what light do i need

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

epidemic

New Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
i was wondering if i should get a 250 watt hps or get 2 t5 2ft 4 bulb sets. i have a very small space 3x3x7 so heat may be an issue. i plan to have 6 total plants 3 on bottom and 3 on top and plan to use mylar all the way around to maybe help benefit from such a small light source. they will be small auto flowering plants so any help will work. thanks
 
I'm no pro but i can see a few flaws in your plan. Firstly, Your 2 T5s' would be great for vegging your plant(s) but they wont have enough juice to take you through flowering,IMO. Also 6 plants might be abit much for that amount of light.
I would suggest to get the 2 T5's and maybe a 400watter. I believe autos' need abit more light than photoperiod plants,maybe even 600. A 250 might suffice for a plant or two but the buds will be few and light. I would think.
The reason i say this is my space is even smalller than yours and MANY times i wished i had opted for the 600 over the 400.
 
t5 for sure. If ur gonna stack. but u would get more yeild without stacking and flowering 3 plants at a time with a 400hps for that 3x3 area. Well vented air hood should keep temps fine. I just went from 180w led to 600w hps in my 4x4 area w.o any heat problems and the girls LOVE it. T5 and led aren't good yeilders just veggers. My yeild went from a measley 14g per sqft with led to 60g+ with the 600w hps. Ya plenty of ppl skip the 400 and get the 600w right away.
 
well i live in a townhouse and heat will be a major factor so im not sure if having a 600 watt light would be the best. i have done a few grows with a 600 watt and know the benefits but i need to cut down on heat cause going into the wall and such will not be an option my girlfriend wont allow it. so maybe i need to change everything up and im very open to ideas. this would be just for a personal stash but i want the best yeild in the space without heat. this seems to be the most informed bunch on any forum so if u can give me a new plan i am ready
 
If you are that limited then go with the T5s. They don't produce nearly as much heat as any other light systems. I wouldn't go with the double deck idea though. I would get and grow fewer photo-period plants and try to get as much T5 light on them as is possible. You need to achieve 45,000+ lumens for good flowering.

HTGsupply has a 2 foot T5 floro fixture that produces 40,000 lumens. If you could get 2 of those and hang them at angles so that they both shine down on the plants you could get some decent bud out of it without a lot of heat buildup.

The other thing to remember here though is that the plants need good ventilation to replace the air within the grow-space with fresh, cooler, and CO2 enriched air. So even if you can't vent out of the house, you will need to vent within the house(which will have you dealing with at least some heat and considerable smell). :)
 
going with a setup of only 2 plants any suggestions for a big yield seed so i can maximize my small space. im not too picky about strains just want a nice yield. i also was wondering if mylar is worth applying after reading that white walls are almost as effective.
 
epidemic said:
going with a setup of only 2 plants any suggestions for a big yield seed so i can maximize my small space. im not too picky about strains just want a nice yield. i also was wondering if mylar is worth applying after reading that white walls are almost as effective.


I wld go with flat white paint...cheaper and easier IMO.

As for yield you will be growing with the deck stacked against you yield wise if you use anything other then an HPS and don't hve 5000 lumens a sqr foot. Yield is dependent on a bunch of things...amount of lumens and penetration power of your light are two big ones. Ventilation and nutrients being another big two. Then you hve strain and the skill level of the grower. You can grow the heaviest yielding strain but if those other things are not dialed in you won't see those high yields.

I wld worry more about having a good grow and focus less on yield. Jmo
 
epidemic said:
well i live in a townhouse and heat will be a major factor so im not sure if having a 600 watt light would be the best. i have done a few grows with a 600 watt and know the benefits but i need to cut down on heat cause going into the wall and such will not be an option my girlfriend wont allow it. so maybe i need to change everything up and im very open to ideas. this would be just for a personal stash but i want the best yeild in the space without heat. this seems to be the most informed bunch on any forum so if u can give me a new plan i am ready

You are going to need ventilation regardless of what light you use and the heat it puts out. There is no way around this. Your plants need a continual supply of fresh air all the time the lights are on for proper photosynthesis. This is accomplished by having a good quality centrifuge type exhaust fan. You are going to have to have someway that you bring in fresh air and exhaust the old (CO2 depleted) air.
 
:yeahthat: the above 2 posts thats some great advice take it and run with it :)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top