I am so confused, first I read on here to use CFL, then I read to use HPS, then I read that Fluro's will do fine... WHAT kind of lighting do I use to harvest the most amount of bud?? I am also trying to conserve money so the cheapest set up is possible even though I am sure the most money will generate the most amount of bud. I have a 6 foot area with plenty of height and I plan on lining the entire place completely with Mylar material so I will not be using hoods to save some money. Most importantly, which lighting will harvest me the most amount of bud but not cost me a fortune? Secondly, how many watts per plant should I use of that lighting. Where can I buy the required types of lighting that gives enough lumens?? I am stressing out and cant seem to find the right information. Please help..thanks.
A high intensity lamp such as a HPS will give you the largest yield. You can grow start to finish with CFL's but they just don't create the same density of bud. You can't go by watts per plant. Plants can vary in size greatly. You want at least 3000 and preferably 5000+ lumens hitting them. Don't stress...just relax. You can buy grow lights at any hydroponics store or via mail order. I will attach a chart of lumens vs. distance for various HID wattages. I need to shrink it down first.
That chart is awesome, thanks!! Where can I get the cheapest lights online? I am looking for lighting fixtures with no hoods so I need just the bulbs and the sockets to plug in that I can hang. Thanks
What's your budget? cheap to you, isn't cheap to others. You can get a T5 for $100, or a 400w HPS/MH for $175 or less.
Well I found a site that has HPS 400 watt bulbs for only 19.99... I just need to find appropriate fixtures to hang up to put the bulbs in which is probably where i'll be spending most of my money im guessing... what are some good sites to get good low priced equipment?
You also need a ballast (digital, magnetic or remote...etc) to run the HID light (HPS and/or Metal Halide). http://www.bewellhydroponics.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_15_16 Prices aren't this expensive^^ Just an example, you can buy way cheaper.
yeah you need the ballast. By the time your done getting an hid (which you want) you might as well purchase a horticulture specific one with everything included. Your plants will love you for it
For all of my lighting equipment I often recommend HTG Supply. I have ordered a few lights from these guys in the past and always have received good stuff and good customer service. They usually ship pretty quick as well, all of my packages have arrived in 3 days(3 packages total, HPS 400w and Metal Halide, Addtional 400w MH bulb, HPS 150w) And they are like your goal as well, affordable. Here is the link www.htgsupply.com Hell if thats still to expensive you might wanna try ebay and if still no good, stick to CFLs. Fair warning an HPS set up will cost you more in the long run(you probally will need a cool tube or air cooled reflector and deffiantly will neeed proper ventilation) but you will get better buds and yields with it. Good Luck
Should I go about buying the different things I need: Ballast, bulbs, cool tube, reflector, mylar, soil, nutrients, pots, etc...or would I be better off buying a grow kit such as the one here: http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=51374 - This grow kit does not come with the cooling tube, the mylar I would need, and I would also need to buy the equipment for proper ventilation and I would also need a way to test the PH level of the soil. I want to spend as little as possible and it seems to me that the complete grow kit is going to be cheaper than if I bought everything separate. The only other thing I am unsure of is how to ventilate the closet space I will be growing in. Can anyone here point me in the direction of easy to understand instructions on how to properly ventilate a space? Thanks.
Definitely NOT a Black Mesa delivery service. Move air from outside the cab into the cab, all the while moving air from inside the cab to the outside of the cab. Make holes in your cab for the intake/exhaust. Get some ductwork, some fans, make sure you're pushing more air out of your cab than you're pulling in to make a sort of vacuum effect. Run the exhaust through a carbon filter. Pull the intake in near the bottom, exhaust near the top. It's like when you read a safety label on a toxic product that says use in a well ventilated area. They mean for you to use said product in an area with lots of air movement going on, bringing in fresh air and expelling old air. ven⋅ti⋅late /ˈvɛntlˌeɪt/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ven-tl-eyt] verb (used with object), -lat⋅ed, -lat⋅ing. 1. \tto provide (a room, mine, etc.) with fresh air in place of air that has been used or contaminated.
I know what ventilation is, thank you... more or less I have to cut two holes in my closet wall and put two exhaust fans in the holes...pricey and needing repairs later on bummer
You only need one fan, pulling air out. You'll suck fresh air in through the crack of the closet door.
Could you link me to a small fan that would do the job?? I guess fixing a hole in the wall wouldnt be too hard to do.... One that works in containing the odor would be nice as well
http://cgi.ebay.com/Orchidarium-and...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50 would that fan be good enough?
No. I know you want to do this as inexpensively as possible...but please do yourself a favor and save up to do it right. I know how it is...you're anxious for that first sweet harvest, but you'll be SO much happier if you do it right. Get a small inline fan from HTG. If you want to deal with smell you'll also need a carbon filter.
^^^ That. The first time I figured I would buy nicely, and got a hortilux 600w hps bulb that I paid 120 bucks for from HTG. I'm not regretting it. I also bought 2 inline duct fans, 250cfm each. I tried to have one of them pull through a DIY carbon scrubber. Boy did I LOL. I ended up buying a CAP Valuline 6" 450CFM inline blower fan. It does the job. Price of being cheap = extra 26$. Do it right the first time, and you won't spend more money fixing your mistakes because you wanted to go cheap.