New Grower Need All the help I can get

[haxxor19]

Hello Everyone,

I'm a brand new grower just getting into the scene of eveything with growing. Right now I'm working on getting my area set up and getting what I need. The area I'm working with is in a closet and the area is about 3.5 Feet long x 2 feet wide x 3 feet tall. In the closet there is a wooden pole going across the top of my area where clothes would normally hang so I can hnag some lights there if needed. But my big question right now is what type of lights. I don't have alot of money and my grow I'm not planning on big amounts this is for personal use only so I don't need a huge yield. I was reading from this site about the flourscent light idea. If I got them how many lights would I need. Also what about CFL's would they be any better? I'm trying to get the best set up with a low budget. The flourscent thing I can deffinitly do but I just need some advice on what type of ballast to get and everything like that. And what tube lights I should get like wattage and either cool white and just different information like that. Will providing a picture of the area help out more? If so I can do that and post it. I hope I dont become a pain I just want to make sure I do everything right.

 

[brushybill]

all you really need in the vegatative state is flourescent lights , warm white and cool white. t5s are better, when your plants get ready to flower , hps lights are the best, you can find them for $100.00 at htg supply, the hard part with hps is cooling such a small area . you will need a fan to get rid of the heat.
you can use cfl or flouros all the way through the grow but dont expect very good yields. good luck

 

[haxxor19]

Alright so I'm going to probably be going very soon to pick up my supplies for the lighting. So can I just get a shop light ballast and get one cool white light and one warm light bulb and just start off with thoose? What tpye of wattage should I look for with these bulbs and is there anything else I'll need as for the lighting system build right now?

 

[brushybill]

you will probably have a hard time getting enough light with shop lights , since you cant fit a 4 ft ballast , cfls might be better, a couple of 27 watt bulbs should get you started, if you can get t5s they would be best since they have both red and blue spectrum, you should really consider a 400w hps for flowering though, check out the section on lighting there is a lot of great advise by folks who are a lot more experienced than me

 

[Crazy Horse]

Everyone is always looking for the best setup on a cheap budget. Get a 250 watt hps, u can veg, flower small plants, and heat shouldn't be an issue if you get a couple of fans. U will need "a lot" of floros to flower out if u go that route.

 

[haxxor19]

I'll be able to make a 4 foot ballast work. I dont want to get into expensive lighting until I have tried this out first. So if I got the 4 foot ballast should I do the 1 cool light and the one warm light in one ballast to get it started. Or would it be better to use CFL's I'm just trying to work with Floursecnts right now and then I may upgrade later.

 

[lillift]

I like Crazyhorses advice, I believe you can run a 250hps off a normal house socket plus it will do the whole grow. If you go to Lowes the 250hps are around 30$.Its a cheap alternative. Have fun and keep us informed as to your progress.

 

[ezdavedawg]

just get two 45 watt cfls for it thats what im using and it saves money on electricity too

 

[slowmo77]

i use cfls all the way thru, works good for me, but i use alot of them. start with 2 42 watt cfls (9 $ each home depot) keep them as close as you can and as your plant grows you add more lights, a cheap light timer (4 $ home depot ). if you just wanna see how it goes thats a cheap easy way, its what i do. i got a 400 watt hps, gonna use it to flower the next one. i gotta rebuild everything to make it work.

 

[haxxor19]

1)ok I'm going to try the two 42 watt light system to start out. How many about do you think I would need to grow about 2 or 3 plants like the end total amount of lights. Also should I use 2 42 watts per plant?

2)Also I need to know what I should do to start them off. Germination I want to know what is the best way to do it I've heard just plant them, paper towels, 24 hrs in a cup. What is the best way you all start off? Also what medium do you start off in do you germinate then plant in permanent home or what methods have you all used and what works the best?

3)I would like to ask about the soil right now because when I go and get the lighting I will probably pick up the soil. What is the best soil that I can use I know there's different guides but I just want to know what I will have success with and a soil good enough to last the whole grow.

 

[brushybill]

cant help with the soil question since i am doing hydro, but if you go with cfls remember to keep them a couple of inches from the plants , too far away and your plants are going to stretch like crazy, this is not a good thing in a small space

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I'll be able to make a 4 foot ballast work. I dont want to get into expensive lighting until I have tried this out first. So if I got the 4 foot ballast should I do the 1 cool light and the one warm light in one ballast to get it started. Or would it be better to use CFL's I'm just trying to work with Floursecnts right now and then I may upgrade later.

