Is 1,000 watts MH/HPS overkill for a plant or 2? Could I save some money and get away with 600 watts without a noticeable reduction in growth? What sort of ventilation (how many of what type of fan) would I need in a 4.5' to 5' x 3' x 3' space with either choice of wattage?
Get the 600 watt, that will be perfect, as well as more cost efficient and more efficient in terms of lumens per watt. No reduction in growth, actually the opposite because you get more lumens for your buck and it would be cooler as opposed to a 1000 watter.
Thanks for the quick reply. As well as the answer I was looking for. This is the model I was looking at after some quick searching: http://www.illumalights.com/compone...category=1893261&mode=product&product=8151720 Does the price for product seem ok, or should I continue shopping around?
Shit man to be honest I'm a CFL grower but by the looks of it, if your getting all that they say you are, I think that that is a great deal, I've been looking around for a while and preparing to get some real grow lights, that deal looks legit. You even get a MH for veg.
I thought it looked ok. I have a little box with 4 CFL's set up, but it's really too small to do anything with other than veg some clones for a few weeks. I'd like to get a box set up for a mom; and figured with the size I was shooting for would be a bit ridiculous for CFL's. Thanks for the info, man. You got any pics up of a CFL grow?
Of my CFL grow? Its in the Organics grow journal section. Or just in general? Because those are all over the place in the city.
I agree with the 600 watt call. You will save money on the electric bill and you will still have plenty of light for your girls. Also you can keep a 600 watt bulb a bit closer to the tops of your plants than a 1000 watt. I recommend a pulley system or yoyo hangers to keep the light near (10-15 inches away) from your tops. Good luck with your grow!
@Vox Continental: Yeah, I wasn't too clear on that; I was asking about yours. I'll check it out. @ Lay Low: Any particular reason you prefer 1,000's? @ Thunderstrike420: Sweet, thanks for the input. Any recommendations for ventilation? The system I'm looking at seems to include all that pulley jazz, so I think I should be set.
If you click on my sig, there's my grow with youtube vids at the end. Ventilation can be as simple as a 25 dollar big ass oscillating fan to inline duct fans drawing air out of your grow area thru a carbon filter and out of the house. I own my home and don't have worries about smell and so on...depends on your situation.
600w HIDs produces more lumen watt for watt than the 1000w HIDs... I keep my 6" HydroLux hoods 6-8" from the tops of the plants without ANY signs of heat stress.. You'll get better light coverage with a hood over the cooltubes... Because of the shape of the glass... 600W HPS/MH Air Cooled Hood/Cool Tube/Wing Reflector Set 600 Watt Grow Light Kit | eBay $165 with free shipping... EDIT: Oops, never mind that link, it has options that jack up the cost... My bad.... I still would spend the extra for a hood though...
Thanks for the heads up on that light, jakesterjammin. The more grow space I can squeeze out of this thing, the better. I'm probably going to have to dress this thing up like a speaker cabinet, so I don't want to go too big. Sounds like I can get the lights and ventilation for around $200, then. That seems like a pretty good investment to me. If the carbon filters can remove the smell, I don't think I'd need to vent it outside. It'd be nice to have a little extra warm air circulating in the winter. These are the filters I'm using on the little box: The Best Diy Ez Walmart Carbon Filter for Micro Grows Zen Style I don't suppose those would be sufficient for the needs of this project?
IMPO, DIY scrubbers NEVER work and you always end up with smell... But I guess depends on what strain you grow too...
The bulbs are like twice the size of 600s, so the light spread is far better, but for a 3x3 that isn't as much of a concern. A 600 should do ok in your space. If you had a 4x4 though I'd say 1000 all day.
I have to disagree with ya Low... 1000w put out 140 lumen per watt... 600w put out 150 lumen per watt... Light distribution has nothing to do with the size of the bulb... So by using a 600w over the 1000w, you get more lumen per watt, and a LOT less heat...
Light distribution definitely is affected by the size of the bulb, the actual light producing part of it at least. The larger the source the more even the distribution. Have you used a 600 and a 1000 over a 4x4 area? The 600 doesn't come close to spreading it's light as evenly as the 1000 does. 1000 is so much better, but like I said in a 3x3 it's not as important.
One of the causes I believe that 1000s spread better is because most reflectors are made to accommodate the size of 1000w bulbs. 600s aren't centered in the reflector usually and I'm sure the shape and size of the reflector would be different if one were to be made solely for 600w use. Adjustawings come in different sizes for 600s and 1000s, but most companies just have one generic version of a reflector that's mostly suited for a 1000w imo.
Then shop at a company which stocks more than 3 different lamp hoods... Search Results : The Hydro Source - Hydroponics Experts, Leaders in Environmentally Friendly Hydroponics Thats just their cooltube selection... Again, to each is his own... Happy Holidays..
Man, another one of these threads? How many times per year do growers need to have this debate !!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL The main factor is the growers personal choice , depending on ventilation, room size, and other factors including plant size....... Not a single person has touched on, and rarely does, the Inverse square law... Yes I know, science is scary for some people, but it is Science... While most people can agree , 600 watt lamps are SLIGHTLY more efficient than there 1000 watt counterparts , there is other factors at play. Like Lay low slightly touched on , Light foot print is one factor. A 1000 watt light will have more intense light , on a similar foot print, compared to a 600 watt, obviously. but the BIGGEST factor that rarely gets considered is the I.S.L. ISL sas that light exponentially loses strength the further it gets from then source. Inverse-square law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So you would have to think about how tall your grow space is , how far away from your lights the plants will be , and also , how tall and wide your plants are , to determine the best light for you application. I.E. If you plan on growing a bunch of 2' tall plants , then a 600 watt light can light them in optimal conditions under the foot print , however, if you should chose to grow 4' tall plants , a 600 watt light would be inadequate to light deep into the canopy, as compared to a 1000 watt light. Hope this helps someone...