Hello everyone! So in a few weeks, I am going to be starting up my very first grow. I have no prior experience with growing, well, anything really, but I'm a quick learner. First off, I was originally planning to use an auto strain, but after reading a lot about them (mostly negative) I have decided to go with Tangerine Dream from Barney's Farm. Why? The genetics seem cool, and I like the name. Will I be able to contain this strain to a PC case? Of course it depends on the size of the case, and I'm still searching, but to make it look legit I'm prolly getting something around 20cm width, 50cm depth and 45-50cm height. (50cm=19.69" for the Americans) I'm planning on topping and lst'ing, but I've read some grow journals and I see plants becoming freakishly tall. And if yes, would I be able to fit two in there, or only a single one? Secondly, lights! So far I have found a pretty cheap cfl, 6500k 125w (and a 2700k for flower). Will this run too hot? Will I be able to put 200w in there? Is it even necessary? Of course this depends on the ventilation. The case I'm currently looking at is Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 which boasts these specs: Front : 140 mm fan x 1 / 1000 rpm Back : 140 mm fan x 1 / 1000 rpm Top : 140 mm fan x 1 / 1000 rpm Front : 120/140 mm fan mount x 1 Top : 120/140 mm fan mount x 2 Bottom: 120/140 mm fan mount x 1 Now I've never really dabbled with pc cases, so I'm not sure what to make of this. I think those questions will suffice for now. Thanks in advance
Is the 125w actual watts or equivelent watts? It's also better to use both 2700k and 6500k in veg and flower. Just do them half and half or 1:3 ratio dependin on veg or flower. Cfl's kinda suck so you want to make the most of them. You can get a mini oscillating clip fan. I know they have 4 inch ones. It will move your plants plenty and it should keep your bulbs cool. I would scrog the whole pc case and look for a strain thats reccomended for sog since they stay short. Most seed companies will have a strain that would work in a pc case.
Thank you! Judging by the price, the size of the bulb and the fact that it's marketed as a grow cfl, I'm guessing it's the actual watts. However, it only says 125. it's by a brand called Elektrox. Yeah, I heard CFL sucks, but from what I could read, it's damn near impossible to keep a PC case cool running HPS The problem is, every store I go to, all they have is 2700k. I was looking at some Philips CFL and I couldn't find a single 6500k, which made me believe that it would be easier to buy one big bulb made for growing. But I'll check out a Home Depot (or the equivalent here) and see what they have. Thanks!
You should be able to find 56w cfl's at home depot. Honestly i would just get a 56w 6500k and a 48w 2700k and use a 70w hps for flowering. If you had good enough airflow you could try a 150w but you would have to really have everything dialed in and have a big pc case. Even with a 70w i would put a clip fan constantly blowing on the bulb. You will get denser nugs and the light will pentetrate much better than the cfl's. you could keep the 56w in there with it if you had a fan on the bulbs for a mixed spectrum. Led's would be the best choice but good panels don't come with a cheap price tag. I'm just saying you aren't limited to just cfl's. led's would be your best bet but they get expensive. The cheapest thing to do would be build your own panel.