Title- i don't want to be spending too much, i want adjustable height, and i want it to be easy to set up. its 85$ for lamp and 1 bulb. Is this enough for 2 plants? How many extra bulbs should i buy? Should i just go with CFLs instead? thanks in advance
Stick with the 150W HPS and maybe add a few CFL's around the sides come flowering. The penertration isnt very good at all on a 150W, So I would only veg for maybe a week from clone then flower, Anything over 1 foot is seriously gonna struggle for light half way down.
so once the plant reaches 1 foot i should switch to 12/12? sure. where can i go about obtaining cfl sockets for the sides? i know there are bulbs at like walmart and shit.
If the plants are small and you utilize some LST, it shouldn't be a problem...with only one light, it can be difficult to fit both plants directly under that light, but with a flat canopy it may be easier. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get some CFLs just to add supplemental lightlight around the sides... If you went straight CFLs, you'd probably want to have at least 150w worth (especially for flowering), which could be as many as 6-8 bulbs (the typical 23-26w). I don't know how that compares price-wise to the HPS, it could be a bit cheaper but then you'd have to buy sockets or whatever to hold all those CFLs. At a hardware store you can find these socket/outlet adapters that allow you to basically plug a bulb right into an outlet...grap a power strip and you can get about 3-4 lights in one strip, even more if you add some Y-adapters there (it allows 2 bulbs in one socket) One HPS bulb should last about 2-4 grows, depending on how much you use it (24/0 schedule would shorten it's longetivity compared to just 12/12). Sometimes those HPS can diminish in light-quality over time, so it's a good idea to replace them after so much use. Don't take my word for it, as I haven't had to buy a new bulb yet, but it wouldn't hurt to stock up anyway.
LST = Low Stress Training. Basically, it is tying your plant down with string or anchoring it down with paperclips/metal rods. You can manipulate the plant any way you like to allow the light to reach lower, crowded parts of the plants, like the nodes that would normally be at the bottom of the tree. Here is a great tutorial by LBH, a great blade here in the city, but it may be a bit more advanced for a first grow...it incorporates "topping" with it, which allows a branch/cola to split itself in two. It's a great read, nonetheless. http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced...-way-lst-tutorial-w-topping-sub-tutorial.html Here is another sticky which could be of use to you. http://forum.grasscity.com/advanced-growing-techniques/122936-how-lst-low-stress-training.html Also, these links can be found in the "advanced growing" section of the City. All the stickies, in all the sections, are your best friends!
Ideally you want the plants to reach a maximum height of 1 foot, So flower at about 7-8 inches, exspect a stretch of 2-3X its orig size when u start flowering.