i am starting my flowering stage on a nice female sativa and a older 2nd time around indica two nice size plants sativa is about 12 inches and the indica is about 24 inches now for my Q. if i buy a 400 wat hps will that be enough to make these babys flower a good size (big buds ) i am in a closet and foil all over ,,,, first time i got a little over 21 grams on one plant , using 6 four foot flo's , i was just wondering if i will yeild more bigger buds? with the help of the hps plus will it be more potent??? thanks ,,,,,, one more thing should i get anything to change the spectrum ext. for the light ??
also the closet is about 6 feet tall to grow these plants, is that enough room i heard the plants as you change them to 12/12 they will grow 2 times if not 3 times there size in all directions is that true thanks
I think a hps would work fine just watch the temp in the room and give lots of tlc and you will get a bigger harvest
hps are the perfect spectrum to flower. 400w is easily enough. Keep the temp down. Try and get a reflector wich can fit an extractor!! I use a 400w for 4 plants and it works wonders. Mine is a sealed unit with glass over the front and i added vent holes to add tubing for extractor fans!
The one im looing at is just a light and just a converted fixture ,no box for it to be in will that be o.k. to use ? i got fans to reduce the over all heat to the plants and to exhast some heat also. another thing is ,,,,,,,,, using just one 400 wat hps ,is that going to raise suspition. i mean from the electric co.
First : the suspicion , NO is the answer . Start looking at your appliances around the house , 400W is a small draw . 4 - 100 watt light bulbs , the power supply of a desktop pc , way less than an under desk heater (750-1500watts) . Power consumption of ten times that much might raise some eyebrows but a 400 ain't squat . Second , your light setup is the gasoline that drives the photosynthesis engine . Like a Ferrari with crappy gas is just a stylish Yugo , a Cannabis Cup Winner under bad light is just more bagweed . I think the light is where too many people skimp and shortchange themselves . Think about the lighting costs over the life of the fixture . At least a five year investment (standard ballast warranty) , and you need a new bulb each year so subtract that from the initial light investment and start doing the math . I spent nearly $400US for a 400 Watter , "best made" , with a Hood , and a "best of the 400s" bulb . Lots of people are gonna say , "OH my god , a buck a watt !" . But the fixture works out to less than $75 a year when you look at it in the long view . And what does lousy street weed cost ? I will point out that one half of the bulb output must be reflected before it reaches your plants , so the design and materials of the reflector are at least as important as bulb selection IMO. And heat is a real consideration , any purchase of a HID light should be hooded for exhaust IMO . Sure a hood is an extra $75US but divide that up and we are at $15US a year . I will add here that going cheap on a light may cost you in wear and tear on your nerves . There's no way I would leave the house with a cobbled fixture runnning . Spend a little extra and get a unit that is UL or equivilant tested and you will sleep easier . 6 Feet is plenty of room ,remember the Inverse Square Law , General ? After about 3 feet a four hundred is shot . And that's the other reason for an exhaust hood you want the plants as close to the light source as possible , but you don't want scorching . A foot for containers and a foot for the lamp , two feet of "sweet spot" , shoot you've got an extra foot or more there . Keeping your "yield" in the "sweet spot" is the key to any good indoor grow . So even if you had 10 feet of height only the couple of feet that are lit are any good . Just a note : fans don't lower temps , they move air . Intake and exhaust will alter temps . Your question about changing the spectrum has me puzzled . Once it leaves the bulb it is what it is . So you can't change it after that . If you are asking , "Should I get an enhanced spectrum bulb , Strato?" . My answer is yes , most certainly . Get a Horticultural HPS Bulb . Currently in the 400 Watt range the Sylvania GroLux is tops , both lumens and PAR Watts . Other wattages have other "best" bulbs , so shop around . Hope that helps , Strato .
Also, as STRATO or someone else informed me about my setup, Take down the TINFOIL you said surrounds your space, and use white paint, or mylar. Ive been told the tinfoil with create burns on your babies. If im incorrect on this, someone correct me.
thank you Strato, you truely are my mentor ........ you have been super helpful in all the stages of my growing .... thanks for the advise. I'll thry to think of something that will stump you yet.lolol
Strat--very impressive post my friend. Kudo's to you. general, 1 thing a lot of growers overlook is excellent ventilation. Plants, especially fast-growing plants like MJ, need fresh air. That means an intake and an exhuast. For a small set-up like yours a powered exhaust (like a bathroom exhaust fan--about $13.00 at home depot) and a passive intake (a hole, slightly bigger than the hole for the exhaust fan) will work. You can use S-shaped ducting to cut light leaks from the ventilation holes.
