OK so me n my pal decided to try growing. Theres a couple things we need to know. We've read a ton of guides, and ive read a lot about lighting, but we need to know how big of a box we are going to need to grow 4 plants at once. Also i was reading that plants require about 50-100 watts each, and u need different spectrums. So my 2 questions are: How much space do we need to grow 4 plants. Also i found an HPS 600 watt that gives off 90,000 lumens, heres a link: 600W 600 watt HPS HID Grow Light Bulb Lamp Hydro - eBay (item 270249148927 end time Jan-14-10 10:43:49 PST) Would that and 4 26 watt CFLs be enough to light 4 plants? if not what else would you recommend, Also that guy didnt list the color spectrum, you know the kelvins of that 600 watt so i messaged him about it. Thanks hope to get some responses and ill probably have more questions. EDIT: he just responded to my question, he said it is full spectrum.
not too sure bout the space, but a 600 HPS will do 4 plants very nicely, im doin 4 under a 250!!! that is just suitable (rule of thumb, minimum 100w for 1st plant,50w per each after that.) as its an HPS it will be the right spectrum for flowering, but CAN be used for both stages. good luck!
I'm not sure if you said anything about it, but that bulb need an E39 mogul base and a 600w ballast. The space depends on how you intend on growing them. LST? Scrog?
Nevermind i figured it out. Damn, that really sucks, would it just be easier to get liek 150watt bulbs that dont require that? ERR...could someone find me links on what i would need to run this: http://cgi.ebay.com/400W-400-watt-H...ltDomain_0?hash=item439c3a68b0#ht_1763wt_1165
Yes, but they need ballasts. If you want cheap grow lights that come with everything, go to this link. High Tech Garden Supply Here is a light I would recommend for your grow... 250wmh/hps You could grow 4 plants with this. Use the MH bulb for Veg and the HPS for flowering. They have many others so be sure to check them out.
Would this be a better deal to buy? 400 Watt HPS/ MH Kit w Electronic Ballast - eBay (item 260529962921 end time Jan-27-10 15:50:06 PST)
Almost every bulb out there, including cheap incandescents, are "full spectrum". All that means is that the spectrum has all the colors. Kelvin measures the temperature, or what colors are more dominant and what are less dominant. 6500K has a lot of blues, 2700K has a lot of reds. HPS bulbs tend to be in the cooler, or redder, range, which plants in flower absolutely adore. Unfortunately, you could see a lot of internodal stretch and weak stems by using them in veg, as the plants in veg want a lot of blue light....and if they aren't getting it, will go looking for it by stretching. You are better off with lights that have fewer watts, but are in the temperature that your plants need the most of (for veg, 6500K +), rather than having a thousand watts in a temperature that your plants can't use much of...like a 4100K which is mostly greens and yellows. If they are getting 100,000 lumens of mostly green and yellow light, you might as well be growing them in the dark, and all the wattage is wasted. As for how big of a box you will need, that really depends upon the strain you are planning to grow, and how you are planning to grow it. Are you growing in soil? Using hydroponics? If hydro, what kind? Ebb-and-flow, deep water, drip down, NFT? Or are you going aero? Do you plan on a hybrid system, like aero with NFT? Are you going with a compact Indica, such as Hindu Kush, or a robust Sativa, such as Big Bud? What about hybrids? ~smiles~ See, there is lots of information needed if you want an answer to your questions. Peace, Bak Alchisk
THANK YOU for the VERY in depth response. I will be growing using soil, and also ill be looking for smaller plants, looking a lot at white rhino, im thinking i want to keep the box under 4 ft tall if possible. I notice you know quite a lot about light and wandered first of all if you think a 3ft x 3ft x 4ft would be big enough for 4 plants? if not what would be a good size box for plants that get a max 2 - 4 ft tall? also i like how you said bigger is not always better about the lights. Could you please link me to the amount and type of lights i would need for the full grow of 4 plants? If i dont get full spectrum thats fine i can switch them out if thats better or whatever i need man. thanks!
This would definitely work. I only recommend HTG because they have great products and customer support. That space will be big enough depending on how you grow them. The more space, the more buds as long as you have adequate light.
