Complete Guide to Grow Tents for Cannabis

Last updated Feb 28, 2024

by Nebula Haze

Table of Contents

Which Cannabis Growers Should Use a Grow Tent?

Create the Perfect “Pop-Up” Environment

What Size Grow Tent?

How to Set Up a Grow Tent for Ultimate Stealth


Who Should Use Grow Tents?

Grow tents are designed to keep things simple for hobbyist cannabis growers. A 4’x4′ grow tent can produce 1-2 pounds per harvest with the right grow light, and as a bonus, a grow tent with a carbon filter keeps all smells inside so no one knows you’re growing! Although grow tents are not designed for huge marijuana grow operations, they are excellent for hobby growers who are growing weed in a room or closet.

Cannabis grow tents come in many sizes, to fit your current grow goals and space limits.

Example of a big and small cannabis grow tent next to each other in the corner of a bedroom.

For growers who want to grow a ton of weed at a time, there are also bigger cannabis grow tents, up to the size of a small room!

Pros of Growing Cannabis in a Grow Tent

  • Relatively Cheap – Prices are around $70-150 for your average grow tent. Setting up a grow space to have all the same characteristics (reflective walls, air-tight vents, lightproof, a waterproof tray at the bottom to catch spilled water, etc.) can easily cost the same amount or more. Plus it’s difficult to DIY a space so that it works as well as a grow tent (which has been designed for this purpose) and it will often take more time, planning, and effort than simply buying a pre-made tent.
  • Easy & Quick to Set Up – Assembling your grow tent and getting completely set up to start growing weed will take about an afternoon and can be done by just about anyone (full instructions below). Overall, the work of setting up a grow tent reminds me of putting together an old-fashioned camping tent, only weed comes out of it a few months later!
  • Stealth – A grow tent prevents smells and light from escaping the tent when set up properly, and can be tucked away in a big closet or the corner of a room without necessarily drawing a whole lot of attention.
  • Perpetual Harvest – Grow tents work very well if you want to keep two separate grow spaces, for example, if you want a separate vegetative and flowering chamber for a perpetual harvest. Grow tents create a completely self-enclosed environment that can be managed separately.
  • Helps Prevent Bugs – The intake holes of most grow tents are covered with mesh, which allows air to pass but stops many insects. This helps prevent incidental bugs like spiders or carpenter beetles from getting to your plants. A grow tent with strong grow lights is also a pretty hot and inhospitable environment for many cannabis pests!
  • Keeps Buds Clean – In addition to preventing bugs from getting on your plants, the mesh intake holes help keep out dust and impurities. The sticky trichomes on cannabis buds are surprisingly good at holding on to fibers, animal hair, and anything that floats by. A surprising amount of random debris can get onto your buds even if you keep your grow room pristine. A grow tent helps keep buds clean and looking good!

Example of a happy cannabis plant in a grow tent.

Peaking inside a cannabis grow tent - an easy way to make a great growing environment so you get big buds like these! Example of a cannabis plant in a grow tent.

Some grow tents don’t look particularly suspicious. On the left is a homemade stealth grow cabinet and on the right is a 2’x4’x5′ grow tent that looks vaguely like a clothes wardrobe. They’re just about equally nondescript!

A hidden "stealth" grow cabinet is only marginally more stealthy than a grow tent for growing marijuana. Some grow tents don't look particularly suspicious. On the left is a homemade stealth grow cabinet and on the right is a 2'x4'x5' grow tent that looks vaguely like a clothes wardrobe. They're just about equally nondescript!

When all is said and done, a stealth cabinet with fans on the inside (even one done very professionally so it’s completely lightproof) is only marginally more stealthy than a black grow tent with a zipper down the middle. When it comes to stealth, don’t expect any grow tent or cabinet to be stealthy enough for someone to be hanging out in your room without noticing the fact that it’s emitting light/noise/heat. Instead, you’re looking for something that can fool someone who is quickly passing by it for a moment or two.

Grow tents also let you easily set up a perpetual marijuana harvest. This grower (Manzfoo) keeps young plants in the purple LED tent, and older plants in the yellow HPS tent. As soon as he harvests the big plants, he rotates in the young ones and starts a new batch. This lets him harvest every 2 months or so!

This picture by Manzfoo shows and HPS flowering tent and a separate LED vegetative tent. Grow tents also let you easily set up a perpetual harvest. This grower (Manzfoo) keeps young plants in the purple LED tent, and older plants in the yellow HPS tent. As soon as he harvests the big plants, he rotates in the young ones and starts a new batch. This lets him harvest every 2 months or so!

