Good afternoon Grasscity, have some questions regarding my current grow and upcoming perpetual. Basically, i plan on starting a perpetual based around my current flowering and vegging plants, as well as some high quality seeds i will be starting to introduce some different genetics. I currently have: 2 large (3-4ft) flowering plants in their 6th week of flower in a 6'x4'x4' tent under a 400watt hps. Diesel x1, Ice x1. 6 small (12in+/-) vegging plants in a 5'x4'x2' under a 400watt hps (cmh bulb blew out). Diesel x2, Ice x2, Aurora Indica x1, Critical + x1. I also have a brand new xtrasun magnetic 1000watt convertible ballast. I started my own perpetual type grow based on my calender and my plan is to have 4 generations at all time. 4+ clones rooting, 4 rooted clones vegging in the smaller tent and 4 early flowering plants, and 4 mature flowering plants in the larger tent at all times. With this i would be harvesting 4 large plants every 6 weeks. I have my calender written to start introducing generations into the perpetual starting next monday so i dont have too many issues with that, i'm just wondering the best way to optimalize my lighting setup to suit this plan. Would it be better to have a 1000watt hps running over the 4 late flowering plants next to 800watt hps (2x 400watt) hung over 4 early flowering plants and a t5 ( either the 200something watt one or the 400something watt one) over 4 vegging plants in the small tent? Or could i save myself like $200 and flower all 8 plants (4mature flowering and 4 early flowering) under the single 1000watt hps in the large tent and use 800watt cmh vegging 4 plants in the small tent. OR, maybe the 1000watthps over the 4 late flowering, 400watthps over the early flowering in the large tent, and 400wattcmh over 4 veg plants in small tent. What do you think is the best lighting option for what i'm trying to do?
The biggest problem with using a 1000w in that area is height. With the necessary 21" from all plant parts, lamp thickness & pot size, there'd only be just over 2' of vertical growing space left. A 2x4x4 growth area would waste a great deal of a 1k's energy when it can support an area of roughly 5x6x6'. A 600w would do well in that space, while an 800w would support maximum growth & potency over that whole area. The 5x4x2' area, being twice as long as wide, would be supported best by two HID's or a longer type of light like fluorescent tubes. The two 400's, side by side, would coax maximum growth out of that entire space, but maximum luminosity isn't necessary for vegging. The two 400's could grow all flowering plants in that area to maximum potency, however.
Thank you for your response. I'm aware that the 1000watt would be too much for the smaller veg tent, hence it going into the 4'x4'x6'. 6 feet of verticle space would be plenty. I'm just wondering if the 1000watt would illuminate 8 flowering plants in the larger tent, with the 2 400watts in the small veg tent. Or would it really be worthit to upgrade to a t5 for the veg tent and have 1800watt total for the flower room? Hope im making sense
I think you misunderstand. When talking about the 1000w, I was referring to the 6x4x4 area and how you'd only have 2' vertical grow space (2x4x4) with that area because the 1000w lamp, space between it & the plants, and the pots would take up about 4' of the 6' height.
Well thats all the verticle space i have. What do you suggest i do then, with the lights i already have (1000watt and 2x 400watt hid) and 2 tents?
I'm a serious DIY guy, so I always try to think of ways to change the parameters when those I'm faced with prohibit my preferred course of action. Some of my suggestions may assume that it's somehow possible to change the parameters you've listed, but please don't think that means I ignored you when you pointed them out. Some ideas may also involve modifying your equipment and/or the actual structure which the tent is located in and I understand that this isn't feasible with the majority of grows. Create a hole in the top of the tent so that the thickness of the lamp no longer takes up some of your growing space. This could save up to a foot of vertical space. Use a type of hydroponic system that isn't as tall as a 5gal bucket of soil. This could save at least half a foot. Cut holes in the floor for buckets of soil to slide into. I've done this with a couple attic grows and it saves more than a foot of vertical space. While two stationary 400's wouldn't cover the whole 4x4' floor area adequately, both could be used in the large tent if they were attached to a rotating light mover (a sun circle). Used light movers can be acquired for fairly little money. I've known a few people who even made their own. Set up properly, they would work very well on the 4x4' floor area and would be the perfect intensity for roughly 2.5' tall plants. You could set up a separate vegging area or just veg & flower in the one tent. Enough fluorescents to veg in the small tent wouldn't be too expensive. They wouldn't be needed until after the first crop has started flowering if you begin the first crop in the big tent. You could simply use what you have without major modification. While not an incredibly efficient use of a 1000, there's no reason why it can't be used in the 6x4x4' area. The setup could be upgraded later on if you so desire. Some of the ideas mentioned above could also be implemented at a later date.
Thank you for the input, i really like your ideas. Especially the moving light but i think i'm gonna keep it pretty simple and get a 4 foot 6 bulb t5 for the long, small tent and use the 2 400watts in the flower room. If they reeally aren't cranking hard enough with the 400s i'll think of something.