Mushroom grow tents are prefabricated enclosures designed for mushroom cultivation. They not only help protect your grow from pests, mold spores, and other unwanted organisms, but they also offer growers the ability to provide precise environmental control within the tent. Some growers may utilize grow tents for incubation, or even as a lab-space, but they are most often employed for fruiting, as this is when precise temperatures, fresh air exchange, and high humidity levels are most needed. Additionally, they also allow you to compartmentalize larger spaces or prevent damaging infrastructure from high levels of humidity and spores.
There are many different sizes and models of grow tents. Some of them are compact space-friendly options for small hobby growers, while others are expansive, room-sized tents utilized in commercial cultivation. This makes grow tents an excellent “pop-up” option for growers of any size who don’t have the necessary infrastructure. An alternative to grow tents for someone looking to just fruit one or two mushroom bags at a time would be utilizing a fruiting chamber, as we discussed in our Introduction To Fruiting article. If you’re new to growing we recommend you check out that article and our entire introductory series as well.
For Hobby Growers: Martha Tents
Martha Tents are hobby-sized grow tents which can easily be placed in a compact space. You can easily fit them in a bedroom, garage, dorm, apartment, or basement if desired. In essence, they are an enclosed shelf, with 3-4 levels, suitable for holding 8-12 large fruiting blocks. They can easily be equipped with a humidifier and an exhaust to provide optimal conditions for fruiting.
Martha Tents were initially adapted from small mini-greenhouses or portable closets. In case you are wondering, the name originates from the fact that Martha Stewart used to promote portable closets utilized by mushroom growers. Today, there are models specialized for mushroom cultivation.
Martha tents are excellent for small scale hobby growers, classrooms, or anyone looking to experiment with mushroom cultivation. For many people, the small and compact size is the most attractive thing about Martha Tents. They can even be a fun and attractive show-peice where you can show off your hard work, Setting Up A Martha Tent.
Components Of A Martha Tent
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The Grow Tent: This is usually made of a thick and resistant greenhouse plastic. They vary in size but are usually 4-5 ft in height, 2-3 ft in length, and 1-2 ft in depth. They can easily fit in the basement, garage, or spare bedroom.
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The Shelving: This is usually made of metal racking with 4-5 shelves to support your grow blocks. Martha tents typically come with their own shelving specially suited to fit inside the tent.
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Humidifier: One of the most attractive things about Martha Tents is that they make it easy to create the humid environment needed for fruiting. To do this, you can utilize a small humidifier, ideally within a built-in control that automates the process. In some cases, regularly misting the inside of the martha tent may provide sufficient humidity without a humidifier, but for many species/environments, this may not be enough.
If you are interested, check out our article on humidity to learn more.
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Exhaust Fan: Mushrooms need plenty of fresh air to grow properly. This is because as they grow, they release high quantities of CO2 and breath in 02. To facilitate this, an exhaust fan is usually installed that allows for the exchange of fresh air with the environment. It is recommended to exhaust this air outdoors if possible, to avoid introducing spores and humidity into the room.
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Drip Tray: Due to the high humidity inside the tent, condensation is common. Drip trays are exactly what they sound like, large trays placed under the grow tent to capture this condensation.
- Lights: If there is no natural or ambient light in the room with your martha tent, you may want to install LED lights.
While Martha Tents were originally 100% DIY, today you can find many offers on Martha Tents specially designed for cultivation. These come with all the equipment you need and are fabricated for easy installation. This is a great “no-hassle” option. This said, if you want to gather the equipment yourself, it’s also not too difficult to make a custom Martha Tent. There are tons of videos on youtube about doing this.
Large Grow Tents
Serious cultivators wishing to produce in larger quantities can utilize large grow tents, some of which can hold multiple shelves and up to hundreds of grow bags at a time. These are a great option for many growers who want the optimum environmental control not offered by their existing infrastructure. They are also great if you cannot convert a room into a dedicated fruiting space, either because it has poor sanitary conditions or is multi-use. Growers with large warehouse spaces may have multiple grow tents that allow for more targeted environmental conditions needed for different species, or those at different growth stages (for example, you can ramp up to 99% humidity for primordial formation.)
