What are the advantages of using a grow tent?

Skunk smell

Well-Known Member
I have a 4x4 tent I used for my last grow,it worked out fine,other than running into a height issue.I have the tent in my shed,and I just left the door/flap open the whole time to keep the heat from building up too much.I am considering just taking the tent down for the next grow,and just hang the light from the ceiling which will give me a lot more height and room to work with.Before I take it down and set up without the tent,I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I would be better off without it,or would I be making a mistake not using it?
BTW,I will be growing 3 plants.Any feedback is appreciated!
 

$bkbbudz$

Well-Known Member
I have a 4x4 tent I used for my last grow,it worked out fine,other than running into a height issue.I have the tent in my shed,and I just left the door/flap open the whole time to keep the heat from building up too much.I am considering just taking the tent down for the next grow,and just hang the light from the ceiling which will give me a lot more height and room to work with.Before I take it down and set up without the tent,I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I would be better off without it,or would I be making a mistake not using it?
BTW,I will be growing 3 plants.Any feedback is appreciated!
Well, the point of growing in a tent is to be able to better control the grow environment and maximize light exposure. However, since you have yours set up in a shed and the tent is wide open...it kind of defeats the purpose. What is the usable height inside the tent? I ask because there are ways of keeping a plant short with a variety of training methods. Or, you can remove the tent and cover the walls with mylar or panda for reflection.

Just curious...why in the shed? What are the temps in there?
 

mauricem00

Well-Known Member
I have a 4x4 tent I used for my last grow,it worked out fine,other than running into a height issue.I have the tent in my shed,and I just left the door/flap open the whole time to keep the heat from building up too much.I am considering just taking the tent down for the next grow,and just hang the light from the ceiling which will give me a lot more height and room to work with.Before I take it down and set up without the tent,I wanted to get some opinions on whether or not I would be better off without it,or would I be making a mistake not using it?
BTW,I will be growing 3 plants.Any feedback is appreciated!
how large is your shed? can you place reflective panels around your plants?have you considered doing scrog to keep the height down? what kind of light/reflectors are you using?
 

Bbcchance

Well-Known Member
I know it's a whole hell of a lot easier to control humidity and temps in my tent indoors than it is to control my detached garage area
 

Yesdog

Well-Known Member
The tent is really best at offering a controlled environment. Especially if you have a cool-tube light, you can pass air over it without venting the tent at all.

Controlled environment has a few benefits:
  • Less 'air' to fuck with. Easier to add humidity, only need a small dehumidifier to lower it.
  • More sterile- especially if its sealed, the air coming in/out is rather minimal. Lowers chance of bugs/mold etc. (also helps control smell)
  • CO2 enrichment - really only possible with a sealed tent, or a really well sealed room.
  • Insulation - sucks when its warm, but when its cool your tent stays warm for much longer after lights out.
  • Light control - reflective walls etc all built in
EDIT: I run a sealed setup in... sorta the same situation you have. Instead of a shed, its a semi-outdoor storage closet attached to my deck.
 
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Bubblin

Well-Known Member
The tent is really best at offering a controlled environment. Especially if you have a cool-tube light, you can pass air over it without venting the tent at all.

Controlled environment has a few benefits:
  • Less 'air' to fuck with. Easier to add humidity, only need a small dehumidifier to lower it.
  • More sterile- especially if its sealed, the air coming in/out is rather minimal. Lowers chance of bugs/mold etc. (also helps control smell)
  • CO2 enrichment - really only possible with a sealed tent, or a really well sealed room.
  • Insulation - sucks when its warm, but when its cool your tent stays warm for much longer after lights out.
  • Light control - reflective walls etc all built in
EDIT: I run a sealed setup in... sorta the same situation you have. Instead of a shed, its a semi-outdoor storage closet attached to my deck.
fwiw I've never seen a tent that was sealed well enough to make it worth dumping CO2 into it.
 

Yesdog

Well-Known Member
It's actually not that hard to run CO2 in a sealed tent as long as you have your pressure figured out. You could go all the way as to try and tape up every possible leak, but it actually diffuses kinda slow on its own. If you have a negative or positive pressure in your tent tho, its worthless. Any small pinhole will eventually vent the tent. So a cool-tube is a must have. Even in my DWC system, I decided to intake air from outside the tent for my airstones, and my dissipation went up 20%. Overall though, I've been getting about 3-4 weeks for a regular 20oz (1.2 lb) paintball CO2 tank keeping my PPMs at 1200-1400 for 18hr/day. Less than a semi-active paintball player would use in a month.

