What Wattage/lighting to use?

[turtle420]

Hello people, thanks in advance for your help and advice. :)

I have a quick question: I'm planning on doing a 36" x 20" closet/cabinet setup. What lighting should I use?

250W? 400W? 500W? 800W?

Can anybody please direct me to something that would give trully great buds? I'm looking at this setup, but I don't know if it's completely over-kill for my cabinet [http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=HLDSSP08&eq=].

Should I use MH? HPS? Both? Thanks in advance! :D

[mafia819]

Hi,

You can use dual ballast 400w for your grow if you plan on growing on batch at a time. Note that you will need proper ventilation at around 150cfm - 250 cfm(some blowers between 150cfm - 250 cfm wich fits the a/c flange on the hood are great, there are some good one on eBay for around 50$) for your 400w lamp as it will produce heat in the cabinet and you need air circulation as well inside.

Btw, air coming through the blower exhaust must eject outside the cabinet to prevent re-heating the cabinet.

Hope this helps you a bit ;)


Happy Growing! :D

[Garden Knowm]

A 600watt bulb is considered by many to be the perfect bulb. Buds are signif. bigger using a 600wattt as opposed to a 400 watt.

You will need to exaust this grow space with such a strong bulb..

good luck : )

[HARDDON]

Simple here...

You have approx. 5 sq. ft. use the following:

Lumens....PER SQ. FT.

2000 required to sustain stem and a couple of leaves. Barley.
5000 adequate lighting to grow tomato plants :)
7000+ Optimal Lighting to grow really nice tomoato plants :)

If you are serious about growing, consider an MH bulb used in flower stage with an HPS is an excellent source of UV-B rays which the plants will use to make stronger THC....but you need to keep the HPS dominant so use HPS 2:1 with MH.

[seedbare]

carefull hps puts out ALOT of heat for such enclosed area.
GROW LIGHTS FAQ
Last updated, January 12th, 1995
HTML by Psilo




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The purpose of this FAQ is to help limit the spread of misinformation regarding effective artificial lighting systems, and help those who choose to grow plants under artificial lighting make an informed decision before buying a lamp.
Most of the information contained in this FAQ comes from printed sources, and some from electronically distributed files. Very little comes from my own experience, as I have not owned, used or examined most of the systems discussed here.

This FAQ is not going to tell you how to use your lamp, that information can be found in most grower's guides.

Introduction:

There are three major types of lighting systems available right now: incandescent, fluorescent, and high intensity discharge. Incandescent lights are horribly inefficient (especially the screw-in "grow bulb" type) and really not an acceptable option for plant growth. Although they are inexpensive to purchase, their cost of operation makes them the costliest source of light.

Fluorescents:

Until the early 1980's most indoor growers used fluorescent lights to illuminate their garden. These tubes have tremendous advantages over incandescents. They emit about 3 times as much light as an incandescent (given the same wattage), and the light spectrum is one that plants con use more effectively.

However, they do certainly have their limitations. Light is emitted over a large area, so it is not concentrated. Because of this, the lights have to be hung very close to the plants (usually within 2" or so from the grow tips), and constantly moved to accommodate plant growth. This makes garden maintenance rather difficult, even when the lamps are hung on chains.

Florescents are, however, very useful in cloning, and starting seedlings. Because in these stages, a plant is not growing vertically very quickly, the disadvantages of moving the lights are reduced. They also put out a more gentle light than the HID lamps, and release less heat. The fact that they produce less heat is very important to those growing in enclosed and not-especially-well ventilated spaces.

If you choose to use fluorescents, it is best to purchase the 'cool white' variety. The ones that are sold as grow lamps (including grow-lux, vitalite, etc.) are much less efficient than a standard fluorescent, and just do not put out enough light to be useful. The slightly different spectrum produced by these lamps does nothing for most plants. Some growers have reported excellent results by using a mixture of cool-white and warm-white lamps in a florescent fixture.

High Intensity Discharge Lamps (HID's)

High intensity discharge lamps are easier to use, and more efficient. Low wattage HIDs are sometimes sold for household outdoor use. Large Wattage lamps are used for lighting streets, parking lots, stadiums and other large areas. They come in two basic flavors:


METAL HALIDES
or MH lamps emit a white light that looks slightly bluish. They are used to light stadiums, convention centers, gymnasiums, and other large areas where a natural looking light is desired.

HIGH PRESSURE SODIUM
or HPS lamps emit a pink or amber light. They are used for lighting parking lots and other areas where the color of the light is not important. HPS units are much more efficient than MH ones, producing more light and less heat per watt of energy consumed. They are often used alone with no detrimental effect on the plants, and will promote faster plant growth than MH lamps during both vegetative growth and flowering. Combinations of bulbs are _NOT_ required, as the HPS lamp does produce all of the light spectrums necessary for healthy growth.
There is a relatively now type of HPS lamp that has become available. It is called the San Agro lamp (Look in _Grower's Edge_ Magazine for more than a few distributors. Basicly the designers of this lamp took a 400w HPS lamp, and added another 30W element to it, However, this new element puts out blue light, to help fill in the parts of the spectrum that a standard HPS is missing. I've never actually seen one of these bulbs, so I can't tell you about how efficient they are, but if a Hydroponics magazine thinks they're terriffic, I can't disagree.

