zoochick415
Member
the one i am looking to get does have the U shape and it is like 100 watts, just dont want to buy it if it wont fit/work with the fixture i have now.
Watts vs. lumens? Which is better?
- Thread starter zoochick415
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svchop889
Well-Known Member
yeah the 20/4 is fine for veg growing the shorter photo periods are for when you want to start flowering, ive grown in a 50 gallon industrial barrel and a trash can, if you stick with the cfl you will want a cool blue spectym bulb for vegg so 20/4 to 18/6 when you go to a 14/10 or a 12/12 you'll want to switch to somthing with more of a warm tone but you will want to figure out a way to power more bulbsthat is a great idea SVC i never thought of a big rubbermaid container! I have cats so i have been keeping it in the bathroombut that is perfect for now until i get my grow room. Now i should i stick with the CFLs or should i get the small HPS? is my 20/4 lighting ok or should i go to 18/6?
svchop889
Well-Known Member
well if you have one of those extension cords that have a light on them those will power that 100w bulb
zoochick415
Member
oh man that sucks! yea i do water with the plant food and honestly i only water maybe once a week cause the soil does not really dry out. I think it is because the plants is still small but i flush the pot once a week anyway so nothing builds up.
svchop889
Well-Known Member
or you could get yourself a few of these they power up to 150w
http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-F...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-F...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
svchop889
Well-Known Member
do you flush and then water? i would just alternate watering with food then without the next timeoh man that sucks! yea i do water with the plant food and honestly i only water maybe once a week cause the soil does not really dry out. I think it is because the plants is still small but i flush the pot once a week anyway so nothing builds up.
stumps
Well-Known Member
Color Temperature (CT) - Color temperature, which is measured in Kelvin, indicates whether a lamp has a warm, midrange or cool color appearance. "Warm" light sources have a low color temperature (2000-3000K) and feature more light in the red/orange/yellow range. Light with a higher color temperature (>5000K) features more blue light and is referred to as "cool."
so you want high ct for veg and low ct for flower
so you want high ct for veg and low ct for flower
zoochick415
Member
with the trash can idea, how do you ventilate? just make holes in the sides im assuming. and something warmer, you mean like a HPS?
zoochick415
Member
thanks, thats plain and simple. Not gonna stick with the soft white for long just needed the extra wattage!
maximus316
Active Member
You don't have to flush once a week, more like once a month. You want to let your soil dry out between waterings because when the soil dries out the roots go looking for water in turn building a more massive root system and keeping the soil wet all the time will do nothing but cause problems, root rot, bugs, fungus and so on. If you want to bush your plants out here is the best way, start buy drilling holes along the rims of your pots, then get some twist ties and gently tie one to the top of the plant and slightly start bending the top down so it is almost horizontal be careful not to snap the stem, then tie the other end to the pot so it remains in the same spot. and every time a new shoot grows, tie that one down too. Before you know it you will have a BUSH. I can usually take 30-40 cuttings per mother plant.
maximus316
Active Member
gonna post some pics of my moms in the pic section under marijuana plants.
svchop889
Well-Known Member
I put four 12volt comp fans in it two in the sides blowing in and two on the lid blowing out, i ment warmer as in tones- red orange yellow
zoochick415
Member
right like a warmer tone right?
maximus316
Active Member
http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Flood-Light-Fixture-150W/dp/B00061KOFO
not the best reflector but it would do, or you could spend about 150 bucks on ebay and get a 400 watt hps, believe me your only gonna need more lighting and never less. You just gonna keep jumping up in stages in lighting so you mine as well start off with something you can use for a while and is most economical. More lumens = BIGGER BUDS plain and simple.....
not the best reflector but it would do, or you could spend about 150 bucks on ebay and get a 400 watt hps, believe me your only gonna need more lighting and never less. You just gonna keep jumping up in stages in lighting so you mine as well start off with something you can use for a while and is most economical. More lumens = BIGGER BUDS plain and simple.....
zoochick415
Member
i saw a 150 watt HPS set up how far will that take me? will that be all i need for 1-2 plants in flowering stage?
maximus316
Active Member
ya but im guessing he is on some type of budget so a supersun or hortilux bulb is prolly outta the question. you could always go with a new electronic ballast so you can fire up both mh and hps, or get a switchable mag ballast. Electronic ballast get more bang for the buck but the mags have a better track record. I had a 600 watt digital ballast and it bit the shit within 6 months, might have been a fluke so I ordered another quantum 1000 watt electronic. My other 3000 watts are mag ballasts. Thought I would give em another try. but your best bet is to go with a 400 watt switchable. But to answer your question YES a 150 watt HPS will take you from start to finish, Especially for only 2 plants. But remember if you started from seed then there is a 50/50 chance you will end up with a male. Plant at least 5-7 seeds to ensure that you get at least a couple females, unless your using clones.
