One of the best things to ever happen for cannabis growers was the invention of the indoor grow tent. Using a grow tent for indoor crop cultivation simplifies so many aspects of a grow op. Factors like climate control and pest prevention are 10x easier thanks to grow tents.
It’s undeniable that using a grow tent instead of a full-on grow room comes with a lot of benefits. But what’s also undeniable is the fact that it doesn’t come without challenges. Never just assume that you’ll have an easy ride because you spend a few hundred bucks on a brand new tent.
The good news is that a lot of grow tent mistakes are easy to avoid. Check out these common mistakes of using grow tents for an indoor crop and how to avoid them.
Using the Wrong Size Tent
Since most growers shop online for their grow tents and have them delivered, it’s actually really easy to make this first mistake. There are so many different sizes to choose from, ranging from small 2×2 tents to massive 10×20 tents, and when you don’t physically see the tent before buying it, there’s obviously a chance that you’ll buy the wrong size.
There are a few things you can do to prevent this from happening and make sure your indoor grow tent is a perfect size. First, think about what this tent will be used for. Is it for all of your plants, just the plants in veg, or just the plants in flowering?
Whatever the answer is, you’ll then want to add up the number of plants you expect to place in the tent and make sure you choose a size with plenty of square footage. Obviously, a 2×2 tent won’t be enough space for 30 plants, and a 10×20 tent isn’t necessary for 4 plants.
Assuming that Climate Control Isn’t as Important
One of the biggest perks of using a grow tent is the fact that it’s sealed off to the outside world. This makes it so much easier to control climate conditions like humidity and temperature. In a larger grow room or warehouse used for commercial indoor crops, the added space means that more work needs to be done to get the climate just right so that plants can thrive.
But just because it’s easier to control the climate in a grow tent doesn’t mean that you can sit back and relax. It’s still up to a grower to monitor and maintain the right humidity and temperature conditions, and that still takes some work even in a grow tent.
Just as you would in a large grow room, it’s important to use monitoring tools like thermostats for temperature and hygrometers for humidity. You should then have these devices in sync with a heater/portable AC and humidifier/dehumidifier so that the climate can be altered and kept in the ideal range.
Using Too Many Nutrients
This next one is actually a mistake in all growing environments, not just grow tents. It happens most often in grow tents, though, mostly because grow tents are a normal starting point for beginners, and using too many nutrients is a very common beginner’s mistake.
In the beginning, it’s very normal to think that there’s no such thing as too many nutrients. This couldn’t be further from the truth, and using too many nutrients (whether it’s feeding too much at one time or feeding too often) can be even worse than using too little.
Nutrient Toxicity and Nutrient Lockout Explained
Overdoing it with nutrients (AKA nutes) and using too much fertilizer can lead to problems like nutrient toxicity or nutrient lockout. Nutrient toxicity is exactly as it sounds; it’s when the plants reach toxic levels of a specific nutrient, and it’s almost always caused by feeding them too often.
Nutrient lockout is when plants literally lock out nutrients from entering. There are a few potential causes of this, like imbalances in pH levels, but one of the most common reasons is overfeeding. When you overfeed, the roots become oversaturated with salts (fertilizers contain a lot of these) and they eventually become “locked”.
Buying a Cheap Tent
We all love a good deal, it’s just in our human nature. When it comes to growing tents, just realize that a good deal is usually too good to be true. Cheap tents tend to be just that: cheap. There’s a huge difference in terms of quality and construction between cheap Chinese-made tents and higher-priced tents made in North America.
Not only are cheaper tents less durable, but they’re often less convenient to work with. A high-end tent will come with all the ducting holes, light hanging brackets, and structural stability you need to. The best tents even come with cool features like quick-viewing windows, cinchable ducting, and removable waterproof floor trays.
Just remember, a grow tent serves as the overall structure for keeping indoor plants healthy and safe. Even if you’re on an extreme budget, this is not an area to be stingy. Spending an extra $100 on your grow tent could be the determining factor in how successful the harvest is.
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