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The Grow Tent: The tents themselves are pretty easy to set up, usually featuring tent-poles like those you would use for a camping tent. These support the canvas which forms the exterior of the grow tents. Good quality tents have a waterproof lining making them “leak proof” and capable of holding any excess moisture which may drip to the bottom.
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Shelving: You can utilize many types of shelving, but wire racks are typically the most recommended. One of their biggest perks is that they allow easy cleaning and sanitation. Due to the increased air-flow provided by the wire racks, mushroom grow bags are also better able to release any excess heat they produce during growth.
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Humidifier: Large grow Tents will require more powerful humidification systems than martha tents. Check out our article on humidity to learn more about what you might need.
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Intake and Exhaust Fan: Like mentioned earlier, mushrooms generally need a lot of fresh air exchange during growth. For larger tents it is recommended to have both intake and exhaust, while smaller tents can get away with a single exhaust whose intake is located at the bottom of the tent (CO2 sinks.)
- Lights: Large grow tents are not usually transparent, meaning that you need to install lights to allow for proper growth. Read our article on lighting here.
Placement and Other Considerations For Mushroom Grow Tents
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Avoid Carpet: Carpet can cause issues, especially if it gets wet due to the moisture which can drop from a Tent. It is also difficult to clean and harbors a lot of dust/potential contaminants.
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Avoid Direct Sunlight: While mushrooms benefit from ambient light, avoid placing it somewhere it gets direct sunlight. This can dry out your mushrooms or create excessive heat, even in larger light-proof grow tents.
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Accessibility: Make sure you are in proximity to water and power. Being near a window can also help for setting up your exhaust with little difficulty.
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Appropriate Size: Don’t go overboard and buy a grow tent thats too big for your needs. This not only takes up more space, but can make environmental control more difficult/energy intensive.
- Temperature Control: We haven’t yet mentioned anything regarding temperature control, because grow tents are often setup in rooms with existing heating and cooling systems. Since most mushrooms grow at comfortable indoor room temperatures (between 68-74F or 20-23C), this just means maintaining your thermostat at a comfortable level. If you do not have heating and cooling, check out our article on temperature control (not published yet.) If you do need a heater or a cooler, place these systems outside the tent from where you are getting your air intake. Do not place heaters inside grow tents as this can be a major fire risk.
Sanitation and Maintenance
Over time grow tents get dirty from regular use. This can simply be from dirt or dust that comes in with your shoes or through the vent, or mold that grows from the consistent moisture. If this accumulates not only does it get gnarly, but it could increase contamination risks. This is particularly true if you hope to get 2nd or 3rd flushes from single blocks.
To prevent this, it is important to conduct proper maintenance and cleaning of your mushroom grow tents. This can be every couple of months, but it’s best for you to use your judgement on when cleaning is necessary. General cleaning practices include;
Regular Grow Tent Maintenance
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General Cleaning: Clean up debris and wipe down surfaces, including tent poles, zippers, shelves, and any fans. You can utilize soapy water for anything that’s particularly dirty, or a 1:1 water-vinager solution.
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Disinfection: Occasionally you will want to disinfect surfaces on the grow tent. This is especially true if you are seeing mold growth or have a surface that is particularly icky. Utilize 70% alcohol for this and avoid using bleach solutions which could damage your grow tent.
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Removing Excess Moisture: Mop excess water which may have collected on the floor. If this water is particularly dirty, consider mopping again with soapy water or a vinegar solution. If you are noticing excessive moisture consider adjusting your humidifier.
- Cleaning Humidifiers: Humidifiers are moist environments and prone to harboring other microorganisms. It’s good to do a thorough cleaning of them every 1-2 weeks.
Conclusion
Grow Tents are a great option for growers looking to optimize their conditions for mushroom cultivation. They are relatively easy to set up and suitable for growers on many scales. We acknowledge that this article might not have everything you need to know, that is why we invite you to check out our blog and introductory series on mushroom cultivation.
Hope you enjoyed and happy growing :)
