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Grow Tent!

BioZest

zesty.
Hi guys!

I've long been interested in setting up a grow tent, and with money from christmas (thank you relatives :-D) I will be setting one up. I currently have a 30 gallon setup, but I want to get this tent so that I can 1. grow more plants 2. grow bigger plants 3. have a more stable setup (more air to change, so sudden changes in temp, humidity, etc. have smaller effects). I already have a two tube 4ft. t5 HO fixture, portable AC and humidifier. I realize that the light might be a bit weak, but I think I will be able to suspend it close enough to the plants to be effective. Here is the tent I've been looking at: Grow Tent.

I also want this grow tent to regulate its temperature, and possibly humidity, because I know that if I monitor these manually I will eventually mess up. To do this I am going to be using the Arduino Uno. It is a open source micro controller that you can program to do lots of stuff... So the idea is that I will attach a temperature and humidity sensor to the board, and it will use the AC and humidifier for regulation. Aside from being really awesome this would allow me to experiment with say the temperature drop at night, or ventilation or lighting or C02 stuff.

Let me know what you think! Are there better tents to buy (cheaper too)? Has anyone done a system like this before?
 
There are some tents that are poorly made and the gas off from the glue that adheres the mylar to the canvas are toxic to plants. I kept hearing about this problem with certain models back when I was shopping around. I ended up going with one of the Secret Jardin tents as the reviews were always positive.

Another tent problem that I'm unable to solve is the fact that they aren't designed to be water-tight. I've lined the bottom of the tent inside with thick plastic to catch most of the water, but there's nothing I can do about the water that rolls down the walls from condensation. So, no matter what I do, the tent leaks. Don't put it on anything that can't get wet, and put a sheet of plastic down under it. I'm forced to just soak up water at the edges every week or so.
 
I use an agromax grow tent, and I have never had any problems with the grow tent leaking, (luckly) As far as lighting, I use a 300 watt LED and a 30 gallon trash can of water with 2 5 disc ultrasonic pond misters/ that is controlled by a hygrotherm. I use a 11000 btu AC that turns on at night and cools the plants down to 55f. I am about to add a new addition, a mistking mist system, that will replace my humidifiers :)
 
I am in the process of building a arduino controller for my GH right now. Got all the parts I needed and its splayed out on my table being assembled right now. I am having a blast doing it, but I will say it is taking a lot more than I had imagined it would. Both in respect to time and resources. Parts are cheap, but not being able to walk into a brick and mortar to grab something you forgot can really slow things down. Unless you are a electrical engineer, you will forget things.

My project is as much for my personal tinkering as it is for my greenhouse, so the negatives so far have not been game changers. I imagine I will build more arduino projects for my cps in the future, and would recommend it to anyone that was handy and had a basic knowledge of electrical theory, and decent skill and asking google questions.

I might make a thread for my controller when i get it up and going. I was to lazy to take pictures, but the finished product should show pretty much everything.
 
There are some tents that are poorly made and the gas off from the glue that adheres the mylar to the canvas are toxic to plants. I kept hearing about this problem with certain models back when I was shopping around. I ended up going with one of the Secret Jardin tents as the reviews were always positive.

Another tent problem that I'm unable to solve is the fact that they aren't designed to be water-tight. I've lined the bottom of the tent inside with thick plastic to catch most of the water, but there's nothing I can do about the water that rolls down the walls from condensation. So, no matter what I do, the tent leaks. Don't put it on anything that can't get wet, and put a sheet of plastic down under it. I'm forced to just soak up water at the edges every week or so.

The water issue is not much of a problem for me, toxic gasses slowly killing my plants...that could be bad. I did some more searching around and found this: http://www.amazon.com/MarsLG-Hydrop...388261715&sr=1-2&keywords=non+toxic+grow+tent. It claims to be non-toxic and there were no reviews suggesting that it released any plant killing gasses. It is the cheapest I've seen for a 4x4 tent, and I think I'm going to pull the trigger soon. Has anyone heard any negative reviews of MarsLG tents? Let me know. :)
 
t5 Heat Output?

I'm still planning out this whole project, and I was wondering if my lights would be adequate to heat the tent. The tent will most likely go in the basement which stays at about 60 ºF day and night. I have a four foot two bulb t5 fixture. Do you think that they will provide enough heat for highland nepenthes?

Thanks!
 
You can regulate the temperature a bit by narrowing or widening vents. I'm sure you'll get all the heat you need from those lights -- it'll be venting heat that you'll be worried about.
 
I'm going to be running a humidifier, which may cool things down somewhat. I need to decide if it is worth buying an ac to keep the temperature controlled. Maybe I could install some fans? What do you suggest?
 
You're going to need an ac for the summer Ryan. Unless you plan on only growing LL'ers.....
 
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