So I'm about to pull the trigger and by my first HPS light setup...I'm a beginner so I'm thinking of going with the Apollo 400w HPS setup off Amazon. The price is right, and I'm only going to be growing 6 plants in a SOG type setup. Do you think 400w will be enough light, and what is your experience with Apollo products? I'll be buying the kit with the ballast, timer, and hangers, so what else will I need to pick up in order to get going on this?
yes, that's a great price. 400w should cover about a 2x2 grow footprint. You can probably find a review on amazon. 600w would be even better if the price is not too high.
2x2 is just about right. How much more heat does the 600w put out compared to the 400w? Also, for such a small grow op, would I be better off with a Cool Tube reflector or just the gull-wing? It will be going in a small closet.
gull wing will be ok. In a closet you can save yourself a lot of trouble by starting with autofem seeds. No need to lightproof your closet. I run my lights 24/0 24/7. If it gets too hot I just open the closet doors. 400w is fine.
I'm already growing regular photoperiod clones, and I'm pretty happy with them. Lost Coast Hashplant and Nigerian Nightmare. I'm just looking to upgrade my cheap-o CFL setup for my next run of clones. Anyone have personal experience with Apollo products?
I run 2 400 watt ipower lights which are very similar to the apallo 400 watt lights. I am very happy with them, they work very well for me. And when I upgrade to eather a 1000 watter or 2 600 watters, I'll be sticking with the same brand. ipower, apallo same price except ipower comes with a super hps for flowering. Good stuff in my opinion.
A 400 watt bulb is only going to be good to flower off around 3 plants or so. I flower under 1000 watt hps and 4 is the max I'll go under one. The harvest is always better if you give the plants plenty of room rather than crowding them up under a light that can't support them. Before you can figure out what else you need other than the light, you'll have to go a little deeper into what your planned grow set up will be. If you're planning on growing in a confined space like a closet, you'll need to incorporate ducting and inflow/outflow air to cool that light. HPS puts off a ton of heat and the heat will need to be moved out away from your plants. You'll also need lots of air movement in the area where the plants are at all times throughout both veg and flowering phases. It disperses heat and strengthens your plants. To grow healthy plants, you have to be able to manage the pH of all liquids going into your plants. There is more than one way to do it, but the easiest and MOST RELIABLE way I've found is by using a pH tester pen. However, don't be lured in by the cheap ones offered on Amazon and Ebay. Those aren't worth your time or money because they simply aren't dependable. A good reliable one is going to cost you $60+ but it's money well spent. Something else that I use all the time is a EC/TDS tester pen. This is fairly inexpensive...picked mine up for under $20, but it tells you how strong or weak your nutrient solution is and keeps you from burning your plants. Read in the new grower section here and you'll pick up on the setups and what all you will need. Good luck! TWW
Yeah i just bought that set up. Its great but do yourself a favor and get the one with the cooltube. I ended up having to buy one after the fact. Then the ducting and the proper inline fan. Like TWW said. Lots of planning.