I currently have four plants; one male, one female, and two unidentified though I suspect one to be male if not both. I have taken out the male which was 20 inches tall and quite sparse...the clusters of male bits were evident after the two weeks of 12/12 (they're just two months and two weeks old). The female has the V shaped pistils(?) and she is only 15 inches tall with thicker clusters of leaves. My lighting system has been only 50 watts (two fluoro and one incandescent made for plants). Today I'll receive a 400 watt HPS system (the bulb has an increased blue spectrum too). The system includes a ballast and four sided reflector. I have some questions about using this system. First, how hot will this be? I'm limited by a closet that's about 4 x 4 feet and 6 feet high (a closet 'rack' is at this level, otherwise the closet would be 8 or 9 feet tall). I have a small fan running and my room is rather cold...will I need to take any precautions? I've received all things flamable long ago. I hear I'll need to keep the reflector and bulb three to four feet away, won't this be a problem if the plant exceeds a very short height? Also, is it wise for me to introduce something this powerful when the plants are used to such crappy light? If anyone has advice for me it would be appreciated.
a 400w hid needs to be no more than 10 or 12 inches away from the canopy. ideally less then that. 6 or 8 is a good distance. how close you can have it is directly related to how much airflow you have in the closet, and whether you'll have the door open when the light is running. oh, and going from floros to hid, start with the light maybe 18 inches away and bring it down a couple inches a day, just to acclimate the plants.
That's a huge relief. I've heard some horror stories about fires and burnt plants because the light was too close. I thought that three or four feet sounded a bit high, especially since a lot of your average Hightimes closet growers incorporate them in their design. I've been reading a lot about that sea of green method but I live in the US and my state is hardcore when it comes to plant growth (when there are more than five) so I suppose I'm limited on how I grow.
Okay, so I just got my HTG supply system and put it together, I went to plug it in and was amazed by the amount of light but after turning it off after just one minute it felt as if my skin would melt if I touched the bulb...I'm sure this is just me worrying but how is this safe hahah? It's soooooo hot.
if you're going to use a 400w HPS in a 4x4x6 closet, make sure you have LOTS of ventilation and you should be fine. ventilation is key. also, do a test run before you start growing... turn everything in your growroom on and monitor the temperature for a day or so and make sure it stays cool enough to grow. if it gets too hot then your ventilation system is too weak. also, make sure you have a small fire extinguisher nearby. you'll probably never need it, but it's better to be safe than sorry.
another happy htgsupply customer! sweet. considering how inexpensive it is to put those systems together, shit i should have gotten into it. could make a killing.
I'm now in love with my HTG setup, I was so excited to see it in action. With it's help I was able to identify another male, leaving me with one female and what I believe to be a second female. However, I now have a problem trying to hide what looks like the ark of the covenant behind a closet door. There's this radiant light that beams from every crack, lining the door. So, comparing this setup to the 50 watts worth of lighting I had before, will I notice a different in growth? I know a lot of the plant's growth depends upon it's genetics, the soil, the fert, etc. but has anyone ever tried growing a few plants of the same strain under different light setups? Anything like this?
keep ur temps in the low 80's man and put them babes under that light they be happpppy as in get freakin HUGE i guess your a little late in flower but u will see the difference for sure.
not a fkin prayer of getting that close m8 unless u want dead plants. Using a cooltube with mine now (since uprated to 600w) cos i couldn't get it nearer than 18" off the tops without heat stress & leaf damage & that's with 6" rvk for extraction & 12" desk fan blowing on the tops. Don't use hps in a closet without aircooled reflector like jetstream, or a decent cooltube. Done lots of drobe grows with cfl's & hps so i'm not just guessing here. 400w hps in a closet without cooltube will kill ur plants. *also Kalidas, sort those light leaks out m8 - they are the biggest single cause of hermied plants ideal method is self adhesive draucht excluder foam along all the surfaces where the doors should be sealing. For ur inlet, a piece of cooker hood carbon filter is great - stops smells getting out too. Dim light may show through the cooker filter, but no way can your household light get through it from the outside
Disagree Num, I run 2 400's in my closet, I do agree that 10-12 inches is pushing it, and close than that is A) defeating the lights ability to iluminate the top of the canopy B) Heat stress the shit out of your plant. I prefer my lights 14-18 inches when possible, and Istandalone I think you will agree I have some ass kicking plants! You will need lots of air circulating though, I run 2 circulating fans and have an 8" daytona extraction fan(Commercial grade, got it free) running in the next room when the lights are on. Also, you'll be much beter off if you can remove the rack so that you can use as much of the height as you need. It will make growing a whole lot less stressful when you don't have to worry about your plants tickling the burn zone. Lastly keep the ballast out of your grow room.
Well I have a slightly altered setup. I had the ballast on the ground of the grow room and the reflector hung about 14-16 inches away from the top. I wouldn't mind them growing more though, should I move it up some or gradually move it as it inches up? The ballast became a problem though since it was getting so hot so I moved it up on to a shelp near the fan that way the reflector, plants, and ballast all benefit from the single, overhead fan. Should I still keep the ballast out? It seems pretty cool right now since it's just three feet from the fan.
I grew a few plants under a 400 watt hps in a small closet once. Results were nice but venting was a problem seeing as I rent and cant really start putting holes in walls. So I left the doors open and temps were fine with an open window always open in the bed room. But holy crap did it stink. Inproper venting and hot temps=smell so be carful.
dude, i laughed my ass off when you mentioned the room as the '' covenant ark'' with all that light coming thru the cracks, i truly understand i too have seen the door to heaven... it looks like jesus himself is back there, with the 400 kicking,,,, plus up to you, htg supply, is a awesome company, thats where i got my 400 batwing system at. as for your ventilation issues, you ''GOT TO EXAUST THAT HOT AIR'' my closets a little smaller than yours,, but i ran my sytem ''dry'' with just a thermometer in there,,, it being winter, you can setup your inlet, too bring in some real cool air. and rig you a exaust fan to push it out, id mount that ballast as high to the ceiling i could get it. and put a small oscillating fan beside it, a. to draw its heat and move it B. circulate that air. '' all thru the bottom'' i went and got a 170 cfm. ecoplus inline hurricane fan.. proably more than i needed, but itll do... if you own your place, and not rent. then build your room for the longhaul... thats why my fans a little big, i dont plan on my ''room'' being small forever!!!!!! good luck dude, just watch those temps. and ''AIR CIRCULATION'' IS A MUST!!!!!!
Well hell yah, this post solved all my problems. I would like to also say thanks to HTG supply for hooking me up with a 400 hps.