Cheap DIY $2 Grow Tent!

This Video is from the Youtube channel: “HowToHydroponics”. 

Thanks to Cody at Nukeheads for sharing this simple yet effective idea.

FULL DISCLAIMER: ** I paid $2.50 CAD for these items which actually works out to $1.95USD **

Creating a super simple grow tent from $2 and basic items from around your house.

Hey guys,

If I told you that you could create a grow tent from $2 and basic items you have around your house would you believe me? What if I told you that for the $2 you’d increase your lights efficiency by up to 122%? Sound too good to be true? Stick around and I’ll show you how it’s done.

Firstly if you’ve come to this video thinking we’re going to make something like this, you’re wrong. Grow tents like these will run you $200 and aren’t an option for a lot of us.

Cody over at NukeHeads.com (check them out on YouTube and Facebook as well) Showed some promising results on a quick homemade grow tent that I want to share with you.

There’s two components you need, each of which you can get from your local dollar store. Here’s what you want to get. Head into the camping section and find a Mylar Blanket. Designed by NASA these things are highly reflective and light weight.
Next head over to where they keep the kids’ stuff. Pick up a hula-hoop. Pick a diameter that would fit your light and plant.

That’s it! The rest of the items we can get from our own home!

But first let’s get some measurements from our grow light without a grow tent. I’m using a par meter to measure the various wavelengths of light that fall within a specific light range. The range we’re interested in the is 400nm to 700nano meter range. Without getting too much into details you’re plants respond best to light within this range.

We’ll test our light at a 12” interval, an 18” interval and finally well move to a 24” interval. As expected the further away we move our light the less effective it becomes.

But now let’s see if our big $2 investment can make a difference.

I’m going to want to find a way to hang this hula-hoop around our grow light. With a bit of string and some creative thinking, I think I’ve found an easy solution.

Let’s attach the mylar to the hoop now. A bit of tape is all that’s needed for this process. Just work your way around attaching the mylar to the hoop. If you have a bigger hoop, or maybe you’ve built a rectangle out of PVC fittings, you may need another mylar blanket.

Ok so the next step…. We’ll hey wait a minute that’s pretty good. There are no more steps. Looks like our work here is done. But as they say the proof is in the pudding, or in our case the Quantum PAR Meter Micromol Sensor readout…. Who writes these jokes?

Let’s take some readings and compare. Here we are at the 12” mark we see better results with the mylar.
Again at the 18” mark better results with the mylar, and finally at the 24” mark, surprise surprise better with the mylar.

So ask yourself. Is if worth it to have a 122% gain in light efficiency for $2 and no extra wattage? I think it’s a pretty good idea and I want to thank Cody over at NukeHeads for sharing it. It’s an easy DIY project that anyone can afford.

Thanks for watching!

 

Peter Grant
 

  • gjb211 says:

    Thank you so much for the great info. Good hands-on plus just enough science to make it interesting. I’ve grown for a long time but am trying to amp up my indoor grow room. Keep up the good work.

  • James Bong says:

    This is good for begginers like me , thank you for this but i need to buy a tent before the plants starts to flower

  • YDCFF says:

    I covered the walls and ceiling in a 6×12 foot area with mylar and it works great!

  • russell mason says:

    I love using thermal blanket material. Super cheap and doesnt reduce grow space at all.

  • Lance Owens says:

    Emergency blankets are the best I figured this out just a few months ago but I went a little bit further 👍

    • Trish Canyon says:

      Love the dual purpose

    • Tickles says:

      how do u get airflow through it

    • Lance Owens says:

      @Tickles I just hang mine around the walls down one side of the room window AC unit ink bird control 3 different oscillating fans and a couple clip fans dehumidifier got 2 mars FC E3000s next too one another along that Wall I veg and grow autos have a 2by4 but not a tent built it in corner of my room to flower photos but the open bedroom veg and auto works great

    • Lance Owens says:

      @Tickles good luck tickle

  • TapStompLightSmile says:

    Cool video, I can see this helping out many people. I know that if anyone wants reflective material in bulk, look up radiant barrier and you can find a roll of material that was produced to bounce the radiant heat away from your home. I have a roll that’s literally tear proof and has micro holes for moisture release

  • Dennis Zacharias says:

    What a great idea,I’m going to give it a try with cloths pins.Hope my wife don’t miss them.

  • Lena Quagliato says:

    what would be the ideal distance from vegitables? I am just curious how many nonmeters would be ideal for an indoor veggie patch? It seems like the farther away, the more plants could be lit, but not sure what the numbers mean, so would 300 nanometers be strong enough?

  • KY Momma says:

    So grateful that I found your page. Thanks for the info. Getting started on one tomorrow. 😁😊❤ Wish me luck.

  • Jon Jaudzems says:

    As you raise the lights inside the mylar tent, the surface reflective area increases, therefore the light intensity percentage increases as you go higher.

  • John Spence says:

    So this is great JUST for light, but there are other things you should build into it. One, certain plants require humidity, so it needs to be closed in. Bugs…the point of a grow tent is to avoid contaminants and bugs. Air…grow tents have a great filtration system. So if its JUST light you want, this is great

  • perry_mf_Lloyd says:

    I used 2×2 lumber and a roll of thick plastic. $38 5×5 tent. Ive also added a roll of mylar. $20

  • Brian Morris says:

    I made one using the frame from a travel wardrobe for hanging suits, duct tape, and white poster board as a reflector. It worked great. Total cost was under 20 bucks. Mylar is okay but white glossy surfaces reflect almost 100% of the full spectrum so the white poster board works wonders. Keep it dry and it can last for years. I’ll text it against mylar and see if I could gain anything from using those old space blankets from my camping gear lol

  • redd xiii says:

    So, what is happening, is that the properties of the Mylar’s reflectiveness is reducing the light loss factor of the QB light. Its the same reason why most lights have a reflective dome/roof to concentrate effective light direction concentration. Form more word salad give a thumbs up <3

  • Kyle Barry says:

    Never even thought about using Mylar! I already have the Mylar but I’m going to get some dollar store foam board and cover that with Mylar. Then I’ll use the foam board around my shelves.

  • BossFootbags Two says:

    I used tin foil and it worked like a charm! ✨

  • Kolins Mckk says:

    Thank you very much sir, love your tutorial and energy!

  • Izzy Crybaby says:

    You can also get a reusable fabric shopping bag with the reflective interior

  • Urban Gardening with D.A. Hänks says:

    My first setup was made from a sheet of foam insulation with the foil coating, and draped over the top and front with Mylar. I also made my first grow light from three LED headlights. Works great! DIY is always rewarding.

  • Mike K says:

    I USED THIS IDEA FOR MY FIRST EVER GROW. I HAVE A 3X3X6 TENT NOW BUT I GREW WITH JUST MILAR AND A LED GROW BULB AND A COMPUTER FAN

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