few questions

Hello gardners

well.. i would like to thank you for this website, everything is awesome and for a noob, if you are patient enough to read everything, you can have a perfect crop from the first try!

still.. i read all over the website and now i'm planning how to grow.

my questions : i saw a few movies and in one of them they say i need a ballast for mh lights. What exactly is a ballast and is it expensive ?

another thing.. i have been looking for bulbs to buy and i found some 150 W mh lights. should i buy three of them ? i am willing to grow 4 or 6 plants, i got 1 square meter or a bit more.. funny thing is the 150 W bulbs are really small i dont know if they are good for growing.. one is like 5 centimeters or so..

and one more for now considering i am new to growing, can anyone tell me what seeds should i use ? i want something with lots of thc but also a strong plant that is not very difficult to grow.

thank you very much in advance!

Hey smokiesmoke, welcome aboard!
I read your post twice looking for any mention of a budget and I didnt see any. You can spend as much as you want, its easy to waste money, but its also just as easy to be too cheap. To be successful you need to get a decent light, and yes you'll need a ballast and a hood too, unless you want to grow with cfl's. I believe cfl's would not produce a great product in the end. I would recommend you into something like this High Tech Garden Supply
Its only $119.00 and yes you can use this light from beginning to harvest.
While you are at that site, buying your light setup, order some foxfarm nutes, the 3-pack is only about $40.00, its very good.

As far as what strain to buy, ask 100 people and get 100 different answers!
Having said that, growing inside, I'd recommend a good indica, as they dont grow as tall as a sativa. Personally, I am currently growing mazar, a high times cannabis cup winner two years going, and if you take the time to grow it a little past the recommended flowering time, it changes from an "up" type high, into a very narcotic knock you back in your seat type high.
Lots of luck dude with your grow, keep us informed!

videoman40 said:

To be successful you need to get a decent light, and yes you'll need a ballast and a hood too, unless you want to grow with cfl's. I believe cfl's would not produce a great product in the end.

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Tsk tsk tsk.

Here we go with the ingrained dogma, that nothing other than a HPS will be successful! Give him the options and let him make his own mind up - stop perpetuating this rediculous myth than the only light to use is a bloody HPS !

Hey babygro, I am not a believer that you cant grow under flourcents at all. My point was that it is not something for a beginner, as there is a learning curve involved. You obviously read into my post something I did not say! Tsk tsk tsk.


I know of several successful growers who swear by T-5's it has many benefits, lower operating expense, lower temps, I could go on and on.
One downside to T-5's is they do cost more to purchase, and this is a small grow, 4-6 plants, I stand by my recommendation for this grower.

So babygro, anyone that has followed your posts, can see you have knowledge of lights and costs involved. This is the second time I have seem someone that keeps gooe records say the T5's cost them more to operate. How do you respond to that?? I know you feel strongly about this and I believe that you are only trying to be helpful. You know how old people are, it takes us a while to catchup.

Sorry smokey didn't mean to jump your thread. I get that way when I visit the widow. To try and answer your question about the mh bulbs , you need to look at the base of the bulb. All the ones I looked at yesterday at Menards had mogul bases. They are bigger then standard bulbs. You will need a fixture that takes a mogul base. They department clerk thinks that is because they need a ballast to operate. They don't handle those seperately so you would have to buy a fixture that takes that base. The least expensive they had was an out side light for $30.00. You would have to take the fixture apart and modify it to go over 6 plants and you would need to of them. It would be less expensive and a lot less work to buy the 400watt light. I think I looked at that sight once and every thing you would need was included, not sure about the chains.
I think what babygro is saying is that it will cost more to operate.

VictorVIcious said:

So babygro, anyone that has followed your posts, can see you have knowledge of lights and costs involved. This is the second time I have seem someone that keeps gooe records say the T5's cost them more to operate. How do you respond to that??

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How do I respond to that? How about you point out to me where someone in this thread has said CFL's cost more to operate? Watt for watt, 400w of CFL's will cost on average just under 50% less to operate than 400w of HPS or MH.

Now, what do you say to that?

PS, T5 tubes are NOT cfl's.

6oowatts are a little more efficient probly. firing the light on takes most power. from thereon out its about the same in the end. son for the performance might as well get 1000 or 600 switchable.

videoman40 said:

Hey babygro, I am not a believer that you cant grow under flourcents at all. My point was that it is not something for a beginner, as there is a learning curve involved. You obviously read into my post something I did not say! Tsk tsk tsk.

