4 x 4 vs 5 x 5 Grow Tent?

cindysid · Apr 30, 2016

I'm in the 4th week of flower with my first indoor grow. I have (2) 4 x 4 tents. I started out with 600 w hps in both tents, one in a cool tube with hood, and the other with an air cooled hood. I had a ballast go out in one and decided to replace it with a 1000w dimmable ballast and a genesis bulb. Now, I am considering further upgrades and would like some opinions from those with experience.

I have already decided to go with another 1000w ballast and bulb, and I am wondering if upgrading to 5 x 5 tents is going to be worthwhile? It seems like it would be. 5 x 5 is the max I have room for at the moment. Would the 1000 watt system give better production in a 5 x 5 tent, or should I stick with what I have? So far, temps aren't a problem. With a/c my temps don't go above 80f, and I am upgrading the a/cs also since the Summer heat is going to be a challenge. I would love to have some input. Thanks

Larry {the} Gardener · May 1, 2016

Hey. I see no one is chiming in here. I can give you a bump, but very little in the way of advice. Do you have to use a tent? No chance of just an old fashioned grow room? Is it because you need one for veg and one for flower, or is it your walls can't be tinkered with?

I thought you were an old hand at indoors. This being your first grow, I bet you are still a water carrier at heart. Once you have carried buckets of water through the piney woods to that special patch. . . . . .

astronautrob · May 1, 2016

If you can fill the 5x5 tent I'd say it'd be worth the money for the upgrade. I run 1000w spread over two lights in a 4x4 flower tent usually do about 6 plants depending and it works well. Of course I would always rather not grow in a tent if I could help it but imo if I'm going to be forced to grow in one I want the biggest I can manage in my space so I wish I could have a 5x5 as opposed to the 4x4. If you go with the 4x4 you're of course getting more watts per sqft but I think if you fill the 5x5 the amount of bud you get would outweigh any benefit seen from the higher watts per sqft, and if temp isn't an issue you can always add more supplemental lighting in the 5x5 later of if you want

cindysid · May 1, 2016

Larry {the} Gardener said:
Hey. I see no one is chiming in here. I can give you a bump, but very little in the way of advice. Do you have to use a tent? No chance of just an old fashioned grow room? Is it because you need one for veg and one for flower, or is it your walls can't be tinkered with?

I thought you were an old hand at indoors. This being your first grow, I bet you are still a water carrier at heart. Once you have carried buckets of water through the piney woods to that special patch. . . . . .

Yes, I've always vegged indoor, but this is my first time to flower, and so far it is going really well. Just looking for a little improvement if possible. I do miss growing outdoors, even with the bugs, and other bs that goes along with it. Never minded toting water and soil! It was just part of the adventure. Keeping two full tents fed and watered somewhat makes up for it, but I miss being physically "among" my plants.

There are several reasons for the tents. In my current setup, I have limits due to the electrical wiring as it stands, and I use the same rooms for mothers and veg. It also adds an extra barrier against the bugs....which can't hurt. I didn't think I would like it at first, but now I kinda do. It's also exciting at "lights on" to see their progress.

These are at day 22 since flip.

cindysid · May 1, 2016

astronautrob said:
If you can fill the 5x5 tent I'd say it'd be worth the money for the upgrade. I run 1000w spread over two lights in a 4x4 flower tent usually do about 6 plants depending and it works well. Of course I would always rather not grow in a tent if I could help it but imo if I'm going to be forced to grow in one I want the biggest I can manage in my space so I wish I could have a 5x5 as opposed to the 4x4. If you go with the 4x4 you're of course getting more watts per sqft but I think if you fill the 5x5 the amount of bud you get would outweigh any benefit seen from the higher watts per sqft, and if temp isn't an issue you can always add more supplemental lighting in the 5x5 later of if you want

I have just enough room for (2) 5 x 5's. I veg and do mothers in the same room, so the tents make it much easier. I'm also going to use the light movers, so I think that will help with even dispersion of the light. I'm going to be renovating and improving the wiring so I can use 220 instead of 110, which will help carry the load a little better. Temps aren't going to be much of an issue since I'm upgrading the a/c also. Thanks for your input! I made a little spreadsheet and showed it to hubby this morning, and after crunching the numbers, he agreed

EarthBow · May 1, 2016

I think bigger is generally better. If you don't pack the bigger tent with plants, you will have better air circulation. If you do pack it, you will have more plant.

