Diy grow tents?

[Heruk]

Are grow tents worth it? or should I build my own?
I was loking at these High Tech Garden Supply

20" X 36" X 64" GROW TENT that's over 32 cubic feet of Grow Space! Same Top Quality Grow Tent as seen elsewhere for much less money than what all the others are charging. This unit is a perfect size for 250 or 400 watt grow light.
$149.99
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But I could always build my own
Has anyone here built one?

 

[lovethegreen]

Mines 4x4x8 and I love it. Put it together in like 10 mins. You could put it together for around $100.00 maybe if you used panda film as the walls( I say panda film because I can't think of anything else you could use) I don't think it would be as clean looking.

 

[smokinjs]

You could use some 3 mil plastic sheeting, and section off a part in your closet. Use 1x2 for a little framing. Easy as pie, cut some holes for fans to ventilate. Way cheaper than 149.99$...for the htg tent.

 

[Heruk]

3 mil plastic sheeting whats that?
like a car tar or something
will the growlights melt that?

 

[smokinjs]

its heavy duty construction plastic sheeting, commonly used for painting, weed barrier. what type of lighting do you have?
..working great for me

 

[Heruk]

I am trying to decide if i should buy t5's or hps
t5's are supposedly cheaper to buy and run but I hear they dont yeild as much bud
I thinking a 400w hps or 4x4 t5's with red spectrum lights
I am using my regular growlight for vegging

 

[smokinjs]

both good lights. the hps would be a tad hotter, but the light would have to be very close for the plastic to melt. even a 400w

 

[Heruk]

so do t5's make just as much buds or not?

 

[smokinjs]

the hps would produce more yield.

 

[Heruk]

cool whats your setup?

 

[weediscool]

id say t5s and 400watt would be about the same yeild. for a first time grow, however, id be willing to wager t5s would be easier to get a larger yeild than hps

 

[Heruk]

whys that?

 

[weediscool]

to get optimal lighting to the plants with a HPS you have to get them as close as you can but not too close to where heat will be an issue. plants grow at different heights and keep them all at the same level isnt easy. its also likely that a person on his first grow will either put the lamp too far out or too close resulting in slow or stunted growth.

t5s are a lot less forgiving and have pretty much been proven to yeild to at least the equivilent of a 400watt using a mix of flowering floros. easier to keep closer, less heat and the plant will in all likelyhood get more lumens

 

[smokinjs]

Heruk,
Being my first grow and didnt want to invest alot of money right away. I am experimenting with cfls. For veg I used 8 26w coolwhite cfls, and 2 42w cfls. I also have a 25w 4ft fluro I added for some extra lumens. For flower I switched them all to daylight warm cfls. For a total of 317w. I plan to use a 250w hps next grow.
heres a pic of my setup. 4 more weeks till harvest
smokinjs

 

[Heruk]

thx guys will 1 of these work?


SylverStar 4 Foot 4 Lamp High Output T5 With Choice of Bulbs



Click on image to enlarge



A revolutionary fixture for indoor growing! This SylverStar 4 foot 4 Lamp fixture utilizes the new high output T5 fluorescent lamp (5,000 lumens per lamp, 20,000 total lumen for this fixture). The SYLVERSTAR provides high-lumens with low heat output for a fixture that can be placed closer to plants for maximum yields. The SYLVERSTAR is also extremely lightweight and easy to hang. The innovative High Yield Lighting design places an air-gap in between the lamps and the ballast housing, allowing the unit to operate at cooler temperatures and provide increase lumen production when compared to similar fixtures.

Measures: 4.5" tall x 47" long x 13" wide
Lamp spectrums may be easily changed or combined for growth, bloom or mixed spectrums for different stages of horticultural production. This allows the SYLVERSTAR to be a complete, start-to-finish plant growth lighting system.
Comes with four High Output T5 bulbs. Select which spectrum bulbs you want below.
Features:

• Solid state, digital electronic ballasts provide cool, quiet operation
• Reflector constructed of 95% reflective aluminum for the ultimate in reflectivity and light dispersal
• Low profile, and lightweight for easy hanging
• 10&#8217; grounded power cord, 120v, plugs into standard household outlet
• Reflector constructed of 95% reflective aluminum for the ultimate in reflectivity and light dispersal
• Solid state, digital electronic ballasts provide cool, quiet operation
• 2 year warranty

Order

Bulb Type:
4 Bloom (3000K) Spectrum Bulbs
4 Grow (6400K) Spectrum Bulbs
Mixed - 2 Bloom (3000K) Bulb And 2 Grow (6400K) Bulb

Do you Need Spare T5 bulbs?:
No Spare T5 bulbs
4 Bloom (3000K) Spectrum Bulbs - Spare - +$28.00
4 Grow (6400K) Spectrum Bulbs - Spare - +$28.00
2 Bloom (3000K) And 2 Grow (6400K) - Spare - +$28.00


Price: Quantity:




I am also interested in an hps but they seem more expensive and harder to manage for beginners.
Know any1 using these t5s for flowering?

also I heard t5's take longer to flower

 

[Heruk]

t5s are a lot less forgiving and have pretty much been proven to yeild to at least the equivilent of a 400watt using a mix of flowering floros. easier to keep closer, less heat and the plant will in all likelyhood get more lumens

Ive heard that you get more lumens with the 400w hps vs the t5

 

[Humboldt]

I thought about building a grow tent inside of one of my grow rooms for mothers and clones, I was thinking about building the frame using pvc pipes and white shower curtains for the walls, shouldn't be too expensive and I'm thinking it will work...

Good luck to you and your grow!


PS: You get around 50000 lumens with a 400w hps....

 

[Heruk]

thanks man
Yea I checked out your grow journal
COOL AS SHIT!
Definately inspiering

 

[weediscool]

Ive heard that you get more lumens with the 400w hps vs the t5

unless youre using an air cooled hood your plants are not going to be within the lumen range of what theyre telling you youre getting on the box. so typically unless your using multi hps setups youre not really getting the displayed lumens.

since you can put the t5s like right on top of your plants youre getting more lumens per square foot, typically.

 

[ducks13]

4 t-5's (220 watts) will only be like 20,000 lumens, a 400 watt HPS is about
40,000. You will do much better with more lumens.

I think the jury is still out on comparing T-5's to HPS and it will depend upon some of the details of your grow.