which lights when?

[euthyphro]

whats the neccessary light for each stage of growth? i read on one site that a healthy plant needs 3000 lumens per sq foot. and that hps provides the best color range. i proposed a 430w bulb for a pair of 3' ladies in a 16 sq ft cab, and was warned that heat would be too much. can i achieve the same with cooler lights? people keep saying CFL's, but that wont provide the necessary lumens. do lighting requirements change as plants mature? i've seen cab plans that include seperate compartments for differnt lights, woht intention of moving plants to new cab/lighitng when they begin flowering. i'm getting confused and dont want to start germing my seeds until my cab is finished. i also dont want to make any changes to cab. i want it ready for every stage at the outset.
any advice???:confused:

[orange_cloud]

http://www.linuxbench.org/Posting.html

[Zandor]

whats the neccessary light for each stage of growth? i read on one site that a healthy plant needs 3000 lumens per sq foot. and that hps provides the best color range. i proposed a 430w bulb for a pair of 3' ladies in a 16 sq ft cab, and was warned that heat would be too much. can i achieve the same with cooler lights? people keep saying CFL's, but that wont provide the necessary lumens. do lighting requirements change as plants mature? i've seen cab plans that include seperate compartments for differnt lights, woht intention of moving plants to new cab/lighitng when they begin flowering. i'm getting confused and dont want to start germing my seeds until my cab is finished. i also dont want to make any changes to cab. i want it ready for every stage at the outset.
any advice???:confused:


Yes......the plants light requirements do change as the cycle of life for your plant changes. Cool white fluorescents works for seedlings but when you reach Vegetation cycle upgrade them to MH and switch again to HPS for the flower cycle. A growlux type bulb can give you a good mixed color but nothing beats the proper light at the proper time in the plants life cycle. They grow faster and bigger if you can control the environment and use quality light and the proper nutrients at the proper time.

[stinkyattic]

I did a little experiment recently, using a 4' , 2-tube, flourescent fixture.
In one socket I put a 'plant and aquarium' light, wondering if those things are worth the $8 each they cost. Oh, and BTW they put out a pinkinsh light.
In the other I put a cool white tube.
I centered the seedlings in a row directly below the fixture.
Within 24 hours, all the seedlings were bending and stretching towards the cool white side.
I guess they just like it better!!!!

[harris7]

3000 Lumens is kinda low, i'm going for 5000 but there is no know limit.

yo have 16sq ft for 3 plants?? Thats a huge area for 3 plants

Go for the 430 light and just invest in a good ventalation system to get rid of the heat.

[Tokudai]

I have found using both MH and HPS together throughout all stages of growth has given me the best results.

[euthyphro]

hey stinky thats a cool experiment. no guess work there.

and toku, i was thinking that too. why not mix the bulbs? if plants like variety, provide it.

but now i'm more confused than ever about cab size and light requirements. one site warned against anything over 3000 lumens unless adding C02.
and on another thread several people said the opposite about my cab size. they said 16 was too small for a couple plants. u say too muhc for three??? i meant one three foot plant, not three plants, so by your measure 16sf is complete overkill. what's a poor boy to do?
the cab i want to build is 5ft tall x 2ft wide x 2ft deep. (only 4ft tall worth of grow space) so thats where the 16sf come from.
can anyone bring clarity to this fog?

ps orange, whats yer prob? its a legit question with pertinent background info and i didn't see this q asked anywhere else. so wtf? funny clip though. a-hole:pimp: