250w HPS Club And Help Guide

alright guys im stoked on my soon to be grow im ordering this tent http://htgsupply.com/Product-Grow-Tent---Size-S-22-x-36-x-63---Silver-Lined.asp# but im still confused on a good 250watt Hps/mh setup to buy. ive been trying to do some research but havent had any clear answers. also what size fans will i need for this setup. advice is greatly appreciated thanks guys

Grazzmon said:

very small flies, fruit fly size. I agree and wouldn't spray the plant itself, I turned the fans off and carefully sprayed the coco and the sides of the smart pots. Seems the litlle buggers like to sit on the top of the soil (coco) and the local growshop guy said to watch because they lay eggs there and thier larva eat the roots. When I transplant I'll look for them and maybe get a pic..

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sounds like fungus gnat..

they like moisture.. places that don't completely dry.. the hydro store guy is right. they are just annoying, but don't eat your plants, at least the flies don't. the larvae however cruises in the soil and eats the roots. They are some ugggggllllyyyy motherfuckers, and make me fucking JUMP when I notice them wiggling around after a watering! Thankfully i addressed the problem immediately, and started letting the soil dry out 1-2 days longer until the plants nearly wilted, and then watering to the point where nothing actually drained out. (2 gallon soil pots, dry out in 3-4 days with mature plants).

If your soil i'd say put a couple inches of sterilized sand on your soil.. This makes a shitty place for the gnats to thrive in. And keeps the very surface of the medium quite dry. I'm not well versed in hydro, so sorry if that's what your working with.

I always have yellow and blue aphid sticky traps all up in my tents. As soon as you get a bug you will find one on the sticky trap. Once you start finding bugs on the sticky traps you know you have problems, and can take measures to make sure you don't get infested.


https://www.rollitup.org/bugs/335046-grizzlys-guide-pulverizing-pests.html

Here is a great info thread by our very own GrizzlyAdams. I'd suggest you read up, even on the stuff you don't have to deal with. It's good to know the signs.

Sr. Verde said:

sounds like fungus gnat..

they like moisture.. places that don't completely dry.. the hydro store guy is right. they are just annoying, but don't eat your plants, at least the flies don't. the larvae however cruises in the soil and eats the roots. They are some ugggggllllyyyy motherfuckers, and make me fucking JUMP when I notice them wiggling around after a watering! Thankfully i addressed the problem immediately, and started letting the soil dry out 1-2 days longer until the plants nearly wilted, and then watering to the point where nothing actually drained out. (2 gallon soil pots, dry out in 3-4 days with mature plants).

If your soil i'd say put a couple inches of sterilized sand on your soil.. This makes a shitty place for the gnats to thrive in. And keeps the very surface of the medium quite dry. I'm not well versed in hydro, so sorry if that's what your working with.

I always have yellow and blue aphid sticky traps all up in my tents. As soon as you get a bug you will find one on the sticky trap. Once you start finding bugs on the sticky traps you know you have problems, and can take measures to make sure you don't get infested.


https://www.rollitup.org/bugs/335046-grizzlys-guide-pulverizing-pests.html

Here is a great info thread by our very own GrizzlyAdams. I'd suggest you read up, even on the stuff you don't have to deal with. It's good to know the signs.

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Thank you Sir.. I'm actually in the process of switching from Ebb&Flow to soil/coco mix. The plant that seems to have the worst problem is a 100% coco grow in 1 gallon smartpots that I have been feeding like soil, I think I can go 2 days maybe 3 before they seem dry (to me). I'm going to take a chance on Tuesday and transplant the all coco plants to the 50/50 mix of Pro-Mix & Coco, I have 2 gallon smartpots coming that day, thinking of dunking them in some mildly nuted water to get most of the coco (and bugs) off of the roots. We'll see.. thanks for the link, now I'm going to read the guide to see how wrong I am..lol

Grazz

Don't worry about rinsing the bugs out really. Just make it so they no longer thrive. The larvae are somewhat large (compared to other bugs), and are pretty visible when they are wiggling through the soil.

