Big Bang - Indoor Grow - What am i missing?

Ok - So my first grow went shall we say.. pretty fkn awful!

So many mistakes made throughout the grow and ended up wanting to kill myself with the lack of product at the end. Still... i think i've learnt some valuable lessons and now its time to crack on with my next attempt. Best way to learn is to fk up i guess!!!

I'm after ANY advice, tips or pointers to ensure a more successful project this time around.

Here's the picture.

Room size = 6ft x 5ft (180cm x 150cm)
Strain - Big Bang
Quantity - 20 ladies
Pot size - 18" Deep x 12" Wide (1 per pot)
Sterilized soil to 6ph
Lights - 4 x 400w HPS
Temp / Extraction - 1 x Air Con unit to keep temp at constant 24 degrees C and extracting the air outside via ducting.
Ventalation - 3 x 12" oscilating fans for circulation.
Feeding - I have a water butt which will be filled allowing the water to stand for over 24hrs at room temprature.
Ferts - Not sure of the best food to buy in the UK for veg or for flower. Some help here much appreciated.

Plan is to veg for 3 - 4 wks and flower for 9 wks.

What i'd like to know is....

Is this enough light for 20 girls or am i being greedy?

Are the grow pots big enough because i will not want to transplant?

Will these plants get too big and bushy and reduce the light getting in at all angles? If people feel i should maybe have 15 girls and space them out a little more i'm open to suggestion. I'm not sure how bushy this strain will get.

Lastly - and most importantly - What ferts, nutes, food is best recommended for veg and also for flower?

Look forward to hearing some suggestions. The plan is to start next weekend. I will be posting images as i go along and updating with progress for anyone who's interested (or anyone who just wants to chip in with some constructive critisism!!)

One love !

thats a ratio of 5 plants per light, which i get away well with only using a 250.. your lights are good, im a bit worried about ventilation, in a 128 cubic feet enclosure with a 250w hps and 2 265 cfm blowers into a phat filter. as far as soil goes i cant offer any help. i stick to hydro because i need something to fuck with.. but for nutes check thrive alive, guano, coffee grinds help prevent fungis, see if tecnaflora has anything for soil, i love their hydro chems.

Hey there. I think that your 4x400w lights will be plenty for your 20 plants. I've often heard people recommend 50watts/sq foot and you have 1600watts/30 sq ft = 53 watts/sq ft. I think your grow pots should be plenty big enough too, are they 8 gallon containers? You would be fine with 5 or more gallon pots. If the plants start getting really bushy you might want to invest in some CFLs for side lighting. I don't have any suggestions in regards to ferts for soil. I use the General Hydroponics 3 part series for my hydro grows, but I'm not very experienced with soil. And on that note (me not being experienced with soil), consider these opinions carefully.

all you need for side lighting is mylar or white plastic. i really hate cfl's, they dont do enough to justify the electricity they use, it's all about lumens per sq in this is the only site ive seen where everybody is so cheap that they want to jump to cost effective vs whats best to grow.

CFLs + reflective tarp is superior to a reflective tarp by itself. I didn't suggest that the HID be replaced, only supplemented. If a person has the time, money, and motivation to set up side lighting, they'll have a more successful grow. It isn't necessary, its just an option for maximizing your plants' potential.

Great - thanks for tips. I will head out before the weekend and get some mylar for the sides. Heopfully this will be the cheaper option and less hassle to fitting more lights down the sides. (unless people think it will make a massive difference having side lights in which case i will consider it too)

Next question is - I am doing this project in soil because i attemped soil first time round, made some mistakes and have learnt... however... can someone give me a quick breakdown of growing WITHOUT soil. Whats are the benefits and pitfalls?? I havent purchased my soil yet so if hydro is another (and better) option i will look at it. What do people prefer... what gives better results?? which requires more maintenance and time??

Alandirect - yes they are 7 or 8 gallon pots.

Peace !

check out my journal ... i am growing big bang maybe u can learn something

its in my signiture...

DWR - thanks, i will give it a read.

damn, 7 or 8 gallons are really big pots