Thanks again, i found this while i was looking through the GC forums in a sticky, looks like a way better deal, but theres one thing im wondering, this is the exact same pretty much right? And also it has an HM conversion bulb addon, does this mean that it comes with something so i can switch out the HPS with the HM when needed? if so i think ill get this buy! Econo 400 Watt HPS - Inside Sun Thanks again!
I am not 100% sure, but the conversion bulb is one that will work with that system. so you get a system that can run both bulbs, and get both bulbs! That looks like a great deal, but make sure their customer service is above par before ordering. there is nothing worse than buying something that breaks right away and being ripped off +rep for great questions..
Hey thanks a lot your really helping me. i think ill go ahead and order that 100 dollar kit plus the optional 40 dollar MH conversion bulb addon, then order some mylar and make a rather small box. Im sure ill be back with questions later, well heres one now, wheres the best place to buy fertalizers?
The best place to buy fertilizers is definitely your local hydro shop. Check fox farm's website for a list of stores. I'll add a link THE BEST! and the store finder... Where to buy! Just click on your state.
That standard original soil looks really good, is there any place i can buy this online though? im not near any of the hydro shops. EDIT: hows this look: http://www.hydrowarehouse.com/foxfarm-foxfarm-organic-planting-mix-1cu-bag-p-1059.html Also would i use solidly that, so like 1 bag of that per plant or would i mix it with something else? Thanks!
Yes! no problem. here's a few links. Oh the Fox Farm Ocean Forest soil is pretty pricey, but WELL worth it. Many advanced growers use it. The shipping prices are absolutely ridiculous. It would cost you ~$50 per bag. Definatly drive to a hydro store. OR go to and garden center or any garden store and get worm castings, perlite, non-fertilized soil with no bugs(you can put soil in the oven...) You do not need all of those.. just 1 or 2. get the regular plain soil and add perlite or worm castings. just make sure it has good drainage and is light and airy
OK thanks, ill probably make my own soil. But the last thing we need now is to figure out what fertalizers to buy. If you could point me to an exact product, or at least something close that i could buy at a gardening store that would be awesome. I really have no idea what to get that will not kill my plants. Thanks
White Rhino, a.k.a., Medicine Man is a good plant to grow. Very easy and will put up with a lot of abuse...uhhh...I mean learning curves. ~smiles~ A 3'x3'x4' area should be PLENTY of space to grow them. For vegetative growth, what you want is a minimum 1000 lumens per/sqft of 6500K light. Realize that the further away you put your plants from your lights, the fewer lumens they are getting cubed. That means at one foot above your plants, they are getting all the lumens the bulbs are rated for. At 2 feet above your plants, they are getting the rating divided by four. At three feet, it is the rating divided by 16, and so on. So you will want cool running lights so you can place them close to your plants without burning them. For myself, I use high output flouroscents. I can place them inches above my plants without worry (When the plants grow VERY fast, I have sometimes had to disentagle leaves from the bulbs so I could raise them....but the leaves were not harmed at all.), I can get them at the building store (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) in just about any temperature, and when it is time to flower, they are easy to change out...plus, well, they are cheap. Don't pay too much attention to watts; pay attention to lumen output. Your plants don't soak up watts, they soak up lumens, so get them the highest amount you can. If you find a 40 watt bulb that puts out 30,000 lumens, all it means is that your electric bill will be lower. Lots of people will get hung up on the watts and not realize that they paid more for the fixture, bulb and ballast, (along with enjoying mind-boggling electric bills) than I paid for four fixtures that give my plants 3 times the lumens. I have a friend that told me over and over again that you can't grow with flouros....until he saw my big, beautiful, compact plants at 3 weeks. Then he told me I couldn't flower with flouros....until he saw those same plants covered in buds. Now, he's asked me to help him design a flouro lighting unit. Peace, Bak Alchisk P.S. Other members can tell you far more about soil growing than I can, so listen to them. If you decide to go hydro or aero, come talk to me.
To tell you the truth, I have no idea what fertilizers to use in your case... I have a lot of stores that carry Fox Farm products. Do you want liquid nutrients or just fertilizer? I recommend liquid, but whatever floats your boat. Send a PM to one of the moderators here on the growing section, and they will tell you exactly what and what not to buy. I don't know about other fertilizers than the one I am using. Message to people possibly reading this: What type of fertilizer do you recommend if he has no axxess to fox farm? EDIT: +rep to Chill'n