Comparison Chart
Best Choice  | BloomGrow Professional Grow Tent Kit
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Best Small  | BloomGrow LED Grow Tent Kit
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Best Observation  | VIVOSUN Hydroponic Grow Tent
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Best Value  | CoolGrows Hydroponic Grow Room
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Best Two Plant  | VIVOSUN 2-in-1 Grow Tent
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1. BloomGrow Professional Grow Tent Kit – Best Complete Grow Tent Kits For Start Growing Out Of The Box
Performance
This one performs well on the whole — while the light is 1200W, its high-efficiency design only draws about 240W of power. This is a good thing for saving on electricity bills. The light is also very quiet. It produces little to no hum, so you can grow in your home without being disturbed by excess noise. It’s is made of 600D diamond Mylar which is extremely reflective. The reflective surfaces help increase the light delivered to each plant without driving up utility bills.
Reservations
This is a great grow kit, but it does have a couple of minor issues. One is the absence of an observation window or smaller doors. There’s only one very large door that you’ll need to unzip to check in on your plants. Still, we think this is a great tent overall, and we recommend it.
Additionally, buyers occasionally receive a kit with one or more defective parts. BloomGrow has excellent customer service, and they will quickly replace damaged or defective components.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| All-inclusive kit gives you everything you need to start growing | You can’t check in on your plants without opening the main door |
| High-power light is highly efficient, so you don’t have to pay a fortune in utility bills in order to grow | |
| It is fairly large, so you can grow a decent number of plants | |
| Strip-style LEDlighting ensures each plant gets enough light |
2. BloomGrow LED Grow Tent Kit – Best Small Spaces Grow Tent Kits For Beginners
Performance
For a relatively inexpensive, beginner-oriented kit, this one performs very well. The small fan provides excellent ventilation. The tent itself is made of 600D reflective Mylar, which lets you get more out of the light itself. The setup runs very quietly, too, so you won’t have to worry about noise disturbances. It also comes with a removable bottom tray, which makes it easy to keep it clean.
Reservations
While the 300W light can help you save on utility bills, it isn’t the ideal choice for optimizing your harvest. You’ll get improved results with a 600W light. Many customers have done this and found that their yields increased. As with other BloomGrow tents, some customers have received kits where one or more accessories did not work. Luckily, the company is able to send out replacement parts quickly. We recommend this one if you have the patience to exchange any defective components. But if you want something for the long haul, we’d suggest you look for another.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This is a great affordable option for beginning enthusiasts | As with the larger BloomGrow tent, you can’t look in on your plants without unzipping the door |
| Smaller LED lamp saves on energy costs | |
| The removable bottom tray protects the tent from dirt and debris | |
| The tent design is durable and not prone to ripping |
3. VIVOSUN Hydroponic Grow Tent – Best Grow Tent For Observation
Performance
Performance-wise, this tent does very well. The interior is made of 98% reflective Mylar, and the exterior is incredibly durable – the 340G Oxford cloth is nearly impossible to rip. While you’ll need to buy ventilation and lights separately, dual-layer ventilation socks make installing ductwork a breeze. The interior hanging bar makes it easy to install the lighting of your choice, too.
Reservations
This is largely a quality product, but it does have one consistent quality control issue – the fabric regularly comes with several pinholes. This causes light leaks, which can compromise the quality of your harvest. Additionally, light leaks can become a general nuisance. Some customers have noticed that light leaks frequently occur around zipper stitching, too. If you’re comfortable sealing any pinholes, we still recommend this tent — it’s otherwise a very good value.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compared to most products, this one is very affordable | Light leak issues can compromise your ability to grow |
| You get large observation windows | You’ll need to purchase lights and other components separately, which can be daunting if you’re a beginner |
| Zippers are very easy to open | |
| The interior is more reflective than many grow tents |
4. CoolGrows Hydroponic Grow Room – Best Two Windows Grow Tent For Larger Indoor Gardens
Performance
This grow tent performs very well. While it isn’t quite as reflective on the interior as some other plants, it’s still reflective enough to optimize your harvest. The two observation windows are helpful, especially to check in on your plants – they let you do so without opening the door. And while it doesn’t come with everything you need, it’s designed to make installing lighting, fans, and ducting as easy as possible.
Reservations
While this tent is made with thicker fabric than many, it is prone to light leaking. Some units arrive with a few pinholes, and others tend to leak around zippers. Once the observation windows are opened, it can be difficult to prevent light leaks from around them even if they’re closed. As with the above option, we recommend this one if you don’t mind sealing holes when needed.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| For the price, this is very well-constructed | It can be prone to light leaking issues |
| You get a very large amount of space to grow | It takes up a lot of space, so it may not work well in smaller indoor spaces |
| Included horizontal bar and ventilation socks make it easy to complete your setup | |
| Incredibly durable material is not prone to rips |
5. VIVOSUN 2-in-1 Grow Tent – Best Classic And Shelving Grow Tent for Growing Two Different Plant Types
Performance
This is a tent that, by and large, performs well. It comes with three removable, waterproof floor trays, and you also get a shelf to use in the smaller section. Like other VIVOSUN tents, it comes with a useful interior tool organizer. You also get multiple vent holes, which makes it easy to customize your ventilation. Plus, the exterior is made of 600D canvas, which is almost impossible to tear.