If you’ve seen the examples and want to keep it simple and get a grow tent, here’s more information on how they quickly create the perfect environment for your growing marijuana plants!

Quickly Create the Perfect Cannabis Environment

When used correctly, a grow tent lets you recreate nature under its ideal conditions! Possibly the most challenging part of being able to grow cannabis in these ideal conditions is getting set up. However, once everything is set up, it’s mainly a matter of planting a seed and watering your plants until you harvest bud!

If you’re trying to create a cannabis growing environment from scratch, you may have to do some DIY which can feel overwhelming if you’re just getting a grasp on growing. Utilizing a grow tent takes care of a bunch of environmental factors in one fell swoop.

Example of plants thriving in a grow tent. If you're trying to create a cannabis growing environment from scratch, you may have to do some DIY which can feel overwhelming if you're just getting a grasp on growing. Utilizing a grow tent takes care of a bunch of environmental factors in one fell swoop.

  • Maximize Your Grow Lights – A grow tent has reflective walls and the reflectivity is equal to or often even better than what you could do yourself. Reflective walls ensure all the light from the grow light reaches your cannabis plants, which can increase your yields.
  • Designed for Common Grow Equipment – It’s easy to hang and adjust your grow lights, hook up your fan, find ports and vents, etc. A grow tent accounts for most growing situations.
  • Light Proof – A grow tent is constructed to prevent light from leaking in or out of the tent. Not only does this help your plants (cannabis needs complete darkness at night to make as many buds as possible), but it also prevents light from spilling out; you don’t want to possibly alert others that there are some very bright lights inside your home! Sometimes DIY light proofing a space can be tricky, and a grow tent takes that problem out of the equation.
  • Waterproof & Easy to Clean – A grow tent usually has a waterproof floor that contains regular spills so you don’t have to worry about water leaking out onto your floor. It’s also easy to wipe down the walls and floor of a grow tent, making it simple to keep things clean.
  • Designed for Airflow – The sealed nature of the tent combined with vents and air-ports make it so you can set up a whirlwind of air in the tent simply by installing a strong exhaust fan in one of the included ports. This constantly pulls fresh air in to circulate through the tent from the intake vents near the floor, replacing all the air in just minutes while giving plants plenty of CO2 and preventing problems from heat buildup.
  • Smell-Proof – Grow tents make it really easy to take advantage of a carbon filter. The negative air pressure caused by the sealed space prevents any smells from leaking into the home as long as the carbon filter is attached, the exhaust fan is on and the doors are kept closed.

At its simplest, a grow tent just needs an exhaust fan and a grow light. At this point, you’ve already created a great cannabis-growing environment! See a grow journal in this setup!

You just need an exhaust fan and a grow light to start growing cannabis in a tent!

What Size Grow Tent for Your Cannabis Grow?

There are hundreds of models of grow tents, and they come in many different sizes. It can be confusing to know which one to get for your situation, and which ones are best overall. This should help clear things up!

Best Hobbyist Sizes – 2’x2′, 2’x4′, and 4’x4′

When it comes to cannabis grow tents, three of the most common sizes (in the US) for hobbyist growers are the 2’x2′, 2’x4′, and 4’x4′ tents. These are also made to fit the most common grow lights.

I believe a 2’x4′ is one of the best sizes for new growers because it gives you enough space for decent yields (get up to several ounces a month) but it isn’t big enough to be overwhelming. You get easy access to all the plants, including the ones in the back, but still get all the advantages of a full-size grow light. You can start with a small LED grow light in this size tent and still have room to eventually upgrade up to a 300W grow light.

For bigger growers, a 4’x4′ grow tent is great because it can be used with the next class of grow lights up to some of the biggest grow lights. It can support a 600-1000W HPS or LED grow light as long as it’s 6-7′ tall.

If you want to double your yield from a 2’x4′ but don’t want to have to set up a whole grow room, a 4’x4′ is the way to go! It’s big enough for monster yields (a pound or more!) but still small enough to be manageable by just one person.

Cannabis leaf in front of a grow tent with vegetative plants inside

Height Helps – At least 4-5′ tall, and 7′ is better

Short spaces are difficult to grow in because you have to worry about your cannabis plant “growing into” the grow light. A 6′ tall tent will support up to a 300-400W grow light, and even with smaller grow lights, more height makes things a little easier. Having an area that is 7′ tall makes it unlikely you’ll ever be limited by the height of your grow space. A little extra height can increase your potential yields, in some cases, because a taller space lets you support more powerful grow lights and grow larger plants.