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I didn't read anything into your post over and above that you're just another in a very long line of people on here who automatically recommend HPS systems to newbie growers regardless of whether that's the best choice for them or not - and I'm 1) getting tired of seeing it and 2) on a mission to stop people from doing it.

There's no more steep learning curve in using CFL's or fluorescents than there is in using HPS systems. There's no substitute for understanding the lighting requirements of plants, and to simply automatically recommend HPS systems, because you're lazy and know they'll work, (although not particularly well in vegetative growth) rather than trying to educate people into the various options open to them is inexcusable.

I'm not saying fluoro's are the best and neither am I saying HPS's are the worst, I'm saying - tailor the lighting to someone's circumstance and requirements and don't automatically assume that HPS is either the best or will suit everyone's circumstances.

wow, things seem to be getting out of hand around here. The point I was making is that the T-5's cost alot more upfront to purchase.

As an example this T-5 light has a 4 lamp, 4 foot fixture, and it emits 20,000 lumens, you would need 2 of them to equal a 400hps light, which we already established a starting price of only $119.00
the price for the T-5 fixture is $149.00 x2=$298.00

For the $300 bucks you now have something close to the output of the hps, although the hps actually has 53,000 lumens, not 40,000

I was trying to tailor it to a budget.

dankciti said:

6oowatts are a little more efficient probly. firing the light on takes most power. from thereon out its about the same in the end. son for the performance might as well get 1000 or 600 switchable.

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What a jumbled incoherent rambling bunch of twaddle.

600 watts is more efficient probably than what?

Thereon out its about the same in the end as what exactly?

For the performance might as well get a 1000 or 600 switchable what?

Sheesh.

babygro said:

What a jumbled incoherent rambling bunch of twaddle.

600 watts is more efficient probably than what?

Thereon out its about the same in the end as what exactly?

For the performance might as well get a 1000 or 600 switchable what?

Sheesh.

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alright smart guy can you do this with hell i idunno how is 100 no 150 cfls..... now will you get light penetration through 36 inch plants with 40 days left in flowering??????

can you do this with cfls???

NO YOU CANTS NOT FOR HOW MUCH I SPENT ON THIS. IT WOULD COST YOU TWICE AS MUCH SO ITS NOE AS EFFICIENT. OR CONVENIENT. SO SHADUP.

UNLESS URE GROWING LIKE MAJOR TOKE THEN SCREW THAT LITTLE ROUND BULB IN URE BABY ASS. PUNKAZZ LITTLE BITCH. SHOULD BE BULLSHITGROW

Okay, I did not want to get into this with you, but lets get a few things straight……
This is not your message board, you and I are basically guests here, and should behave as such.
This was posted here in the newbie section, and I can assure you, that there is nothing more heartbreaking than spending your own hard earned money on a grow, only to get less that favorable results.
Had this person (who I am sure will never return to this board now) said I did some research and wanted advice setting up a successful grow using T-5’s or cfl’s that would have been different.
But he didn’t, why you might ask…or well you should have asked yourself this, is because most people who ask this question, want to do a successful grow for the least amount of investment. Telling him to go out and spend hundreds
upon hundreds of dollars on lighting is nonsense, especially for a 1st grow.
I for one believe in T-5’s and would like to buy 3 of them, one 4 foot section on each wall as side lighting. There should be a real benefit from this, and less heat to worry about too.
You stated, you are on a self appointed mission, obviously one that has you in the position of not caring at all who you trample over along the way. Never mind the fact that in one day you are responsible for scaring away more newcomers than anyone else!
I resent the fact that you put me in this position to have to state these obvious facts.

dankciti said:

alright smart guy can you do this with hell i idunno how is 100 no 150 cfls..... now will you get light penetration through 36 inch plants with 40 days left in flowering??????

can you do this with cfls???

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Who cares what YOU can do with CFL's or not, it's totally irrelevant to the subject matter at hand - and that was a starter system for a newbie.

