First time grow, what lights should I buy?

This will be my first ever grow.

The space I will be using is in a walk in wardrobe. (Its about 1m x 3m area) I have about £150 ($240) budgetted for light / ballasts.

The options I am considering now are:

1x400W HPS + ballast / reflector
or
2x 250W CFLs and reflectors, one blue, one red.

There isn't much in the way of ventilation, so thinking maybe the CFLs are a better choice. Which would you recommend?

If you know of any other complete lighting systems in my budget that deliver in the UK, please recommend also.

Thanks for any advice

Use the search function? Depends on many things. But if your new I would advise you to start a small "CFL" grow. Thus doing this you will gain real-time knowledge on the growing process of weed.

For a closet that size, I would say go for the 400 watt HPS. I used CFLs for a few grows and got decent results. However, when I switched to HPS, I didn't have to worry about keeping the plants so close to the bulbs. With CFL I was spending an inordinate amount of time adjusting lights. With HPS, I spend that extra time getting everything else right.

Of course this is just one guy's opinion and your mileage may vary.

A good 400w HPS set up should run you more like $400 though. Unless you buy basic/cheap equipment and bulbs. Plus you will have to buy a decent filter and fan which should be enough for the exhaust (although I managed well enough with a regualr PC fan pulling air through venting and hood into the same room as tent (but I had to keep the window open for colder air)

I got myself a yield master 2 supreme reflector, a couple hortilux super HPS bulbs, and a digital lumatek ballast. But I've since made the switch to a 395w total draw LED

Stoobie said:

For a closet that size, I would say go for the 400 watt HPS. I used CFLs for a few grows and got decent results. However, when I switched to HPS, I didn't have to worry about keeping the plants so close to the bulbs. With CFL I was spending an inordinate amount of time adjusting lights. With HPS, I spend that extra time getting everything else right.

Of course this is just one guy's opinion and your mileage may vary.

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I agree with this. do a 400 or 600watt HPS. I just switched to HID light.

www.htgsupply.com $200.00 for digital 600watt hps ballast, bulb, light socket and reflector. I would spend 35.00 more dollars and get the euro reflector that has 6" vent flanges on both sides or the 6" cool tube.

If you do decide to use fluros I vote for 2' or 4; T5 tubes or a 250watt CFL with reflector.

Hello friend. There are many different considerations to take into account when setting up a room. This can be overwhelming. Hope this information, which I wrote several years ago for an article, helps you decide on a suitable light source.

The plant needs light for its energy supply. Because we are talking about growing indoors, we will have to supply a light source. Normal lamps are less suitable for the job. A plant needs light of certain wavelengths, which are not or not present or strong enough in normal lamps. I recommend the use of type SON T lamps. They are suitable for both the growth stage, as well as the flowering stage. Ballast's are necessary for these lamps. Ballast's of 600 watts have the most favourable output of delivered light per watt. Depending on the variety I recommend to use between 400 and 800 watts per m2. With insufficient light the plant remains light-green in colour and becomes unnaturally thin and protracted. The buds will also remain smaller with insufficient light.

Saving on light is stealing from yourself!.

The efficiency of the lighting in the grow room can be strongly increased by covering your grow room with reflective materials. You could paint the walls with mat white paint or cover the walls with white plastic. Ensure that the room can be easily cleaned because spraying might pollute the walls quite a bit. Most sorts of your "favourite plants" remain in their vegetative (grow) state when the light cycle is maintained at 18 hours. Your "favourite plant" is a so called short day plant, in this we mean that the plant will start flowering when we shorten the light period. Plants are initiated into the flowering phase by shortening the day period to 12 hours on and 12 hours off per 24 hours. Your "favourite plants" that originate from the tropics do not react to changing day lengths but flower after a certain time. That is logical if you realise that a day in the tropics lasts approximately 12 hours the whole year round. The lamp must hang at a distance from the plants that will not cause any scorching of the leaves. This distance differs with the wattage of the lamp. We recommend a distance of: 400 Watt- 45 cm; 600 Watt- 85 cm; 1000 Watt- 105 cm. Don't hang the lamp any higher above the plants than necessary.

Hope this helps