Questions about indoor gear...

[UniqueHybrid]

Hi!:dance:

My name is uniquehybrid and im new to this forum....

needless to say, im a newb in the arts to

well i was thinking of getting my game on and have started reading up on it...
so i search the web for info and here i find this glorious site.

after looking through some threads i can see there are some highly skilled individuals attending,
this in turn made me register, hoping to learn a thing or two

as i said, im starting it up and want some advice, tips, tricks, anything that you think will make it better is much appreciated.

so witouth further ado....

first off im gonna list all my gear im either buying, have or dont know where to get yet.
if you think anything else should be on that list please tell me.


my grow space will be approx. 4 1/2 square meter,
(can make bigger if necessary)

ph meter

thermo/hydro meter

2x timeswitch

airfan

exhaust fan, squirrelcage

2x HID lamps (high pressure sodium, metal halide)

white plastic

Garden tools, pots, hoses, hydroponics

Nutritions



so im planning to have a vegging and a flowering room in those 4 n half squares, any ideas of how to set that up, space wise?
im thinking maybe makin the veg room slightly bigger than the flower room. confirmation?:p

lastly and most importantly..
as electricity and wiring is greek to me i have found one question to be burning indeed.:(
Im getting ballasts for my hids but i really dont know what to get.

though i know what bulbs im getting: http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=27

i understand that a 400w hid needs a corresponding 400w ballast but is there anything else i should be on the lookout for?
i really dont wanna spend blood on this gear just to later find out its a mismatch,uncompatible

as i live in europe i am unsure wether the ballast i order from, say, US will be rendered uncompatible due to the different electrical standards.
and if that wasnt enough, how will i plug the ballast to my wall socket when the plug prolly wont fit in the socket.

i have never used or even seen a ballast before so any cleareance as to how this works would be greatly appreciated

yours, UniqeHybrid :smokin:

[BlueBear]

Hey, I am about to get off line, but will re read your list tomorrow and make some comments. So far not bad though.
Adieu

[UniqueHybrid]

hi there bluebear!

nice to see some responce!
i was starting to get afraid that my first post came off a bit brute..
anyways, looking forward to hearing from you

[faithlessxxx]

.

Heat and vent is often an issue with those kinds of lights. I'm thinking right now of smacking a hole in the wall of my rented apartment, if I can cover it up well enough, and leading some tubing from my HPS to the hole...

Any way of you checking up on the vent in that room before you start buying 60C of lights?

.

[Skiing Arab]

instead of buying the bulb and ballest seperate, why not buy a light thats set up, seems alot easier m8
the skiing arab

[crazywill]

Hi uniquehybrid
If you are getting a ballst from 1000Blubs.com its going be wire for the usa.
Over seas you have differnt voltage and the plugs are not the same.So I dont think it will work for you.There are grow shops and online shops all over the uk.The watts of the ballast will be the same as the blub.If you have a 400watt ballast you will have to use a 400watt blub ect.I think the cost of the shipping would cost alot more than if you get it from a supplyer in the uk.
Good luck and you are on the right track.

[xcrispi]

to address 1 of your questions ,
i myself would make the veg rooom smaller than flower room . plants tend to strech when flipped back to 12/12 for flowering and thicken up some .

[BlueBear]

I am not always to savvy when it comes to those European measurements, so I am thinking that you are talking about 4 square meters which in US terminology would be about 6 FT by 6ft ? Well anyhow you can explain to me later. I would try to order from a place in the UK because you will have a better chance of getting exactly what you need in the way of ballasts. What voltage do you run on anyway?
Your list is just fine at this point. One question I have though is, if this is your first time then why do you want to grow hydro? It is a great way to grow, but it takes allot of time to get things down with the system, and if you haven't grown before then you will have a double learning curb because why you are trying to learn how your hydro system works you are going to be trying to figure out your plant and its different stages, feedings, sexing and so on and with the hydro, PH, PPM, water temps, grow mediums, hydro style and so on. I don't want to discourage you, just want to give you my input.
Also, last question, do you have a goal in mine in the way of yields that you want? This can be good and bad, first grows usually are difficult and you get what you can, but if you want to achieve a certain goal at some point you want to make sure that you are getting the kind of set up that will allow you to achieve it when you get everything learned.

