Stadium with 400w HPS & Clones: Worth the effort?

[Smot_poker]

So i'm getting a 400w HPS lamp to do a perpetual SOG with 5 new clones every 10 days, i have a 5'8"x3'x3' growbox (5'8" being the length) and i can dig down another foot in depth if needed since the box is in my crawlspace.

i am wondering if it would be worth it to build a stadium set up with this small of a lamp to space ratio, or if i should just stick to the basic flat grow. my idea was that i would do a 4 sided "arena" with 4 shelves on each side. keep in mind that this would most likely be a 3x3 foot arena, so it wouldn't be 5 plants to a shelf or anything macho like that. i would have 16 shelves, and come to think of it, maybe i would do 6 clones per 10 days. that way i could have the clones start on the lowest shelves and as they got bigger, they would move up the shelves which would progressively become larger. That would allow 8 weeks of flowering for each plant, and if they needed more (which will probably be the case) they can finish up in the middle of the stadium for an extra week or whatever they need. i would merely suspend the lamp in the middle of this stadium without a shade, and coat the walls in mylar to soak up the luments to the fullest extent.

so just to recap after i pretty much made a mental plan for this whole thing, would it be worth it to do all this crap to set up a stadium? or would i get generally the same results from spreading out the plants on flat ground throught my growbox with a lamp with a reflector in position right smack in the middle of the box?

Thanks in advance for any answers, i'm really trying to optimize the yield (aren't we all?) so answers will be greatly appreciated. :farm::tokie::joint::bongin:

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

For light distribution and adequate lumens per sq ft, I think that you are going to want to try and keep your flowering space about 3 x 3. I just can't see a stadium setup working in a 3 x 3 x 3 cube. You simply do not have room to put 4 shelves on each side and have any room. The 3' height is going to cause you some problems. Also, IMO, 48+ plants, especially in different stages of growth in that much space would be a nightmare to try and take care of.

How many grows have you done? I would recommend starting small. Remember, more plants does not necessarily translate to more bud.

 

[Smot_poker]

like i said in my original post, the growbox is in my crawlspace and i have the capability to dig down probably up to two more feet before the dirt gets immovable. I have a plant flowering in my box right now with CFL's, so the digging will have to be done in a few weeks once i can hang the plant to dry, but essentially my box will become 5'8" long, 3' wide and up to 5' tall.:hubba:

that way i can in theory have the top shelves tilted at roughly a 150 degree angle to the ground and then as the shelves get smaller, the angle will get mellower.

I'm not really asking how to do it or anything, i like to think i'm a pretty handy carpenter lol, but i am just wondering if doing this will increase the gram per watt ratio.

PS i have done a few outdoor grows, but i'm getting into the inside game since i can control the environment that i want my plants in, ya know? i've lost a LOT of plants outside to bugs, birds and one time i could've sworn that i saw fox tracks near my crop.

 

[The Effen Gee]

You need to run with a 600 to make that worth the time and effort.

I can barely keep my moms alive and healthy in stasis under a 400nh.
They will soon be put under a 600hps for better stasis sustainability.

 

[Smot_poker]

hmmmm....

i thought that might be the case. i think i'm going to have to troll craigslist to find an affordable sixer, but hopefully this will be worth it!!!

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

hmmmm....

i thought that might be the case. i think i'm going to have to troll craigslist to find an affordable sixer, but hopefully this will be worth it!!!

Or howabout another 400W--2 400Ws in cool tubes, hung vertically in the center of the grow, true stadium style....?

I would recommend going 5' if you can--that 2' will would make a world of difference. I do not know that you will get a larger yield than any other advanced technique may yield--scrog, lst, supercropping, etc. Larger numbers of plants will be harder to take care of...it will be harder to supply ideal conditions.

 

[Smot_poker]

i'm really trying to keep energy usage down as low as possible. i'm in the process of building a kiln for my glass blowing endeavor, and i'm going to install something along the lines of a clothes dryer heating element and this thing is going to be running something around 4-7 thousand watts. it's also is going to run for 24 hrs+ at a time because i need to heat up the glass first so when i introduce it to the flame it doesn't too stressed, and then cool it down over a period of 24 hours to make it durable and crack-free.

so this grow really should be kept to a minimum in initial costs, and monthly costs as my energy bill is going to be through the roof pretty soon.

thanks for the suggestions though, i really appreciate the help.

 

[The Effen Gee]

Stadium grows are ill equipped to handle the low wattage of a 400.

600 gives you good results, a 1000 will give you best.

2 400 = 800 watts. Spread out that is not much.

1 600 can handle quite a large area and two will set you in line with all the rest of us who actually produce weight off our harvests.