1000w set up...next harvest I'm planning to use a tent because its more convinient for my situation...I know a 1000w covers about a 4x4 area but was wondering if it would be smarter to use a little extra space...hearing out all suggestions...thanks n happy hollidays
I'm inclined to agree with Joker, I had four plants in a 4x4 with 1000 watt and towards the end of flowering when they were giant it was hard to circulate the air, resulting in minor powder mildew. Another tip, if you're growing any sativa strains, get a TALL tent, at least 7ft.
I have a 4x4, moving about 800CFM in and out. Works great with the 1000W I wish it was a 5x5, or even an 8x4 enough said.
Yup, if you have the room, go bigger. My 5x5x7 tent is almost too small, but when you run out of room, whatayagondo?
Its not necessarily the amount of sq foot in the tent, there is a lot of variables involved. Bare bulb? Reflectors? Scrog? 4 plants? Sog? 100 plants? My 5x5 has 1)600w hps in a cool tube and it may not cover every inch of the tent, but my plants get rotated around as I water them. (16 pots, not gonna say how many plants ) But like I said, it all depends on how crafty and willing to work you are...
But yes I believe that 1000w will cover 5x5 no problem. Unless you go 4x8 and run like 2) 600's or a 400 & 600. But your looking at far more input costs then.
Go with the 4x4....you have 62.5 was per square The 5x5 with a 1K= 40 Watts per square.....this is to small of wattage to be above what is considered to be the minimum wattage per square(50) Good luck
I still have to disagree Tih, he may not meet the 50w per square foot requirement, but depending on his reflector setup his light may not even cover the 5x5 foot print. Not to mention, if he's rocking a 1000w, and can't decide between 4x4(16sq.ft.) and a 5x5(25sq.ft.), the extra 9 square feet is well worth it IMO. Tent won't cost much more, he's already set on 1000w. What light may be bounced off the wall to the side and lower growth can't be much better in a 3x3 tent vs a 4x4 vs a 5x5. My point being that if he has 4 plants, the light will be centered over those 4. The reflectivity of the light bouncing will have diminished so much by the time it hits the plant, it won't make a gram or twos worth of a difference. Especially if he can rotate plants.
Just because you purchase a 5 x 5 tent doesn't mean you have to use every inch for plants. It is nice to have a bit of room around the edges. It will also fit 4 x 4 tables, 48" light stands, or 48" fixtures much easier should you decide to change things later.
and I will greatly disagree with you.. I've seen the differences first hand when using the minimums with wattages per square... Now, if OP decides to use two six hundred watt ballasts(it will reduce heat this way too) he increases his wattage per square in the 5x5 to 48, this is still below the MINIMUM wattage he should have per. we can agree to disagree on this, but I know the difference... the difference with a topped plant that is lollipopped is two large colas and tons of popcorn on the 5x5 with the 1K, or increasing the wattage to 62 watts using a 4x4(granted you can maintain solid temps) and having almost nothing but bud OP has the classic decision... be willing to under power his tent now and get skimpy keeper bud and shit tons of popcorn, or get a tent that could be too small for his use and be upset with his purchase when he decides to upgrade I agree, bigger always does seem better, but OP needs to decide if the increase in space is worth what he's going to have to do in upgrades to max bud potential and limit the dam of spending cash to do so... increasing the tent means you will need more power to reach minimum wattage per square, or more power on the power bill it means more CO2 it means a larger exhaust fan or a fan set to a higher speed it means a larger and more expensive flood table(i believe he posted about tables) it means more nutrients, even if your not maxing out plants it means more soil or hydroton(hydroton is reusable, but still there is a up front cost) or coco(also reusable but i don't) it means larger pumps more water more RO filters these are just the things i can think off the top of my head... I know it sounds like im preaching, i just wish someone had told me what i was in store for when I purchased my 5x5... I had to pull power just to run 2 1K watt ballast to increase the amount of light so I could get a solid haul and get close to the 1 gram per watt unicorn good luck OP
