Grow Tents & Sheeting

Grow Tents & Sheeting

Growing indoors? Grow tents make life much easier! You use them to create a smaller growing space that's easy to control. Since grow tents are smaller than rooms, it costs less to light, cool, heat, humidify and add CO₂. Odours are also less likely to escape.

What's more, your grow tent acts as a barrier to pests and natural light! If all of those aren't good enough reasons, there's a financial incentive - it costs less to buy a tent than it does to build a grow room.

But which growing tent do you need? How do you assemble them? Is it better to buy a tent or a complete grow tent kit? Here's what you need to know.

Grow Tent FAQs

Here are some questions our customers typically ask us about indoor grow tents.

What Size Tent do I need?

The size you need depends on:

• How much space you have
• The growing system you've got
• What kind of system you have
• Which reflectors you use 

First, you need to make sure your indoor growing tent it will physically fit in the room it's in, along with any other grow tents you're going to use. 

Next, if you know how many plants you want to grow, or what size system you're using - you need to make sure your tent is big enough for them.

Your grow room tent also needs to suit your grow light intensity. For HID lights, you'll need this much space:

What's the difference between silver & white grow tents?

Generally, white grow tents are more reflective and retain less heat than silver grow tents. Light is distributed more evenly, so you won't get as many hot spots. White grow tent, like our BudBox Pro Grow Tents, can reduce your grow room temperature by 1 - 2^oC.

This doesn't mean silver growing tents are bad. They're still very good! Ultimately, you can get great results in either a silver grow tent or a white grow room tent.

What Shape Indoor Grow Tent do I need?

It needs to suit the footprint of your reflectors. 

For example, in a square grow tent, you want a square reflector. 

In mutlti-light tents, you'll need multiple reflectors. In this situation, you'd need to split your tent into sections, then position a similar shape reflector in the centre of each section.

What should I look for in a good indoor grow tent?

For the build, look out for strong metal poles that won’t buckle under the weight of your lights and fan.

You’ll also need a strong, thick, canvas that won’t tear and will reduce the amount of noise that escapes. Pay special attention to the corner pieces. Remember, corners hold the frame together…when you hang your equipment, corners need to be strong enough to take the weight.

To keep the canvas tight, and to stop light seeping out, choose a hydroponic grow tent with a good zip that won’t burst. Pick a grow room tent with a reflective interior - the more reflective it is, the less light is lost to walls and the more light reaches plant.

Finally, you need to make sure there are enough access ports, and that they’re in the right places.

How many growing tents do I need?

Strictly, you only need 1 hydroponic tent. But that means you’ll have to propagate plants in your main growing tent. However, this can get tricky if you have more than one crop going at a time.

Most growers have at least 2 grow room tents - one for propagating, another for vegetative growth and flowering. If you're really going for it, you could have 2 plant tents; 1 for each stage of growth.

Do I need a separate plant tent for mother plants?

Ideally, yes. You can keep your mother plant in a vegetative tent, but the light in this tent might be too much. And she'll be taller than the other plants in your vegetative tent, so she may shadow them. Also, it'll be tough to get your light height right.

Can I get a loft grow tent?

You can! To maximise height, they've got a sloped roof, which matches the shape of your attic ceiling.

Should I buy a complete grow tent kit?

Hydroponic complete grow tent kits are a great option! All grow tent kits come with a grow tent, lights, extraction and fixings. There's nothing for you to size up or work out - everything is included. You can buy propagation tent kits and mother plant tent kits too. You can even get bolt on kits for your growing system, media and more.

How do you assemble an indoor grow tent?

It depends on the growing tent. Instructions are normally provided. 

Generally, you:

• Lay the canvas out
• Build the base of the tent frame
• Build the rest of the frame
• Pull the canvas over
• Zip it together

If the canvas feels too tight as you're pulling it over the frame, check that your corner pieces are on correctly. 

Do I need Reflective Sheeting Inside My Tent?

Grow tents are already lined with a relfective sheeting, so you don’t normally need it for inside your tent. You can, however, use it to separate their tent into sections. You might do this, for instance, if you wanted to keep a mother plant in one section of your tent, with vegging or flowering plants in another. For splitting your tent into sections, you’ll want to use thick, double-sided reflective grow room sheeting.

Do I need Reflective Sheeting Outside my Grow Tent?

Yes. Use it to cover windows in the room your tent is in. This keeps natural light out so it can't disrupt your plant's grow cycle. It also stops grow light seeping out at night.

How do I attach reflective sheeting?

You can use reflective tape. It’s strong enough to hold your sheeting in place, and you don’t have to worry about losing reflectivity.

Do I have to use a Grow Tent?

You don’t have to. But it’s much easier to control your environment with one. There are other options though. Some growers use a greenhouse, or convert an entire room or cupboard.

How long do grow tents last?

It depends on the tent. There’s a reason some tents cost more than others. More expensive tents have tighter stitching, tougher zip, thicker canvases and stronger corners. In short, they last longer.

Eventually, you’ll start to see signs of wear and tear on tents, but you can often do a bit of mending. Hook & loop tape can replace broken zips. Torn canvases can be fixed with duct tape. A decent tent that’s well taken care of can last several cycles before they need replacing.

Can I use a tent for a closed-loop room?

Closed-loop rooms should be completely sealed off. Some growers find this tougher to achieve with a grow tent because they’re built for air exchange.

There are lots of ports, zips and joins that untreated air can seep in through. Some tents just won’t be sturdy enough to withstand the weight of heavy air exchange systems either.

For a closed loop room, you want solid walls with good insulation and seals. Purpose built enclosures, like the ones in some of our grow shops are best for this. Though it’s not ideal, closed-loop rooms have been created in tents before now!

What accessories do I need for my grow tent?

You’ll want hanging accessories, but you can normally buy these when you know what it is you’re hanging.

Grow Tent Blog Posts

Still struggling to pick a grow tent? Here are some guides that may help you.

• The Run Down
• Grow Like A PRO!
• How To Build A PROBOX Propagation Tent
• Grow Tents: The BudBox Test
• Which Indoor Grow Tent Do You Need?
• How To Make Space!

Grow Tent Videos