hey i setup this grow in my attic. its a 400w hps for now but i have a convertible ballast and need to go get an MH bulb before i start veg. the room still needs some patching and seeds need to finish germinating, but i wanted to go ahead and get this up to get some feedback and any suggestions. will post more as seedlings sprout.
You don't necessarily need a MH for vegging. I'd recomment a florescent light for starting your seedlings and early veg, then maybe at least a week after you could apply some HPS or MH light. HPS will work for great for veg also, but it's color is more suitable for flowering. good it all goes well
It's a panda plastic i found at my local hydro store. its really cheap and get the job done. white on one side and black on the other, im assuming that is why it is called panda plastic. the door is just a shower curtain which i need to paint so that light does not leak out. as well, i need to finish the area above the curtain which i decided to save for after i got the lights set up. as for heat, i considered this to possibly be a big problem, but its almost winter and temp drop up in that room so im considering a space heater. do you think the lights will produce enough heat to provide suitable heat if temps in the overall attic drop to the 40s? i am starting seedlings under a florescent in my room and i figure i might as well go pick up an MH bulb for veg. just because i already dished out the extra money for a convertible ballast. might as well do it the best way possible if i can right? i added a couple more photos so you can get the full view of the setup
I tried painting some plastic once... you gotta make it black first then white to be lightproof. Also, chances are that the paint won't stick well to the curtain, and it's gonna flake off making a huge mess... plus costing you a shower curtain and two cans of paint. Just use the panda film instead, it's totally light proof and really tough. If the temps are down to 40s I don't think just a light will be good enough for heat. think of standing next to a campfire when only one side of you ever gets warm, so you gotta turn... there will always be shadows with a single light source, creating hot and cold spots. You could send the exhaust back in to conserve heat in the wintertime, but you might wanna add a carbon filter. You might also want to use insulated ducting to keep the heat loss and fan noise down. Keep that florescent light as close as possible without touching the leafs about 2 days after they sprout.
yeah i think im gonna go with the panda paper for the door and just rig it up to the curtain hanger so it slides open like a curtain. im definitely going to consider running the vent back in. do you think a space heater would be a good idea given the fact that the attic is small? i need to look into carbon filters but i don't really know much about the subject. any suggestions? first sprout broke soil surface this morning and is loving her (hopefully) first looks at life.
I have been trying to decide on a material to use to block my veg area - the panda plastic is a great idea!! I wonder if putting it on a sliding shower curtain rod would let too much light escape? That would be a really easy way to do it. Hmmm.... Worth a try, I guess!