Please help me decide!!!

[Peter23]

ok so for the past two weeks i have been thinking of absolutely every possible way to grow and which would work best for me... i thought i had decided on a 150w HPS but then realized that heat would become an issue.. sooo i have been reading up on CFL growing due to its low heat..

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I PLAN TO GROW LOWRYDER #2 to keep it short and small

So my plan goes like this... I have two separate grow boxes.. one, a rubbermaid bin 30 in long 15 wide and about 17 inches tall.. i plan to have two
plants in there at all times on a continuous rotation with 3 40w cfls each with 2600 lumens.. so a total of 120w and 7800 lumens for two plants i plan too keep each plant in there until they need more light than that.. once they mature more i want to move them into another grow box made for 2 plants but in this box i want to have a 200W flouro (10000 lumens) and two 40w CFL's (2600 lumens) in total 280w and 15200 lumen's for two lowryder plants during flowering.. i know lowryders grow to be about 1 foot tall with some exceptions so would all of this be enough?

i plan to have all of these plants on rotation starting them about fifteen days apart assuming me and my buddy will go through one lowryder harvest in 15 days. so say i have a 5 day old plant and a 20 day old plant in the rubbermaid and a 35 day old and a 50 day old in the larger box with the bigger lights. does all of this sound like a legitimate plan or should i keep thinking?
(EDIT) or maybe have 1 plant in the first box for 3 weeks and two in the second box for 6 weeks each? and use maybe 2 40w CFL for the first box?


ALSO!!!

since summer is coming to a close and with cold weather on its way.. if i was to grow in my attic in the winter could i hook up a space heater to my grow box to regulate temps? or would a heater hurt my plants? ORRRR would my lights keep the plants warm enough?

ALSO!!! i was looking at this 200W flouro for my second box

http://www.1000bulbs.com/150-to-200-Watt-Compact-Fluorscent/33999/

now do i need a seperate ballast to run that bad boy?

any response to any of this would be a GREAT help

Thank you to all who have read this far! ,
Pete

 

[zipflip]

per the link for that cfl u posted )this one is rated at 5000k (kelvins) and i do believe u want somethin more in the 5600 or higher kelvin rating i used 6500k regular cfl's for my veg til i put them outside...somethin that falls into the daylight spectrum. at least for veg stage anyways. and maybe a couple 100watt equivalent cfl's the normal everyday cfl's that are in the 27ook spectrum but when closer to or in flower u'll definately need to run some at 27ook spectrum which is more the red spectrum which is needed for flowering
i'm not sure on the ballast part tho as i have never used one these larger cfl's before but i'm thinkin bout it come time for my winter indoor grow..

 

[4u2sm0ke]

IMO...cfl run just as hot and would be more of a cost in the long run...melissa is a great resource on Low riders..I would read up on her GJ ..If you are still in the disign and build of grow room...I would strongly recommend getting HID lighting...with proper Ventilation you can get the heat down...also they have these Great ones called "aircooled" Hope this Helps


take care and be safe

 

[smokybear]

CFL's definitely won't give you the yield that a HID lighting system would provide. If you absolutely must go CFL's, you are going to want as much light as you can cram into those boxes without heat becoming an issue. What about ventilation? The plants will still need fresh air to grow properly. Definitely check out some other members CFL grows and ask them questions directly. I'm sure they would be able to provide much more detailed information. Just my thoughts. Take care and be safe.

 

[Peter23]

hey thanks a lot guys! and the more i think the more HPS seems to come out on top.. i plan to have my second box in my attic in my garage.. since i live in the east of the US it is going to start getting cold pretty soon so im thinking as long as i'm sucking from the cool air outside i will be getting dec. temps? I'm thinking a 150w hps with about 15000 lumens along with some cfl's for some extra lumens.. but i will only be growing two small plants so is 150watts of HPS and say a 40w CFL (2600 lumens) would that be sufficient enough
for two lowryders? and would it be just OK or would it be a good ammount of light?

Thanks!
Pete

 

[Peter23]

Sorry if this sounds dumb but when you say "air cooled" what could i look for online? "air cooled HPS fixture" ? what would be a smart search for aircooled? or can someone drop me a link?

Thanks a lot,
Pete

 

[Peter23]

 

[papabeach1]

do not use HPS for veg time! NO

flo is very excellent choice so far I have notice, you do not want plants get crispy like kfc chicken legs is! and if you use hps you get 50/50 chance of female or male, we got more ratio of females by using flo and hid for vegs cycle... hope I helped with your thoughts..

 

[papabeach1]

Sorry if this sounds dumb but when you say "air cooled" what could i look for online? "air cooled HPS fixture" ? what would be a smart search for aircooled? or can someone drop me a link?

Thanks a lot,
Pete

use a/c unit and attach hose from a/c to the light unit fixture
then light fixture other end attach to the exhaust fan (exit)

 

[Hick]

"air cooled hid hood"
returns a great selection of links

 

[Peter23]

thanks! i was looking at a FLORALUX 150w HPS Mini Grow Light is there anyway to make that aircooled?

 

[smokybear]

You can make a cooltube. Check the DIY section and there is a great thread on making your own cooltubes. Hope this helps. Take care and be safe.

 

[Peter23]

thanks but what exactly should i be looking for one a single 150W hps. what would be the best choice? a cool tube or air cooled hood? im only going to be growin 2 plants so i think the 150 watt will be enough with some CFLS but whats the right hood or tube?

thanks a bunch!,
Pete

 

[andy52]

check this link out.cheaphydroponics.com pretty sure this is right.

 

[Peter23]

thank you for the link.. but is there anything specific i should be looking for for a 150 watter? and are there any hoods that already have a ballast?

thanks,
Pete

 

[BuddyLuv]

thanks! i was looking at a FLORALUX 150w HPS Mini Grow Light is there anyway to make that aircooled?

If you are handy with a dremel you can buy 4 in flanges from hgtsupply and cut away what you need, drill a few small holes for some bolts and bolt the flanges on your hood. Do you know if the hood you are looking at has a glass lense or not.

 

[Peter23]

thank buddyluv!

Floralux comes complete with a tempered glass tempered safety lens. <- http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=49255

,Pete

 

[BuddyLuv]

I would just put one flange on the front where they have those little vents, and one on top as close to the end of the reflector. Remember you want to put your in line fan so you are sucking the air out of the hood, not blowing it through.

 

[Peter23]

got it buddy thanks.. but how far would i have to keep the 150W from my plants? cause im trying to make the grow box as small as possible.. and im growin lowryder which only reaches maybe 20 inches so how much more height would i need for the light?

thanks,
Pete

 

[BuddyLuv]

If you cool that light about 4-5 inches away tops, maybe closer. I have my 1000w lights 10 inches from the tops with cooling the bulbs.