Adieu

[faithlessxxx]

.

1 meter is slightly bigger than 1 yard.

.

[BONG0]

Dont buy anything US if your in Europe, search for Euro based companys with the ballast u need, also, get a hig pressure sodium ballast you can run a Metal Halide of the same wattage in a HPS ballast. Read some grow guides and brush up alot there is no sence is buying all that and not knowing what to do and your crop dies. i spent a month watching videos reading posts reading grow guides, i even read a book about the botany of cannabis.

[OregonsDank]

Dont mess up with spending money on stuff you will upgrade later.


I would get a digital ballast that can run a 400 / 600 dual spectrum hood.

These run quiet , cool and are have higher light output.

Use atleast 1000 watts of light per 2 meter x 2 meter area for maxium growth or around that.

[UniqueHybrid]

first off, thnx for the input everybody, it really helps alot :)

i want as much weed as i can get from my lights, naturally :p
although i dont know how much is realistic to expect from a single 400 hps

im trying to get my budget sorted out, as i like to have everything planned, then execute.

but those darn lights confuse me, i still really dont know what to get :(

so ive been reading in another thread about cfl's, these look very tempting to have in a veg room instead of a MH, do these kind of lights require a ballast?

and also i have seen some ppl have a set up with clf, for mother and clones.
MH for veg and HPS for flowering. that requires three separate rooms...
is this a good idea?

the way i want it set up is with constant supply from a mother, do any of you have any good way of setting that up? i mean if have the mother in the veg room under MH wont she grow too much?

faithless:

about the ventilation, the way im going to set it up is exhaust through a rear window in my room, its actually quite perfect as the window is very remote :)

i dont have anywhere to get my intake though, i suppose i could take it from another room in the house, but that would be much hassle as i would have to leave the door open or bash a hole in a thick concrete wall.
so im thinking some airfans will do, i hope im right.

oregons dank:

where would i get these ballast? the search engines are filled with garbage and its kinda hard knowing wich site to trust :(

anyone have a good europe supplier? if you dont want to link PM me plz!

also bluebear, ive decided to scrap the whole hydro thing, i think youre right, i better take one step at a time.

Bong0: and that goes for all HPS ballasts? they all have that feat?
i think i would need two separate ballast anyways as i am going to use the HPS and MH at the same time in different rooms

[UniqueHybrid]

aaaargh.. why is there not PM function here??
:(

[UniqueHybrid]

bluebear i dont know the voltage here, this must sound retarded but how do i find it?

[BlueBear]

Well, I imagine you could call a local hardware store and ask the electrical, or anyone department. You can clone and keep a mother in the same area under MH or CFL's. I have mothers under a 175w MH and I also have 6 23w CFL lights in there that I can take out when not in use by just removing the bulbs for the MH to penatrate threw the cabinet, the rack of CFL bulbs are lined up under the MH light and when I have baby clones I just turn off the 175 MH and turn on a few CFL lights and this will keep the mother doing alright too, then when the clones are rooted and ready for more light I take out the CFL bulbs and flip the MH on. But all the same, you could just use CFL lights for clones/veg and mothers if you wanted to, I have done it that way.
If you go with a small area for mothers/clones with some CFL's you could put more money into your flower room lighting and maybe get a 600w ballast. Well, I will try to find some stores in the UK that you can order from, there are quite a few good ones.
Adieu

[UniqueHybrid]

thanks a bunch man,
i think im getting a pretty good idea of how im gonna do this now :)

[UniqueHybrid]

so im thinking 600 hps for flowering will hit the spot :)
im gonna wait with the MH and just go cfl with my veg, i can always get one later on.

any idea of how much/many cfl i will need for that purpose?
the veg room will be approx. 20 square feet

btw my room height is 6 feet+

again thanks for your help

[UniqueHybrid]

230 VAC 50Hz

will that work with uk appliances???

please help me find something compatible BB im counting on U!!!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-600W-DIGITAL-BALLAST-REALISTIC-PRICE_W0QQitemZ130042084492QQihZ003QQcategoryZ4355 5QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
please tell me if this one will work and i will love U 4ever

[UniqueHybrid]

ok dont bother answering that i found out

and now im going to stop with my noob questions and take bongos advice and read some more before even opening my mouth again

let this thread R.I.P plz