Grow Tents vs Greenhouses

Aside from growing plants in a garden, you have the traditional option of using a greenhouse. It is true that a greenhouse may offer protection against bad climate, but at times, it may require a large amount of cooling or heating power. Without sufficient artificial lighting, the plants remain dependent on natural sunlight which is not present at all times of the year.

Another option when it comes to growing plants is inside the house. However, that is difficult to implement given the restrictions in sunlight. The solution to this problem is to use a grow tent.

The biggest known advantage when it comes to using an indoor grow tent is that it offers the right combination of growing temperature and sufficient lighting at all times of the day. While you can optimize humidity and temperature within a greenhouse as well, this is contingent upon the weather conditions and there is a level of uncertainty involved.

An indoor growing tent can eradicate all the problems you face with growing when it comes to seasonal and climate changes and fluctuations. If all the conditions are handled in the right manner, you have the possibility of growing plants throughout the year.

Another positive advantage of grow tents is that you do not need a garden to plant your crops. Moreover, there are no external difficulties that could potentially harm your crops, like your neighbor’s football.

Here are the primary differences between greenhouses and grow tents:

Purpose: A grow house is specifically designed and built for indoor cannabis cultivation, while a greenhouse is typically used for growing a variety of plants and vegetables.
Lighting: Grow houses typically use artificial lighting such as LED or HPS lights to provide the right spectrum and intensity of light for cannabis plants, while greenhouses rely on natural sunlight.
Temperature Control: Grow houses have advanced temperature control systems to maintain optimal temperatures for cannabis growth, while greenhouses rely on natural ventilation and shading to control temperature.
Humidity Control: Grow houses often use dehumidifiers and humidifiers to maintain optimal humidity levels for cannabis growth, while greenhouses rely on natural ventilation to control humidity.
Pest and Disease Control: Grow houses use various methods such as pesticides, biological controls, and isolation rooms to keep pests and diseases at bay, while greenhouses rely on natural predators and preventative measures such as crop rotation.
Size: Grow houses are typically smaller than greenhouses, as they are designed to maximize space and efficiency for cannabis cultivation.
Growing Medium: Grow houses commonly use hydroponic systems or soil-less mediums, while greenhouses typically use soil.
Automation: Grow houses often have automated systems for watering, fertilizing, and monitoring environmental conditions, while greenhouses may have manual or semi-automated systems.
Cost: Grow houses are typically more expensive to build and maintain than greenhouses, as they require advanced equipment and systems.
Legal status: Depending on the location, cannabis cultivation in grow houses might be illegal and subject to punishment, while greenhouse cultivation of other plants is legal and often used for commercial purpose.

What Is Required?

The most important item is the grow tent. This is basically a light fabric that is set up on a cube-like frame. It has various openings for connections and ventilation. Attached to the fabric is a panel that zips up to open or close it. This ensures access is created for inspection and cropping.

The grow tent’s fabric has a thickness parameter which is represented by a unit called “denier.” This defines the linear mass density of a shell. A typical thickness value is 1000D. Most grow tents range between 600D and 900D. The higher the thickness value, the better the grow tent.

The inner material of the fabric allows plants to absorb the light through reflection. Similar to the thickness, the fabric has a reflectivity parameter which ranges from 50% to 90%. The higher it is, the better the grow tent. This results in energy efficiency, high reflection, and the right amount of lighting. Consistency in terms of quality light being available is one of the biggest advantages of a grow tent as opposed to a greenhouse.

Grow tents are available in different types and sizes. The ones we have range from 0.5 square meters to 3 square meters.

Grow tents are known to be easy to install. Green Qube provides tents which can quickly be assembled and pulled down in a matter of minutes.

In order to provide heating, one can use versatile heaters based on the size of the tents. Hydrogarden are known for producing high-quality heaters.

In addition to that, a fan and duct system will be required to enable airflow so that plants can consume carbon dioxide. The airflow also ensures that the roots of the plants are strengthened.

A diverse set of lighting systems are available that can take the place of sunlight. Timer circuits can also be used to allow the plants to have access to lighting and heat in the right amount.

Nutrients

In an outdoor growing environment, plants feed themselves by drawing food from the soil. Similarly, they must be fed in a greenhouse. This makes the grow tent no different as the plants require nutrition.

There is diversity in terms of nutrients present in the market for hydroponic systems and indoor growing. This is possible to do both automatically and manually. Popular automated systems are present that include Wilma, an engineering project built in collaboration between Nutriculture and Atami.

It is not necessary that feeding is undefined and based on guesses. Most manufacturers recommend using their feeding charts which can be useful. One such example is Vitaponix which has been getting positive reviews on their feeding charts.

Certain nutrients might need to be diluted with water before being used. This process directly affects the electrical conductivity (EC) of the solution which is also influenced by impurities. EC is an important factor when it comes to growth, and technical meters can be used to make these measurements.

The best part about an indoor grow tent is that you have control over the water and nutrient supply that is linked to the plants.

Pests

Just like in an outdoor environment, plants are prone to pesticides in the indoors as well. While it is possible to automate the growth, it is important to keep an eye on the progress.

Pesticides and other diseases are brought into the indoor growing environment from the outdoors. A common example is spider mites which can be removed if found at the right time. Potential ways to avoid spider mites include:

Cutting your plants with your own tools
Disinfecting the grow room area after each crop
Using clean clothes to avoid bringing in pests from outside
Setting up a bug blocker in your air intake fans
Inspecting your plants with a magnifying glass
Taking immediate action if something unusual is found

Outcome of Grow Tents & Greenhouses as they pertain to growing cannabis

There are multiple different components when it comes to implementing a growing system, but they are ultimately all the same, whether they are for a grow tent, a greenhouse, the outdoors, or even a cold frame.

The main idea is to have a decent understanding of each form and then use the techniques to apply them to the grow tent environment. The best part about a grow tent is that you get to control the growing conditions. This allows you to achieve great results.

Indoor plant growth and hydroponic systems are taking over the traditional way of practicing agriculture. This is the way forward with harvesting!