first grow, lights?

so i'm going to embark on my first grow soon here, i am going to be growing 2 weed plants and 2 or 3 basil plants in a grow tent no bigger then 3 feet wide 4-5 feet till. any idea on how high of a wattage bulb i will need to light these four plants?

Ilovefrostytrees said:

so i'm going to embark on my first grow soon here, i am going to be growing 2 weed plants and 2 or 3 basil plants in a grow tent no bigger then 3 feet wide 4-5 feet till. any idea on how high of a wattage bulb i will need to light these four plants?

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400w hps (cooled)................................

what do you mean by cooled? is their a special bulb that does not get as hot, or do i have to have some sort of mechanism to keep the temp low?

Im new too (first time growing will happen in about 3 days) .. but from what I've learned during my research...

there are Air Cooled tube light fixtures... which keep your growing tent low temp. than it would be running a regular fixture with the bulb on for 18hours... a lot plants are not humid resistant so i figure they will die or what not..

and also to... 400w HPS Light (giving off 50,000 lumens) will be sufficient for up to 10 plants (Your going to need a ballast for this type of lighting though)

you could use a 400w MH bulb in the weeks of veg stage, then switch to the HPS for the flowing stage. (If you could use both at the same time, this would be best for the plants from start to finish)

I bought a 400w HPS + 400w MH bulb / ballast / light fixture combo on ebay... they are not toooo expensive

if you got any more questions just pm me or something

If a 400w High Pressure Sodium light will be sufficient for up to ten plants cant i use a bulb wit less wattage's? i'm trying to save as much as i can on my energy bill... and you also suggested using both of the HPS and metal halide at the same time? i've always heard the MH was strictly for vegetative than when you want the plant to flower you switch to the HPS bulb...
thanksss so much for your help!!

Ilovefrostytrees said:

If a 400w High Pressure Sodium light will be sufficient for up to ten plants cant i use a bulb wit less wattage's? i'm trying to save as much as i can on my energy bill... and you also suggested using both of the HPS and metal halide at the same time? i've always heard the MH was strictly for vegetative than when you want the plant to flower you switch to the HPS bulb...
thanksss so much for your help!!

Click to expand...

Given your space and limited budget, I would suggest getting your feet wet with CFL's for seedlings/clones and VEG.

Take a look at this:


https://www.jollygreenhydro.com/onlinestore/product.php?productid=17135&cat=395&page=1
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https://www.jollygreenhydro.com/onlinestore/product.php?productid=16906&cat=252&page=1
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https://www.jollygreenhydro.com/onlinestore/product.php?productid=17047&cat=429&page=1

Try this to get started with the FELIZ 125W BLUE 6500K, then change out the bulb with a FELIZ 125W RED 2700K.

HID (HPS/MH) will require a larger up front investment.

Check out Stones journal to see what CFL's are capable.

awesome thanks a lot. so i can just use CFLs for the seedling and vegetative stage, then when i'm ready to flower i use a HPS? also when exactly do i change from the BLUE to the RED FELIZ bulbs?

and also i read somewhere that i would need a lot of CFL lights, so would i just be better off just using a 250 watt MH bulb for veg?

what you could do is use a 250watt mh for vege and a 250watt hps for flower, get a ballast that is compatible with both bulbs

Ilovefrostytrees said:

If a 400w High Pressure Sodium light will be sufficient for up to ten plants cant i use a bulb wit less wattage's? i'm trying to save as much as i can on my energy bill... and you also suggested using both of the HPS and metal halide at the same time? i've always heard the MH was strictly for vegetative than when you want the plant to flower you switch to the HPS bulb...
thanksss so much for your help!!

Click to expand...

I bought a switchable 400W/600W ballest that can both MH and HPS. I am using a 600W HPS right now for flowering with all the necessary fans, pumps and timers and my electric bill went up $20.

Ilovefrostytrees said:

what do you mean by cooled? is their a special bulb that does not get as hot, or do i have to have some sort of mechanism to keep the temp low?

Click to expand...

I just have a small 6" fan blowing on my lamp.

