ReviewedByPhil

Buy it at Amazon: EasyGrowth Mylar Grow Tent [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Easy to set up, sturdy, contains heat/light/humidity well, wrong size received but difference refunded.

Although I ordered the 40" x 40" x 80" I actually received a mislabeled box for the 24" x 24" x 55". Be sure to check the size of the tent so you don't have to waste time assembling it if you need to return it. I decided to keep this one since the seller credited me the difference in price, and I couldn't be sure that a replacement wouldn't also be wrong as they haven't had a chance to check/correct the stock. I like the tent, and will end up using it for different plants than I had intended.

The tent and frame are shipped disassembled but all the parts are clearly marked. The instructions are illustrated and brief, though instructive. The charts explain what each size tent should come with, and I was able to put it together in about 10 minutes. At the top are two hook bars which will overlap and slide freely; they do not lock into any one position and help you adjust the positioning of your lights. The mylar tent has two pieces. The main tent is a single piece that wraps around the frame and zippers up tightly. The second piece is a small waterproof tray that lines the bottom up about 4 inches so spills from dirt and liquids are easily cleaned up. The tent is made from thick heavy nylon canvas and has a durable plastic silver mylar lining inside for reflecting light. The zippers for the side panel are large and heavy duty so they slide smoothly and don't catch. The front door panel opens to the side so you can access your plants for watering, maintenance, and harvest. There's also a built in strap and clip to keep the door open. Inside you have a few vents that are double cuffed to prevent heat, light, and moisture from escaping the tent. The cuff cinches are easy to tighten and loosen and work well to control the conditions inside the tent. On the back of the tent is a small mesh-screened Velcro vent that can be opened for air circulation.

The grow tent works well for hot weather loving plants that you need to bring indoors for the winter. It creates a controlled environment and with a few sensors for temperature, humidity, and light and the addition of fans and grow lights you can help your plant flourish in its optimal conditions. I'll be overwintering my banana tree in the tent and perhaps extend the season for optimal conditions to see if I can get it to flower or even set fruit. Since I'm in Zone 6, I've never had the right conditions for the plant, even when putting it out for the summer, but I think with the grow tent I just might be able to pull it off as the tree is approaching its 7th year. I've already got a couple of LED grow lights for it hanging inside the tent, which is sturdy enough to support up to 20 lbs from the upper bars. The reflective coating does a nice job keeping the light contained inside the tent and ensures the plant gets maximum utilization of the photons. When zipped up, no light escapes which also helps retain heat and moisture for the plant as well. The tent is nicely constructed and a breeze to set up.

Buy it at Amazon: EasyGrowth Mylar Grow Tent [Affiliate Link]

Buy it at Amazon: Kingbo Higrow 1000W LED Grow Light (GL-1000W) [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Bright, powerful, and effective; durable build, easy to use, my plants love it.

The light is quite large measuring 20" L x 11" W x 2.5" H. It weighs nearly 14 lbs and feels solidly constructed. The housing is made of steel and is vented on the sides with three fan vents on the top. There are 200 LEDs each with its own glass lens; these lenses are not fixed to the LEDs and will rattle bit when the light is moved. The lights cover 12 bands for full spectrum lighting over two modes: Primarily red light for flowering and primarily blue light vegetative growth. The lights are really bright at 1000 Watts, so you don't want to look directly into them. All the lights fired up fine except for two, that I could tell but I'm not too worried about it since this represents 1% of the total output.

On the back/top of the light, there are four mounting points to clip the included wire hanger to. The four wires are connected to a carabiner clip for hanging the light, but I swapped it for two ratchet rope hangers so I could easily adjust the height and increase stability. With the light I started my garden vegetable plants from seed (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, pumpkins). I started with only blue light for the first two weeks. After 2 weeks, many of the plants had a set of true leaves forming and the plants weren't leggy despite the light being 2 ft from the tops. When I used tube grow lights, I always had to have them 1-2" from the tops of the plants which sometimes made it difficult to water them as I'd have to adjust the lights each time to get access to the trays. Compared to plants that I started from seed by a south facing window, those plants were leggy, weak, and hadn't shed their seeds coats by the second week of growth.

With using blue light only, I did notice the color in some leaves blanching (e.g., a faded green) so I turned on the red light for the following two weeks. The lights do run warm and make the room they're in a bit warmer by a few degrees so keep this in mind if you need tightly controlled temperatures. The fans are a bit loud as well like running two overclocked computers at full speed.

The plants under the light grew fast so around week 3 I had to increase the height of my lights since I noticed yellowing starting to occur in some of the leaves of the tallest plants. I definitely prefer growing under the lights and the plants look much healthier and have gotten a better start versus the ones grown by the window. The light has a nice wide spread but you'll need a light stand that can hold its weight and is tall enough to keep the light 2.5' above the plants' tops as they grow taller. I recommend using adjustable grow light hanging ropes.

Buy it at Amazon: Kingbo Higrow 1000W LED Grow Light (GL-1000W) [Affiliate Link]