This is my 2nd Grow first one I used road side lights for heat and light and used florescents hung above nothing snazzy only yielded an ounce per plant but it was my first grow. Now my question is what should I get? I hear HPS is great but uses a ton of electricity and has a heft price tag. I hear florescent is the way to go to save money, I'm looking to get more off these plants I'm growing 5 plants all female clones rooted etc. Another thing is what should I start them out with? I heard 400w is good for 4-5 plants. WE have 2 fans setups, one for ventilation and one for blowing on the plants and to move air around. We were going to go with the route of getting a 400w umbrella florescent fixture to hang above. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg this is my second grow and I have no idea how it will turn out i've grown decent plants with little knowledge and equipment, I want to go a bit bigger than one oz per plant. I have the soil and everything down packt, transplanting etc. I just need to know the best equipment to make these suckers grow and I dont want to spend more than $150 at the VERY MOST.
Get a 250w HPS. Electricity costs by the kilowatt hour. There's no advantage of having a 400w floro vs. a 400w HPS.
It is actually cheaper to grow with HID ( HPS/MH) vs CFL . Same wattage CFL never going to produce as much as HID but it would be the same cost to run. Just compare micro grows (CFL) vs normal grows under (HID) , just go trough different grow journals and then you will see the difference in final results ...And dude I have to tell you that with out money , you better grow outside.... Basic indoor set up will run you at least $500.... Results probably be average as well.... My advice to you is : spend few month to read ( forum , books ) and wile learning save some money ....
Jbinn: If you're relatively inexperienced, on stuff like this, RTFB. Everyone has an opinion and a convincing argument on what's best. If money is no object and you're growing on a large scale MH or HPS are undoubtedly the best, but if you're a personal grower in a confined space like me T-5's are probably the best. There is no one size fits all solution. I wish there was an easier way, but from what you ask, I’d suggest the following: 1. Read: SeeMoreBud’s book, “MARIJUANA BUDS FOR LESS- GROW 8 OZ. OF BUDS FOR LESS THAN $100.” 2. Read: Jorge Cervantes’s book, “MARIJUANA HORTICULTURE THE INDOOR/OUTDOOR MEDICAL GROWER’S BIBLE.” 3. Read: Ed Rosenthal’s, “MARIJUANA GROWER’S HANDBOOK.” 4. You’ll also want to read: Mc Carthy’s book, “GROWING MARIJUANA.” 5. You should also subscribe to, “HIGH TIMES,” magazine. Each issue is chocked full of useful information. .” All these resources are very well written, well illustrated and packed with information that will answer most of your questions before you know to ask them. And I want to add a new book to the list, a 6th one: “THE CANNABIS GROW BIBLE- SECOND EDITION,” written by Greg Green. It’s a match to, if not better than, the ones listed above. Doing your homework and consulting these resources will save you and your plants a lot of anxiety before you plant. I hope this helps. Hank
For your desires it will definitely be more cost and energy efficient to get a HID light. To light those plants with fluorescents of any kind you'd need too many and would certainly be past the point of diminishing returns. A 400w HPS or MH will do you just fine, but more is always better! Whatever you can handle respecting power use, heat, and height constraints.