Is this correct?

I have read that plants double in size or even triple in size from when they were switched to when they mature. Is that true and would you folks say that WW (prob crappy genetics) under a 600 or maybe a 1000w HPS would double or triple?

So does this mean that I should veg until the plants fill an area one half to one third of my flowering room?
Input is appreciated.

I would shoot for a switch of 1/3 the space.

the plant will stretch all its internodes to allow for bigger space for the flowers to fill.

I've seen a plant double but never triple. If you can handle a 48 inch plant go ahead and veg to 24. If it keeps growing there are ways to deal with it then. This is, of course, if you want to grow the largest plant you can. Most indoor growers I know are moving more toward smaller plants and more of them.

Its my second try, so I was thinking of flowering a smaller amount in that space like 6-8 and growing them big. And training them so they fill up a lot of the 12 ft square closet (8 foot high)- does that sound do-able? I plan on using CFLs for Veg. I'm wondering if I should go with a 600w or 1000w HPS for floweing, tho. I do plan on installing an intake/outake vent system with a carbon filter. Will the extra wattage and cost be worth it? I'm guessing yes.

Thanks.

extra wattage usually is always better. as long as you can keep your temps and rh steady your good to go.

this sounds very similar to my growspace. You said 12 feet square? 4 feet wide, 3 feet deep? I know you said eight feet high and that its a closet. Give me some more particular parameters and a picture of your area and I'll prob be able to help alot actually.

Here are pics of the closet.

The opening is 46" wide and 81.75" tall.
On each side of the opening is 14" of space until you reach the walls. From the back of the closet to the back of the opening is 25".
Floor to ceiling is 96".

Any more measurements lemme know, I appreciate the help. I know the closet isnt ready but I am vegging in a different room, as soon as seeds sprout. The flower closet needs $$, I know and i'd to know what the best stuff to buy is.

Well, here's what I think brother, done this alot and I think this is going to be your best option. You'll buy everything besides the mylar and light at hardware and fabric stores.

Prep: Remove your doors, the closet rack, carpet optional. Buy a roll of mylar, it should cover the entire closet, floor and ceiling included. If you're concerned about the floor, spray paint a tarp with waterproof sealant that is flat white and attach it to the walls a small way up the wall so the water doesn't run onto the floor. An inch will do. Put a 2x4 across the floor in front of the closet and attach the tarp here as well.

#1. Door. Given this looks like a space thats going to have light in the room outside of it it and this is your flowering area you need a solution. Go to a fabric store. You're looking for something called "blackout fabric" - its professional grade light blocking shit, photographers, people on night shifts, etc use it. This will stop all light completely (I have a 600W MH behind this fabric and there is zero glow) and its flat white and will reflect light well. Buy a roll of velcro (also sold at the fabric store), it will be double sided sticky, attach it to your fabric and doorframe and you will have an easy access curtain that is lightproof. Fabric is usually $7 for 3 feet and comes 54' tall standard. The velcro will vary but its cheap. If you would like to line side facing into the grow space with mylar, by all means go for it, just glue that shit together.

#2. Lighting. A 400 watt will do just fine for that growspace. If you are unsure for mounting, get a stud finder and an eye bolt. Its a big screw that has a circle on the end . Mount the eye bolt in the center of the closet IN A STUD and hook chains from the eye hook to your reflector. If you have a better method of hanging a reflector go for it, this is just what I use in closet setups. You may aircool the hood if you like but a 400 in that space should be fine heatwise if you properly ventilate it.

#3 Venting. Calculate the total cubic footage of your closet and get a fan thats in the ballpark but on the larger side than what you need. You need to replace all the air in 5 minutes. Every fan will have a CFM listed, this stands for cubic feet per minute. Mount the fan inside the closet and buy some ducting for the exhaust, you can cut a hole in the fabric with an xacto knife or a razor blade, put the ducting through it and seal with duct tape. For intake buy a dryer exhaust cap, cut a hole, and mount it into the fabric baffles facing so they will open inward. The negative pressure created in the closet by the fan will draw enough air through the intake with no problems, laws of physics demand it, its not the power of the fan, rather the power of the atmospheric pressure. If the baffles do not lie flat, tape something to the back of the baffles so they fall shut during the fan's off cycles but not heavy enough that the baffles do not easily open during the on cycle. You'll have to play with this.

#4. Plants. . . . . this depends on how you're going to grow your plants. However they fit should be fine, light will fill that closet very well if you do the mylar. All thats left is to monitor heat and humidity and adjust your fan accordingly until you're at where you want to be.

Well man, good luck and happy growing! If this helps hit me with some rep. I needs it.

thanks so much grizzly , +rep for you. so a 400 watt, eh? would 1000 watt get too hot? i read somewhere a g/watt under ideal conditions. i want more, lol.

multiply length by width of the closet for your square footage. HPS gives about 140 lumens per watt, MH about 127. Multiply these numbers by the wattage of your HID, divide by square footage. MJ needs 2,500-3,000 lumens per square foot for good growth.

I' m going to buy soil tmrw, does anybody have a favorite brand thats easily obtainable like at lowes or home depot or something like that? Theres a garden supply store as well, I would like something organic that can go a bit before feeding is necessary. Any brands I need to look for, and what is the best N P K combo to get?

Also-- Should I get square pots to maximize space? Would it help? Also regarding the watt/lumen thing -- if I plan on letting them get 3 to 4 feet high do I need to multiply the square footage by 3 or 4?

Thanks in advance.

fox farms ocean forest is excellent for MJ. It feeds for 2-4 weeks with zero need for more fertilizers. If the garden store sells the soil they should have the fox farms nute trio, excellent for beginners. There is a chart on how much nutes to add to how much water. Square pots do help maximize space a tiny bit. Square footage is the area below the lamp regardless of how far off the floor it is. CUBIC feet is the entire area of your closet. Once you figure out the lumens per square foot in your space its always going to be at that level (until your bulb ages and starts dropping its lumen count)

nice, thanks grizzly.

All good info so far, i just want to point out one thing i notice, ppl quote footprint of a light as square footage possible to grow so that total lumens over square footage is minimum 2500, but you have to remember this is an average and most of those lumens end up in the center region since intensity goes like inverse square of distance so factor of 4 more in center or so.

Basically, try to get lumens per square foot in the high end, like 3500, and the per plant yield should be about twice as good.