first grow, i have two 13 day old plants about a bic lighter tall. im running 2 15 watt cfls and 2 25watt cfls. also have a 14?" floro. these lights are about 4" from the plants, i have also two 150 watt HPS outdoor spot lights. they say they are rated for 16k lumens. which seems like too much? as of right now i am not paying for the electricity bill, i am moving into a diffrent apartment and will have a full basement to work with then. i am growing with meracle grow organic with no pearlite. should i add perlite? wait till i transplant from my solo cups? are these lights ok? should i use one or both of the HPS lights? sorry for the rambling... also the plants r tai s skunk
You are fine for now, with the exception of the soil. The MG soil isn't the best choice, particularly if it contains time released nutes. I would definately add perlite, I have always found MG soil to be clumpy and prone to compacting. The HPS lights you mention will work, but be careful about the heat. I would make sure the plants are far enough away so you don't get any burning.
the light is about 2 feet away right now, and i only run it when im home due to the extreme heat i dont trust it. i can put my hand like 2 inches away without it burning me.
this is ok for now but rule of thumb is at least 100watts per plant. As far as lumens go, the more the better!! Yeah as long as you keep that hps away from the top, preferably between 18-24 inches, it should be fine. just keep an eye on temps. and I agree, MG is not the best of choice although if cost or supply is the issue I could understand that. work with what ya got lol also, for seedlings and vegging you should be using daylight temp bulbs rated at like 6500k and then for flower switch it to 2700k soft whites