Pay attention, I know it's hard.

i agree so grow like major toke until yuou get the hangof it. i have a t-5 fixture like the one at the begining of this thread in the closet for my clone trays...

if you have a hydrohut or somthing of relative dimensions a 400w can give you use of the verticle space available. point & fact. thats it and 400w is 400wats especielly when it draws the about the same amperage in the end so why sadcrafice penetration if situation dictates a need for a more efficient light energy .

if your hobbying on a budget steal a streetlight or play with cfls and get the other aspects of growing down till your ready for what and HID is capable of.
my first grow was with t-5s before there were avail cfls. so we all start somewhere it dependson whetheer you ask where your going or if you just wanna know where you are right now...

my questions : i saw a few movies and in one of them they say i need a ballast for mh lights. What exactly is a ballast and is it expensive ?

i have a further question on ballists. Im much in the same sit in not qutie knowing what type of ballist to buy i was wondering the defference between digital and normal ballists...any info would be appriciated thanks

Geez dave, at about this time I am sure everyone is scared to answer you, maybe you should direct your question to babygro?

All kidding aside, to put it simply, the bulb will not screw into a typical socket. the ballast is responsible for turning the bulb on, a digital is better, and costs less to operate.

Usually, but not always, you buy the ballast, the bulb and the hood as a package deal.

babygro said:

Who cares what YOU can do with CFL's or not, it's totally irrelevant to the subject matter at hand - and that was a starter system for a newbie.

Pay attention, I know it's hard.

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pay attention ..... the guys asks about lights not ure mision i give objective opinion and you start barking and nipping at my heals shit you try to bit videomans ankles. wtf go play with youyself and dont talk shit cuz its quiet in here now and i believe the gentlemanasked about 150watts hoods n ballast so hid look within their realm of considerationa

videoman40 said:

This is not your message board, you and I are basically guests here, and should behave as such.

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If the moderators on here consider my posts to be in breach of their board rules, I would fully expect them to moderate them accordingly. You and I are not the judges or what is acceptable on here - they are.

"This was posted here in the newbie section, and I can assure you, that there is nothing more heartbreaking than spending your own hard earned money on a grow, only to get less that favorable results"

Couldn't agree more, so educate them as to what might be the best starter system for them rather than simply saying "cfls' would not produce a great product in the end". Plenty of people on here use cfl's and get perfectly acceptable results with them without spending a fortune. Your advice is bad and wrong.

"Had this person (who I am sure will never return to this board now) said I did some research and wanted advice setting up a successful grow using T-5’s or cfl’s that would have been different. "

That doesn't change the fact that you're assuming that HPS will be right for his circumstances, without really knowing, Your advice is bad and wrong.

"But he didn’t, why you might ask…or well you should have asked yourself this, is because most people who ask this question, want to do a successful grow for the least amount of investment. Telling him to go out and spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on lighting is nonsense, especially for a 1st grow."

Who's telling him to go and spend hundreds of hundreds of dollars? Your knowledge of cfl's is clearly restricted to T5 systems, which aren't even cfl's. I never mentioned anything about T5 systems - you did. There's plenty of high wattage cfl systems you can use for plant growth that cost about 50 bucks, which would be an excellent way to get started for newbie growers. Your knowledge of available fluorescent systems is clearly pretty limited, no wonder you automatically advise newbies buy expensive to operate HPS systems.

"I for one believe in T-5’s and would like to buy 3 of them, one 4 foot section on each wall as side lighting. There should be a real benefit from this, and less heat to worry about too."

There you go on about T5's again - I've never mentioned them - you have.

"You stated, you are on a self appointed mission, obviously one that has you in the position of not caring at all who you trample over along the way. "

I am on a mission. I'm on a mission to stop people automatically recommending HPS systems to newbie growers that may NOT be suitable for their own particular circumstances. I'm on a mission to educate people as to the various plant lighting options open to them, how much light they need, and how much that light costs to operate. I don't 'trample' over people, if a few people who think they know everything get their ego's hurt in the process - tough luck.

"Never mind the fact that in one day you are responsible for scaring away more newcomers than anyone else!"

I don't see that myself, I've posted some pretty good advice to people today, if that scares them away, sobeit. What I won't do is standby and watch poor advice being given out to newbie growers, and there's an awful lot of poor advice offered on this site by people who either don't know what they're talking about, or have very limited knowledge about the subject matter they're offering advice in.

dankciti said:

pay attention ..... the guys asks about lights not ure mision i give objective opinion and you start barking and nipping at my heals shit you try to bit videomans ankles. wtf go play with youyself and dont talk shit cuz its quiet in here now and i believe the gentlemanasked about 150watts hoods n ballast so hid look within their realm of considerationa

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Go back to sleep.