Hi all, new here and I'm trying to start my first grow in some extra space in my closet. It's a good sized area, I've attached a drawing with the dimensions because I think that it will give you a better idea of what I'm thinking of. Right now I'm trying to decide on what lights to get, I'm in a position to buy a 600 watt HPS ballast and reflector for about $160, is this something I should jump on or no? I've heard of using Halogen lights as well and I can pick up a 250 watt halogen work light for 10 bucks, or a 500 watt for 20. This is a pretty significant price difference so I want to know what kind of results will I see with which? How much would you say it is if it was in terms of 1-10 on a scale of "you get what you pay for" (1 being HPS--10 Halogen)? For heat I plan to have 2 fans, a smaller one directly cooling the light and venting to the outside of the closet (ballast will also be outside of closet if possible), and a larger, oscillating one circulating air at about the 5-6 ft area (lower when plants are smaller). I want to start out with 5 seeds, bought at a website recommended highly elsewhere on this forum, but the total is cost is going to come out to around $60, or $12 per seed. Is this worth it? I almost feel like if I get seeds from my dealer and use halogen I'll be fine, but this could be wishful thinking. Could a combination of the two work? Halogen with high quality seeds or HPS with dealer seeds? All feedback is good, let me know what you think.
Looking to start my first grow...
- Thread starter howl010
- Start date
smoke and coke
Well-Known Member
dont use halogen. use cfl's or mh to veg, then switch to hps to flower.
give the bagseeds a try before you use the store bought seeds. price per seed depends on alot of things these days. examples: breeder, genetics, seedbank your using, supply and demand, even the name of the strain can bring a higher price.
give the bagseeds a try before you use the store bought seeds. price per seed depends on alot of things these days. examples: breeder, genetics, seedbank your using, supply and demand, even the name of the strain can bring a higher price.
about $20 of the seed price is for a padded, international flat rate envelope that the company requests money be sent in. Is this necessary or will a plain envelope do?
I've been looking into it some more and I was wondering if anyone has experience with lights like this one?
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-LKIT60-Dayspot-60-Watt/dp/B000053F9J/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_y
For only $20 each I could pick up 2 if needed for the veg cycle, although with 5 or less plants would I need 2 of these?
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-LKIT60-Dayspot-60-Watt/dp/B000053F9J/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_text_y
For only $20 each I could pick up 2 if needed for the veg cycle, although with 5 or less plants would I need 2 of these?
smoke and coke
Well-Known Member
i like to pay for the stealth if the order is large enough. makes me feel better anyway.
smoke and coke
Well-Known Member
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for the veg. cycle get some cfl's. i use the 100watt equivalent daylight cfl'sthey use about 23 watts each.
I've now zero'd in on this set...
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-CS53521-Socket-Vertical-Hanging/dp/B0055F571C/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019HZQPM/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00
This would be $30 for one set, and only $50 or so if I decide to upgrade to 2. The bulb is 85 watts, 4250 lumens, and 5500K. From what I've read so far this is the best kelvin temperature for the veg cycle. I'm also going to build something small (5x5) while still maintaining good air circulation around the plant, with the lamp above to diffuse and spread light.
smoke and coke
Well-Known Member
nice looking cfl bulb. before you buy that cord with the socket, think about this. the bulb will work better if hanging horizontal above your plants. it would be nice to have some sort of clamp light so you can position the bulb.
I've been trying to hunt down this exact thing all day haha, now I've found this
http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Wing-Fluorescent-Grow-Fixture/dp/B001VOCUOS/ref=pd_sbs_lg_7
This is a pricey option, high quality though. I also realized that I was thinking way too far in advanced when I submitted this thread last night, I don't even have seeds yet!! So right now I'm concentrating on just the next couple steps. As soon as I get some bagseeds I'll place the order for a couple of those bulbs and hopefully some kind of reflector. If I cant find one though aluminum foil will have to do. I also found that there is what's described in the google reviews as a "hydroponics superstore" about 20 min away from me, so I'll be going there sometime in the next couple days. What are the best questions to ask the salespeople there? Preferably without letting them know that I plan to grow weed. I've heard tomatoes are very similar, but I was thinking of just saying i need a high kelvin (5500+) "blue" light and see what they have. I'm also radically rethinking my idea of how the grow room will be setup, I think I now am going to go with a cfl "rubbermaid" type system. See attached image. Right now I really just need to concentrate on seeds and getting my veg light setup put together for the next week or so, and after that concentrate on the vegetation stuff and in the meantime I'll keep my eye out for a sweet HPS deal for the next stage, flowering
. Not sure what that emoticon is but it's how I feel, bursting with excitement 
. Gotta remember that it's a long(ish) process and focus on the now. Another question I wanted to throw out there is what is a good deal for an HPS light? I had the opportunity today to get a 600 watt HPS bulb with reflector, lens and ballast for $140, it may still be available. I think that when I do go for an HPS I'll try to get a 400 watt combo for under 130