I'm preparing to do my first grow (White Willow) in a small space, about 3ft x 3ft...I don't have to hide the plants so that isn't an issue. I plan on doing a hydro-grow but all these nutrients and lighting threads have my head spinning... so I figured I would come right out and ask these questions: 1- I keep seeing all the different light everyone recommends but I see that most throw alot of heat, which isn't a big issue but if I could avoid generating TOO MUCH heat I want to....don't wanna burn leaves (or the house) but I'll do whatever's necessary to maximize the yield. I also keep seeing "red light" & "blue light" LED's (also blue/red/orange/white LED's)...so I wanted to know I bought 2 separate LED's (one red & one blue) plus the CFL bulbs? would that be okay? or should I go with the CFL's only. I don't have a ton of cash to play with right now but I don't wanna buy cheap stuff and "come up short" if ya know what I mean. 2- which specific nutrients would y'all suggest for a 1st-time grower? again-I'm not loaded with money but I don't want the cheapest there is....somewhere in the middle maybe? I read earlier I'd wanna get something to make the roots develop, something for the flowers and something for the vegging...plus the PH stuff as well... ALL help & recommendations are greatly appreciated!! I understand the more light the better & healthier the plant will be but I just need to decide on the lights & nutrients... also, if I were to grow inside a cabinet or something like that would mirrors on all 4 sides be better (more light)?? I would imagine so....but I've never did this before so I'm asking you guys. Thankx!
I'd stick with just CFLs at this point. LEDs are more finicky and a lot more expensive. You'll do fine with CFLs in that space and can get a great yield from the plants.. Any decent quality nutrient package is fine, just remember to introduce the nutes slowly and don't overdo it. I like the general hydro brand myself. It's recommended to use daylight bulbs for veg, like 5000k to 6500k in temp. Then, for flower you switch over to 2700k bulbs or warm light as they say. Make sure you have good airflow too, the plants really need it. Other than that, it's not that hard. It's just a weed!
No mirrors, get Mylar or flat white paint.. Or panda film. No mirrors no aluminum foil. As far as lighting goes how many plants? 1 2 3 or? You want to try and maintain 100w for 1 plant, and an additional 50w per extra plant. If you run 6 26w cfls theres a total of 156w, but those 6 bulbs will be more heat then a 200w remote ballast hps. And way more then a single 200w cfl bulb. You have a 3ft tall space so keep in mind light intensity in cfls won't do any good after 6" that's why hps is so much better, if you must go cfl route go with the large 125w and up bulbs. And get two 1 2700k (flower spectrum) 1 6500k (veg spectrum) and run them both the whole grow. T5's are not a bad option either you can find a 4 bulb 2ft fixture with mixed specteum. But let's talk about heat some more, no matter what light you go with your going to need to extract heat, no matter of its led or hps you need to extract that air out of the box and pull fresh air in so a good fan and filter is worth the money. Even if you ate not hiding the plants or not worried about the smell.. I would still rig a filter up but that's just me, I smoke outside and don't want my entire house smelling up. And keep it simple with the nutes, go to your local hydro store and tell then your res size and how many "tomato" plants your growing and ask for the basics. Don't get your head wrapped up here this is your first time just do the basics. Worry about all the extra additives later on.
With 3 feet of height, Id be mindful of an HPS. Doesnt leave much room for vertical growth. Those babies crank out the lumens for sure but along with that comes intense heat. I have a 3 foot grwo cab and thought about it but decided it wouldnt work. If it does work in a 36" grow space, let me know. I dont think so though.
Thanks for the fast replies!! I was originally going to do 2 plants but ended up buying a 5-pack so I figured I go ahead and grow em all....the more the merrier right? first off I should have actually explained that the actual 3x3 space is in the corner so height-wise I have about 6 feet at least...6 1/2 the most so raising the lights/fixture won't be an issue. For the lighting- I read, just as you said, 100w for the 1st and 50w for each additional... now, when you say "keep in mind light intensity in cfls won't do any good after 6" do you mean 6" from the plant or once the plant grows past 6"? sorry if this sounds crazy but I'm new to this. would you recommend lights on the top as well as the sides or would lights on the side make the plant grow too...wide I guess would be the word...it's better to grow upwards, correct? I'm thinking the 2-foot fixture you mentioned would be better that a bunch of light bulbs all over the place...if I need to add one or two on the sides no problem. I do have a few fans that I will place in the room to deal with the heat...I understand the air will keep mold away and strengthen the plant as well, correct? don't want it falling over & snapping in half once it starts growing. I also keep seeing humidity and temperature is important as well...what would be ideal for both? thanks.
Yeah it could limit some vertical growth but I think it would be worth it, I would agree that LST or scrog would work well in that space, with a decent 4" fan it wouldn't be too difficult to beat the heat with 150w hps. Good air circulation and a strong fan it can be done. But even with cfls, 6 or more small or medium bulbs creat a lot of heat with the built in ballast. If you can afford atleast 1 large 125w or more bulb would work just fine. But I would still use a decent fan with good cfm and run passive intake. Leave the pc fans for circulation instead of intake/outakes. So is this a closet space or a box?
woah....I posted a reply about an hour ago but it's not showing... anyway, the space is actually the laundry room...plenty of space but since it's not MY home I can't overrun the whole thing with plants...yet...
t5s are always good when heat is the major issue fox farm trio is good for first time growers as well if you feed them properly
if I were to get an hps I would need a 6oow since I'm growing 5 plants right? 100w for the first plant & 50w per additional...or actually 400w if I follow those figures...would that be sufficient or would I need any other lights?
after reading a little bit more I think I'm gonna go with the 400w MH/HPS...now that's all the lighting I would need right? or would a couple cfl's on the sides be needed? found this on ebay >--> http://www.ebay.com/itm/400w-400-watt-HPS-MH-Grow-Light-System-Set-Premium-Kit-Dimm-Green-House-iPower-/160683199645]400w setup
watch out for off brand digital ballasts ive had a few friends have em burn out after only 3-4 cycles but yes mh/hps would cover lights
actually just read the reviews...some were good BUT some were bad...I'd rather not chance it and spend the extra $...
lumatek 400w digital and a decent cool tube reflector would run ya about 200 bucks ish plantmax bulbs are 30ish
just came across this...got all 5-star reviews too.. GA Optimal 400w HPS+MH Wing Reflector Digital Dimming Ballast Grow Light Kit GrowAce.com
imo going digital 600 wouldnt be much price jump and you can run it at 400watts depending on source ofc
yeah that's what I was thinking...I gotta see what everything else costs first then I'll probably but the lighting last...if I have enough I'll grab a 600w so I won't have to worry about it
ya i plan to pick up a 400w lumatek myself when i move in a few months and have a bigger space. prob run that at 250w hps and run my other 250w with a CMH bulb i plan on building a new 4x4x6 box when i move.
so the Lumatek is the top choice I'm guessing...I see those mentioned most. how are these ballasts as far as electricity? noticeable jump in your monthly electric bill?