I'm starting a PC grow. Should I go for 125w vegging, or 200w if I can afford it? The case is 27" (67cm) tall. I'm going to fit a small reflector in there and 2 small lowryder 2's. I can afford a 200w, but if it doesn't increase my yield, I could just use a 125w and thereby save power, too, right? Off related questions: Should I buy CFL's online? There was 1 site who no longer sold lights because of damage durning transit.
more is always more how large is your grow space? actual dimensions? budget? how are you growing? nutrient line? what country are you in
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It's a pc grow, a standard PC server tower. 20.5 cm x 54 cm x 67 cm. I already know what I need, so I just want to know if I should go 125w for vegging or do it with 200w. Height shouldn't be a problem with a lowryder, but what good will a 200w do compared to a 125w for vegging?
In such a tight space, why would I fit a 200w in there to veg? More watt would just make the plant grow bigger, but its the buds I'm interested in.
More watts will shorten veg time. It's about time, not size or yield. More watts will increase yield only if used for flowering, for vegging it primarily will just decrease the time needed to reach whatever size goal you are trying to hit. I'm all about vegging as fast as possible though, I use HPS for veg for that reason.
That's up to you. Either one will get the job done. It's just one will do it slightly faster than the other. Personally I would use as many watts as you can, but that's just me. I like to give my plants all the light they can use, but your situation is different since you are doing a micro grow in a pc case. If I were in your situation I might consider heat into the equation and just go with the 125, or actually multiple smaller wattage CFLs (23-26 watts) would likely be my choice. If I ever did a micro type grow I would use 6-7 (or whatever number you want) 26 watt CFLs and grow only 1 or 2 plants in a scrog. Preferably with a strain that doesn't stretch very much during flowering.