Succulent [What you need to know]

A grow tent can be a great way to help your succulents thrive all year long, but especially in the winter. Lack of sunlight indoors is difficult for succulents, but using a tent and grow lights is a great way to give them what they need. ( Succulent [What you need to know] )

If you live in a place that has cold winters, you will likely bring most of your succulents indoors during the season, unless you are growing the amazing cold hardy varieties.

While succulents can survive indoors, winter presents a number of problems, including reduced sunlight and fresh air. Using grow lights is a great option, but the best grow lights for succulents are generally too bright for normal viewing and can also have unusual colors.

A tent is a great solution to this problem!

If you are wondering what a tent is, a treat awaits you. A grow tent is a light and airtight enclosure that creates a perfect environment for growing plants and, in my case, succulents.

To give you a better idea of ​​what a grow tent is and how to use it for succulents, I created a “tour” of my Galaxy grow tent. This is really amazing!

My tent is 4 feet by 8 feet and 6 feet tall, but there are also smaller versions that will probably fit most of you better. First, here is a summary of the items that I have in my grow tent setup:

That seems like a lot, and in a way it is. But this setup is so much better than a table and grow lights in a bedroom in my house by the brightest window. However, I also realize that this setup is not for everyone. Take a look at the pictures and check them out below to see inside my grow tent and learn all about why it’s so awesome!

Contains grow lights with a grow tent

There were two main reasons why I chose to buy a tent. First, he needed more powerful grow lights. The grow lights that I bought (which I determined would work best for my plant collection) are bright pink and extremely bright.

As you can imagine, it is difficult to be in the same room when these lights are on. Since I didn’t want to dedicate an entire room to my succulents, a tent seemed like the best option.

When everything in the grow tent is closed, you don’t see the light from inside the tent. The inside of the grow tent is also reflective. This allows all the light turned off by the grow lights to be used. If the grow lights are not contained, some of the light is “wasted” as it does not end up touching the plants.

Another great benefit of relying only on grow lights, rather than window light, is that I know how long my succulents are exposed to light. If they start to show signs of sunburn, I can easily reduce the amount of time the lights are on or move the lights away from the succulents.

On the other hand, if I notice that my succulents are still stretching, I can move the lights closer to the plants so they get stronger light.

The grow lights are set on a timer and run 12 hours during the day. By setting the timer in normal daylight hours, I can easily switch my succulents outdoors once the weather warms up.

I will keep my propagation floors indoors as they work best in a controlled environment, but larger plants will benefit if they are moved outdoors during the summer.

Protect your succulents (and children or pets) with a grow tent

The second reason for buying the grow tent was to keep all of my succulents contained and out of the reach of my two curious little boys. Before using the grow tent, they seemed to always find a way to reach the plants and knock them over or touch the cacti, causing problems for both themselves and the plants.

The grow tent is currently installed in our game room (the only room with enough space for the tent in addition to the other functions that the room serves). Since they cannot reach the zippers at the top of the tent, both plants and children are safe.

This is also a great setup if you have cats or dogs. Those curious creatures always seem to find plants irresistible, so this setup will protect your plants from your pets. If you have succulents that can be harmful if eaten, such as Euphorbias, grow tents are another way to protect your animals.

A grow tent provides excellent airflow for succulents

Aside from the two reasons mentioned above for buying the grow tent, I have discovered a variety of other advantages. With the ventilation system configuration, the grow tent provides a large amount of air circulation for the succulent soil to dry quickly as it should.

If you’ve read my posts on irrigation and soil, you know that airflow plays a crucial role in the health of your succulents. While we run the heating and air conditioning indoors, there is not as much air circulation indoors as there is outside. The ventilation system in the grow tent can mimic the air flow outside, allowing the succulents to stay healthier.

Ideal environment for the propagation of succulents

While all succulents can thrive in a grow tent, it is an especially good environment for propagating succulents from the leaves. Leaf propagation requires the perfect amount of light, but not too much, and a very mild environment.

Inside the grow tent, I have found that my leaf propagation is much more successful. More leaves seem to sprout new plants, and the plants grow much healthier and more condensed than my typical indoor propagation experiments in the past. I also love not having to worry about them getting sunburned or blown away, etc.

The ventilation system is also ideal for leaf propagation. Since succulent babies need more water than fully established plants, I recommend watering them almost daily. The extra air circulation allows the soil to still dry out between waterings, helping baby succulents begin to develop strong roots in those short dry spells.

Lower risk of errors or infections

While a grow tent doesn’t completely eliminate the chance of succulents becoming infected with insects or other diseases, it definitely helps. The air circulation combined with the carbon filter and the contained environment allow the succulents to remain relatively free of insects.

If you find insects like mosquitoes or mealybugs, you can easily remedy the problem with alcohol. Mosquito infestations can be prevented simply by letting the soil dry out before watering again.

The Galaxy Grow Tent Experience

My husband did most of the research on which tent to buy. It is surprising to find the best product at the best price. After seeing dozens of tents, the Galaxy Tent was the only one that made sense.

First, it’s on the less expensive end of the grow tents. You can easily spend several hundred dollars, if not close to $ 1000, on a tent, especially one as large as mine (4 & # 39; x8 & # 39;).

Cheaper tents tend to lose more light and are not as durable. They won’t hold as much weight (for hanging grow lights and ventilation systems). But they are cheaper.

More expensive tents have stronger poles, more durable fabric, and do a better job of containing light. But they can also be extremely expensive.

The Galaxy grow tent is the perfect balance of all the best grow tent features at an incredible price. First is extremely durable.

The poles in this grow tent are larger than any other brand (even the most expensive), which means they can easily support more weight. Since I wanted the ventilation system to hang from the top of the tent, this was a huge consideration for me.

It is also very cheap. The 4’x8 ‘tent costs a little over $ 300. Most tents of this size with similar quality would cost $ 500 +. Yes, there are cheaper ones, but again, they are not as durable, tight to light and will not last as long.

That brings me to the ease of setup. No grow tent will be very quick to set up. However, I was surprised by how easily we were able to put this together.

Between my husband and I, it took a little over 30 minutes to set up and we had no prior experience. Next time it gets configured I guess it could go even faster.

I also love all the doors and windows in this store. Since I have the 4 & # 39; x8 ′ model, it has two doors at the front. However, it also has two doors on the sides so that you can easily access the plants at the back of the tent. Genius!

There are also some windows in the tent so you can monitor your plants without opening the doors. This is a great way to check if your grow lights are on or to see how your plants are doing.

I have a store light installation in the store that is on all the time, so even after the grow lights have been turned off, I can still look inside the store and see how things are going without opening the door.

The bottom of the tent also has ventilation screens so you can let air in.

Screens and windows can be covered with light-proof fabric panels that are attached with Velcro. They are very easy to open and close and you know that the light will not leak when they are closed.

The floor also has a cloth “tray”. As we know that we will move this tent in the future, this tray will allow us to easily remove dirt or leaves that have fallen to the ground.

We will simply remove the tray, throw it away, and then deconstruct the store.

Overall, I am very happy with this grow tent. It has been a great alternative to spreading succulents over the winter and has allowed me to start propagating many more succulents.

I’ve tried a variety of ways to keep succulents healthy indoors and while it’s not ideal for everyone, this is the best setting I’ve tried to date.

Be sure to take a look at the different size options for this Galaxy grow tent and see what works for you!