Just stop more gnats from landing / crawling around on the surface of your soil, and let things dry up a little, and the problem should get rid of itself. Totally pick up sticky traps to have in your tent at all times! That will help also.

If you really want to do work on them though, the neem oil root soak works well I hear. There is also a product called "GNATROL" that the guys at the hydro store sold me when I found some fungus gnats. They said it was natural stuff and won't mess with the flowers in flowering..

http://www.amazon.com/Valent-Gnatrol-WDG-60-grams/dp/B003E7BGTU

"Can be used on vegetables, bulb crops, bedding plants and a wide variety of ornamentals Fungus gnats stop feeding almost immediately after it is digested, and death occurs 24 to 48 hours later OMRI listed Gnatrol WDG is a biological control for fungus gnat larvae. It contains a variety of bacillus thuringiensis bacteria that kills most gnat larvae. Apply as a soil drench or add to the nutrient solution of your growing system. Does not kill adult fungus gnats, but once the larvae is killed, the adults will quickly die off. Can be used up to the day of harvest on all edible plants."

Some Greenhouse strains under a 250watt in Organic Soil, Chemdog, Greatwhiteshark, K-train, Kings Kush in mixed condition, with no fan, this is how they came out, pz

coolguy14788 said:

well found out i got junk clones today they are hermies! well i have taken all the balls off no pollen came out of any as far as i could tell so now im on the lookout! have grown hermies before with minimum balls and got no seeds so it can be done just more work! but next run i will do my random strain from outdoors to see if that goes hermie. i dont think i have light leaks i was in the cab with veg running and door shut and there was no lights so it is dark in there just so everyone knows it is not light leaks. just gotta know who to get ya clones from this was a new source and had different strains but i think ill stick to the tried and true. the purple afghans are staying shorter then the pineapple i noticed both smelling really stinky

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Boo no one wants balls lol. Oh well its part of this hobby. I've had a few hermies and I've found that I end up spending more time on trying to keep them clean or they end up fucking my whole crop so I usually pull them or move them to a place far away from my other girls.

giggles26 said:

So guys quick question for you. I'm thinking of picking one of these up.
http://www.amazon.com/Apollo-Horticulture-Dimmable-Reflector-Accessories/dp/B004YXDHX6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1352736062&sr=8-5&keywords=apollo+horticulture

Can't really go wrong for the price. My question is do you think it would be hard to keep cool in a 3x2x5 tent? It would have a cool tube on it with a 350cfm inline fan. With a oscillating fan for my air movement.

I've just got to many plants now and no space for them lol and was looking to get an extra light and tent. Share your thoughts guys let me know what you think. Thanks!

Happy growing

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Whats up dude. I don't grow 250w anymore, but am still subbed to this thread for nostalgia and helping folks .


Anyway. I don't think a (good) 400w would be "too hot" in there. But it REALLY depends on your location, your room, and the AC you have in that room. I could do it with my set up, but I don't know about you.

I grew in 2'7x2'7x5'6 tent (GrowLab 80 aka GL80). With 400w air cooled hood. And managed pretty decent temps. As long as i kept the light high enough and paid attention.

Here is a completed journal of what you could probably expect with 400w. https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/515810-growlab-80-g13-pineapple-express.html
Note that I began flowering a little too early for my tastes. I never ran pineapple express before and expected it to stretch more. If you vegged them out larger than I did in a similar setup I'm sure you would get better results.





As far as the setup, it seems pretty crappy personally. The bulbs they give you will likely be no same sucky bulbs, and the ballast I almost wouldn't trust for that price! Now not saying there aren't good deals out there. I just think that deal is looking to rip off new growers who don't understand why equipment is so important.

Honestly man, I'm an all or nothing type of guy. I want to buy it once, and love it forever, maybe replacing it down the line for the larger output same model type unit.

