3 Weeks Old, Come check!

Alright, so I found my primitive digital camera so I decided to take pics of a youngling I have going and see how it stacks up. So, how's she looking boy and girls?

OK, here are the pictures

Well, looks healthy...But 3 weeks old? Seems kind of small for that amount of time. What kind of light you have on it?

Here's hoping it's a girl...

I only have 3 T8 Floro's giving off 1000 lumens each. The color temp is 41000K. The area is 2.75 sq.ft. So it's only getting about 1000 lumens per square foot which sucks I know. I'm upgrading to a HPS system soon.

Speaking of which, do you recommend a MH lamp along with the HPS, or will vegging be just as good with a straight up HPS? Thanks for sharing the love.

To elaborate - Will my yield be that much bigger if I use the MH during Veg and switch to my mentioned 250w HPS during flower? I'm definitely getting the 250w HPS, but I'm on the fence about the MH. I'm going to have 9 little ones in a 8.25 sq.ft. space with a ceiling of about 7 feet if that makes the question any easier.

Them floro's should be ok while they're young, how far away from the plants do you have them?

I'm not sure if a mh will have much if any impact on yield over a hps. MH seems preferable as it gives tighter nodes and keeps the plant shorter.

Oh and a 250w hps for flowering an area of 8.25 sq ft is pretty low, you'll get around 3300 lumens per sq ft. I'd get at least a 400 watter or probably a 600.

Hudson, are you positive about this? I've talked to many individuals (on this forum and otherwise) and I've been told the 250w would be sufficient. I, for one, don't know all that much so I must inquire....
I have a couple questions for you though hudson if you don't mind.

- I plan on getting a remote ballast system but ventilation is going to be a problem! How hot would a 400w get compared to a 250w? I'm certainly going to have ventilation and sufficient air circulation but I can see that venting OUT is going to be an issue. So, do you know the average operating temperatures of each? Does anyoen know for that matter?

Hey fresheadies, check this link

http://boards.cannabis.com/indoor-li...uch-light.html

It's a sticky in indoor lighting.

A 250 hps puts out around 28,000 lumens, which in your area gives 28,000/8.25=3394 lumens per sq ft. The sticky says 3000 lumens Gives "Pretty Good growth. Enough light for the entire light cycle, although your yields may be lower."

Whereas 5000 lumens per sq ft "Optimal growth. Dense growth in all stages"

He also says "I've seen people use a 250w in a 3' x 3' room and get good results. That's 9 sq. ft. which = 3000 lumens a sq. ft. (Really, a 250w HPS is better in a smaller area.)"

So you can use a 250w but you'll need more if you want optimal lumens for your plants and more importantly optimal yields.


Why will venting out be an issue? You really need to exhaust the heat out of the grow area and allow new fresh air to be brought in. I can't tell you the temperatures the lights get too, only that they both get very hot.

I can get a 400w system with either 50,000L or 55,000 and they come to 6060L/sq.ft. and 6666L/sq.ft.. Just to make sure, this isn't overkill?

Hey fresh, i'm running a 250 hps in a 2x2 ft area giving 7,000 lumens per sq ft and have had no problems. The only problem I'm aware of with too much light is bleaching of the leaves, if that happens just move the light a little further away!

You really only need to be concerned with proper ventilation, but there's very little difference between the 250 and 400 in terms of heat, you're gonna need a good extraction system for either.

Good luck!

Alright Hudson, you've pretty much eased all my nerves regarding heating and lights, thanks. But, I have one more question..... Do you know how hot mini-ballast systems (ballast included in the lighting hood) get in relation to a remote ballast? I know it will be hotter with a mini-ballast system but they're so much cheaper than getting a seperate ballast, reflector, bulb, etc... Thoughts? Hopefully answers? Thanks alot, all of your information has been helpful.

Hey fresh,

I've not got any experience with ballasts that are incorporated into the lighting hood i'm afraid. I'd "GUESS" that they aren't really any different to remote ballasts but as they're inside the growing area they will be a little warmer as the temp in the grow area will usually be warmer than outside so they will run a little hotter. Also they will raise your growrooms temps but probably not too much.

I'm not sure they're much cheaper than seperate lighting kits tho, when i was looking at lights some time ago they were maybe $20-30 cheaper, but i'm in the UK so things maybe different on your side of the water. I assume you've checked out ebay?

Yeah, I've absolutely checked out my resources and have found a nice little website that is not only professional and discreet, but their prices are better than or equal to the same products listed on ebay, pretty surprising. From my research (and I've done alot of it)I'll be able to save about 85 dollars (wish it were pounds) going with the mini-ballast system so I'm really leaning towards that option. Thanks for all of your help man, a helping hand is always appreciated.