New Room Design Questions - W/ Pics

So I decided that I have this neat old coal room in my house that I should just convert into something more permanent. I has the old style Michigan walls which make a nice natural shelf. I am also going to use a lot of "budget stuff" with this one, but I am going to upgrade over time when I get a feel for the new room. Obviously this room needs cleaned out. It is roughly 4 x 8 and about 5'10" high. I am going to cover the walls in Mylar "safety blankets" or with a Mylaresk reflective bubble material (better insulation). The entire room needs rewired and I am a fairly handy person and decided to go with either CFL or tube lights. I am only growing three plants at a time with a possibility of incubating another one or two. Here are my questions. What do you think is better in a room like this CFL or tubes? (I want to stick to fluorescents) If I go with a 250 CFL, do I still need a hood? Is one of those enough per plant? If a tube is better, should I go with a double 2 footer per plant? I know with my fluorescents keeping them warm might be a problem, what is a good recommendation for keeping the heat up? It is a basement and tends to run on the cooler/wet side. Any other recommendations for the room? I am trying to keep the price under 100, so any suggestions with links would be appreciated. Thanksâ?¦

skip the Mylar ... paint the walls with flat white paint :thumbsup: ... reflects almost as well, and Mylar dulls badly with time, anyway ... pain in the ass to keep clean, too :wtf: ... if using fluorescents, and you have the room (you do), go with the 48" tubes ... GE 'cool white' for vegetation, GE 'kitchen& bath' for flowering ... the more, the merrier ... keep them within 2 inches when seedlings, then maintain one inch clearance, after that ... that's why high-pressure lamps are best, flourescents can't penetrate the canopy ... maintain constant oscillating fan airflow, throughout the grow ... keep temps as close to 75f, as possible ... (you can't have enough light, or ventilation ;)) ... good luck ... :smokin:

Nice, I might as well primer it and paint it. I think I am still going to mylar the ceiling though. So in a room that is 4 x 8 and with only 3 plants, would 4 - 48" be sufficient or should I look at 6?

Also, my basement is closer to 68-70, is there a good way to add heat if I need to. I assume my tubes won't heat up the room much at all

if it's damp in there, I would also consider a dehumidifier. maybe a small heater could help with your temp. just make sure to get one with a good thermostat. and if you can, go with 6 bulbs. like reaper said the more light, the better. which you can add them as you go.

Yeah, I'll put in a dehumidifier and a small ceramic heater.

Is there any benefit for mounting tubes on the floor or on the side walls?

Other than that, I think I am good. I'll post some pictures next week when she is all done.

run your lights ABOVE the plants ... 'fill-in' lights may be added later, if you wish, but results vary ... Fact: I was up to sixteen 40-watt tubes, when I finally gave in, and switched to high-pressure lamps ... and, I never looked back ... there is just NO comparison ... you can grow healthy plants with fluorescents, but you cannot grow the big, dense buds, that you desire, without making the switch to HPS ... :smokin:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jar3232

Yeah, I'll put in a dehumidifier and a small ceramic heater.

Is there any benefit for mounting tubes on the floor or on the side walls?

Other than that, I think I am good. I'll post some pictures next week when she is all done.

---

Unless you already have the heater and the dehumid, I would try the dehumidifier 1st and check temps. They put out a fair amount of heat by themselves

I have both already. What is a good humidity range to strive for 40-60%?

I have never used HPS lamps. I tried reading through the information here, but it was confusing at best. I think I want to run a smaller setup than most on here. How many HPS would I need for my room to grow 3 plants? Where is the best place to buy those? Can I use both? Sorry about all the newbie questions...

Thanks for all the information so far...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jar3232

I have both already. What is a good humidity range to strive for 40-60%?

I have never used HPS lamps. I tried reading through the information here, but it was confusing at best. I think I want to run a smaller setup than most on here. How many HPS would I need for my room to grow 3 plants? Where is the best place to buy those? Can I use both? Sorry about all the newbie questions...

Thanks for all the information so far...

---

60% is a little high but ok. I would go with 400w Hps.( you only need one) The thing about growing is once you start it is addicting. Soon you will want to try this strain or that. or if want a perpetual harvest you will have to separate your room into a veg area and a flower area. 4 x 8 is a good size for a small grow if separated, or you will need to put up some kind of divider so you can keep as much light concentrated on the plants and not bouncing all around a mostly empty room.:thumbsup:

rule of thumb: aim for 50 watts per square foot ... so, a 400-watt high-pressure sodium lamp would be excellent for a 2' x 4' cabinet, or 3' x 3', etc.... still a 'small' grow, but with much better results :thumbsup: