Well, I have come to the conclusion that my current setup is only going to workout for this one grow. So I've decided to upgrade to a small HPS light kit. I was just wondering a few things. Would I need to vent? Or could I just have an oscillating fan in the grow area? (Space is kind of limited) 150W HPS Sun System Economy Plant Grow Light I'm thinking about purchasing this after I harvest my current grow. CFL's just aren't cutting it.
at 150w I wouldnt expect much of a temp raise, maybe 5 degrees tops unless your in a very small space. As long as you can handle that temp rise you dont need exhaust on something with that low a wattage.
Good to know. Do you think I would have to add some extra CFL's in there to add more light or should this be fine by itself? I'm thinking about growing 2-3 at a time. Small plants at that.
Lighting is pretty much a known factor in growing. The amount and type of lighting has already been figured out. In the correct spectrum, 3 thousand lumens per/sq ft of canopy is the minimum amount of light you would ever want to use and will result in an acceptable amount of bud per/lumen, but will be below average. 5 thousand lumens per/sq ft will make an average grow with about a half gram per/watt of light in cured bud. 10 thousand lumens per/sq ft of canopy area will result in one gram per/watt, (or damn close), if the strain is capable of producing that much and all variables are dialed in well. In all the years of growing and helping others setup and maintain their grows, the largest factor in NOT having an optimum grow setup I've seen is GREED. So many people want more playthings, more of everything to spend their new income on, except for improving their setup and optimizing it to it's fullest capabilities. Expand your grow area to a size and configuration that will allow you to maximize your bud/per/watt. It won't be with CFLs. A 150 watt HPS puts out about 16 thousand lumens total. That's enough lumens at 3 thousand lumens per/sq ft of canopy to have a grow size at full growth of 5 square feet. That's a grow area of 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet. That's for a MINIMUM amount of light for that size area. Anything less and you'll have lanky, sparsely spaced, airy, half-assed buds with hardly any weight. Exactly what size grow area are you using? Are you growing in soil or hydro? What nutes are you using? What strain are you growing?
Grow Area: 1 x 2.5 Next grow season (Early Jan.) I will be planting in Fox Farm soil. I'll be using Fox Farm GB, TB, BB. I'll be growing 2 Aurora Indica and maybe 1 Afghan.
Well then, you'll have 6,400 lumens per/sq ft in that area if you use the 150 watt HPS. If you make sure to keep your temps between 75 and 80F, give the one plant you have room to grow in there plenty of fresh air and make the area totally light proof for flowering, you should have a fine harvest from that plant. AI is a wonderful high. It'll knock you on your ass and make you love your couch. I would advise you to grow only one plant in that area, make it a known female and top it once and use a little LST to fill the area well. Paint the walls bright flat white and keep that light as close to the canopy as you can without burning. AI is pretty tolerant of nutes. Soil...moist, not wet or dry.
I was going to top the one I had now, but I lost track of time, and before I realized it again, It was too close to 12/12. But I keep hearing that about AI, everywhere I see a journal, people take about how intense it it. This is one of the reasons why I purchased the seeds.
If you use a progressive change to your nutrients into flowering on an attrition basis, you can top one last time just as you go into the 12/12 light cycle. If however, you completely change your nutes over to a flowering mix on the first day of flowering, it's best to make your last topping about two weeks before switching to flowering. It's a hormonal change for the plants and it's slower with a progressive change of nutes. Yeah, AI is a very good strain if you like Indicas. It will show you what couches are for. Your mind will buzz greatly and you really won't want or care about moving about. For those with insomnia, it's a Godsend.
You can save a few bucks and get a similar light from HTG for $77 shipped. You need ventilation with any type of lighting. Your grow journal says you were already hitting 95 degrees, with CFLs... too hot. You need to address the heat/ventilation issues before worrying about adding more light. It also says you're using foil. I'd ditch that for just about anything else: mylar, panda film, white elastomeric roof paint, flat white paint, etc...