I am about to begin construction on a grow box, 6 pots of hydroponics (airstone method) with a 150 watt hps and some cfl's. I am rreeeaaalllyyy on a budget with this one (hence im going to grow my own) so im going for the cheapest seeds, which seem to be from marijuana-seeds.nl, but i'm open to other banks. Right now I cant decide between super silver haze, buddha, and pure power plant. Which of these three would be the best for my box? As I said, my budget is around 30$ for ten seeds... recommendations? Thanks guys!
Forget about seedbanks for a minute, let me get this straight, you want to put 6 sativa plants under a 150w lamp?
one 150 watt at 16,000 lumens, four cfl's at 3000 lumens each, makes about the equivalent of a 250 watt hps, and i don't have more than 120$ or so for lighting.
The 150w HPS will over power the CFLs, the CFLs would only be worth a damn where there is no light from the HPS. Only grow 2 indicas under that lamp. Sativas will get too tall for that lamp to penatrates down through the foliage.
in the 150 watt hps club on icmag theres tons of 150 watt boxes growing a few sativas with pretty good results... I was going to use the cfl's to light the sides and the HPS for the top. Otherwise I could just get around 36,000 lumens of cfl's, but then I wouldnt have anything to bud under...
as far as your initial question, that super silver haze is bomb dude. awesome sativa stain that produces a great sativa 'up' high. love it man. its not a cannabis cup winner for nothin. the others may have won awards too but my personal fav out of the three is the haze. you really cant go wrong with either strain though. they're all good.
I would also recommend leaving the sativas alone at least until you get a few grows under you belt. As a first time grower you should look for something that stays short and flowers fast. Indica all the way. Learn the plant, then jump into them difficult sativas. IMO.
I've grown Indicas before, but i've only done one plant at a time in soil with 10,000 lumens of CFL's. I found a 400 watt HPS by HTG supply for only 120$, would that be a better lighting choice?
hey epic. i recommend sticking with an indica strain. my last sativas were 8ft high. a 150w hps aint gonna cut it for 6 sativa plants. did you ever think about auto-flowering vareties. very short and quick to finish. or maybe an indica like nirvana norther lights. i just finsished those; they only get to about 3ft. for some perspective i grew two plants under 800w (400whps and 400wmh). but i am a nutter. im sure i was wasting electricity.
for veggin you need either cfl's or metal halide lighting. the hps will work great for flowering so if you can get a 400w for 120 you should do it. make sure that's with bulb and ballast though. but if you are in your veg cycle i'd worry more about finding a good MH setup. if you invest in a 1000w you wont be sorry and you wont have to upgrade in the future. vegging plants thrive on light in the blue spectrum which you get lots of with the mh. the hps is a red bulb which flowering plants need.
I just really prefer the "up" high, indicas knock me out. I guess I could go for a hybrid... And I could get a bigger light, like a 400 watt, maybe put a conversion bulb in it, but then my exhaust setup (4 4.25 inch computer fans) wouldn't be sufficient, and I cant afford a nice fan...
honestly, i dont think a 400w will put out all that much heat. im running a 1000w mh and i have a window fan and an oscilating fan on the ground...thats it. dont get me wrong, it does heat up, but it keeps the room warm, which the babes like, and if you buy a hood with a glass cover and vent holes, you can direct the heat from the light up and out with a cheap fan zip tied to one side and some dryer hose off the other.
if youre in a cabinet, a 400w can get pretty hot depending on the space. a 150w can grow a sativa hybrid for sure...a mostly sativa may be difficult, but a 60/40 average sativa/indica should be cool. I used to use a 150 + cfls, and was able to do sativa-dominant hybrids fine, you just dont grow the colas straight up....you LST / pinch. This allows you to control the height, and still penetrate the canopy because a majority of the plant is close to the light. if youre real lazy, a 150w HPS wont work for sativa doms. If you are creative, and willing to do a little more work, then its no problem. If you are already familiar with the micro grow section at IC, then I think youll be fine