A few questions from a beginner

[Heavyfoot101]

Okay so I had a little flick through the forums but couldn't find much on what I wanted to ask.

My friend and I are planning a joint grow. Only something very small; enough for us to have a decent amount of persy round the year. Mainly, my questions focus around lighting.

We will be growing 2 or 3 plants in a top drip hydro system. Our grow space is approx 4 feet height, 2 feet width and 1.5 feet depth and will be illuminated by a 250w HPS. We'll be using two pc fans for extraction and ummmm "bringing air in" (sic) and a couple of small 6" clip-on oscillating fans for circulation inside the grow space.

My questions are. 1: In a space of this size will a 250w HPS be too hot to allow the plants to grow to a decent size? 2: What's the best way to prevent light leaking in through the fans? 3: Is a space with a depth of only 1.5 - 2 feet enough for two to three plants and if not can they be trained to fit the space? and lastly will the smell from two or three plants be over powering? Would a carbon scrub be useful or just pointless with this amount of bud growing?

Sorry to bombard with questions but I figured better to get them all out in one post than to keep coming back going "ooh I forgot to ask something". Which I doubtlessly will.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Anony]

Originally Posted by Heavyfoot101

Okay so I had a little flick through the forums but couldn't find much on what I wanted to ask.

My friend and I are planning a joint grow. Only something very small; enough for us to have a decent amount of persy round the year. Mainly, my questions focus around lighting.

We will be growing 2 or 3 plants in a top drip hydro system. Our grow space is approx 4 feet height, 2 feet width and 1.5 feet depth and will be illuminated by a 250w HPS. We'll be using two pc fans for extraction and ummmm "bringing air in" (sic) and a couple of small 6" clip-on oscillating fans for circulation inside the grow space.

My questions are. 1: In a space of this size will a 250w HPS be too hot to allow the plants to grow to a decent size? 2: What's the best way to prevent light leaking in through the fans? 3: Is a space with a depth of only 1.5 - 2 feet enough for two to three plants and if not can they be trained to fit the space? and lastly will the smell from two or three plants be over powering? Would a carbon scrub be useful or just pointless with this amount of bud growing?

Sorry to bombard with questions but I figured better to get them all out in one post than to keep coming back going "ooh I forgot to ask something". Which I doubtlessly will.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Welcome to GC.
I cant be too much help on these questions but,

I havnt used a 250 before, however I would think its going to get a little warm, at the very least, prepare for proper ventilation which you need anyway, ive heard 250's dont get nearly as hot as a 400's though which should help.

As far as light leaks go through fans, I havnt had to do that either, however I would think some sort of filters on your outtake and maybe a soft plastic on your intake with low reflective quality? I am sure some others might post some more accurate ideas.

The smell of the plant, even just one will be strong enough to smell it outside of the room without the proper filter. Carbon scrub should be great for this setup.
Good luck.

[OldSkool1010]

I can only run one plant in a 3 square foot area. When they're young, I put 2 in the box, then when they fill out, I have to move one out.

[toastybiz]

1.: We can't answer that from here, you'll have to test it out yourself. Depends not just on the light and size of the space, other key variables are the amount of air you are ventilating and the temp of your intake air. Should be manageable.

2: To prevent light leaks you need to build a light trap.

3: That footprint is fine for 2 plants, you might be able to squeeze 3 in. I suggest you use square or rectangular grow containers to maximize the use of the space (plastic kitty litter bins work well). Definitely look into LST for training.

4: Smell can get really strong, depends on the strain, phenotype, air ventilation, and other factors. If that's a concern def go with a carbon scrubber.