3gal or 5 gal.

I've switched from about 700 watts of CFL with 3 5 gallon smart pots in my bathtubs to a Pro Lab 27x27x71 tent with 4 3 gal pots and a 400 watt dual HPS/MH. Question is is why were my first two harvests from the tent sand the HPS way less then my previous harvests. Nutes were the same everything was the same except light and tent. What the 3 fuck is going on? I'm about ready to go back to CFLs. As an example I grew 3 autos with cfl in the tub and got about 4 oz. I'm just finishing up trimming the same plant but got about i/2 of what I got before. The same is true of two Vanilla Kush grows

Summing it up I got better harvests with cfls and buckets in my bathtub with a mylar curtain to close the area in than a 400 watt dual hps/mh and a tent.
PS. Always monitored ph.
I thank in advance those who will answer. One more question what is better 3 or 5 gal Smart Pots

How closely did you watch your temps now that you are in a less ventilated environment?

sound about right since you went from 700 watts to 400 watts. probably should have went to a 600w system. it could also be a learning curve with your new lights. seems like you had a few grows under your belt with cfl and were used to them already.

You'll get more out of 5 gallons than 3 gallons and you're using less watts so.....

1.) Was it 700W CFL equivalent or actual?
2.) You went from 15G or soil to 12, can you not fit the 3 x 5G in the tent?

sohighifly said:

How closely did you watch your temps now that you are in a less ventilated environment?

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I monitoredthe tempandit averaged between 76 and 82.

hbbum said:

1.) Was it 700W CFL equivalent or actual?
2.) You went from 15G or soil to 12, can you not fit the 3 x 5G in the tent?

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It was 700 actual thre were wires and splitters everywhere a dangerous situation. I can fit 3 5 gal pots or 4 3 gal pots.

so, less soil and less light = lower yield.

Maybe just add some of those CFLs into your tent to bring your watts up and increase the soil back up to 15G. You may not need to do both, from what I understand a 400W should be fine for a 27x27 tent as long as you are able to keep the light close enough to get good coverage.

Consider inadequate fresh air replacement in the tent as one possibility, heat being another, but you say that was covered.

How tall did your plants get under the 400? I'm guessing 700W of cfls would have distributed the light more evenly since you could place them strategically. a 400 watter doesn't have that much penetration, so other than the tops not a huge amount of light falling on the rest of the plant. You want to grow plants as short as possible with that setup.

shnkrmn said:

Consider inadequate fresh air replacement in the tent as one possibility, heat being another, but you say that was covered.

How tall did your plants get under the 400? I'm guessing 700W of cfls would have distributed the light more evenly since you could place them strategically. a 400 watter doesn't have that much penetration, so other than the tops not a huge amount of light falling on the rest of the plant. You want to grow plants as short as possible with that setup.

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Your absolutely right the light from the 400 didn't do much for the bottom This next grow which I just planted the seeds for is going to be lst'd.

if you look at my 400 grow, the distance from the top of my plant to the rim of the pot is about 10", though the actual length of the plant is probably ~24-30" as it circles the pot.

hbbum said:

if you look at my 400 grow, the distance from the top of my plant to the rim of the pot is about 10", though the actual length of the plant is probably ~24-30" as it circles the pot.

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Nice lil 4 inch walmart fan i just picked two of those up for my veg tent

Lot of variables between these two grows.

I don't think it is accurate to compare wattage from two different types of lighting. Watts are a measure of energy consumption, not light output. I believe HID lamps are more efficient (e.g., more light/lumens per watt). You should calculate the combined light output of both of your grows & compare - could be interesting! In general, I would think you would be more sucessful with the HID.

Another big variable is the plants/pots. How long did you veg? A bigger plant could take advantage of the additional soil in a 5gal pot. All things being equal (same strain, veg time, grow method, light), I think the 3 plants/5 gal pots would yield more than the 4/3.

If you are growing autos from seed, this is another variable. One auto seed may yield better the next.


So - what are the plans for the next grow!