Short marijuana plants can only yield so much even if they’re completely covered in bud.

A short cannabis plant can only make so much buds. Short marijuana plants can only yield so much even if they're completely covered in bud.

Extra height lets you use more powerful lights and grow taller plants (with bigger, longer buds!)

Example of flowering cannabis buds under a 600W HPS grow light. Extra height lets you use more powerful lights and grow taller plants (with bigger, longer buds!)

Cannabis Grow Light Compatibility

  • 2’x2’x4′ – LEDs up to 100W.
  • 2’x4’x5′ – LEDs up to 200W, 250W HPS
  • 2’x4’x6′ (same size but taller) – LEDs up to 300W, 250W or 400W HPS
  • 4’x4’x7′ – LEDs up to 650W, 600W or 1000W HPS

Examples & What to Look For

It can be tempting to try to get a really expensive grow tent with all the “bells and whistles” because you want to give your plants the best possible home! But honestly the cheapest grow tent has 90% of the features of a far more expensive grow tent. If you’ve never grown marijuana before and are reluctant to invest a lot of money, I recommend starting cheap when it comes to tents!

If possible, I recommend getting a tent that’s as tall as you can support so you never have to worry about running out of height. A 6′ tall grow tent easily supports up to a 300W or even 400W grow light. However, taller tents are relatively rare and it’s much more common to see grow tents that are only 5′ tall or shorter. The shorter versions will also do the trick (and can support bigger lights if you have a great exhaust system to vent heat and use careful plant training). Another advantage is that smaller tents are a little less conspicuous looking and people sometimes mistake them for a cheap Ikea-style clothing wardrobe. Just remember, with a short tent, to keep a close eye on plant height to make sure you don’t run out of headroom as plants get taller.

2’x2’x4′ – Example of Cheap Yet Effective 2’x2’x4′ Grow Tent (~$60) – I love the CoolGrows branded tents. I’ve tried them in a few different sizes and they are generally higher quality (better zippers, more sturdy) and yet cost less on average than many other brands. However, almost any grow tent by any brand works well to grow cannabis plants.

Grow Light Compatibility

  • Small LEDs (up to 100W power draw) like Spider Farmer SF-1000

Spider Farmer SF-1000 LED grow light in a 2’x2′ grow tent. Check out the full setup.

2’x4’x5′ – Example of Cheap Yet Effective 2’x4’x5′ Grow Tent (~$90) – I love the CoolGrows branded tents. I’ve tried them in a few different sizes and they are generally higher quality (better zippers, more sturdy) and yet cost less on average than many other brands. However, almost any grow tent by any brand should do the trick.

Grow Light Compatibility

  • Small LEDs (up to 200W power draw) like Spider Farmer SF-2000

Spider Farmer SF-2000 LED grow light in a 2’x4′ grow tent

Spider Farmer SF-2000 LED grow light in a 2'x4' grow tent

2’x4’x6′ – Example of Cheap Yet Effective 2’x4’x6′ Grow Tent ($100) – This is the same size except for a bit taller. The extra height is useful in case a plant grows unexpectedly tall, or if you have a grow light that needs to be kept far from plants like some LEDs.

Grow Light Compatibility

An example of marijuana plants I grew under the Mars Hydro TSL2000 in a 2’x4’x6′ Grow Tent

An example of marijuana plants I grew under the Mars Hydro TSL2000 in a 2'x4'x6' Grow Tent

Exhaust Fan

At this size, grow lights put off significant heat that will raise the temperature in the tent by several degrees. Luckily it’s an easy fix. Get a 6″ exhaust fan to vent the heat out of the tent and bring in fresh air for your plants. Full instructions with pictures are below. I use the AC Infinity S6 exhaust fan (big and expensive but effective and quiet). Before that, I used a 6″ iPower exhaust fan (smaller and cheaper but much louder).

