96 watt Power Compact bulbs

[Prodaytrader]

I wish I knew about these bulbs before I installed my T5ho's. I think these rate a bit higher then T5ho's even. For reference I'll show you an ebay listing for the ballast : ebay (http://http://cgi.ebay.com/2-x-96-Watt-Power-Compact-PC-Ballast-SQ-Pin-96W-ARO-/300429030177?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f2f73321) and next look at the bulb: bulb (http://http://cgi.ebay.com/Power-Compact-96-Watt-Bulb-Sq-Pin-Combo-New-/160453239087?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255bc2212f)

I think dollar for dollar and watt for watt these 96 watt cf bulbs can really put out the light. The ballasts look like they can be remotely installed to reduce heat, theses kinds of bulbs don't really even work that well with a reflector as I understand it, so really all you need is the bulb. Considering how many people are recommending vertical lighting instead of horizontal, this might be just the way to go about doing it, if the bulb can stay in the socket and be hung upside down that is.

[MrLegal]

if u used one of those in a closed space 2ft by 14inch wide 4ft high so u think i couple bud 4 to 8 plants? 10,000lum=5000lum sq ft

[Prodaytrader]

I think you would need more then 1, but I think it would be a good solution for you. I'm not sure if they are available in the lower spectrum's needed for flowering. The 6700k's are surely available but those will only get you through veg cycle. For flowering you need a lower spectrum bulb some where in the 2700 to 3000k range. T5 for sure has these spectrum's, not sure about this one. You might contact a flourescent supply house in your city and see if they can obtain the correct spectrum. That's how I got my first set of lights. Usually takes a day or two to get everything you want, but it's faster then ebay and usually cheaper.

[MrLegal]

they have a 3000k

and i have read 5000 lum is all u need to flower
so i will try it

[Prodaytrader]

I think you will be happy with it. Make sure and check out some utube video's for "floro grows" and see what you come up with. T5, T8's florescents of any nature really, see what they have for videos. I start my plants at about 12" or so away from my lights and let them grow up over the next months or so right to the light. For whatever reason T5's pack on the nodes very densely, good for us. I get really bushy plants much more compact then when I vegged with HPS.

I think this will be a simple operation for you since you wont have near the heat problems. I would seriously consider hanging the lights vertically (you would need more then a few to do it right) if you can but either way works in the end. Just run straight 6500k bulbs for the first 4/5 weeks on the veg cycle. Then for flowering swap out the 65's for 2700k bulbs. I wouldn't worry about messing with the 5k bulb, that's really not for growing. Stick with just these two bulbs and I think you will be happy my friend.

Have you looked into using coco? I'm spreading the joyous message of coco these days. I love the stuff so much I asked it to marry me the other day. It said yes. We're getting married, the coco and I.

[MrLegal]

lol for sure
what is the best place to get it at?
and what is the pros and cons

[Prodaytrader]

you need to track down a hydroponic store somewhere in your area. Get comfortable visiting them, they aren't like head shops. You can track down bricks of coco there or online if you choose. It's pretty cheap stuff so I wouldnt worry too much about the price. 10 bucks for 10 pound brick or something like that.

Coco hold water about 5 maybe 10x what soil can hold. It's like a sponge in that way. At the same time, it doesn't hold more then it knows how to handle. Soil has a tendency to create pockets of mud where roots cant grow thus you have to be careful to not over water soil or water too often. Coco will leech out all excess water automatically. It does not create pockets of mud. As such you can water every hour or every day depending on how aggressive you are. Coco is ph neutral which means nothing will leech out from the coco fiber and into the water or plant. With coco you are still in the hydro arena and retain those benefits but you have a more forgiving media in terms of moisture control as well.

As far as I know...there are no cons. My water is cleaner then it was with hydroton, I water less often and the plants are much more stable which is very important especially for a first time grower. You will quickly discover your own ebb and flow of efforts that you put into this project. You also discover that you make a ton of mistakes as you learn all the aspects. Coco will give you a little more wiggle room to make mistakes with. If you forget to water one time or break your water pump in a system with quick cycles you will lose your plants in one day. Soil and coco will survive that.


I would recommend you go with a high quality, most expensive, coco you can buy. Ok so maybe its 12 bucks instead of 10, but the difference will be worth it. Good coco is steam cleaned first to remove sea salts and insect larvae commonly in all soils. The end result is a bug free and salt free media. Soil cant say that.

[MrLegal]

that is some good stuff
i want to water by hand not pump
and that sounds like the way to go
but with coco can u have smaller pots or do u need more room for the roots?

[Prodaytrader]

doesn't matter whether you choose soil or coco in this case. The size of the pot will be in part the determining factor in how big your plant can be. The larger the pot the bigger the plant. In general I would not grow under a 3 gallon pot for either one since the roots will be contained in the container. Some systems allow the roots to grow beyond the container, you wont have that option here so don't scrimp on pot size thinking your doing yourself some kind of favor. Plants need roots and lots of them. Even small plants need lots and lots of healthy roots. I would start in 3 gal pots and if need be switch to the 5 gallon buckets if you think you need that kind of root space and or extra watering time. Keep in mind the larger the container the more water it will hold thus the longer you can go between watering. Since you seem to be leaning towards simplistic options here I would stick to 5 gallon buckets available at HD and drill some holes in the bottom of it. Across the bottom I would drill 10 or more holes and then along the bottom 3 inches or so on the outside of the bucket drill another 10 or more holes. The holes will allow for excess water to drain away. The coco/soil/perlite do the water holding, not the container. The more of the medium you have in the container the more water that will be in the container.

Also while I'm thinking about it...look into something called a hempy bucket or something like that. Perlite might be something else you could mix with either soil or probably coco, although I'm not sure you would need too, but that's another option for long term watering holding material. I dont know too much about that stuff though never used it. Trust me though, soil is not the way to go unless you live some place exotic and have natural rich soil available. This shit sold in the garden centers has nothing but bugs and wacky nutrients in there. I just visited my friends harvest and he does soil. His plants look nothing at all like mine. He does have more successful harvests then I do (in case the fuckers reading now) but his plants have never come close to looking as healthy as mine always do.

[MrLegal]

ok i read a lot up on it
and i think i want to do dwc since i wont have many plants
and i think the coco will work the best
how do u feel about?