This is my second grow. First one i just used CF and turned out ok. I got a really good deal on a 1000 watt HPS and ballast kit with wing deflector and have made a ventilation system for it. my question is when can i put it on my plants and will it be to much for them. also how far away should it be from the plants. Im doing it in my closet lined with aluminum foil and vented well. I germinated them from seed. right now they are sitting under the CF's.
oh ya i forgot to mention. i have six plants right now. only about a week old. in six inch diameter pots.
Dude, If you can - Get the plants out of the GR for an hour or two. Setup the lamp and test temperature, place a thermometer where the plants are gonna be and run some ventilation tests. When happy put the plants back in. Good luck with getting a 1K lamp working in a closet. Max
1000 watts for six plants?!? man you could get a lot more plants for 1000 watts. i doubt youre going to be able to keep the temperature low enough unless you build a cool tube.
OK so the main thing is ventilation and temperature i see. So if that all works out when should i put it on the plants. And how many plants could i have under 1000
My guess would be up to 12 plants flowering. However 8-10 would probably be best. You could veg more plants, sex them, and try to end with about 10 females. So long as your air circulation and temperature are really good, you can put the light close to the plants.
alright. thanks for all the feedback, this is my first week on this site and im loving it!! Im going to try and set up the HPS no later than friday. im venting the light with a glass tube and dryer duct into the attic through a hole im about to cut. and a fan sucking the hot air into the attic. Another question, I have my closet lined with aluminum foil except for the doors, because their double sliding doors. Do i need to do something about lining the inside of the doors with some type of reflective material. And does the closet need to be closed all the time or leave it open for more ventilation. I'll post some pics as soon as i get a digital camera
Aluminum foil traps heat so I would get rid of it all....flat white paint is better and reflects 85% light as opposed to foil which I think is down near 40% reflection. I use white cardboard myself. Find a big white cardboard box and cut it up.
alright i'll try the cardboard idea. All the stems on my plants are pretty dark purple, is this a bad thing, is it caused by it being to hot. right now im keeping about 27 28C or 80F