Example of a cheap yet effective grow tent for growing cannabis

4’x4’x7′ Tent 4’x4’x7′ Cheap But Effective Grow Tent ($85) – Another CoolGrows tent. This size tent can support even the legendary 1000W HPS but I personally think it’s the perfect size for a 600W HPS or LED grow lights with a total of 500-700W power draw. LED examples that would fit this tent:

Grow Light Compatibility

  • 600W HPS (dimmable, on a 6″ hood”) hooked up with 6″ ducting to a 6″ exhaust fan.
  • 2 mid-size LEDs or one big LED (500-700W total power draw and dimmable)
    • 1 x HLG 600 R-Spec (I’ve received excellent bud quality and high potency when I’ve grown weed under this light)
    • 1 x Mars Hydro FC-E4800 (great results and produces less heat than most LEDs for a 4’x4′)

Exhaust Fan

This much grow light power puts off a ton of heat. You need an extra strong 6″ exhaust fan like the Vivosun 6 inch 390 CFM fan and carbon filter kit (this kit actually includes a carbon filter and ducting so you can set your tent up to filter all smells) and if you want a quieter fan you’ll have to bump up to the 8″ size of AC Infinity as the 6″ version isn’t strong enough.

A 4'x4'x7' grow tent is perfect for a 600W or 1000W HPS grow light. Source: Cannabis grow tent tutorial on GrowWeedEasy.com

 

How to Set Up a Grow Tent for Stealth

What You Need

  • Grow Tent (examples above)
  • Grow Light
  • Exhaust Fan
  • Possibly Ducting
  • (Optional) Carbon Filter (get this if you want to filter smells)

1.) Clear Space & Put Together Tent

Before getting started, take a minute to clean up the space where you will be building your tent. It’s easier to do it all in the beginning as opposed to while you’re working. Make sure to put together your tent at its final destination. You don’t want to build it only to realize it doesn’t fit through the doorway 🙂

2.) Hang Grow Light

It can be difficult choosing exactly which grow light you want, but once you’ve made your decision at least it’s easy to hang your light. Compare different grow lights

Example of LED Grow Light Hanging In Tent with Rope Ratchets
(Carbon Filter in Back Scrubs Smells)

Example of LED grow light being hung by rope ratchets in a grow tent

The best way to hang your grow light is using rope ratchets if you can; they are cheap and easy to set up. Rope ratchets make it incredibly simple to adjust your lights at any time without the chance of dropping the light on your plants. Sometimes it’s helpful to be able to quickly put lights up or down, whether you want better access to the back of the tent without the light beaming on your head, or even just to take better pictures of your plants. Make sure whatever you use to secure the lights (rope ratchets!) can handle at least twice te amount of your light just to be safe!

Cheap rope ratchets allow you to move a grow light up and down with a few clicks, so you never need to hold up your light or worry you might drop your light on your plants.

Cheap rope ratchets make it really easy to adjust your cannabis grow light up and down

3.) Hang the Exhaust Fan

Hang the exhaust fan with rope ratchets from the top bars inside the tent to help muffle the sound of the fan running. This is also the most efficient setup for removing heat because it creates short straight path for the air to leave the tent.

Use strong nylon rope or rope ratchets to hang your exhaust fan inside the grow tent from the top bars to dramatically reduce sound and vibration. Your fan will sound louder if it’s located outside of your tent and not hanging.

Hang your exhaust fan from the top of the grow tent using nylon rope, industrial zip ties or even rope ratchets to make the fan run a lot quieter

If you’re using a grow light that has an air-cooled hood that contains all the heat, like many MH or HPS grow lights, you can connect the exhaust fan to the hood directly for extra efficient cooling. This lets you vent hot air directly out of the tent so heat is never beaming down onto your plants.

Learn how to set up a hidden exhaust for MH/HPS grow lights

You can continue ducting out a window to vent the heat completely out of the room

Example of setting up a full exhaust system with ducting connecting the grow light to the fan

For the best results with any grow light, make sure there is a way for fresh air to get in. Grow tents almost always have adjustable vents near the bottom of the tent to let in fresh air. Some growers remove the covers completely, but that increases the chance the light will leak into the tent.

To get better airflow without light leaks, you can make a little “window” or light trap facing down (using the built-in intake vents) to let air through, but not light

Example of using the included vents on a grow tent to make a light trap for your intake hole

4.) Connect Carbon Filter – No Smells!

Although some growers don’t use a carbon filter, they can unintentionally be making a trail that leads straight to their grow. Carbon filters ensure there are no smells whatsoever getting where they aren’t supposed to be in addition to providing peace of mind. Plus some cannabis plants smell so hard the smell can get baked in your hair and on your clothes.

Just like the exhaust fan, I recommend hanging your carbon filter with rope ratchets because a carbon filter is surprisingly heavy, and rope ratchets make it easier to make adjustments.

It’s important that there is an air-tight line from the carbon filter to the fan (without any air leaks) in order to prevent smells from escaping the tent.

Growers often hang a carbon filter in the back of the tent so it’s less in the way.

