Okay so I read 8 ft t5's are the best for germination, veg... but what are the best lights for the rest of the grow? I only plan on 10-12 plants but separate rooms for each lighting system and stage of the plant. Anyone have any recommendations on how to best vent out a basement too?
To flower 10-12 plants you will need about 2 1000w HPS at the least. For better results maybe 3 1000w or 2 1000w and 1 600w. To vent these lights i would run my ventilation in this order: Outside Intake > Ducting > Light1 > Ducting > Inline Fan > Light2 > Ducting > Light3 > Ducting > Inline Fan > Ducting > Outake Or something along those lines. Of course put a fan blowing over the canopy as well.
Damn more than I expected, thanks for the info... whats the lumans that would distribute and how does that affect the plant better if you don't mind explaining? I read each plant should get anywhere from 100-150 watts, you recommend more?
It depends a lot on how well the light is distributed. Its hard to cram a bunch of plants (especially if there 2.5 ft tall) under one light. So the more direction you have light coming from, the more even the distribution of light. The only reason I recommended such high wattage is because the more lumens being produced the denser the cola and more vigorous growth. Maybe 3x600w or 2x1000w. In fact you could probably get a acceptable yield off 2x600w. But if you are going to put the time and money into growing 10-12 plants i would not skimp on lighting.