dude cfls are the worst possible option... period, unless ur in ur first 2 weeks of veg or starting clones.. i use 1000w dual arch hps/mh bulb in a 3x3x6 closet bro.. im a first time grower i have the most insane diy hydro setup and have the most beautiful strawberry cough and lowberry plants the eyes have seen.. they are huge and bushy, about the 4th week of flower plant is about 3ft tall and almost 4 feet around. trust cfl = the lame. hps > all!
Cool tubes would put me way over $300-400. It'll be winter I start the grow, will heat be much of a problem for a 400 watt HPS or MH?
How many of the T5s would I need? Also, if I get a light with a cooltube, how far away can the plants be?
Alright, thanks. Does anyone know any more about these lights? How efficient is their spectrum for growing? How many of them are needed for maximal growth?
Fluorescents, compact (CFL) or not (tube ie. T-5) are great for vegging...
If I buy a 6 tube 4' T5 for the veg chamber, would a 400 watt HPS work for flowering clones under a 4 foot ceiling? Or would it just burn the plants?Fluorescents, compact (CFL) or not (tube ie. T-5) are great for vegging...
But when you start talking about flowering... they work, but are not the best option...
What we (I) are trying to achieve is growing our own buds, hopefully cheaper than buying it right????
Ok, so you need to consider the Gram/Watt ratio of your grow....
The very best indoor Wizzards are getting well over 1 gram per watt...
That means that if you have a 600 Watt Hps, and you fill your area to capacity, with everything perfect, it is possible to get 600 Grams/21.1Oz....
Try growing with 1 80 watt CFL and you will soon realize that you will not harvest 80 grams...
The best way to improve that ratio is to use a powerful HPS...
2 x 250 Watt HPS does NOT have the same INTENSITY as a single 400 Watt HPS... they may cover a larger area, but the light PENETRATION is still decreased...
I hope I am making sense, but basically anything shy of 400 watts (on HPS) will give you the low intensity of a cloudy day...
We are the weather indoors, why make cloudy days everyday..?????
If you stick with growing, you will end up with a 600 or even a 1000 HPS, why upgrade 15 times along the way...
Even economically it makes sense, it is the one tool that will the biggest impact on your harvest, bringing you closer to that elusive 1 gram per watt ...
I hope I didn't sound like a dick, I'm high and I just hate to see you buy and replace unnecessary equipment... it's expensive and puts even more trash out there...
Buy what you need... once... it's cheaper and you become a "better grower" quicker...
Just my thoughts man.. go with what you know...
Best of luck...
Gypsy...
I don't quite understand how you're suggesting I divide the chambers. What I was thinking of doing was having 2-4 mother plants in one chamber, and I'd control their height by taking clones off them if they get too tall. So the veg chamber should have a T5, and the flowering one should have a cooltubed 400w HPS? I might be able to afford that, it'd be close though.If you use a cool tube and a strong fan you could get away with a 600 HPS... but you would have to have your ventilation well worked out...
I was looking at a tent that was 48" wide X 48" tall X 20" deep.. for use with a cooltubed 600... but I built my own tent @ 36 wide X 60 Tall X 20 deep...
If you have a separate vent system to cool your bulb... you could treat a 400 HPS ALMOST like a fluorescent... around 6" or so... not quite like a fluorescent... but ALMOST...
As for a vegg chamber... at 4' tall, you really shouldn't have to vegg much at all...
And a 4 tube 2' T-5 should be plenty for a cloner... just get used to taking a little bit bigger clones, and snip cuttings from them just before they go into flower... by the time your flowering room needs replenished, those clones will be big and healthy to go into flowering... after a quick snip for the next batch's cuttings...
No need for a mother.. really.. so no need for a big set up....
If you vegg them too long they will be too big to manage by any means... other than clipping...
Just my thoughts man.... I am no pro...
Like I always say... go with what you know... what works for one person, may not work for another...
Cheers...
Gypsy...
) of wiring my timer and thermostat...
Or have a short veg cycle. Or LST
I'm not used to heavy mechanical or electrical work, so I was wondering how I'd be able to use an inline fan with a cooltube, since I don't really know how a cooltube works.I am not sure of what you are asking me here....
The obvious answer would be with ducting and clamps.... but I think you might be asking something different...
Can you clarify...???
G