You can connect a carbon filter directly to your exhaust fan if you don't have a hood

Sometimes it makes more sense to tuck the carbon filter behind the grow light.

Example of an exhaust system with the exhaust fan in the port

Or if you have an air-cooled hood you connect the carbon filter > light > exhaust fan. This is considered a “complete” exhaust system because it cools the grow light and scrubs all smells in one fell swoop while keeping everything completely inside the tent. Notice how the carbon filter is tucked behind the light and connected to the grow light with ducting.

No matter how you end up doing it, the main idea is to ensure any air leaving the tent must first pass through this carbon filter and then have no air leaks or holes in the venting until the air is completely out the tent.

As long as you keep the tent closed and the fan on, you should never be able to smell cannabis in your home or outside. The negative air pressure caused by the sealed tent prevents any air inside the tent from leaking out.

Note: When you open the door of the tent it breaks this seal, which means smells may flood out the door or get pulled into the exhaust fan prematurely. To deal with smells when you open the tent, you can use a product called ONA gel, which is surprisingly effective at covering up odors on a short-term basis. However, if you put one of these inside your grow tent, the smell will get on your buds, so only use this as a “spot treatment” and not your main way to cover up cannabis smells..

ONA gel is surprisingly effective at getting rid of unwanted smells in the cannabis grow room.

Also, here’s a trick I learned from a dispensary owner: set up a carbon filter with a fan attached inside the room itself (in addition to the one in your tent), and run it alongside some ONA gel whenever you need to make sure all smells are gone quickly in the room, even if you’ve opened the tent. It works to keep a dispensary smelling neutral and it works just as well in the home!

If you have a smell emergency, you can use an exhaust fan directly attached to a carbon filter sitting on the floor. This isn’t as effective as a “real” exhaust system, but it will clear an entire room of smells in just minutes. Some growers who can’t fit a carbon filter in their grow space have even used this technique to control smells for a whole grow!

For smell emergencies, you can simply set a strong exhaust fan on a carbon filter to quickly kill all smells in the room

 

5.) Sound, Stealth, and Safety Check

You’re at the home stretch! Your grow tent should already be set up, and now it’s just a matter of double-checking everything and adding your plants!

Sound Check

Make sure to listen and make sure you can't hear any suspicious sounds!You can dramatically reduce the sound of fans by hanging them as opposed to letting them sit on something. Keeping fans clean will also make them as efficient as possible while preventing sounds from developing.

For both air and water pumps, it makes a difference to place them on something besides directly on the ground. For example placing them on a piece of wood will muffle the vibration.

Light & Smell Check

You want to make sure no light or smells will make it outside the tent!

After everything is set up, turn on your grow light and exhaust fan for a day to test out your new space.

  • The sides of the tent should bow inward slightly when you turn on the fan. Inward bowing means you have created negative air pressure, which is perfect because it will prevent smells from leaking into the home as long as the tent is kept closed.
  • Ensure that your carbon filter is securely attached to your exhaust fan, with no way for air to leak in or out. A strong seal between the carbon filter and the fan will ensure that any air leaving the tent passes through the carbon filter first, which will completely scrub it of any smells.
  • Take a minute to check around your house to see if you can hear anything that seems odd when your equipment is on. A constant hum or rattle can be suspicious, so listen carefully.
  • Go outside and walk around your house once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night to see if there’s any noticeable sounds or if you can see suspicous looking light from outside.

Safety Check

Lastly, take a good look around inside the tent. Everything should be secure. Make sure that any electronics are off the ground (power strips, ballasts, wires) just in case there’s ever a water spill.

A good rule of thumb is to keep all electronics above the waist, while anything to do with water is kept below the waist. Don’t leave cords hanging around in the tent. It’s not only safer, but it looks a lot nicer when you wrap cords up neatly and secure them in place 🙂

Learn more about electrical safety!

Get Started Growing! You Are Ready!

Now that you’re all set up, the major work is over! Here’s a very quick summary of what’s next:

  1. Add container with growing media (soil, coco coir, hydroponics)
  2. Add seeds
  3. Give nutrients and water regularly
  4. When plants are about 6 weeks old, put your grow lights on a timer so they turn off for 12 hours each day. Buds will start growing in 1-2 weeks.
  5. Harvest sweet, sweet buds a few months later!

Get step-by-step instructions for the rest of your marijuana grow or read the 10-minute beginner’s guide to growing cannabis!

Now that you've set up your grow space, start growing buds like this!

 


 

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