MH lamps are available in 175,200, 400 and 1000 watt sizes. HPS lamps come in 50, 75, 150, 400 and 1000 watt sizes. San Agro comes in 430w only, but it works with a 400w HPS ballast. Each lamp requires its own ballast, which comes with the fixtures that are designed to use these lamps, and are also available separately.


The following chart shows how much light each lamp emits, and the area that it covers adequately:

Lamp # of Lumens Square Feet
4'FL (CoolWhite-40W) 2,960 1-2
8'FL (CoolWhite-75W) 5,800 2-4
MH 175W 14,000 5-10
MH 400W 40,000 12-20
HPS 70W 7,600 3-6
HPS 150W 16,000 6-11
HPS 400W 50,000 15-30


Gardens should receive 1000-3000 lumens per square foot. Successful gardens usually are lit at around 2,000 lumens per square foot. During the vegetative stage, plants stretch out when they receive low levels of light. During flowering, the flowers are looser and sparse.

So what is the best lamp for grow6ing? It depends on your budget. HPS lamps are by far the best overall, but they are also the most costly to purchase and setup (although some less honest growers have a tendency to steal them from college campuses and the like). However, they are the cheapest to operate, and the utility savings does eventually add up.

A quick warning: At least in the US, there are large government agencies whose only purpose is to eliminate the growth of marijuana. Although purchasing a high powered lighting system does not mean that you will be growing pot (and many people grow other things artificially), it is still not a really good idea to link your name with the purchase of one of these lamps (especially the larger ones). Go into the store knowing exactly what you want, pay for it in cash, and do not give them your name (or give them a false one if they even ask). Most lighting distributors will not ask any questions.

I wish you a healthy and happy crop.




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Last Modified - Thu, Mar 17, 2005 Used by Erowid with permission of author

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[turtle420]

Hello... thanks for the reply... lots of usefull info there...

More questions:
I'm looking at these T5 flourescent lights.... [ http://www.tcs-hydroponics.com/doc/highfluoro.htm ]... will they work?

Remember, my initial setup was 20"x36"... I'll change the setup from 36" to 4' (maybe 4ft and 2-3inches) so the big T5 bulbs fit. {The T5s come in 2ft and 4ft versions... but I think, again THINK, that only the 4ft versions come in both heat ranges; 3000K and 6000K}

Will these 'high performance' flourescent lights work? I'm thinking on getting two 3000K bulbs and two 6000K bulbs.

Your advice is greatly appreciated! And don't worry, you're not helping in vain... I hope I learn as much as I can, so in the future, maybe I can be answering some questions from newbie growers... Thanks for the help.

---||| |||---
Ventilation: I'm going to do my own carbon filter system (I've got a very good guide link) and put a fan taking air 'out' of the closet. Let's see how this turns out...
---||| |||---

[HARDDON]

Turtle...

I actually spent some time reading up on those via the link you gave...

Not bad lights actually.

But very non versatile. ONce the seedlings pop out and start growing, is when trouble can / will start for these FIXED POSITION lights.

FOr CFL to work, you need to be with in inches...like at the most, 2" from the plant top. What are your plans when three plants grow twice the size as another?

Think about these things.

If you buy a fixed position lighting system, you eliminate all hope of placing lights in strategic positions for maximun effect, later on when its needed.

These lights would be great for same strain clone fields......but their lack of versatility would prevent me from going with these if I were in your socks :)

[seedbare]

save your self $150 AND get some of these;






Coralife 50/50 VHO Fluorescent Bulbs

The Coralife 50/50 lamp is a mixture of 50% 6000 Kelvin natural daylight and 50% blue actinic 03 phosphors. These full-spectrum lamps enhance color and clarity while providing tank inhabitants with the proper light required for essential biochemical reactions. Organisms dependent on light for photosynthesis will thrive in this lighting environment.
Dimensions:
T12 Style Bulbs
Ship Weight: 4 lbs for 24"
Options:
24" 75w $20.99
36" 95w $21.99
45.5" 110w $23.99
48" 110w $23.99
57" 140w $29.99
60" 140w $29.99
72" 160w $36.99
See Also:
Saltwater Additives

[Garden Knowm]

T5

is all the rave these days... The peppers in the store look good..LOL

MH- is not necc.. not even in the slightest...

[HARDDON]

It matters not what the rave is. Fixed CFL's in a multi plant grow wont work as well as CFL's that are adjustable and independent of one another.

If on nothing else trust me on this.....I know CFL's :)

Veg cycle is for prepping for flower. To prep for flower in maximum fashion, you need to be able to manuver and change lighting angles and intensitys,,,,or at least be able to adjust the plants to the lights.

Either way, it is a mandatory factor if you want your plants to really be prepped properly prior to flower.