need fluro expert

ive grown once before with hps borrowed from a friend which is unavailable to me now. strapped for cash im going to try a grow w/ all fluros. Set up is about 4 foot by 2 foot and 4 foot high. Im still waiting for my seeds to come but i was thinkin 4 plants. Whats an optimal fluro setup for my space? Compact fluros? the long tube ones? I was in home depot and saw some 65 watt compact fluros that i was going to buy, but it said they could only be fitted in a 65 watt floro fixture. Is it worth it to buy the special fixture or just use more of the compacts that will screw into a regular light socket cuz i have plenty of them around.

Any help would be incredible. - :Dstay high :D

Essentially any floro's will do for starters.

Keep the real close to the plant tops. Keep a fan on them to keep them cool.

Your challenge will come once they start growing at about the 3rd week.

At that time, you'll need some serious full spectrum CFL's to continue vegging without stretching.

If you are wanting to grow some serious bud, dont bother with anything at Home Depot for lighting.

They do sell the MH and HPS bulbs but not the ballasts you'll need to run them.

GO figure.

Also, think about your 4 foot height. Your lights and exhaust will take some room, and then the pot you grow your stuff in will take some room as well.

How much does this leave you for height?????

Same mistake I made.....

My space turned out too small to do a veg chamber and separate flower chamber.

Anyhow, once flower time arrives, forget the floros. Unless you get real serious about LST and invest in some real floros. Not cheap.

But, I suppose it could be done.

Yet for the cost, you'd be better off with MH or HPS.

thanks for the info-i wont waste my time with an all fluro grow and already solved my height problem. If not home depot whered can i get the ballasts to run a hps at? I guess a regular electric store would sell em, but what exactly would i be asking for. Also (being the cheap ass that i am) would a 150 watt hps supplemented with some cfls be enough to sustain 2 small to medium size plants through flowering?

thanks for your help

The trouble that I ran into when I run both CFL and HPS are leaf tip burn.

As my grow got bigger, the CFL's gave way to the MH and HPS. For obvious reasons.

Then, to keep the CFL effective, I had to get them real close to the sides of the plants. Leave tips were / are constantly getting too close to the lights and I sustained some leaf tip damage widespread.

Add the fan factor and the fan will blow the leaves up against the floros.

The floros are great if that can be controlled.

The 150W HPS will be fine for growing two small to medium plants if the grow area is small enough.

Your space is, as your post indicated, 8 sq. ft.

That is a lot of space to light up for a 150W HPS. Even if you are growing only 2 plants, the light will dissipate over a greater region.

My grow box is only 3.75 sq. ft. but, it is enclosed, very tight and compact...thus the light doesnt have to cover anything but the canopy and the rest is reflected back onto the plants.

If you are gonna use 8 sq. dont go with less than a 250W HPS.

But you need an MH. Home Depot sells them too. HPS will tend to stretch plants more than desired. It beats a regular light bulb, but for vegging, I would take CFL anyday over an HPS.

The most popular thing going these days is a dual unit...

You can veg with MH, then, with a flick of a switch, flower with an HPS.

All your problems can be solved by buying this: http://discounthydro.com/superspectrum.asp

Again, I do not believe a 150W HPS light will coax the true potential out of 2 plants over an 8 sq. area.

Yes, you can grow weed, but they wont be what they could be.

Get at least a 250W and get either CFL or MH for vegging. Get a 250W HPS for flowering.

Also, a do it yourself ballast is called a MOGUL BASE.

The only drawback with those, is that when you build it yourself, now you have to deal with light reflectors and stuff....other wise the bulbs just hang down. THat is fine too but then you will need more than one bulb.

Gets a bit confusing with all the options when your budget is tight.

Mine isnt so I got some of EVERYTHING and found what worked BEST.

Take your pic...but remember, the plants WILL grow. Your lighting needs will evolve as well. Think about 60 days into growth and your light needs will change as well.

If you go with 250W MH to start, you will be fine. Then flower with the HPS.

Hope this helps.

your thoughts are much appreciated harddon, i think im going to try to compact my set up a little more.... one more question though, i dont understand what a mogul base is. I mean i understand that hps/mh bulbs cant just screw into a regular light socket but how exactly is a mogul base used and how the fuck can i figure out how to build one? it seems like it would be difficult cuz i dont know shit about electric and wiring etc.

if i cant build one what about buying a ballast, whats approximate pricing on one from store?

thanks for ur help

If you go to an electric supply store and purchase a re-build kit for MH or HPS it will come with everything including the bulb and the mogul base, or light bulb socket.
Mogul, medium and candellabra are just different sizes, and individual mogul light sockets can be purchased nearly anywhere, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.

Sorry, forgot to say that they are in the $5 to $7 dollar range for just the socket. Search online for mogul base socket.

thats all i need to use a 250 or 400 watt hps with? what about a mh bulb will that work with the same socket?

No they are not interchangeable, unless specifically designed for that.

A MOGUL BASE socket needs a ballast. Usually they are built in specifically for the light type on the Full Spectrum CFL's. You will need to find the specific type for HPS or MH.

Cant help you there, an electrician I am not.

But NO, do not attempt to burn a MH bulb in an HPS socket or vice versa.

Now, I have not tried it myself, but all the directions to my light shit had big red arrows all over the place warning me not to do that.

And when I read about the hot, flaming projectiles that would come at me in the event of an explosion, I decided not to try it either.

And no, your costs to build a socket to run an HPS or MH will not be $5 - $7 RANGED as well. Thats just for the socket.

You still need the ballasts.

Mogul light sockets are rated by voltage capacity, usually 4k or 5k, (4000 volts or 5000 volts) and MH's and HPS can use the same socket but each must have it's own type of ballast.
I usually pay around $80 US for a 400 watt HPS re-build kit that comes with everything but the reflector. All I add is the power cord from the wall outlet to the ballast and another one from the ballast to the mogul socket on the reflector.
The lamps are generic HPS bulbs but they do work for someone trying to keep expenses down till they can afford better.
The same goes for MH re-builds.