. The first is cleanup. No more crying over spilt soil! Between harvests, simply clean the interior with soap and water, spray down with some diluted hydrogen peroxide and get back to gardening. If you’ve really made a mess, just remove the canvas/mylar exterior, turn it inside out and hose it down in the driveway. The second benefit is safety…mostly for the plants, but also for people and pets. Particularly nosy cats, dogs and toddlers have a knack for causing chaos in the garden, but a tightly sealed grow tent will keep everyone out of harm’s way.

JASON MISPAGEL Indoor Gardener

Jason Mispagel is the co-owner and operator of Year-Round Garden, a grower’s supply center serving both home and commercial customers since 2016. To contact Jason, call 816-216-6917 or jason@year-roundgarden.com.