Ok so I'm setting up my grow and would like input on a few details. First off, not my first grow but I'm no expert. I have used bubble buckets with Lucas before and had no complaints. Very easy, inexpensive way to go. Needless to say I'll go that route unless swayed by the masses. On to some specs: I will be using a 4x5 flower room using the scrog method with 3 plants. I will be using the same method/space for the veg. I (along with everyone else on the planet) would like the very best results possible for my efforts. So I want to change it up a little from what I know. I would like to use co2, cool tube hoods, more light, and a sealed air conditioned room. First question: more light, I was thinking of running 600w on the veg and 1000w or so on the flower. Flower having 400w mh and 600 hps. 1000w would be 50w sq ft. Would it be worthwhile to use 14-1600 for the flower? I would be using co2 and temps should be manageable. Also any input on bulb types? Next question: co2, what is the prefferred level of co2 and what rules should I use for working in the environment? I don't want to be in the room all the time which is obvious but I've got to get in there and do my thing. Is it harmful to be in the room for any length of time? Cool tubes and mini split: running the above wattages what size mini split would be preferable? There's a 12k btu unit for cheap on c/l. Overkill or not enough? And are cool tubes better/more efficient than sealed hoods? Gotta keep temps down. I'm looking at some xxl cool tube hoods that are nice and wide to cover the entire grow. Comments, questions, awnsers?
I highly suggest spending the cash on a Nice T5 floro rather then a 600w HID light in your veg room.I think they work way better,and with very little heat compared.Along with the lower electric usage its also way cheaper to buy.Its also much safer around your smaller plants. I would just buy a 1000w HPS system for flower room.A 1000w light is rated for a 5x5 area. As far as bulb I recommend Ushio 1000 Watt HPS HiLux AHS Opti Red Lamp I've never bought here,but that is a good price,although they take paypal so you cant get rippped off. I said get a HPS system because you dont need to buy any metal halide bulbs anymore.Like this Ushio HPS has Red/blue spectrums. Optimal PPM for C02 is around 1800ppm.You'll need to buy a meter.They are like 140 bucks. I dont think it matters much if you get a cooltube or hood. This guy talks only about growing in complete enclosed grow spaces.Check out his vids.He visits many patients enclosed gows in canada,and there a lot of good tips to.http://www.urbangrower.com/ GL
Thanks for the reply. I will look into a t5 setup. I figured it wasn't hid so it must be inefficient/inferior. So would you get close to the same results in the end if you used t5 vs. mh for veg? If so then the choice is obvious. Like I said I just want the best results for my efforts. Looking at the bulb you posted I can't tell if it's compatable with a digital ballast. Says "Ballast type: S52 1000 watt HPS". I'm learning I might want to do a bunch of research before making a decision on the ballast or bulb. I did read somewhere ceramic metal halide is a very good bulb too. Thanks again
t5 outputs 100 lumens/watt with little heat, very efficient. can definitely veg just as well as MH, have to keep it right next to the plants tho, very low
This is incorrect IMO.I can keep my light 1' away.I dont recommend of course,but I was in a situation where I had to for a few weeks,and nothing really stretched at all.My plants flurish under this thing. This is what I use.You can easily veg plants over a foot with it.Maybe 12-16 2 gal pots.These ballasts also can use a HPS floro bulbs if you happened to want to add one or two to your flower room.Good side lighting.http://www.htgsupply.com/Product-HTG-Supply-2-Foot-4-Lamp-PL-55-Tek-Lamp.asp
ok, you don't need to. you also don't need 5-10,000 lumens/sq ft for the light to be at a strong level, they need to be very close. of course it will grow at 1' away, people grow tall spindly plants on their windowsill. it works, just not nearly as well at that distance due to low penetration value
Go T5 for veg. The closer you can put a light to plant the more energy it absorbs. Place light just above we're it would burn you hand if place atop of plant canopy. If you have to move your hand it's too close. I run 1000HPS that's dimmable. Awesome feature. I recommend 7-10 gallon Geopots or smart pita. I use 7 for 9 plant but if u run 3 got with 10 gallon or more. Use a good soil and add a bit of your own amendments. Plants should flourish. For flowering I use one 100 watt cfl placed below the plant to direct light upward. It seems it help a bit.
Been a while but my setup is underway. I've got the room sealed, on a sentinel Evc-1 with DIY ac box for now (c/l mini split went too fast). Room temp is kept between 73-80. I picked up a 4' 8 bulb t5 for 100 used. Seems to work well. Also have a magnum 6" sealed reflector with 6" can fan venting totally seperate from the room. I have a 50# tank with regulator. Will be buying a ppm-2 controller in a few days. Still no bulb or ballast yet as flowering is a little ways out still. On to my bagseed sprouts. They are really bushy for there size. Had them at about 5.85 ph and 1/4 strength nutes. Also had the t5 at about 2" above my plants and no co2. Humidity at ~ 35% res temp at 73. I started noticing small problems with my plants. A few dead spots in the leaves and kinda droopy. They're about 3" tall 7" across and as I said very bushy. I bumped up ppm to 1000. And they seem to like it but the problems are still there. Anything of my setup dead giveaways on why I've got problems? Thanks for the replies.
Another question. is 5 gallon buckets big enough? And for yeild would I be better off running a different form of hydro? I was reading something about how with dwc you get a small percentage of o2 in the water, top that off with my air pump being in the same room that will be high in co2 and my roots don't get much air. Areoponics (from what I read) gets much more o2 at the roots which helps overall growth and speed. However everywhere else I looked said for big plants to run dwc. And back to the bucket size is a 5gal bucket big enough for a ~ 4x2' plant with a third of a 1000w to itself? I know one 2x2' scrog under a 400w filled the same bucket full of roots.
Anyone home? Did I ask too many ?'s??? Or maybe no one knows? After a few days of full strength they seem to be growing more rapidly but the spots are still there.