I do not understand this philosophy. While it is okay to veg with cfls, they produce buds that are fluffy and scant. Substandard lighting produces substandard bud. A 250 or 400W HID can be purchased for $100 or less. As for the cost of the electricity--most of us waste as much as it would cost to power a 250-400W everyday. If you are diligent about shutting off things you are not using, take shorter showers, watch less tv, etc, etc, you may not even notice much of a difference at all. Crazy Horse has given you good advise.

 

[Crazy Horse]

just get two 45 watt cfls for it thats what im using and it saves money on electricity too

I would like to see your end results flowering with 90 watts of cfl's.

 

[Crazy Horse]

i use cfls all the way thru, works good for me, but i use alot of them. start with 2 42 watt cfls (9 $ each home depot) keep them as close as you can and as your plant grows you add more lights, a cheap light timer (4 $ home depot ). if you just wanna see how it goes thats a cheap easy way, its what i do. i got a 400 watt hps, gonna use it to flower the next one. i gotta rebuild everything to make it work.

U can't compare cfl's to hps's, not even close. One 250 watt hps and your laughing. If u can't afford the extra $30/month for electricity, u shouldn't be growing.

 

[r1dawson]

I do not understand this philosophy. While it is okay to veg with cfls, they produce buds that are fluffy and scant. Substandard lighting produces substandard bud.

but so if you veg with CFLs and then flower with a decent HPS, you will get good quality bud correct? I ask because I am trying to decide between using one closet only, with a 250watt HPS and 2 or 3 plants, or using 2 closets, one with CFLs in which I would veg, and then the other closet having the 250watt hps where i would move the plants once ready to flower (and then i can start another round on the vegging process in the CFL closet)

what do you think?

 

[Timmyjg6]

Seriously bro, and if your having this big of a problem just figuring out the lights, your way ahead of your self... I say slow down, and learn....

 

[brushybill]

i just bought four t5s for veging and payed over $100.00. for the same price, i could have bought a 400 wat hps.. so what i am saying is if you have to spend the money anyway"and you do", you might as well get what will make the effort worth while
you can always get the hps in a couple of weeks if cash is tight

 

[Timmyjg6]

but so if you veg with CFLs and then flower with a decent HPS, you will get good quality bud correct? I ask because I am trying to decide between using one closet only, with a 250watt HPS and 2 or 3 plants, or using 2 closets, one with CFLs in which I would veg, and then the other closet having the 250watt hps where i would move the plants once ready to flower (and then i can start another round on the vegging process in the CFL closet)

what do you think?

Go with 2, you wont regret it!

 

[slowmo77]

i see alot of people talking bad about cfls but i've gotta say they've worked great for me, its not always a money thing why people don't use the hps,, thats a lot of heat to have to deal with in a small place. many people rent ther homes and can't cut holes in the walls, floors,etc for exhaust fans and scrubers. i have a new 400watt hps from inside sun. i haven't even installed it because i'll have to rip my setup apart and rebuild. the cfls work fine and don't have all the heat. i have 4 42watt cfls on each plant at 2700 lumens per light. i started with one on each, add more as they get bigger. i have my grow in my closet a that sounds like what your wanting to setup i use the clothes rod to hang my lights and a fan, i used the shelve as a guide and extended it out to make the top of the box then draped black plastic for the front. i hope this helps,

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

but so if you veg with CFLs and then flower with a decent HPS, you will get good quality bud correct? I ask because I am trying to decide between using one closet only, with a 250watt HPS and 2 or 3 plants, or using 2 closets, one with CFLs in which I would veg, and then the other closet having the 250watt hps where i would move the plants once ready to flower (and then i can start another round on the vegging process in the CFL closet)

what do you think?

I always vote for 2 rooms, if this is an option.

I run a perpetual harvest setup with 2 closets. I have a 2x4x4 with T5s and a 400 MH for vegging. I do not use the MH all the time. The other closet is 3x6.5x7.5. I run a 1000w HPS with a very large air cooled reflector. In the winter, I pull cool air from the crawl space to cool the light and exhaust the air into the master bed/bath area. In the summer, I pull cool air from the A/C'd master and exhaust the hot air out through the attic.