Actual "GROW AREA" size and lighting

[anonimouse]

Here is a question that doesn't ever seem to be answered.... I understand that my grow box dimensions are small. Doing a micro grow, I am working with 3 sq. ft of space in the entire box. It is 1.5' x 2' for those needing specifics.

So, my curiousity is more along the lines as to why people consider the "grow area" the entire room's square footage. Wouldn't the "grow area" be simply the container size of your plant?

For instance if I was growing in a closet, that was 6' x 6' that's 36sq. ft. But let's say my pots only take up say 2' x 2' of that which is only 4 sq. ft. I wouldn't need to light for 36 sq. feet.

My actual plant container in my small 3sq. ft grow box only has an actual footprint of about 1sq. foot. Would it be effective to light for that 1 sq. ft and reduce heat/costs. I plan on doing CFL's in my veg box, and it seems like overkill to go 12000 lumens for the "Grow area" if the footprint the plant takes up only requires half the lumens.

Please correct me if I am wrong. I plan on going with 9000 lumens for the FOOTPRINT. This is 6, 23cfls (best lumen output at 71.8 lum. per watt)

Anyone have some opinions, input?

 

[Locked]

You would need to section off part of your grow space. If you had a 400w hps in a 36 sqr foot grow space it would not have the same effect as the same 400w in an enclosed grow space. The reason you paint your walls flat white or use mylar is to capture all the lumens you can. As soon as you only rely on the foot print of the light you wind up losing out on the benefits of the reflective walls and concentrated lumens. jmo

 

[anonimouse]

The walls are painted flat white. Just finished building the structure and painting it today. I just realized that I am cramped for space as I am doing a DWC and the container is about 7" high, so my head room is getting shorter. I didn't want to over run the veg area with a ton of CFLs if I didn't have to.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

If your light (or your plant for that matter) stayed within that footprint, your supposition would be correct. However, they don't. Your light is going to disburse throughout the entire space, so you are not lighting 1 sq ft, you are lighting 3 sq ft, even if your plant is only taking up 1 sq ft of it. Reflective walls reflect a certain amount of light back, but you are still illuminating 3 sq ft. So, since the space you are lighting is 3 sq ft, you need 12,000 lumens for vegging, 15,000 for flowering.

Seven feet should be plenty of height. You are not going to be able to let the plant get very large because your growing footprint is small. My space is 7.5' tall (have a 1000W HPS in there) and I very very seldom have to raise my light all the way and my space is significantly larger (19.5 sq ft).

 

[ShOrTbUs]

if i were u, i would do a DIY 150w hps cooltube. takes up just as much maybe even less space then the cfl's will