Can I use 1000w hps in a 4x2?

deep_rob said:

in yur 2x4, the bulb should be centered and orientated perpendicular to the long side, not parallel.

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Exactly. How is your light rigged up in there now? I have a 2x4 with a 400w in it, but I have never done a full run in it, just so you know. I only veg in it. If your light is running perpendicular, and not parallel with the tent, you will get a much better spread of light. The bulb is throwing off the most light from where that arc tube is, inside the light. When you run it this way, instead of the conventional way, the front, where less light is coming out of, and the back, where even less light is coming out of, are pointing to the front and the back (surfaces that are like eight inches away). They aren't "shining" out over your plants.

Rereading that, it sounds kinda retarded, honestly, but I hope you get what I mean. It's a better way to throw light, in my opinion.

Also, good luck with your 1000w. Hope you put up some updates. Pretty interested to see what will happen in there.

prostheticninja said:

Exactly. How is your light rigged up in there now? I have a 2x4 with a 400w in it, but I have never done a full run in it, just so you know. I only veg in it. If your light is running perpendicular, and not parallel with the tent, you will get a much better spread of light. The bulb is throwing off the most light from where that arc tube is, inside the light. When you run it this way, instead of the conventional way, the front, where less light is coming out of, and the back, where even less light is coming out of, are pointing to the front and the back (surfaces that are like eight inches away). They aren't "shining" out over your plants.

Rereading that, it sounds kinda retarded, honestly, but I hope you get what I mean. It's a better way to throw light, in my opinion.

Also, good luck with your 1000w. Hope you put up some updates. Pretty interested to see what will happen in there.

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I get what you mean. Interesting idea you guys have. Going to try that. Might be a little tight with the ducting that way.

I don't think heat will be an issue as I'm in Canada and it's winter right now. My basement stays pretty cool. I actually had to go down there and divert some of the air from the furnace just so I could keep the tent above 20c (68f). And I still can't seem to get it higher than 22 or so. I even had a little heater in there before but it was too much of a hassle. My fan is a 450cfm, might be a 400 but does a good job.

Can't wait for this light. I think it will be great and produce the big buds I want. Just not seeing what I want with the 400.

I'll keep you guys posted if I can. Or maybe I'll start a journal or put the grow on YouTube. Got two blueberry, two purple bud, two white widow, and a Kali China on this grow.

Keep us posted. I'm also in Canada with my grow in a basement so I know all about the struggle to keep the temps high enough.

Okay my light is here! Just got to go pick it up from the mail this afternoon. Can't wait to set this bad boy up!

Gilbertslab said:

Keep us posted. I'm also in Canada with my grow in a basement so I know all about the struggle to keep the temps high enough.

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Do you grow in a sealed room? This is what i did to compact a cold basement once. Keep all that heat from dehumidifiers and ballasts in the room and only exhaust the lights on an auto speed controller to keep it from getting too hot. We would move ballasts out as it warmed up towards the beginning of spring as our last indoor crop for winter finished up. Never had to heat or ac that room just had to spend a little on CO2 and we were golden.

Ripped Farmer said:

Do you grow in a sealed room? This is what i did to compact a cold basement once. Keep all that heat from dehumidifiers and ballasts in the room and only exhaust the lights on an auto speed controller to keep it from getting too hot. We would move ballasts out as it warmed up towards the beginning of spring as our last indoor crop for winter finished up. Never had to heat or ac that room just had to spend a little on CO2 and we were golden.

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Nah, vented room. I use a lung room that I keep heated during lights off to pull in warmer than ambient air and it sit around 68*-70*F. If I pulled ambient basement air in it would drop to 60*-62*F. I turn the heat off in the lung room before the light comes on and run a bare bulb. The room sits around 75*-78*F during lights on. I feel sealed would be easier to manage temps in a cool basement.

Just an update here,
I got everything setup and have it all tested out. Bright light! but i have to dim it to 750 to keep temps good. It has four settings. 600,750,1000 and super lumens which is supposed to be like 1100 or something.

I have definitely noticed a difference though I can tell you that. That 400 was just not cutting it. Two of the plants though have started to droop their leaves since I put the new light in. Coincidence or too much light?

sunandsky said:

Just an update here,
I got everything setup and have it all tested out. Bright light! but i have to dim it to 750 to keep temps good. It has four settings. 600,750,1000 and super lumens which is supposed to be like 1100 or something.

I have definitely noticed a difference though I can tell you that. That 400 was just not cutting it. Two of the plants though have started to droop their leaves since I put the new light in. Coincidence or too much light?

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Post a picture if you can, that'll help determine whats going on with the plants. When were they last watered?

Gilbertslab said:

Post a picture if you can, that'll help determine whats going on with the plants. When were they last watered?

