confused about the lights

[jasper]

Well....here i am again....I have no real idea what to do about the grow lights.....i am going to set up a hydro system ....5 plants....and was wondering how strong the lights should be. I have seen all kinds from 150 watt to 1000 watt switchable. Whats good ??? :confused:

[bonbon]

if the area is 3x3=9squ-ft=about 400WTs(almost 45 WTs per squ-ft)should get some good results,now you'll have to dump the heat from the lamp(exhausting the area=outtake fan)they get kinda hot....bonbon

[dumass]

I would try to create an enviroment where 50 watts p.s.f. in available to your plants. Even better if you are aware of your light's lumen output try to get 6000-9000 lumens (for growth as little as 3000 will do but let's keep em' happy!) p.s.f. . If you are unaware of your bulb's lumen output maybe check online, like at www.1000bulbs.com and take it from there..... Also, it sounds like you should be running metal halides at this stage (veggie?) but if you don't know that by now then I doubt any of this made sense..... Good luck man, and keep eveyone updated on your progress..................

[jasper]

thanks......it makes sense, even to a newbie..........i will try not to screw this up too badly.....i dont expect too many miracles first time around anyway....thanks again you guys

[dumass]

Greetings Jasper, Hey man, I'm allways cynical (it's an East Coast thing....) but I don't mean to be rude...... After all, I'm AM the guy who modeled for the newbie description photo in Webster's dictionary...... Allright, I made that up.....but I DID just come over on the newbie boat too. Say, was that you I saw smoking on the upper deck? Anyway, could you use a Sun Gro (hood) w/ 400 watt Sun System switchable ballast with glass, cords and a MH or HPS bulb, for $367.24? That even includes postage!! Yeah, I thought so.... www.futuregarden.com Happy hunting- P.S. You might want to think about the flanges and a vetilation fan too, 400 watts can get pretty hot in smaller set-ups-