Choosing the right small grow tent out of the many options available can be overwhelming. So, how do you know what to look for?
To keep your hydroponic plants growing strong and healthy, there’s a lot to manage. From air and water temperature to humidity and light, you spend a lot of time calculating exactly what your plants need for optimal results. So why let ambient light, noise, and heat disturb the process? A good hydroponic grow tent is designed to block out all those external influences and let you control the environment inside with absolute precision.
Small grow tents offer this advantage with the addition of a smaller footprint, allowing you to grow more in less space and enjoy fresh hydroponic produce in even the smallest apartment. Let’s talk about choosing the right small tent for your growing needs.
What is a Grow Tent?
A hydroponic grow tent, sometimes also called a grow room, is a collapsible tent designed for growing plants indoors. They let you create the perfect mini-ecosystem for your hydroponic plants by controlling all the variables of the compact space. This can help your plants grow faster, healthier, and for longer.
Most grow tents have a reflective silver coating inside that helps to retain heat and light. Around this is a fabric exterior supported by a rigid frame. There are usually pockets or supports for your grow lights and any other equipment you need inside.
Grow tents come in a wide range of sizes and can boast all sorts of fancy features, but for those working with a small space or just getting started in the world of hydroponics, a simple, small grow tent is often the best choice.
The Benefits of a Small Grow Tent
Why should you use a small grow tent? Grow tents can be extremely beneficial for indoor hydroponic and aeroponic gardening.
Grow tents offer:
- A Stable Place to Grow Year-Round: one of the best aspects of hydroponic gardening indoors is the ability to trick plants into thinking it’s their peak growing season all year long. If you want to enjoy strawberries in winter, a grow tent can make it happen.
- A Contained Environment: grow tents enhance your ability to control and optimize the environment to suit the plants you want to grow. Inside the grow tent you can adjust the temperature, humidity, and light levels precisely how you want them without worrying about the rest of the room.
- Minimal Cross-Contamination: when you separate your different plants into dedicated grow tents, there’s less risk of cross-contamination that could spread diseases and pests. With a grow tent, if one of your crops falls prey to these issues, your others are well protected.
- Odor and Allergen Containment: some more pungent or allergy-inducing crops are best grown in hydroponic grow tents to ensure they don’t bother your family, roommates, or neighbors.
- Protection From Pets and Pests: a grow tent acts as another line of defense against unwanted visitors to your hydroponic setup, whether that’s a mosquito or your own curious cat.
Small hydroponic grow tents also offer a few additional benefits when compared to their larger counterparts. They are:
- Affordable: you might be surprised at how cost-effective small grow tents can be. There’s no need to invest in expensive equipment when you’re new to hydroponic gardening, so a small grow tent is a great way to get stated.
- Efficient: smaller grow tents also don’t require ventilation or large grow lights, so they can be very affordable to run. They’ll also insulate against temperature fluctuations from outside, helping keep heating and cooling costs low.
- Compact: you can find a grow tent to fit any corner or cupboard you want to grow in and make use of even the smallest space.
- Close: because you can fit a small grow tent almost anywhere, it’s easy to keep your hydroponic garden somewhere convenient and close by.
- Discreet: small grow tents are stealthy and quiet, allowing you to tuck your hydroponic garden into the corner of any room without it dominating the space.
- Aesthetically Pleasing: if a 5-gallon hydroponic bucket in the corner of the room doesn’t match your décor, a grow tent can be a great way to tuck it out of sight or make it blend in with surrounding furniture.
What to Look for in a Hydroponic Grow Tent
When you’re shopping for a small grow tent, there’s a lot to consider. A small grow tent should be affordable but sturdy, and able to achieve what you want without having too many extra bells and whistles that you won’t use. As you’re looking at grow tents, here’s what to keep in mind to ensure you find one that’s high quality and will meet your needs:
Choosing a Quality Grow Tent
To ensure you find a high-quality grow tent, make sure it has these three key requirements:
- A reflective interior to bounce light back on your plants.
- Lightproof lining to give you full control of the amount of light your plants receive.
- A solid seal to help you control the atmosphere inside.
Choosing a Grow Tent that Meets Your Needs
It’s also good to keep a few factors in mind to ensure the grow tent you choose meets your needs. Everyone’s setup is slightly different, which is why there are so many different grow tent configurations to choose from. You should consider:
- The Size of Your Space: first, measure the length, width, and height of the area you plan to put your grow tent. Grow tents come in a range of shapes and sizes to suit almost any situation, but your options might be limited by the dimensions of your space.
- What You Plan to Grow: you should also have an idea of what you plan to grow in your tent, and how much room that plant needs. Crops like lettuce grow small so many can fit into a small space, but larger plants like tomatoes need significantly more growing room. Don’t forget to allow room for grow lights and other equipment as well.
- Material: thicker, heavier canvas’ make a grow tent stronger and more durable, but they are also likely to cost more. The thickness of a grow tent’s canvas is indicated by its “D” rating, which ranges from 200D at the lighter end to 1680D at the thickest and strongest end of the spectrum. A more reflective tent can also help improve your light coverage and temperature management – the reflective inner lining will be rated between 50 and 100% reflective.
