Has anyone every bought equipment from www.northerlightsgrowroom.com? They have a 250w HPS w/ conversion bulb MH for 179.00 plus shipping. Is this a good deal? Also, what is a good fertilizer for soil growing? I used Miracle Grow but had many problems. I live in Philly so I need something that's sold locally or I can mail-order. Is 250w good for a grow space of 3'x3' I don't want to buy the wrong size light? Any good prices on black/white poly?
a 400W would give you approx 5000lumens per sq foot (done in head, math could be wrong that would be ideal. I have read that the ideal is 3000, but I have seen people with more than triple that. a 250 would probably work okay for your plants, but obviously not as well as the 400
What Justchill said... You'd get bigger buds with a 400 or 430 watt hps kit...it's not that much more expensive than a 250W. A 400W is perfect for a 3 x 3 closet. With a 250W you'd get 27 watts per square foot...with a 400W you'd get 44 watts per square foot. I live by at least 40W per ft2. Whatever extra you spend on lighting will show in the yield you get off your plants. As for fertilizer you'll need something with an even NPK (20-20-20) or one that is higher in nitrogen (30-15-15). For vegging I use Peter's 20-20-20. You can find it at most nurseries. If you have any questions to ask the people at the nursery tell them you're growing African Violets...they grow in the same environment as mj. Good Luck!
The price for the kit is not that far off key.....still shop around more before you buy... Miracle Grow...IMO...is good for outdoor gardens..If you must use Soluble Ferts I suggest.. Rapid Gro 23-19-17 great for Veg Shultz 10-60-10 great for Flower Don't forget to add Dolomitic Lime to medium 250w HID may work well for your area,,,400w may be even better..depending on setup,layout,and bulb used.....Rule of Thumb=35-50w per sq ft....50w preferred