Deciding to set up a home grow is an exciting time. You’re entering the world of cannabis horticulture which, while complex, can often be very rewarding. As marijuana can be challenging to cultivate, it’s important to do your research before diving into grow room or grow tent if you want to significantly increase your odds of success.
You’re probably swimming in a sea of information about ph, soil types, and lighting options. Even something as basic as using a grow room in your living space vs. setting up a grow tent can seem overwhelming. Well, don’t worry, we’ve written this article to break down the advantages and disadvantages of using a grow room vs. a grow tent. By the end, you will have the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about your home grow space.
Grow Room
In simplest terms, a grow room is a room in your home that you convert for the express purpose of cultivation. In this case, specifically for growing cannabis. When complete, a grow room, at minimum, must include grow lights, humidity, temperature, air circulation, moisture, and odor control. While these are by no means insurmountable challenges, if this sounds like a lot, it’s because it really can be.
As you might imagine, based on the list above, the initial up-front cost of a grow room can be rather high depending on your goals and requirements. The fewer changes you have to make to the space, the cheaper your initial setup will be. Adding ventilation, CO2 control, and creating the initial design all add time and cost to your project. Setting up a home grow operation this way can easily cost thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands depending on size and other requirements. However, when finished, you end up with a completely customized space for your operation that takes up the entire room, allowing you to maximize your footprint and yield, which is the whole point at the end of the day.
A word of caution for the uninitiated, while you might think you’ll enjoy the smell of cannabis all throughout your house every day, we assure you it will grow tiresome rather quickly. Proper sealing of the room and ventilation will be required to make the rest of your space livable.
Grow Tent
Grow tents, unlike grow rooms, are self-contained tents that you set up in a room in your residence for horticulture. Here, we’re, of course, talking about the cultivation of cannabis. They come in various sizes, from small 2’ x 2’ models to ones you’d struggle to fit into a room in your home.
Grow tents have at least one significant advantage over setting up your typical grow room and its cost. For $1,000 or less, you can have your own indoor grow operation up and running. Grow tents typically come either as kits or by themselves. Kits are usually the most economical way of going as you save money on package deals. However, the equipment offered as part of kits can vary greatly in quality. As a result, when considering a potential grow tent kit purchase, always research beforehand to ensure you are getting the required quality. Many people even make their own grow tents to save on initial cost, although there are many inexpensive options on the market.
The other main advantage of grow tents is their ease of use, particularly if you get a complete setup in kit form; they can be relatively plug and play. This should be of particular note to those of you who may have limited or no previous growing experience. Grow tents are often the first step taken on a grower’s cannabis cultivation journey.
Conclusion
We’ve spent some time going over the differences between grow tents and grow rooms. Both have distinct advantages and disadvantages when compared to the other. The important thing is knowing which one best suits your current situation, both in terms of finances and growing expertise and requirements.
However, it is important to consider the startup costs you’ll incur, including soil, pots, fertilizers, pesticides/insecticides, and seeds. As for the rest of the questions surrounding your new endeavor, we encourage you to continue your research. For all your lighting questions and needs, California Lightworks’ SolarSystem and SolarXtreme series are the perfect full-spectrum LED grow lights to get professional results from your home grow operation.