- Frame: thicker, heavier frames are more durable but also bulky and more difficult to move around. For beginners, a lighter frame is often best.
- Ports: every grow tent will have a different arrangement of ports to help you access power, ventilation, and other machines. Make sure the ports your grow tent offers can accommodate all the equipment you plan to use inside.
As with most products, choosing the right small grow tent for you will be a matter of weighing the features it offers against the cost. To get you started, below are some of the best small hydroponic grow tents available today.
The 6 Best Small Grow Tents Available Right Now
These six small grow tents offer all the benefits of their larger counterparts at a fraction of the footprint and price. Depending on your needs, you can pick up a quality grow tent made by a trusted brand for under a hundred dollars. If you’re working with a particularly tight space, the dimensions of the tent will probably be your main consideration, but also look out for features like viewing windows and ports to make your setup more convenient.
The six best hydroponic grow tents on the market today are:
Mars Hydro Grow Tent Kit
Brand: Mars Hydro
Price: Check Price
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars
Dimensions: 48″ x 48″ x 80″
D Rating: 1680D
Reflection: 100%
The Mars Hydro Grow Tent Kit is a great option for those in need of a small footprint that doesn’t compromise on height. Its 1680D fabric is sturdy and durable, and the double-stitched seams prevent light leaks. This little tent comes with all the bells and whistles and has everything you need to get started.
Gorilla Grow Tent
Brand: Gorilla
Price: Check Price
Amazon Rating: 4.4 stars
Dimensions: 4′ x 4′ x adjustable height
D Rating: 1680D
Reflection: 100%
Gorilla makes some of the toughest and most durable grow tents on the market. The grow tent is one of their better offerings and is designed to fit an array of fruits and vegetables that fit your growing needs. Gorilla boasts diamond reflective technology and extremely durable zippers in a product that’s designed to last.
The Secret Jardin Dark Propagator 60 v4.0
Brand: Secret Jardin
Price: Check Price
Amazon Rating: 4.4 stars
Dimensions: 24” x 16” x 24”
D Rating: 210D
Reflection: 95%
Secret Jardin is known for quality grow tents, and this entry-level offering boasts high quality for a reasonable price. It comes with a light-proof baffle and is extremely compact for those working with limited space. A downside for some is that it doesn’t offer a viewing window because of its compact size.
CoolGrows Grow Tent
Brand: CoolGrows
Price: Check Price
Amazon Rating: 4.6 stars
Dimensions: 24″ x 24″ x 36″
D Rating: 600D
Reflection: 95%
With a sturdy steel frame, removable floor tray, heavy duty zippers, viewing window, and dual ventilation socks, the CoolGrows range aims to make your life easier. It’s on the cheaper end of the market, so it makes an affordable first grow tent for those just getting started.
The Vivosun VS1000 Grow Tent
Brand: Vivosun
Price: Check Price
Amazon Rating: 4.5 stars
Dimensions: 30″ x 18″ x 36″
D Rating: 600D
Reflection: 100%
Vivosun prides itself in producing stable, airtight grow tents that integrate seamlessly with their grow lights and ventilation systems. Reviewers find that it traps light effectively and is compact enough to fit on an end table. A bonus is its appearance – if aesthetics are important to you, this brand might be a good choice.
Quictent Mylar Grow Tent
Brand: Quictent
Price: Check Price
Amazon Rating: 4.2 stars
Dimensions: 48″ x 24″ x 72″
D Rating: 600D
Reflection: 98%
If you have the space, Quictent offers a two-year warranty on this grow tent and the ability to support 90lbs of weight from the frame. Reviewers praise it as easy to assemble, and versatile because of all its ports and socks.
Alternatives to Grow Tents
If you can’t find a small grow tent to meet your needs, don’t despair. As with almost anything in hydroponics, there are several DIY alternatives that you can customize to suit your exact circumstances.
Some inventive hydroponic gardeners have built their own homemade grow tents using:
- A metal rack and some black and white poly
- Panda film (a light polyethylene film used for greenhouses) and adjustable shelving
- A canvas wardrobe
- PVC pipe and Reflectix
- A mylar sheet and hula hoops
- A DIY wooden frame and some tarps
- Aluminum foil over some shelves
- A reflective car windshield cover
Buying a grow tent can certainly be easier and take a lot of the guesswork out of the process, but if you’ve got an eye for DIY and are up for the challenge, you can create many of these alternatives for under $50.
Now That You’ve Got the Best Grow Tent, You Need the Best Advice
You’ve now got a comprehensive understanding of what to look for in a small grow tent and how to choose one that’s right for your space and growing needs.
Of course, the fun doesn’t stop there. Whether you’re a beginner growing your first lettuce or an experienced hydroponic pro, Ponics Life has all the resources you need to grow happy, healthy, and strong plants. Join the Ponics Life club to receive a free guide to hydroponics and be notified whenever a new guide is released, plus get access to exclusive resources to help you keep growing.
Join the Ponics Life Club on our blog today!