Bubblep0nic said:

Im new too (first time growing will happen in about 3 days) .. but from what I've learned during my research...

there are Air Cooled tube light fixtures... which keep your growing tent low temp. than it would be running a regular fixture with the bulb on for 18hours... a lot plants are not humid resistant so i figure they will die or what not..

and also to... 400w HPS Light (giving off 50,000 lumens) will be sufficient for up to 10 plants (Your going to need a ballast for this type of lighting though)

you could use a 400w MH bulb in the weeks of veg stage, then switch to the HPS for the flowing stage. (If you could use both at the same time, this would be best for the plants from start to finish)

I bought a 400w HPS + 400w MH bulb / ballast / light fixture combo on ebay... they are not toooo expensive

if you got any more questions just pm me or something

Click to expand...

A 400w is never enough for 10 plants.

Ilovefrostytrees said:

what do you mean by cooled? is their a special bulb that does not get as hot, or do i have to have some sort of mechanism to keep the temp low?

Click to expand...

Just a small 6" fan blowing on your lamp will keep it nice and cool.

Ilovefrostytrees said:

awesome thanks a lot. so i can just use CFLs for the seedling and vegetative stage, then when i'm ready to flower i use a HPS? also when exactly do i change from the BLUE to the RED FELIZ bulbs?

Click to expand...

Yes, but keep in mind HPS is a High Intensity Discharge light that requires a Bulb, ballest, vented hood and inline fan.

Ilovefrostytrees said:

and also i read somewhere that i would need a lot of CFL lights, so would i just be better off just using a 250 watt MH bulb for veg?

Click to expand...

You can always add more lights if needed:


http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=55209

my recommendation is based on your budget and space constraints. If you want to run HID lights (MH/HPS) you WILL have to deal with the heat generated. Vented hoods and inline fans are not cheap:

https://www.jollygreenhydro.com/onlinestore/product.php?productid=16880&cat=418&page=1
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https://www.jollygreenhydro.com/onlinestore/product.php?productid=16816&cat=319&page=1


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https://www.jollygreenhydro.com/onlinestore/product.php?productid=16887&cat=401&page=1

YOUNG BUCK said:

Just a small 6" fan blowing on your lamp will keep it nice and cool.

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I want to grow in an elevator shaft!

and buck you know your answer lacks some variables. is that a 10" exhaust duct I see?

this is probably a real dumb question, but what is a ballast?

and whats the difference between a regular ol fan and an inline fan?

Bonzi Lighthouse said:

I want to grow in an elevator shaft!

and buck you know your answer lacks some variables. is that a 10" exhaust duct I see?

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No thats 5" ducting going to my ruck (extractor fan) and then exhausting the air outside through the roof.
This is the fan i use (the 5" high power ruck).

http://www.greenshorticulture.co.uk/Grow-room-Products-20/-In-Line-Fans-Fan-Filter-Deals-108/RUCK-Fans-101.asp

Ilovefrostytrees said:

and whats the difference between a regular ol fan and an inline fan?

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What i have shown in my post above in the link is an inline extractor fan that sucks through one end and blows out the end.
And the fan you see in my growroom pics is just a regular oscillating fan that only blows air.

Ilovefrostytrees said:

this is probably a real dumb question, but what is a ballast?

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A lighting ballast is a piece of equipment required to control the starting and operating voltages of electrical gas discharge lights. Examples of gas discharge light sources include fluorescent and neon lights and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps. The term lighting ballast can refer to any component of the circuit intended to limit the flow of current through the light, from a single resistor to more complex devices.
A lighting ballast is necessary to operate discharge lights because they have negative resistance, meaning they are unable to regulate the amount of current that passes through them. A lighting ballast must be used to control current flow; otherwise the light could fail. Small light sources can use passive components, which require no additional power to operate, as ballasts. An example would be a series resistor that limits the flow of current across its terminals. For high-powered lights, however, a resistor would waste a large amount of electricity, so a more complex lighting ballast is required.

great thanks for clearing that up, do i havvvve to use an inline fan, cant i just use a regular osculating fan because they are much cheaper