This is my suggestion for you (this applies for 250w set ups too guys) if your serious about growing (not saying you aren't, just some folks aren't ready to pay the $$):

Bulbs: I would get hortilux bulbs. super blue MH (msrp $125) and super HPS (msrp $80). Seriously, I spent $30 on a GE MH bulb and it lasted 14 days before it exploded and I had to spend $10 on gas to return it. At that point I said fuck that, I will pay the difference of the best bulb you have and you can take this blown MH. I was very happy! As soon as I plugged the bulb in and flipped it on, the light seemed brighter - more vivid, more full of color. The other bulb produced some washed out, un colorful light. I also upgraded my HPS to hortilux and I've stuck with hortilux ever since. You are supposed to replace bulbs every 2-3 grows. And I think that' s worth it.
MH and HPS is your sun. If you spent 5 grand on equipment, and spent 100 bucks total on bulbs, your grow is only going to be as good as your shitty bulbs let it be.

Ballasts: I run galaxy ballasts a lot. (msrp $150-$250?) I honestly likely still have my 250w ballast laying around somewhere. They seem to be the best to me right now. They have recently upgraded them I think. they take 120v and 240v without flipping switches, and they also have a switch on mine for 400w/600w/1000w. Not sure about the new 250w units.

Hoods: Use air cooled hoods if you can.(msrp $100-$200) I see so many people getting hot spots and burning their plants with the adjust a wings. Get an air cooled hood with gasketed seals on the glass(important), put your carbon filter on one end, hook it up to the hood, and put your inline fan on the other side and hook it up to the hood, and run your exhaust out the top. You have a tent, so you need an inline fan, you need a carbon filter for smell too. Why not get a hood that connects all that together, and cools your bulb while it cools your tent? Also the tempered glass and reflector above help spread good light over the canopy. You will need ducting which costs about $15 for 30 ft, and some clamps which cost like $1 a piece.

Inline fans: Hands down, max fan. All fucking day. Seriously. Buy that shit. (msrp $170-250 for your size) With 400w I would look at 6 inch options, but be sure to check your tent as the smaller ones can be annoying by incorporating 5 inch ducting holes. Spoiler alert, it's fucking HARD AS SHIT to find 5 inch equipment anywhere. Serious fuck up on Grow Labs part at least. My GL 120 has 8 inch ducting holes, which is very nice.


So your looking at like 400-600 for the basic equipment. I'm sure you can find deals on amazon, save some money to get on the lower end of that estimation.. but personally, I like to support the local hydro store. I know the store is making 10-20% off of me, but at the same time that's the price I pay to keep everything on the down low. Cash only.

Hey I have some pineapple express g13 and was thinking about giving it a go. Did you like it?
Any tips

This is 58 days of 12/12.

giggles26 said:

Boo no one wants balls lol. Oh well its part of this hobby. I've had a few hermies and I've found that I end up spending more time on trying to keep them clean or they end up fucking my whole crop so I usually pull them or move them to a place far away from my other girls.

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well i would do that only almost all of them are hermie like 7 so over half the other 5 could be too just no sign yet so it aint going to fuck a thing up because they are all hermie so just have to be careful everyday look em over atleast they arnt monster plants!

coolguy14788 said:

well i would do that only almost all of them are hermie like 7 so over half the other 5 could be too just no sign yet so it aint going to fuck a thing up because they are all hermie so just have to be careful everyday look em over atleast they arnt monster plants!

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Just going to through this out there but if there was one hermie that's most likely where the other hermies came from. Once they start they are almost impossible to keep clean. I understand that it's almost all your plants but if you don't remove them they can continue to pollinate. I mean unless you have taken these plants under some extreme stress or just plain didn't have good genetics then I can understand the hermies. But you know I don't think I've ever hermied a fem seed unless I stressed the shit out of her.

