If you’re looking to start an indoor garden, you need to consider all the basic components of sustaining plant life. Setting up your garden and growing pan can seem intimidating, from the growing area to the types of nutrients you feed your plants.
Fortunately, manufacturing brands are offering you complete grow kit setups. A complete system comes with everything you need to start growing. Let’s look at the top ten features of any good growing kit.
#1 Is the Setup a Complete All-in-One Solution?
The first question you need to ask is if the kit comes with everything you need to grow. For instance, some manufacturers or retailers might leave out the light or the fans for your garden. Make sure you understand the components before you commit to purchasing your setup.
#2 What Size Tent Comes with Your Grow Kit?
You have options for choosing grow kits of different sizes. Most units come as small, complete systems for growing a few plants. You can select from setups that fit in areas as small as a closet to systems that take up entire living rooms. Check out our Stealth Kits here.
#3 What are the Features of a Top Grow Tent?
Size
Assess the growing space you have in your home or venue and purchase a tent that’s compatible with the area. You get sizes available with footprints as small as 2-feet x 2-feet, and others as large as 8-feet x 8-feet.
Material
The material for your grow tent should feature durable nylon or canvas that won’t tear or rip. It’s common for cheaper tents to start tearing at the seams and in the corners. Choose material that won’t tear or cut easily to ensure you get a durable tent.
Mylar Lining
The inside of the grow tent should feature a mylar lining to reflect the light from your LED lighting system. Make sure the mylar is VOC-free to prevent chemical gasses from building up in your tent.
Stitching
The tent should feature top-quality stitching to prevent it from falling apart. Pay special attention to the corners and seams, and look for double-stitched models for the sturdiest tents available.
Ducting Ports and Windows
Your tent needs ducting and ports for airflow management and easy viewing of your crop without the need to unzip the door.
Doors and Zippers
Look for models with large doors and durable zippers that don’t snag.
Steel Frames
Your tent should come with a durable frame that supports the weight of your lighting system and your fan.
#4 What Kind of Light Comes Included with Your Grow Kit?
Choose a grow kit that comes with an LED lighting system. Avoid setups that rely on HID lighting systems like Metal Halide (MH) and High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) bulbs. MH and HPS bulbs are expensive to run and replace. With LED lighting systems, you get efficient, cool operation and long service life. Most LEDs have a service life of between ten to fifteen years instead of the annual replacement required by HPS bulbs.
#5 Do You Get Fans Included?
Air management is critical to the health of your pants. The grow kit mist comes with a fan to help you move the air in and out of the tent and circulate it around your plants. Without enough air circulating inside the tent, your plants will struggle, and you’ll experience stunted growth.
Most systems come with an exhaust fan to remove the hot air from the top half of the tent, keeping the growing temperature at an ambient 80F. Without air extraction, the plants overheat, and they have the risk of turning hermaphrodite.
#6 Do You Get a Carbon Filter Included?
The smell is a big problem during the flowering process. You can remove the scent from your plants by connecting your fan ducting to a carbon scrubber unit. This unit filters the smell out of the air by passing over activated charcoal.
The absorbent properties of the charcoal remove the scent of the plants from the air as it escapes back out into the room. A carbon filter is a must-have item for guerilla growing. The last thing you need is the neighbor to your apartment getting a whiff of your crop.
#7 Do You Get Pots Included?
Most top-shelf grow kits come with grow pots included in your purchase. Check to see if you get standard pots or “air-pots” included with your kit. Air pots are the preferred option as they help more air get to the roots of the plants, increasing yield.
#8 Does the Kit Come with Instructions and Easy Assembly?
Your kit should come with instructions for assembly. Look for a kit that offers a snap-together frame system.
Most tents are easy enough to erect using one person for the job. However, larger tents that are 12-feet or more may require two people for the setup.
Look for instructions on how to assemble the kit, or the company should have a link to a YouTube video explaining the process of setting up the tent.
#9 Do You Get a Guarantee with Your Grow Kit?
Top manufacturing brands will offer you a guarantee with your tent. Most will provide you with at least two to five years’ warranty on the frame and the materials. The electrical and mechanical components included may come with varying warranty lengths.
Make sure you understand the terms of the warranty before you purchase your grow kit. Some manufacturers will need you to fill in a card online or physically and send it to their customer service team to register your warranty. Make sure you keep your receipt for your purchase as proof if you ever need to claim on your warranty for any reason.
#10 What Accessories Come with the Tent?
Finally, look at what accessories come with your kit. Pots are a good example, but most kits should come with basic, adjustable light hanging equipment. The ducting ports should feature cable zippers to secure the ducting, and some models come with removable floors for easy cleaning. To view Complete Grow Kits click here.
