Buy a bigger tent or run two tents interconnected?

M

MisterNoice

Member
So, I've just started 2 white widows auto flower in a tent from spider farmer which is quite small but should allow me to apply some LST grown under a 100w LED provided with the tent. However winter is coming and I am worried about the cold temperatures. Looking at faily highs of 20 Celsius and lows of 7. I'm inside so the reality is that they probably won't drop that low, plus I am using the top room which has slanted windows causing somewhat of a greenhouse effect.

I now want to get other seeds! And obviously my current tent is not going to be enough. I'm thinking another 2 white widows (not sure about mixing strains, maybe someone can advise?)

Option 1:

Buy another tent and put the light in the existing tent making it 200w overall (the tent comes with all the necessary stuff needed, only soil and medium needed) purchase A 400w HPS and then run the top extraction into the LED powered tent causing hot air to enter (obviously this is where the question of mixing strains comes in) but the HPS would also heat up the tents. Then the final extraction would be from the second LED tent maybe using 2 carbon filters with the two fans and use only the ducting to cause a natural flow effect. Tent cost is 310 euros plus 90 euros for the HPS

OR

Buy a bigger spider or Mars hydro tent for 4/6 plants and either a HPS or one of their 300 or 450w Leads and use my current 100 placed around the tent as I will be using LST

I am edging for a bigger tent with a HPS but would like some thoughts.

As I already have all the gear I could just use the equipment and only need to buy the tent and light which would be around 150 for the bigger tent and around 200/300 for the light.

The main factor in this is heating! How much would a 300 or 450 watt LED heat my tent? Especially as I would be going into flower in the coldest month! Haha (lows of 9 Celsius highs of 18 in the day.

Would the greenhouse effect make much difference
Would Leads heat my tent up?
Would a higher position in the house where heat rises up the temp?

Thanks in advance!
 
Zogs

Zogs

Well-Known Member
What are the inside temps like ? Is your area insulated and heated? I think @HydoDan is correct, you need to know the variables first before you should start spending any $$. You might not even be able to grow in that room. Instead of more lights or tents the best investment might be more insulation. Going the autoflower route was probably a good idea. Keeping the lights on 24/7 will help heat the room a bit. I've had this fight before growing in a cold basement. In the long run good insulation was the best value way to go for me.
 
Rocket Soul

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
I was also doing grand plans for a perfect system and the truth is that you cant plan for everything. Youd need to start and get some gear an experience and go slowly little by little and making improvements. There are more options than the 2 tent shared air thing. You could for example get a few low watt incandescent down lights for heat on cannopy as long as you have a dimmer to controll it and remember to match wattage somewhat to light intensity. You could combine it with a horti heat matt/ carpet.
Another trick is to extract the bottom and intract to top of the tent. Another way would be ceramic heaters a bit more expensive but can run thru the night and exist in low watt versions, also no extra stretch that can be a problem with incandescent with badly matched wattage to led light wattage.


The problem with two tent recycling air is that its hard to dial in, especially between day and night and the humidity is hard to control in tents, especially since its always harder to move air in the bottom , youll easily get mold and have it in all spaces and big disappointment. A trickle of small work arounds and solution will help you have the flexibility to pull this off without going for the systemsolution approach. Pull of grows for a year first then look into it. But you may even wanna do led in both tents and run them high wattage and on counter cycles, so that one i son when the other off. That stabilises temps in both tents but youll still need some humidity control; youll end up needing a dehuey, which if you cant extract the space your tent is in you would probably need any way.
 
Boatguy

Boatguy

Well-Known Member
Rocket Soul said:
I was also doing grand plans for a perfect system and the truth is that you cant plan for everything. Youd need to start and get some gear an experience and go slowly little by little and making improvements. There are more options than the 2 tent shared air thing. You could for example get a few low watt incandescent down lights for heat on cannopy as long as you have a dimmer to controll it and remember to match wattage somewhat to light intensity. You could combine it with a horti heat matt/ carpet.
Another trick is to extract the bottom and intract to top of the tent. Another way would be ceramic heaters a bit more expensive but can run thru the night and exist in low watt versions, also no extra stretch that can be a problem with incandescent with badly matched wattage to led light wattage.


The problem with two tent recycling air is that its hard to dial in, especially between day and night and the humidity is hard to control in tents, especially since its always harder to move air in the bottom , youll easily get mold and have it in all spaces and big disappointment. A trickle of small work arounds and solution will help you have the flexibility to pull this off without going for the systemsolution approach. Pull of grows for a year first then look into it. But you may even wanna do led in both tents and run them high wattage and on counter cycles, so that one i son when the other off. That stabilises temps in both tents but youll still need some humidity control; youll end up needing a dehuey, which if you cant extract the space your tent is in you would probably need any way.
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Ive struggled with this since day 1. Managing both humidity and temps in a small tent is near impossible. I have resigned myself to intentionally not completely filling the tent and splitting the difference between temp and humidity. Not ideal but much better results than i have ever had outdoors. My single scrog was so humid it was practically raining in there at lights out, and the waterfarm was the same. So much transpiration for a little area
 
Rocket Soul

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
Boatguy said:
Ive struggled with this since day 1. Managing both humidity and temps in a small tent is near impossible. I have resigned myself to intentionally not completely filling the tent and splitting the difference between temp and humidity. Not ideal but much better results than i have ever had outdoors. My single scrog was so humid it was practically raining in there at lights out, and the waterfarm was the same. So much transpiration for a little area
Click to expand...
Ive heard some small computer fans facing a a tent wall or pot can give a nice "diffused" airflow under cannopy which is key, but hard when youre having limited vertical space. Ac infinity with controller can run based of either temps or rh. If rh then add heat separately if too cold. Or that would be my general idea.
My buddy nacho manages a really tight grow space very well; 16 plants in 1m2 (3'3x3'3) i dont know how he does the lower airmovement though. But air below, without thrashing cannopy is key. Since we started doing at least 1.5' of trunk before any leaves and oscillating fan bleow and above weve never ever had mold or pm.
 
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