How long are your arms? The only real downside to a 5x5 is it can make it harder to reach some of the plants. This is especially important for systems like scrog, where you can't just move stuff out of the way easily.

Maybe carrying buckets of water stretched your arms some. If so, I would go with the 5x5.

cindysid · May 1, 2016

EarthBow said:
I think bigger is generally better. If you don't pack the bigger tent with plants, you will have better air circulation. If you do pack it, you will have more plant.

How long are your arms? The only real downside to a 5x5 is it can make it harder to reach some of the plants. This is especially important for systems like scrog, where you can't just move stuff out of the way easily.

Maybe carrying buckets of water stretched your arms some. If so, I would go with the 5x5.

Lol...I know what you mean about needing long arms! I'm 5' 9", so I don't have short arms by any means, but the tents I will be getting have openings on 3 sides which definitely make access easier. One of the tents I'm using now only has access in the front which is a PIA!

Skunk Baxter · May 1, 2016

EarthBow said:
I think bigger is generally better. If you don't pack the bigger tent with plants, you will have better air circulation. If you do pack it, you will have more plant.

How long are your arms? The only real downside to a 5x5 is it can make it harder to reach some of the plants. This is especially important for systems like scrog, where you can't just move stuff out of the way easily.

Maybe carrying buckets of water stretched your arms some. If so, I would go with the 5x5.

Al of this. Just because you have the extra 9 square feet doesn't mean you need to use it. Just having a few extra inches of space around the edges of your grow makes a huge difference in terms of accessibility and ease of access, especially as the buds start filling out and brushing against the sides.

I run 1000W in a 4.5x4.5, and have plenty of coverage. I'm just finishing the trimming on a run that yielded over 2 pounds. 40 watts per square foot is quite adequate if the rest of your op is properly set up and dialed in.

cindysid · May 1, 2016

Skunk Baxter said:
Al of this. Just because you have the extra 9 square feet doesn't mean you need to use it. Just having a few extra inches of space around the edges of your grow makes a huge difference in terms of accessibility and ease of access, especially as the buds start filling out and brushing against the sides.

I run 1000W in a 4.5x4.5, and have plenty of coverage. I'm just finishing the trimming on a run that yielded over 2 pounds. 40 watts per square foot is quite adequate if the rest of your op is properly set up and dialed in.

Wow! That's encouraging. I ordered the new tents and light movers today. I already have the ballast and bulb ordered I will be tempted to go ahead and switch over when they get here...just not sure how my sog will react to being moved from their tent. They are giving each other a lot of support at the moment. I may try pulling a few out and see how they react and go from there. They will still have another 4-5 weeks when the tents get here. It would sure give them a little more room to spread out.

vegetta · Oct 12, 2016

cindysid said:
I'm in the 4th week of flower with my first indoor grow. I have (2) 4 x 4 tents. I started out with 600 w hps in both tents, one in a cool tube with hood, and the other with an air cooled hood. I had a ballast go out in one and decided to replace it with a 1000w dimmable ballast and a genesis bulb. Now, I am considering further upgrades and would like some opinions from those with experience.

I have already decided to go with another 1000w ballast and bulb, and I am wondering if upgrading to 5 x 5 tents is going to be worthwhile? It seems like it would be. 5 x 5 is the max I have room for at the moment. Would the 1000 watt system give better production in a 5 x 5 tent, or should I stick with what I have? So far, temps aren't a problem. With a/c my temps don't go above 80f, and I am upgrading the a/cs also since the Summer heat is going to be a challenge. I would love to have some input. Thanks

out of the two which one offers the most benefits from your esx

Skunk Baxter said:
Al of this. Just because you have the extra 9 square feet doesn't mean you need to use it. Just having a few extra inches of space around the edges of your grow makes a huge difference in terms of accessibility and ease of access, especially as the buds start filling out and brushing against the sides.