Cr8z13
Well-Known Member
My advice, add four more 23W 6500k bulbs, which should see you through veg. When it comes time to induce flowering and switch to 12/12, add three of those warm white 42W bulbs. You'll need to figure out a way to easily manipulate placement of all those lights. You want to keep those bulbs as close as you can without burning your leaves. Use good ventilation because all those bulbs will get warm.
However, if your funds permit, go HPS. You'll like the results and it's easier to maintain one light versus many.
However, if your funds permit, go HPS. You'll like the results and it's easier to maintain one light versus many.
Brick Top
New Member
Many people have to consider a budget when purchasing lighting, and that includes a monthly budget, which includes their electricity bills. But keep in mind when you go with lower wattage/lower lumens lighting you have less light penetration.
　
That means when you veg your plants with lower wattage/lower lumens lighting there is a certain point where you reach a point of diminishing returns in relation to energy used and time spent. If say you used a 250-watt light and were growing a typical sativa/indica cross that would not normally grow into a sequoia tree under normal conditions but could grow to 4 or maybe 5 feet tall if vegged long enough there would still be no reason to veg the plant(s) beyond about 15 to 18 inches. If you did they would outgrow your lights capability to penetrate deep enough for there to me any or any decent bud production on the lower portion of your plant(s).
　
Of course different strains and different setups and different conditions will factor in but just to use some general made up figures as a representation with say a 250-watt light and plants vegged to about 20 inches and good to better than just good overall conditions and a good to better than good quality strain, and no screw ups on the part of the grower, you would get good top cola production and roughly the upper third of the plant would give you good bud production in both size and density. The middle third of the plant would give you pretty decent production. Buds would still be decent size, not really large but decent, but they would begin to be a bit less dense, more fluffy. The bottom third would give you popcorn buds at best and in some cases not all that many of them.
　
Depending on your lighting regardless of everything else if growing indoors there is always going to be a limit as to how tall it is worth vegging you plants before you reach a point where any additional vegetative growth will not give you a return in bud production that makes it worth the additional time of vegging and the additional expenses of burning lights more and longer and using more fertilizers/nutrients.
　
So yes you can use a 150-watt light from start to finish but it will not create conditions or allow you to produce as much bud as a 250-watt light would and a 250-watt light will not create conditions or allow you to produce as much bud as a 400-watt light will, and so on and so on.
　
The best advice I could give in regards to lighting is to purchase the highest wattage light that you can afford and be able to adequately deal with any heat issues that may come with it. When I began to grow in 1972 there were not options for lighting like today for the average Joe or Jane to pick from. When I did go with HIG lighting I thought, gee this one fits my budget better and it will use less electricity so I went with it.
　
It did not take all that long to learn that I had made an error so I upgraded and that made my upgraded lighting more expensive, in a way, because the lighting system I then had cost me the original lighting that was the in boxes plus the new upgraded system so what in the end did I actually save buy under buying my first HID lighting?
　
When it comes to picking a light system try to think like a woman bigger is better. Sure along with bigger may come some pains, maybe even in the ass, but it will a good hurt, it will hurt good and in the end you will be extremely happy you went big.
Now I did not read the whole thread but I did see where you said one or two plants. If you can deal with the slightly increased temperatures of a 250-watt light system I would say pick it over a 150-watt light system, or go higher wattage if possible.
When I was burning a 250-watt light I I added a second because some plants, many in fact, grew so wide that even with good reflective material, a very important addition to any grow room, the sides of the plants did not receive enough light and there was little production. So I added a second 250-watt light and each plant, if I only grew two, was under its own light and received as much lighting as could be put out ny my setup. If I grew four I could still get pretty good coverage, much better than with only one light.
　
Later as I learned more I went to a 400-watt light and was still better off but at times if my plants were really thick and light had a more difficult time penetrating the upper canopy I would hang one of my old 250-watt lights horizontally but so it would shine to the side into the middle and lower portions of the plants to further increase the amount of light those portions of the plants received and increased production by doing so.
　
Like I previously said, go with the maximum wattage that your budget and temperature control abilities will allow you to go. In the end you will be much happier that you did than if you went with a lower wattage system.
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