Hey all. For starters I'm new to this forum and already I have learned tons off of threads and help links etc. I have a good grow room its about 12 - 16 feet long and 6 feet wide. My questions are these: 1) i want to get a 400watt hps light puttin out around 45000 lumens per bulb... Is that a good light? How many plants could i grow under this? Can i use this throughout the whole entire grow from start to finish? Because im not rich 2) This room is kinda of a cool room .. it has a bit of a chill to it but its not bad .. i believe that it gets air in it constantly but at a slow state if that makes sense so what im asking is .. would i need to vent this even further? because u cant feel a draft but i know its being vented it its own way .. its underground but beside a building if you can imagine.. the only part of it attached is the door into the basement.. 3) the heat .. now that its winter its not super cold in the room but its not luke warm if you know what i mean ... will the light cause enough heat for the plants to live? its not freezing cold again and i dont know the exact temp but ill find out soon enough and post it... 4) would i still need a few fans to blow fresh air on them? if i dont .. by all means would it hurt? or do it any better? 5) im not 100% sure i how to make the best outta plant growing .. what im collecting from reading peoples articles is that it should take like 1 - 2 weeks in a jiffy pot or something similiar and then transplate to nice warm soil with sand and or sponge rock .. then around the end of week 3 start slowly fertalizin it with eco grow cuz it has shit in it to keep the soil turnin to acidy .. but when should i start growin another set of small ones or should i clone off all the other plants i have? and where would i put them ? have more lights ? these are all things i need to know .. 6) smell .. is there anyway i can cut down the smell ? i was thinking that this is a 100% cemented room with 1 door thats pretty thick .. if i just wheather stripped it and put insalation on the back it should do ok . lemme know your tips and tricks i know this is a lot of info but its all things i need to know.. as i said the room is 100% concrete.. im building a bit of a drop celeing out of wood with insalation between the top and the ceiling for extra heat in there .. unless you guys think otherwise.. cuz its just the earth on top of this room ... anyways anything you guys can think of to help me woul dbe great because i am investing my hard earned money and i hope to get something worth while outta it .. thanks a lot!!!
Standard 400 hps ligh will emit 54,000 lumens. You want atleast 2,000 lumens per square foot so you this would cover a 27 foot grow space. If you want to utulize all of your space, you would need 3 of these lights, based on this "rule". A 400 watt hps light emitting that many lumens is a great light, but is more suitable for the flowering stage alone, although you can use it througout the whole grow. You should use blue colored (cooler) lights during the vegetation stage and then switch to warmer colors, which the hps would emit, during the flowering. Keep the temps in the mid to upper seventies, with about a 15 degree drop after the lights go off. Air circulation is very critical. Use an oscillating fan near an opening to bring in fresh air, and cool the room some. Buy a cheap ph tester and use it to test your water before watering. Ideal ph level is 6.0-6.5. Test your water that runs through your soil (runoff) also, to make sure your soil is ph correct...any good soil should be. It sounds like you need to read alot to educate yourself. Spend much time reading about how to grow marijuana, it will help you out tremendously, but in the meantime, I hoped I was able to help. Good Luck!
No way a 400 watt light is going to cover that entire grow space. A 400 watt generally covers a 3 x 3 foot space, maybe a half foot more and generally no more than six plants can be grown under it as well.
i went out today and bought a 1000 watt Mh/ hps lamp ... so i can have it switched on mh for veg and back to hps for the rest of the growing .. at the moment the room temp is at nearly 80 degrees F without any fans going .. just wanting to test it out for a bit to see how hot it will actually get .. im thinking that 3 fans in the room on low blowing around nice air will keep the temp down and a vent in the bottom of the door to get fresh air in will be good .. what do you guys think?
how far away from the plant should i put the light with the 1000? cuz its really really warm under it and ive been readin that you should always keep your lights like 2 inches away but i think this will just burn it.. and also did my idea sound alright for the venting? the 3 fans moving the air on a slow speed and just a vent to let air in and out in the door?
18" or so is good depending on the area and # of plants...the 'two inch' thing is for fluorescents This chart will help:
with the door closed and no vent the room is 90 degrees F with the thomoeter on the wall ... but when i put my hand to the pot with the fan going slightly at it and the light it feels good ... what do you guys think? still to hot .. any suggestions on how to get the heat down at all? thanks
Yes a bit too hot. You need to have air flowing through the room, not just move air around in the room. A good inline fan venting air out of the room would be best.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUol-UEz9CQ"]YouTube - How to Grow Marijuana[/ame] - a shopping list of sorts.