I run 1000W in a 4.5x4.5, and have plenty of coverage. I'm just finishing the trimming on a run that yielded over 2 pounds. 40 watts per square foot is quite adequate if the rest of your op is properly set up and dialed in.

cindysid said:
I'm in the 4th week of flower with my first indoor grow. I have (2) 4 x 4 tents. I started out with 600 w hps in both tents, one in a cool tube with hood, and the other with an air cooled hood. I had a ballast go out in one and decided to replace it with a 1000w dimmable ballast and a genesis bulb. Now, I am considering further upgrades and would like some opinions from those with experience.

I have already decided to go with another 1000w ballast and bulb, and I am wondering if upgrading to 5 x 5 tents is going to be worthwhile? It seems like it would be. 5 x 5 is the max I have room for at the moment. Would the 1000 watt system give better production in a 5 x 5 tent, or should I stick with what I have? So far, temps aren't a problem. With a/c my temps don't go above 80f, and I am upgrading the a/cs also since the Summer heat is going to be a challenge. I would love to have some input. Thanks

hey gotta question with your set up? out of the two (the cool tube with the hood or the air hood )which do you prefer because I was trying to find out which to get myself I have a similar size area as yourself. thanks

cindysid · Oct 12, 2016

vegetta said:
out of the two which one offers the most benefits from your esx

hey gotta question with your set up? out of the two (the cool tube with the hood or the air hood )which do you prefer because I was trying to find out which to get myself I have a similar size area as yourself. thanks

I have since replaced the air hood with another cool tube. I just find it easier to deal with, and I have been getting good yields.

vegetta · Oct 12, 2016

cindysid said:
I have since replaced the air hood with another cool tube. I just find it easier to deal with, and I have been getting good yields.

thanks for the quick reply so this one should be better then the hood ?https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK600CTAC-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B005EW026Q/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1476289320&sr=8-6&keywords=apollo+600w

cindysid · Oct 12, 2016

That looks like the hood I use. Mine is like 33 x 39 inches. It came disassembled, and the first one was a pain to put together, but it gives great coverage. Mine cost about $50.00 on ebay. I also use the apollo ballasts. Mine are the Purple Reign 1000w adjustable. No complaints.

vegetta · Oct 12, 2016

https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK600CTAC-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B005EW026Q/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1476289320&sr=8-6&keywords=apollo+600w

https://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-GLK600LS24-Digital-Dimmable/dp/B005ECZQTY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476289320&sr=8-1&keywords=apollo+600w

those are the two i was debating on. Was the hood similiar to urs?

cindysid · Oct 12, 2016

They are both a similar design to the one I have.http://www.ebay.com/itm/300782365001?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

This is a BIG hood. I really like the coverage it gives.

vegetta · Oct 12, 2016

is that capable of handling mh light bulbs or just hps

cindysid · Oct 12, 2016

You can use either bulb, any wattage. Another thing I like about it is that it is very light weight, a real plus for tent users!

vegetta · Oct 12, 2016

Thanks for your help

oddly enough i found very little information on line and so far your the only person to respond so much love

cindysid · Oct 12, 2016

You're very welcome!

Qronyq · Oct 12, 2016

cindysid said:
I'm in the 4th week of flower with my first indoor grow. I have (2) 4 x 4 tents. I started out with 600 w hps in both tents, one in a cool tube with hood, and the other with an air cooled hood. I had a ballast go out in one and decided to replace it with a 1000w dimmable ballast and a genesis bulb. Now, I am considering further upgrades and would like some opinions from those with experience.

I have already decided to go with another 1000w ballast and bulb, and I am wondering if upgrading to 5 x 5 tents is going to be worthwhile? It seems like it would be. 5 x 5 is the max I have room for at the moment. Would the 1000 watt system give better production in a 5 x 5 tent, or should I stick with what I have? So far, temps aren't a problem. With a/c my temps don't go above 80f, and I am upgrading the a/cs also since the Summer heat is going to be a challenge. I would love to have some input. Thanks

I have a 4x4 going right now with a 1000w XXXL going. It literally stretches from wall to wall and that's not even with ducting on it yet. I have a AC unit in there with a charcoal filter and 2 18g totes doing DWC...

All I can say is, I WISH I had a 5x5 right now..
A 1000w is going to handle a 5x5 no problem. More space is always good.

Just my 2 cents

4 x 4 vs 5 x 5 Grow Tent?

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