Secret Jardin Lodge L120 Grow Tent Review/Opinions

[WakaWaka]

Small update from me im retiring my tent as its far too short and tight for 4 plants

[mtownshend]

I have one of these on the way. Supposed to be here by end of week. I've got a lot to do, hope to get it up by end of weekend. I'll try to provide a full review.

Plan to use the Small area to pop seeds and get their vigor going while in small cups, have to see the space to figure out exactly how long they will stay in each side and what gear I'll be using (I have a cloning machine in it's own tent I would like to get in there, but I don't think it's big enough. The larger side I hope to use to veg. those seedlings in small 1g fabric pots. It's gotta be small, so once they are topped as much as I can in there I will move them to the larger/taller 4x4 veg tent for however long they need.

I don't think I have a good idea of the size that this is going to be, I suspect it to be well made and suited for the intended purpose as well as modifications. As far as tents, I've noticed that this manufacturer is typically rated around the same as gorrilla, but cheaper at least for these smaller tents. I was shopping off Amazon and limited to what I could get off them (Shipping can be significant with well made tents), but they have most tents and all tents seem to be very similar depending on size.

Once you get to the large ones, over 5x5, there are a lot more options for the interior and how they are used, if I could do it all over I would have gotten one big one for veg and clones (roughly 4x8 prolly) and a 5x5 for flowering (that seems to be the scale that works best for me to maintain fresh meds), but I tried to get the gear needed as I popped the seeds, so I couldn't afford the size I needed, built a cabinet for cloning/sprouting and housing a small ebb and flow set up (hydrofarm mega garden, which is great now to keep tested varieties and overflow that I want to keep dormant (as much that's possible) while I work with new strains. Originally I used the cabinet to house everything for a few months as I took clones and grew them to size, that's the time I took to amass all the gear that was needed for flowering. It's a nice cabinet that will be a permanent fixture in the basement, versatile, much like this tent. However, once I got a light and the air circulation up, I moved everything to the tent, transplanted and let go til ready to flip. Took some time for those new transplants to get used to the flower tent, so it worked out perfect. It's definitely easier to have one strain going at a time, but with the availability of genetics and the pace at which breeders are advancing, it's very hard to settle on one strain. That's where you will want to start to think about how you will deal with strains/pheno's that you no longer want to flower, or want to pause for a couple cycles.

Now, I'm not in a rush as much and just do everything organic best I can (makes the issue with all the nute manufacturers and the confusion that they have sown go away for the most part), repurposed or abandoned any gear that wasn't compatible, but the space needed seems to be about the same, a larger veg side is best because it affords you the ability to be more selective when choosing what to flower next and pick about half to prune extensively without any impact on schedule.

You mentioned having a perpetual garden, that's how mine has turned out. I think anytime you have more than one variety with different flowering times, everyone eventually ends up perpetual or large areas of unused flowering space for weeks. For me, it works, but you really need to understand the biology of the plant and the various phases that you need to track so that you can provide the best care for everything. As you learn more about the plant's biology, you can work out a system to deal with that, then tweak it slowly, very easy to sprout too many seeds and have too many plants from seed you have to chop down to make room. Sticking with similar flowering times, you may end up avoiding the perpetual loop that way, but flowering times are approximate, never something set in stone. Dealing with a bunch of plants that are all at various stages of growth is the most important and challenging aspect of having a perpetual garden in limited space, if you are new to growing you may want to do a few cycles using one strain so you can harvest at the same time and fill it back up at the same time. Get a strain that's reliable and well documented online so you can compare how you are doing with others while you digest a couple books to get up to speed as fast as possible. Green House Seeds (GHS) seems to be everywhere and cheap. The quality isn't like elite genetics, but I wouldn't hesitate to use a strain from them just to dial in the set up. GHS has videos of most stains at every week of growth and lab tested each week, more detail than you would need to use to compare, but there are tid bits of knowledge in each video that is helpful. Typically it's a test grow of one plant under a 600W light. You want to get your system (however it ends up being configured) "Dialed In", meaning you want to have at least one grow where you have no problems with your system and all the kinks have been addressed, that is something everyone has to do whenever they move to a new space. Think of it like an aquarium and the benefit of starting with some cheap fish to prime the system, replacing them once the setup is all working and ready for more expensive stock. Depending on your grow style, giving soil a year to get just right benefits the plants immeasurably. After all, your main focus is getting nutes into your plants as they need them, the beneficial bacteria and fungus that develops allow the plant to absorb as many nutes it can get. You need them to make the fertilizer used, whether bottled or an AACT.

Having the system dialed in and your media primed with a ton of beneficials is the only way to take advantage of all that's available and make your medicine as good or better than what others that post their pictures users are achieving (surely there's hundreds, thousands of growers who never will achieve the same quality and who's pics you will never see. For me, after an uneventful 2nd run is the point I started popping my best genetics (they wouldn't get into the flower tent until after my 3rd, full cycle anyway) and I am glad I did it that way. I would have never been able to even start to tap into the potential of those strains.

There is still a place for feminized single seeds, most people try to grow and never get past their first cycle b4 realizing it's not for them, so it keeps that cost down as you learn if it's for you, dialing in your system as discussed, limited spaces/new growers won't have males and the pollen to deal with, Also when you have limited space or just want to try a strain before committing to a pack of them. Just having to deal with males with your new system adds to the potential complications. You can keep a feminized strain going as long as you need to from one seed, as long as your not gonna be using it for years, you can keep taking clones of the clones, by the time your using 5th generation clones, there shouldn't be any noticeable difference between them and the F1's. I don't usually keep a variety longer than 3-4 generations before it is put on ice for a bit to try something new, but from what I understand those fem. seeds can have many generations before you see any drift. Whenever I do pop a fem seed that wasn't cheap, I'll self a branch and when I want to put that one back, plant the seeds, hope they work out, lol.