Reservations
Like many affordable tents, this one is prone to light leaks. It sometimes arrives with pinholes in the fabric. The reported light leak issues with this one aren’t as bad as the ones you get with some others. Buyers have said that the zippers tend to catch after time, which can pose an issue. Still, we think the two-chamber design is an excellent idea, and we do recommend it.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Optional partition lets you grow two separate plant types and use different temperature and humidity settings | Some units have pinholes throughout the fabric and light leaks around zipper stitching |
| Large clearance makes it easy to walk into the enclosure if necessary | It takes up a good bit of floor space, so it may not be ideal for small spaces |
| Multiple ventilation holes let you customize your ventilation | |
| Given what you get, this tent is a great value |
Best Grow Tent Kits – Buyers Guide
What is a Grow Tent? How Does It Work?
A grow tent is an enclosure that lets you grow plants in your home all year round. They work by optimizing growing conditions for any type of plant. You can choose the correct lighting depending on what you’re growing, and you can also customize ventilation and humidity as needed. Certain species of plants are highly sensitive, and a grow tent will give them a great chance of growing successfully.
If you’re new to indoor growing, finding a setup can be somewhat daunting. And once you set up your tent, it can take some time to get the hang of how to grow your chosen plant types. But indoor growing can be a very rewarding hobby — we think it’s well worth the effort to learn.
Choosing a Tent: The Basics
Before you start selecting lights, fans, and more, it’s important to have an idea of what size and type of tent you need. But even before this, it can be very helpful to draw out a schematic of what you want to grow and how you’d like to arrange it. Depending on the type of plants you’re growing, you may even be able to arrange them on wire racks to get the most out of the space.
It’s important to note that buying the biggest option you can find isn’t always the best idea. Larger tents require more lighting to adequately supply the plants you grow. You may want to look into how much lighting you need and then make sure that lighting can be (safely) connected to the outlets inside of your home. Additionally, it’s a good idea to calculate roughly how much your lighting will add to your utility bill.
When selecting a tent, it’s a good idea to consider the materials used to make it. A highly reflective interior is a must — it helps you get more mileage out of your lighting. A durable exterior is also important. Most are made with 600D cloth, which is highly ripped resistant. Thicker material is preferable – it tends to be much more durable. This is especially true if you intend to periodically take down and store your growing setup. Many grow tents can’t withstand being constantly taken down and set back up.
Lastly, if you can, it’s wise to avoid tents that seem prone to excessive light leaks. A light leak is a tear or hole that lets light escape. For some plants, this may not be much of an issue. But for plants that are highly sensitive to environmental changes, it can be devastating.
Light leaks can usually be sealed, and this is usually fairly easy to do. Some people like to use duct tape, but duct tape tends to get loose and peel off over time. Metal foil tape isn’t as prone to durability issues.
Lighting: What Do You Need to Know?
The lighting you choose is arguably one of the most important things about your setup. But before we get into selecting specific lighting, it’s wise to consider whether you’d prefer an all-in-one grow kit or whether you’d prefer to purchase each part separately.
Purchasing a kit is a good option for beginners — you have everything you need to start. As you learn more about the hobby, you may choose to upgrade certain components. But when you’re new, it can be nice to get what you need in one purchase.
Purchasing everything separately has its advantages, too — you get to hand-select every part of your setup, so you end up with something that’s personalized for you. When you’re more experienced, choosing each element is significantly easier.
But if you’re buying your own lighting, you’ll want to make sure it’s ideal for your setup. It’s a good idea to aim for about 25 watts of power for every square foot of your grow tent floor.
The spectrum of light is also worth considering. For many types of plants, a full-spectrum LED is ideal. It mimics natural sunlight, and it provides all your plants need throughout their growth cycles.
Some plants do best with a variable-spectrum LED. This lighting type lets you adjust wattage based on where your plants are in the growth cycle, and it’s especially useful for plants that do best with reduced light at certain times.
Most all-inclusive kits come with a 24-hour timer for your lights. It’s a good idea to have a timer because you can turn lights on or off automatically. This way, even if you’re out of town, your plants will still have what they need to thrive.
Setting Up Ventilation
Ventilation is another key part of a successful growing setup. It has several benefits for your plants:
- Plants in grow tents don’t get natural CO2 as outdoor plants do. Ventilation ensures that fresh CO2 comes in regularly.
- With lighting, it’s easy for the interior to become too hot too easily. Circulating air will help regulate temperature.
- Similarly, with regular ventilation, you’ll be able to regulate and optimize humidity in your setup.
While some grow tents come with included ducting, just about every tent comes with built-in ports for ductwork. It’s wise to install all of your ventilation before putting plants in the tent — you don’t want to risk harming any plants during the setup.
Another important part of ventilation is the fan you use. Many tents come with multiple fan ports, you won’t typically need to use every single one. You can choose between two fan types: oscillating or air-extraction. Oscillating fans tend to be less expensive, and they work very well. Air extractor fans both pull out older air and pump in the fresh air, and they should be run every five minutes. They do tend to be more expensive.
Lastly, a filter is a vital part of ventilation, too. Grow tent filters are usually made with carbon or charcoal, and they work by trapping impurities.
You have several options when it comes to installation – depending on preferences, you can place the filter before or after the fan in the ventilation chain, and you can also place the filter inside or outside of the tent.
Final Thoughts
Indoor growing can be a lot of fun, and it doesn’t have to be incredibly expensive. That said, it’s very important to take your time choosing a setup. A grow tent is an investment, and you want one that will stand the test of time. Look into what your chosen plants need, and then search for the setup that will maximize your yield. Happy Growing!
Happy Growing!
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