are these lights sufficient?

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by cuntie, Apr 29, 2006.

  1. hey guys, cuntie here...me and my buds are planning to have a small - medium sized indoor grow goin as our first grow. its gonna take place in one of my friend's garage attic. we jus got back from home depot and this is what we got:

    1x 100 watt hps lamp
    2x double fluoro tube fixtures
    > each will have 2 40 watt tubes ( clear white i believe ) adding up to 160 watts

    so will 260 watts be enough for a small grow ?
    we arent expecting gigantic yields or anything, jus to learn etc;

    thanks for the help
     
  2. yea it should work. did you get a balist for the hps light?
     
  3. the lamp is an entirely self contained unit so yes, i would imagine it already has a ballast integrated into it, but ill go check now
     
  4. that should be a decent amount for a couple plants. Keep in mind your cooling needs if growing in an attic. Also, I pressume it is going to be in an uninsulated area, so keep an eye on your nighttime temp and humidity.
     
  5. yes i understand the need for cooling and the possibility of colder nighttime temps sicne there is no insulation. however to compensate for possible colder night temps, i plan on running the lights during the night both on 18/6 and 12/12
     
  6. just a couple more questions if you guys don't mind :)
    our planned setup is:
    -2 4' fluoro fixtures(2 tubes apiece) hung over 4 plants each, with the hps supplementing (where should we put this?)
    -an air conditioner and a fan blowing air around and keeping the grow room the right temp

    approx how many plants will these lights grow nicely?

    would SOG or xmas trees work better in this setup?


    if the attic is 90+ degrees in daytime, would using an air conditioner work if we hookd up the exhaust/output to an exhaust pipe out the roof of the attic?

    or is there a better way to cool it, ie fans?


    are five gallon buckets too big to use for a first grow or could we use smaller plastic pots?


    on another note, how long do we wait after sprouting to water?

    are there any easy ways to make automated watering systems ( not hydroponics ) that we could make, as my friend probably cant access the attic every day? ( we plan to germinate and grow the plants in a party cup in his closet under a CFL for the first two weeks of its life, then transplant into the attic final pot )
     
  7. put the hps on top, main light source. Try to put the fluoros an the sides and kinda bottom of the grow space. This way light will be coming from above and below, promoting the lower grow and allowing the masive light of the hps to go straight to the plants. With that kind of lighting system and not expecting bestial yields ill try to cover the 4 ft area with plants and then discard the weakest. Try to keep the doble plants you think tis optimal for growing sinche you can learn more from more plantss

    Thats why scientific studies and polls use a lot of subjects. TO get more acurrate results.
     
  8. u sure i can use the 100 watt hps as main light source? its only 100 watts...
     
  9. you probably can't get away with using JUST that light, but you definitely want to set it up as your "main attraction" with the other lights augmenting it.
     
  10. ok i think we'll prolly have the 100watt HPS about 18 inches above 6 or so plants, with the fluorescent tubes on either side to help the lower branches get more light, and we may buy another fluoro tube fixture to put in between 2 rows of 3 plants
     
  11. all i have at the moment is fluoro's how long can i keep this up for? the plant is around 2 1/2 weeks old and lookin healthy.
     
  12. No one here can tell you what will work or not to control your particular conditions, you're the only one close enough to it. An air conditioner may be the only thing to possibly work in that hot attic. You could also try wrapping the entire grow box in insulation.

    I would go no smaller than 3-gallon. Your plant above the soil has to be supported by the plant below the soil, and if you limit the roots you also limit your plant. There's no real downside to 5-gallon containers except they take more soil to fill and possibly they are too big for your space (though if you use paint buckets or kitty litter bins they are relatively narrow and tall, so the footprint is no bigger).

    Start right away. Be careful not to over-water, but once that puppy pokes her head out the root is also ready to spread so make sure it gets watered.

    Here is but one link I found by searching the internet for "indoor water timer" >>> http://www.mrdrip.com/indoorwateringsystem.htm

    And one for searching on "build garden water timer" >>> http://www.dripdepot.com/

    There are tons of hits for each of these search queries, and you could try other searches as well. Read up there, Google is your friend.
     
  13. hey thanks for all the info
     
  14. that's how I'd do it if I was limitted to your equipment on hand.
     

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