I know I went off topic a bit, hope some of that was useful. I'll post my impressions of the Lodge when I get it up and running.

[mtownshend]

Small update from me im retiring my tent as its far too short and tight for 4 plants

Yea, I have issues with my 80" tent, think that's common, while it has 2 rooms that are light proof, you would have to do a SOG grow of something that doesn't stretch much (Indica or hybrids of) using clones. That would be sacrificing quality IMO, I figured that the large side would only be used to keep males in flower since it's isolated and with some precautions in place (bottle of water in hand, lol) should be able to avoid cross pollination. I had planned to just collect pollen and kill them off, kind of a last stop. Not ready to pollinate as I have some pheno hunting to do, but when I get one, I hope to have some pollen to use. When there are no males I plan to use that side for pots to keep my youngest plants separate from the older ones.

After all, it's a propagation tent, that's how it's advertised, not an all on one multi room grow machine. While it has a light proof barrier (which I've read in reviews elsewhere is not light proof), that tells me that you can have 2 environments, different temps, humidity, etc.., not flower for 8 weeks. If that partition is allowing any light thru, it could be what is causing all your problems. That will make the plants grow and indicate start of flowering/sex at the same time, causing excessive stretching and light/airy buds that never seem to finish.
I wouldn't recommend this as a flowering tent, 3x3x5 is not big enough to flower. Small spaces seem to have more issues and you are bound to out grow that tent fast if used that way, then again, knowing that you can still use the tent, just need to get a 2nd one for flowering and possibly veg growth. The 2 feet most larger tents provide is usually enough if you know the genetics your using. Otherwise, there is always room to do some low stress training. There's really no good options as far as lighting for flowering in that space, LED lights need to be too far away and HID's are too hot. Seems like the perfect candidate for fluorescents, when I think of fluorescents I don't think of flowering, they may have some nice T5's, but I don't think that they will bring out the full potential in most strains. There is so much variety in the gear and nutrients available it's staggering. Considering the cost of some items, you really need to do some planning with someone who knows what to expect to get all the right gear or nutrients on your first purchase. Otherwise, expect to have issues like that and instead of giving up, try to find a way around the problem. That is if you are just not having any fun. If your not enjoying it, there's no sense in spending all your time on it to save some money, that's probably the worse reason to grow, trying to save money you will cut corners and end up with weed that's not even as good as the 7 week kush that you were getting for 200 a zip. Still haven't figured out a method to easily track what each pot costs from seed to lungs. That would have info that I try not to write down, but can be done. I am sure it will be cheaper, but there is a cost to getting set up and it will take a year to get your first strain up to full speed, 2 to start to see some return and longer to break even, however that is all dependant on how much you are growing, what the market will tolerate, etc... The cost per pot I calculated 20 years ago (which would normally be too long, but prices have stayed the same or gone down for the gear and cost of weed) and it was insignificant when you account for the value of the material I grew. That's how the nutrient market got bloated like it is now. I expect to see that shrink as recreational use becomes legal with the cost of nutrients critical in the feasibility of growing for profit. Personally, I use everything as medication, so I try to look at it from that point of view.

I notice a lot of master growers self taught on youtube, they seem to know all there is without ever getting a seed wet. Met a guy who can tell between male and female from looking at the seed a while back, turns out there's a video on that on youtube that sees to have a lot of views, must have watched that. I've watched a lot of the most viewed grow videos and it's easy to tell where the person is really at with their knowledge as these videos provide the language used, they never know the golden rule, discretion.

[I'm Sal]

Tried it and in my opion it was the worst tent I have ever seen, very poor quality (crap zips, light leaks everywhere, divider does not fit and stitching was done by a blind person) and hard to assemble.

It was returned for a full refund and replaced with a BudBox XL Pro Range series 1.2 x 1.2 x 2 with the white interior and this tent is very impressive and far exceeded my expectations. Outstanding in fact in my opinion and I would never ever recommend the Secret Jardin Range of rubbish to anyone.

As for the BudBox, I would say one of the very best tent manufacturers out there.

As for the prepetual grows, a new plan has been put in place with the BudBox being the flowering area and a smaller existing Black Orchid tent I already have as the veg area. Even the Black Orchid range of tents are better than the Secret Jardin Range in my opinion.

Horses for courses I suppose but really, the Secret Jardin L120 is a load of rubbish.

[mtownshend]

I'm gonna take delivery of it today, screw it. I can return it if the material is as bad as described above. Since this manufacturer tends to be on the high end of the price scale and technology curve with their other tents, I am gonna see if this will work, there's nothing else like it and it will serve a much needed function. This one I need short, so I don't see any options other than customizing my own and I don't have the time for that. I'll review as stated once I get the tent up. They claimed to require someone to be home when delivered yesterday (while there were 2 people, somehow he got the tag and out of the neighborhood B4 I could catch him. Sneaky bastards, lazy when the boxes are heavy....

[mrnice586]

Iv thought about buying one of these then i realize i have multiple tents

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[I'm Sal]

I'm gonna take delivery of it today, screw it. I can return it if the material is as bad as described above. Since this manufacturer tends to be on the high end of the price scale and technology curve with their other tents, I am gonna see if this will work, there's nothing else like it and it will serve a much needed function. This one I need short, so I don't see any options other than customizing my own and I don't have the time for that. I'll review as stated once I get the tent up. They claimed to require someone to be home when delivered yesterday (while there were 2 people, somehow he got the tag and out of the neighborhood B4 I could catch him. Sneaky bastards, lazy when the boxes are heavy....

What was your opinion of the Secret Jardin Lodge tent @mtownshend, I would assume it is on its way back now?