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Alright here's some pics. I also sprayed them with incecticidal soap So that may be the cause. The leaves are not like floppy, they are down and sort of erect if that makes sense. Like hard.. But not hard .. Like a downward boner i guess haha.

300 watts of led light with a dimmer is what the doctor orders for you. a 1 k is good for 2-3 times your space

Uncle Reefer said:

300 watts of led light with a dimmer is what the doctor orders for you. a 1 k is good for 2-3 times your space

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He was warned. Even his 600w setting will kill.

Not all of the plants are like that. Only a few

I cant really tell, but the soil looks dry from the pic.

Remember they are going to use ALOT more water, and in those small containers may need to be watered 2x a day. Not saying theyre dry, its just from the pic, soil looks dry.

Never let the soil completely dry out. If soil drys out, this can also concentrate salts, and if fed again, can burn them.

I use a cheap moisture meter, and it works great. I get them at Lowes, I don't know what you have there. I also use large containers ( 20 Gallon x Promix BX ) but am not growing in a tent ect.
But I never let my plants get any more that Low Moist.

Also Ive found plants under 1000w, in small containers often get root bound, and some strains don't like it, and the leaves will droop, and be generally unhappy.

Even when I grow trees in 20g containers, and 1000w, they are root bound by the end of the grow, but the root ball is so big it doesn't matter much at that point. I veg in 5g x 1000w.

At 80 F, I have to water large plants in 20 gallon containers with 4 gallons of water every 3.5-4 days

But the main thing IMHO for you is Airflow, being ble to cool the light, and having the height not to burn them. With great airflow alone, in the winter in Ky, I can get 1000w 18 inches from the canopy, but again, I'm not in a tent, and have great airflow, but no atmospheric control.

For 1000w, and good air flow, you probably need 2 feet of space between bulb, plants, as a start. 600w can probably get 20 inches as a good start.

But if you don't have good airflow, and ceiling height all bets are off.

My friend wanted to use a 1000w Gavita, but his ceiling height in the basement is also limited, he bought 2, but are unusable for his purpose, and went back to the 1000w Hortilux HPS, and can get 1000w 18 inches from the canopy in the winter.

I have 2x 400s in my 3x3 with a aircooled hood on a 450CFM fan.
have to keep ambient air temps below 62F to maintain 77F in the tent with both ballasts on Super Lum
that's with a 4" inline venting the tent

so I am restricted to winter growing. unless I want to run a AC.

Building a air-cooled COB now.

A 2x4 is a odd shape to light evenly with one light source.IMO

The heat is good now. I have ten plants in there right now and only three are doing this. Airflow seems good. I have a few plants that are on like week 9 and they seems to have covered themselves in more trichomesmessa now that I put the new light in. Took the pic i attached today.

Weird. For some reason the pic looks deep green. It's actually very purple

Here's another pic

Looks Great !!!

Hello fellow Canadian.

Yes you can but ....

I'm growing in a 2x4 tent too but with an 800W LED , well it pulls 806w from the wall at full power.

You will need a tall tent to use your light at full power. Mines 6'11" and expandable by 1 or 2 feet.

So problem I encountered with so much light in a small space so far.

With my light and filter I only have 67 inches from the bottom of my tray to my light
I need around 20 inches between my plants and light. Say my containers are 12 inches.
It gives me 35 inches for my plants or around 3 feet max height.

Heat and temperature fluctuations.
I purchased a Day/Night Variable fan controller with idle settings recently. I use grozone controllers as they are a Canadian company and give good service.

I'm thinking of a high temperature shut off for my light next summer. I have to run AC in the summer or my tent will go over 100 degrees


I use a low profile 6 inch fan and filter. the S-line from Vortex Let's me hang my light higher.

I keep my idle speed during the day at 65% and 25% at night

Full speed is 100% during the day and at 50% at night


Also if your growing in your basement put some Rigid Insulation under your tent. I got a 24"x96" peace for $20 at home depot. You would be amazed on how much heat the floor sucks out of your plants pots in the winter. Not the way you want to cool a tent.

Your plants will suck a lot of water, I'm not sure but i think you might have to adjust your feeding? I grow in soil with no bottle nutrients but others might know better.

Also with that much light it makes sense to run CO2
Cheers
CCG

Hey sorry I haven’t replied on here, been a busy few weeks.

Just an update. The new light is doing great. Plants are loving it. I have bumped it up to 750 now and they are doing great. Buds are exploding with Growth. Temps are great but will be hard to control once the weather gets warmer. I’ll move flowering to the taller tent then. Don’t let the fanboys who act like they know it all tell you you’re plants will die! Try stuff yourself! That’s real world science baby.