Starting a new crop

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

GreenBandit

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Messages
111
Reaction score
3
Hey all, im new around here and just wanting to clear up a few things.

I'm starting a new crop, not really a crop just 2-3 plants, and i have a 400w HPS light. I'm setting up in the garage, which is a good 3x5 meters in space. Ventilation is not a problem.

Now my question is can i use a light of this intensity from beginning to end or am i better off using maybe a flurescent light for the first few weeks??

Also i've read its good to start ur plants off in a small pot (~6"x6") and then transfer her over to a larger one. Is this really necessary, or can i just start em up in the larger pots??

Any advice in relation to starting up would be much appreciated...

Cheers
 
I have started seedlings under HPS. But they would grow better if you got yourself a Metal Halide conversion bulb and used that. It's a better veging light. Then switch to the HPS bulb when you want to start growing buds.

Of course if you dont mind making two grow areas. You can do a perpetual<sp?> grow with a veging area and a flowering area and cut harvest times in half.
 
oh ok so wat wattage would u recommend ? does the wattage depend on the set-up u have? like say i was doing it in a closet, compared with a larger area like a garage...im now considering just going with the closet setup so i assume a low wattage of around 150w would be ok to avoid over heating...wat u reckon?...last time i tried a closet set up i used the 400 w HPS, big mistake, and got a good growth rate but it was just too hot in there and the foliage eventually browned out.

thanks
 
Do flouros, 1 on each side and one above them along with reflection of some sort, mylar. This would give you 80W on each side and 80 above = 240W and little heat, flouros seem pretty cheap and by your comment you do not have any problem using them.
 
yeh but i only have one globe holder thingy...from reading other threads on this board, ppl been suggesting that the metal halide is better for veging so i might give it a shot...so u guys reckon a 150 w MH for a closet space is alrite or higher? also when i switch to the HPS for flowering u guys reckon 400 w is too much??...for 2-3 plants. man im so paranoid about this light intensity bullshit, my plants were lookng real good last time under the 400w HPS but they eventually died :( ...don;t want the same thing to happen again

thanks again
 
Hrm, three plants, under a 150w. Not sure, havent grown with that small of bulb before. 400's and 600's are my thing so far. If people can grow with floros I dont see why a 150w HID wouldnt work. Might not get much of a yield. If your only looking to do 3 plants, 2 foot high max. I'd say a 250w with a fan. Should be ok in a closet. Not sure what the demetions on the closet are though.
 
yeh i went today and picked up a 250w MH globe...so we'll see how it goes just waiting for the babies to sprout...i plan on using the MH for the first month probably 20 hrs on 4 off, then switch over the HPS (400w) for the next 2 months...

my closet space is only 85cm x 55cm so i'm really worried about ventilation now also...i'm going to stick a standard house fan in there for air circulation but not sure if thats enough...any suggestions on ventilation? The guy at the hydro store reckons i need something to suck the bad air out as well as somewhere for fresh air to enter. Is this all necessary or will the fan do the job?

cheers
 
you may let the lamp burn continiously if you want, the first month, is not a problem, is even better for growth of your babies.

greetz
 
I grow IN a closet a bigger that his with a 250 watt hps and 2 compact floros from seed to finsh and I always get awsome results for the set up I have
 
hey cincy boy, wat kind of ventilation system do u have going on? like i said b4 i plan on just putting a standard house fan in there to circulate the air...is this enough along with opening the closet door now and then?
 
so cincy how long does it take from start to finish with your setup?? Also how many girls do you have going at once?? I use CF on my 55 gal marine tank and was wondering if those bulbs would work.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top