The concentration also affects dissipation a ton, if the concentration is too much higher than outside the tent the dissipation rate increases a lot (basically osmotic pressure). I would probably have to use twice as much CO2 to keep it at 1500-1800 (which i would never do). My tent is comically small though, only 2x4.

Of course the only way I was able to get any of this done was that I have env control software that lets me really accurately monitor dissipation. It's DEFINITELY not something you want to do blind, and it's a gamble either way.
 

Bubblin

Well-Known Member
It's actually not that hard to run CO2 in a sealed tent as long as you have your pressure figured out. You could go all the way as to try and tape up every possible leak, but it actually diffuses kinda slow on its own. If you have a negative or positive pressure in your tent tho, its worthless.
Essentially you could bump your tent and half it's CO2 would blow out into your area.

I read through your other thread and your tent doesn't seem to be indoors, so if it leaks it's nbd. But many people are running tents in houses, rooms, closets etc. So telling people this shit is kosher in every situation isn't wise. Gonna have some dude with a tent next to his bed pick up tanks, crank up the Co2 and wake up with a perma drool. It's toxic shit.

edit.
I'm not talking about those stupid little Co2 bags, I'm talking about full on tanks.
 

SPLFreak808

Well-Known Member
The only differences i see between the two is size and a zipper instead of a door.

Both will require some type of ventilation, lights ect and the bigger the room, the more expensive it is to run.

Co2 is a whole different game also, wish it were as easy as throwing a tank inside and sealing the room but its not imo. You need a dehu/air purifier a/c, room vent on a timer/controller ect..
 

Yesdog

Well-Known Member
Essentially you could bump your tent and half it's CO2 would blow out into your area.

I read through your other thread and your tent doesn't seem to be indoors, so if it leaks it's nbd. But many people are running tents in houses, rooms, closets etc. So telling people this shit is kosher in every situation isn't wise. Gonna have some dude with a tent next to his bed pick up tanks, crank up the Co2 and wake up with a perma drool. It's toxic shit.

edit.
I'm not talking about those stupid little Co2 bags, I'm talking about full on tanks.
True, I forgot most people might try to gas themselves. Yea, if its indoors, you need to definitely vent the area around the tent.
 

BabyAndaconda420

Well-Known Member
It's actually not that hard to run CO2 in a sealed tent as long as you have your pressure figured out. You could go all the way as to try and tape up every possible leak, but it actually diffuses kinda slow on its own. If you have a negative or positive pressure in your tent tho, its worthless. Any small pinhole will eventually vent the tent. So a cool-tube is a must have. Even in my DWC system, I decided to intake air from outside the tent for my airstones, and my dissipation went up 20%. Overall though, I've been getting about 3-4 weeks for a regular 20oz (1.2 lb) paintball CO2 tank keeping my PPMs at 1200-1400 for 18hr/day. Less than a semi-active paintball player would use in a month.

The concentration also affects dissipation a ton, if the concentration is too much higher than outside the tent the dissipation rate increases a lot (basically osmotic pressure). I would probably have to use twice as much CO2 to keep it at 1500-1800 (which i would never do). My tent is comically small though, only 2x4.

Of course the only way I was able to get any of this done was that I have env control software that lets me really accurately monitor dissipation. It's DEFINITELY not something you want to do blind, and it's a gamble either way.
Not sure just asking wouldnt your exhaust suck the co2 rigjt out the tent?
 

Yesdog

Well-Known Member
So the only exhaust I have in the tent currently is over the 'cool tube' for the light. So each side of the light has ducting that goes outside the tent via the ports. This way air is pulled from outside the tent, passes over the light, and then vents directly outside the tent again. There is really minor amount of bleed, but for the most part no air is pulled from or pushed into the tent.
 

BabyAndaconda420

Well-Known Member
So the only exhaust I have in the tent currently is over the 'cool tube' for the light. So each side of the light has ducting that goes outside the tent via the ports. This way air is pulled from outside the tent, passes over the light, and then vents directly outside the tent again. There is really minor amount of bleed, but for the most part no air is pulled from or pushed into the tent.
Got mine set up diffren
 
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