Hello, I am growing many plants closely together in a hydroponic SOG application. I am making a larger space available and adding another hydroponic unit. I would also like to add more light and co2. In the new space the plants will have a 400W HPS 55,000 Lumens overhead in a 10sq ft area (5,500 lumen per sq ft). I am planning to add another 25,000 Lumens to bring the total lumen to 8,000 per sq ft. My question is, which would be best to add; 1) 25,000 lumen of red fluorescent lamps spread out along the sides of the plants (providing side light), or 2) Add another 25,000 Lumens to the canopy with a second HPS Lamp (250W this time)? The obvious con's of each are: 2nd HPS = more heat, additional light to an already well lit canopy, Fluorescent = side light provided all around the plants may not penetrate to the center plants. Please share with me your opinions. If you can, explain to me your opinion with some detail so I can understand where you are coming from. It is greatly appreciated! jjng5
sounds like you have more than enough light with the 400W i have pulled a whole coffee table pile off one.. With the additional light a floresent light would be worthless IMO.. Any undergrowth would be wasting energy on THE MAIN COLA hence SOG... BUT IDK this is just an opinion.. Now with your area how wide and long is it??? height?? Why dont you get a cheap ass light mover and think of the money it would save on energy in the long run over even a worthless 250w(in conjunction of course)..Just opinions folks
would be the 250 watt hps. reasons; 1.nothing compares to hid lighting 2.no such thing as too much light, even if you have a well lit canopy. 3.get a good quality mylar as you probably know 30%+ of overall yield comes from the reflection off your walls, fluros waste of time only good for your kitchen ceilings(my opinion guys) so if you can control/regulate the extra heat then put the 250 watt hps in m8 & by the sounds of your set up i think you'll have no problems all the best
I am going from a 4' (width) x 2' (depth) x 8' (height) to a grow cabinet I am going to be putting together with the size of 5' (width) x 2.8' (depth) x 5' (height). This setup will provide enough space for 4 hydroponic 10 gal bubbler units, a carbon scrubber w/o venting, and a 20 lb co2 tank. I am planning to grow a variety of 24 quality Indica strains. I am going to cut out two spaces for a fan blowing in and one for a fan blowing out. The cabinet will be constructed of high quality plywood, stained, and fitted with trim to look like a piece of furniture. The 12/12 cycle will be at night. This is my place, but if I have visitors, I don't want it to be obvious. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
It really sounds too me that your space is small enough to pack and still achieve with the 400w... I dont know how you would fit 25.. but hey Ive done it.. if you go with an additional HID i would really look deeply into ventilation for these(air cooled hoods)...etc are you making this closet a perpetual harvest with a veg and bloom??? separate??
I have the hydroponic units currently and they actually have 8 3" net pots per unit. Four 10 Gallon units will fit in this space comfortable with about 3" spacing along the outside and 9" in the center to provide space for my co2 tank and carbon scrubber. So actually there is space for 32 plants, but I am going to start out with 24 and maybe in the future work up to 28 or so. My focus is to develop the main cola of each indica and the strains I have been working with are very short and dense. This cabinet will be for bloom only, correct. I have a smaller unit built to hold a smaller hydro bubbler unit that fits 15 plants in 2" net pots for a 2.5 week veg and a small cloning unit. It is my goal to work my way into a schedule where I am constantly cycling from the veg to flower unit and provide a harvest every 2.5 weeks. That is my goal. There is no doubt that my 400W 55,000 Lumen provides enough light at 5,500 lumen per square foot, however I am trying to step up my game a bit and do what I've read about, "Super charging your garden". I have read that by providing upwards of 10,000 lumen per sq foot, grown in a rich co2 environment, and growing your plants in hydro, you are able to considerably increase growth and yield. I read that 5,000 lumen is the point where most gardens are limited without the usage of CO2. I would like to add at least another 150W HPS, but I am concerned about heat. I am not sure what I am going to do. I do keep my house at a constant 70 degrees F for the plants. With fans, it doesn't go over 84F currently. With another HPS and no exhaust, I am concerned. I have read however that with CO2, extra heat isn't a major concern as long as you don't go over 95F. I wish there were some kind of graph that showed lumen/wattage output vs plant growth. I wonder how much more growth an extra 17,000 lumens will get me or how much another 27,000 lumens will get me. Any other thoughts? Thank you again for your interest and input!!
Phishhead, I looked into your recommendation and am starting to second guess my self. I am starting to wonder if I wouldn't see better results with a Cool Tube light fixture (allowing me to vent the hot air from the lamps directly out of the cabinet), allowing me to get the fixture 8-12 inches away from the tops. And 2, buy a 4' Light track (light mover) that moves the fixture the full length of the cabinet providing completely even lighting. With a SOG grow packing so many plants into such a tight space, I bet I would see better results with this combination. Every foot closer my light is, increases light available to the plants 4X over. Right now my light is 2' away from the tops of my plants, if I could get within 8-10" of the plants, that would be effectively like adding another light to the room. Do you think a light mover would be necessary as well? What are your thoughts? I will still add the co2.
So now it's the new guy's turn to ask. If the general idea is that there is no such thing as too much light, does that mean I should buy the biggest light I can afford? Does the size of the light directly correlate to the size of your yield? Meaning bigger light=bigger/fatter buds? I have looked around at all the different set-ups available and while all are a bit pricey, are still within my budget. So my question is, would it be to my benefit to just buy the best system I can afford so I don't have to worry about upgrading later when I expand my grow? A little extra info, I just purchased a Hydrohut deluxe which I will use with 2 EbbNGrow systems (12 pots each), 2 hydrofarm 1000 watt HPS systems, a 465 cfm blower and a scrubber filter. Should be a fairly decent harvest. I hope. Any input would be appreciated. Good or bad. I don't care. I want to know if I'm doing something wrong or if there's smething I could improve on.
No more light isn't always better. Your plants can only use so much light. Expensive "packages" like the one you discussed above isn't always the best use of your funds either. With 24 plants hydro, a 400W HPS is all you would need. HTGSupply has the best HPS lights with the best warrenties in my opinion. After 1 month, my bulb went out and without any trouble got another one. This will run you $119. Next I would purchase a Bubbler Hydro unit over EbbNGrow. EbbNGrow doesn't provide all the benefits that Hydroponics has to offer. Bubbler Hydro allows you to grow full plants within inches of each other. In one 10 Gallon unit you should be able to get at least 4 full sized plants (2 plants per Sq foot), this cannot be done with EbbNGrow systems. I am going for 6 plants per unit. SeeMoreBuds was able to get 2oz in 2" net pots at like 8 plants per sq ft. Bubbler units can also be purchased for $32 each. If you want to grow 24, I would recommend between 3-4 units. Ebay is a great place to shop. To continue with regards to lighting, you reach a point of limit returns. 1000W is too much for only 24 plants in my opinion. You will need to add CO2 at a certain point. Good luck