Ok so! I am a rookie, this will be my 1st time growing indoors. My plan here is to share the knowledge that I gathered from this forum to answer most questions I see come up often that I have found the answers too with a little research. So enjoy your one stop introduction to Newbie lighting.... THINKING ABOUT BUYING?? 1st off... The number one thing to always consider when purchasing a light for your space is cost... What can you afford?? Solution... I am a college student, I know that money is hard to come by! 150w HPS lights are perfect for 2-3 sq feet. And can be found for around 70-80 dollars on various sights (do your research, it will find u the cheapest price. Compare with 3-4 other places) A lot of people will go straight for a 400w HPS/MH combo for 200$ ( This is a great solution if you are thinking long term growing, the light will pay for itself almost instantly. Because of all the money you will be saving not buyin ur herb) A 400w HPS light could grow 4-5 solid plants in a 6sq foot space. There are various wattage HPS lights. My advice is measure your space. Then ask on here! this is what this thread is for. HPS/MH/CFL/LUMENS EXPLAINED: HPS "the flowering light" this light is used to flower because of the color it produces on the spectrum. It stimulates the flowering and can give u an amazing result. MH "the veg light" This light is used for the promotion of growth of the plant. Use this baby to get your plants right where you want em. then hit them with an HPS! no need for cfl's. Today's ballast kits come either HPS ballasts.. MH Ballasts... HPS/MH Ballasts.(good buy) Digital HPS/MH ballasts (lightweight and expensive for a good one) CFL's "the future" CFL's (Compact Florescent Lights) come in a wide variety of color spectrum's now a days. (soft,day,sun, etc...) If you use enough. They are prime for very small spaces and can be placed super close to the plants. Optimal for 1x1 cabs. or even smaller! check out some of the micro grows on GC. WHAT THE HELL IS A LUMEN?! *FriedGuy:* "Lumens aren't necessarilly what a plant sees for energy. It depends on what spectrum the light is in. PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) is what a plant sees for energy. That's the reason we use HPS and MH lighting... because a lot of the lumens they put out are PAR (lumens in the correct spectrum). LED lighting is even better... most is PAR. And don't put HID lighting 2" from the tops of your plants unless you have a really good ventillation and a sealed, ventillated hood or cool tube, with fans blowing on it as well." My cab is 2sq feet. and 5 feet tall. i plan on raising up my HPS as my baby grows. So for a basic example. In my cab I have a 150w HPS light for flowering time. I HAVE 2 100w CFL Equv. That produce 1750 Lumens each. and 8 100w equivs producing roughly 1600 lumens each. i have about 15000 lumens flowering and 15000 lumens veg for one plant. in a 2sq foot box. JUST READ THE BOX OF CFL'S AT THE STORE! THEY HAVE THE LUMENS ON THEM! REAAD AND CALCULATE BEFORE YOU BUY.. REFLECTING LIGHT: DO NOT BE MISLEAD BY ALUMINUM FOIL.. IT DOESNT WORK! THE ONLY THING ITS GOOD FOR IS A GOOD BURN. Foil traps heat. don't use it. unless of course your trying to trap it. then of course use it under mylar. My preference is white paint from what ive gathered. Pure white. none of that off white crap. White reflects Light. it's so perfect it rhymes. Mylar is an excellent option i fyou want to buy it. but paint is pretty easy to come by if you dont have money. HAVING ENOUGH LIGHT 15000 lumens per plant. in a room no bigger than 2 sq feet. IMO. I you think you have enough. you should probably add another one.. !! amirite? The whole plant doesn't need to be lit up. A lot of people believe that the whole plant needs to be subjected to light. But in fact if you think about the outdoor growth. A plant grows straight up, so the bottom leaves are still pretty shaded. keep you lights close to your canopy about 2". The bottom levels are still getting lumens! Just like plants still get lumens in indirect sunlight. I am going to try and help newbies get the answers they are looking for.. if you can't find the answer ill look for it and post it on here. thanks for readin.
Nice writeup. Here's a couple things to consider. A 400W HID light has about a 4 square foot footprint, a 1000W has about a 6 square foot footprint. Lumens aren't necessarilly what a plant sees for energy. It depends on what spectrum the light is in. PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) is what a plant sees for energy. That's the reason we use HPS and MH lighting... because a lot of the lumens they put out are PAR (lumens in the correct spectrum). LED lighting is even better... most is PAR. And don't put HID lighting 2" from the tops of your plants unless you have a really good ventillation and a sealed, ventillated hood or cool tube, with fans blowing on it as well. +rep for sure buddy.
Ah thats right. Shoulda mentioned about the CFL's being the lights that need to be close. Awesome! thats what this thread is for! Thanks for the added information fried! Keepin it fresh.