You have anywhere from 10-20 days before a male will pollinate your female and males will be ready to burst and pollinate within 4-5 weeks from start. I am in now way saying that it is impossible but you gotta remember if you miss just one male and during flowering it could spend all its time producing seeds deep inside the bud when it could of been taking that time producing bud. But anyways this is just IMHO. I've had good success following my ways so to each his own. What may work for one garden may not work for another.

Best of luck to you man!

yes i understand that the plant will focus its energy into seeds if it is pollinated but they also say if they only get a biit of it it will continue to grow bud growth i have to much money in clones to just huck them away that is why it works for my garden some bud is better then no bud get my drift...i know how to grow and would take any male from a garden in a heart beat but i would never throw about 140 bucks in my toilet and flush it so to each his own as you said. so if you like to dump 140 in your toilet go ahead. i bet i will come out with around 3 oz that is under .5 gram per watt ratio which should be very do able so i need to pull about 7 grams a plant which may be a stretch if they dont grow a bit taller right now they are at 8"..........oh and i have talked to few ppl my source of these clones is a shitty clone/mother keeper so i know he hermied them i was told of temps in his room of 120degrees in summer no ventilation at all and temps of 50 in the winter so i assume this source fucked up his moms and clones

i would take them back and get my money, no way would i take that many clones going hermie, especially if your saying he keeps his mother in shitty conditions.

brettsog said:

i would take them back and get my money, no way would i take that many clones going hermie, especially if your saying he keeps his mother in shitty conditions.

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That's all I really was trying to get across lol.

Tell that fucker every clone hermied and that you want your money back

So a doorbell wakes me up today, and it's my neighbor with cops. She says somebody tried to brake in to her flat which is under mine.
As of yet I have not installed any filters so the whole house reeks of weed. I let them thru to the garden outside, they did their job end left.
But that awkward moment when you look at the cop he looks at you and you both know that 'weed is in the air' lol

ya did that got no where so i will go else where to get another set of mothers as i have a purple and pineapple mom so guess the mystery dank strain is coming next run as i know it is not hermie as i grew it outdoors and cloned myself haha and i know how to keep the stress minimum or atleast i care to know some people are assholes in this world you just gotta take em as they come well here is an update as well......third pic is pinapple and last is the purple afghan. Found more bananas today sucks that i got these, but will do with what i get even a O pays for the clones as and O cost like 300 or up and i paid 140 for clones so i know i will be satisfied with what i get as this is personal use.

justperception said:

So a doorbell wakes me up today, and it's my neighbor with cops. She says somebody tried to brake in to her flat which is under mine.
As of yet I have not installed any filters so the whole house reeks of weed. I let them thru to the garden outside, they did their job end left.
But that awkward moment when you look at the cop he looks at you and you both know that 'weed is in the air' lol

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this is why you don't grow weed without the proper equipment unless you are totally legal now you will be wondering if they are watching you or not, as burnt weed and growing weed are two different smells trust me. I started growing without the proper equipment and every person that came to my house knew i was growing because they could smell it. So ya get the right gear unless you can grow weed legally then you just need a fan for ventilation without a filter as ventilation is required to supply the plants with enough CO2 to photosynthesize properly

giggles26 said:

Just going to through this out there but if there was one hermie that's most likely where the other hermies came from. Once they start they are almost impossible to keep clean. I understand that it's almost all your plants but if you don't remove them they can continue to pollinate. I mean unless you have taken these plants under some extreme stress or just plain didn't have good genetics then I can understand the hermies. But you know I don't think I've ever hermied a fem seed unless I stressed the shit out of her.

You have anywhere from 10-20 days before a male will pollinate your female and males will be ready to burst and pollinate within 4-5 weeks from start. I am in now way saying that it is impossible but you gotta remember if you miss just one male and during flowering it could spend all its time producing seeds deep inside the bud when it could of been taking that time producing bud. But anyways this is just IMHO. I've had good success following my ways so to each his own. What may work for one garden may not work for another.

Best of luck to you man!

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Thanks for the wish of luck!