Need help with lighting

So I really need to make a decision on how to set up the lighting for my flower box and was wanting some advice.

The dimensions are H:6ft W:4ft D:2ft

These are the options I was thinking about.

1) 1 x 250 watt hps
2) 1 x 250 watt hps + 2 side 50 or 100 watt cfl's
3) 1 x 400 watt hps
*any other suggestions welcome

I am trying to keep the energy cost down so want to get the most out of as little power as possible. Also I live in Australia and the outside temperature in summer is about 27c - 35c or 80f - 95f so I need to also worry about keeping the heat down as well.

THX.

More watts=more buds, more buds=bigger yield---keep that in mind but if for example u got a 400watt HPS they do get hot but you could get a fan blowing around ur plants to keep temperature down. If i was u i would get a 600watt HPS!!

it sounds like you already know the tradeoff between light and heat removal. the answer to your question depends on how well you can vent or cool the air. the 400 would be the way to go if you can cool it with your individual circumstances. does your house have airconditioning? if not, you are going to have to use a portable ac for your grow space or it will get too hot. if you can;t aircondition, go with the 250 with or without the cfl and vent extensively. not sure it;d be enough, however.

desertrat said:

it sounds like you already know the tradeoff between light and heat removal. the answer to your question depends on how well you can vent or cool the air. the 400 would be the way to go if you can cool it with your individual circumstances. does your house have airconditioning? if not, you are going to have to use a portable ac for your grow space or it will get too hot. if you can;t aircondition, go with the 250 with or without the cfl and vent extensively. not sure it;d be enough, however.

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No a/c unfortunately and I want to try and not use a/c if possible. Do you think a cool tube will be able to keep the temp down enough with a 400 or should I just stick to the 250 and take it from there? The last thing I want to do is throw away money buying 2 lights and just using one. My build is already costing me much more than I wanted to spend as it is. However on the flip side I don’t want to have a crop that takes ages to grow and gives me nothing but fluff either.

One other question is if a add 2 x 100 watt CFL’s to a setup with the 250 watt HPS will that affect the temperature much? I.e. will it be cooler than just a single 400 watt HPS?

your problem is that 95 f is already way too high. any light is just going to make it many degrees hotter. ventilation of any kind, even a cool tube, is not going to help if the air you;re using is already hot. you need an a/c or you can only grow when the temps are in the 70's so that the temps in your grow area stay in the 80's - sorry for the units for temp.

How about lighting for my Veg room?

Its dimensions are H:4ft W:2ft D:2ft = 16sqr ft

I want to veg and house the mother in this room using CFL's. I currently have 1 x GROWLUSH HYDROPONIC 100W ENERGY SAVER LAMP 6400K is this enough? I am guessing that I need more but how much more?

gadget said:

How about lighting for my Veg room?

Its dimensions are H:4ft W:2ft D:2ft = 16sqr ft

I want to veg and house the mother in this room using CFL's. I currently have 1 x GROWLUSH HYDROPONIC 100W ENERGY SAVER LAMP 6400K is this enough? I am guessing that I need more but how much more?

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you size lights by either watts or lumens. for fluorescent lights you would want 300 total watts or 18,000 lumens.

gadget said:

The temps I quoted are the outside air. I would guess that the temperature of the air in my houe would be around 75f -80f at peak.​

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boderline situation then. the grow area will probably be at least 5 f hotter than your indoor air if you vent really well.

desertrat said:

boderline situation then. the grow area will probably be at least 5 f hotter than your indoor air if you vent really well.

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Ok thats good to know. And again thank you!