general questions about lighting

OK so i've been trying to read up as much as i can on indoor growing as i am a noob and plan to in my apartment this fall. me and my roomate will be using her closet to grow (mine to keep the clothes :) ) so we will have a lot of space. i keep reading that hps/mh lights are the best and i've been looking where to get them cheapest.

first issue- i don't really know what i'm doing yet. would you suggest someone who hasn't grown yet get an hps light? i'm afriad it will be like trying to go from crawling to flying...

second issue (if you think i should try it)- can you use...say a 400 watt hps light for vegging and flowering? or just one or the other? cause i have too much to worry about getting this started up than having to distinguish lights for the two. any advice on that? if i HAVE to i will, but i'm lazy and just wanna grow budss already



if it's cool for both then i have more issues...
ok well more specifically, i read somewhere that if you want less than 10 plants, than a 400 watt hps is a good place to start. anyone with experience know how much this translates on an electricity bill??? it's a nice two bedroom apartment, but not the biggest place. will it use a massive amount of electricity?


if you got through all of that- thanks!! it was kinda a mouthfull but i appreciate the help!

Ive grown with a 400 watt in a 2 bedroom apartment. Your bill will go up about 30-50 bucks. Although a 400 watter is a good place. I would start with fluoros about 10 made into a strip of wood or cardboard for vegging. A 400 watt just waste electricity for the first 2 months. After about a month or 2 throw the 400 up for 2 months and your smoking:jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by Forwhat420

A 400 watt just waste electricity for the first 2 months. :

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not sure that id go that far...

if your gonna go with just one light go with the HPS:thumbsup:

ya i got a 600 watt I should have gotten a 400 watt

but at least my 600 watt is the most efficient HPS per lumen!

:D

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Originally Posted by doobie23

OK so i've been trying to read up as much as i can on indoor growing as i am a noob and plan to in my apartment this fall. me and my roomate will be using her closet to grow (mine to keep the clothes :) ) so we will have a lot of space. i keep reading that hps/mh lights are the best and i've been looking where to get them cheapest.

first issue- i don't really know what i'm doing yet. would you suggest someone who hasn't grown yet get an hps light? i'm afriad it will be like trying to go from crawling to flying...

second issue (if you think i should try it)- can you use...say a 400 watt hps light for vegging and flowering? or just one or the other? cause i have too much to worry about getting this started up than having to distinguish lights for the two. any advice on that? if i HAVE to i will, but i'm lazy and just wanna grow budss already



if it's cool for both then i have more issues...
ok well more specifically, i read somewhere that if you want less than 10 plants, than a 400 watt hps is a good place to start. anyone with experience know how much this translates on an electricity bill??? it's a nice two bedroom apartment, but not the biggest place. will it use a massive amount of electricity?


if you got through all of that- thanks!! it was kinda a mouthfull but i appreciate the help!

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personally, unless money isn't a problem, i'd start out with CFL's, they're easy to find, they come in several different spectrums and, because you're using several bulbs, the heat is spread out so you can have the lights practically touching the plants

then, if you find you don't like growing, you can use your CFL's in your lamps around the house.

if you find that you do like growing you can then, either flower with your CFL's (some people get awesome results with CFL's) or you can upgrade to a HPS which will increase the yield of your crop.

and, in answer to your question, yes, you can use the HPS throughout the life cycle but mj can be controlled to some extent by the color of the light you use.

to explain, during the vegetative stage of growth you want mostly blue light (Metal Halide bulbs produce that kind of light as do 'cool white' CFL's), that helps to keep the plant short and bushy.
once it's time to flower, you want mostly red light (High Pressure Sodium lights are heavy in the red's as are 'warm white' CFL's), this will help the buds swell up, giving you a bountiful harvest.

anyway, as a noob, you have to be willing to do some reading while you learn so here are a couple of threads i think you'll find interesting (and come by my imaginary garden, i'm a noob myself and on a tight budget so most of my stuff is DIY)

http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-grow-log.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/closet-ca...oco-s-hut.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...ever-grow.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/closet-ca...ng-thread.html
http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-log/...-learning.html

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Originally Posted by Revanche21

ya i got a 600 watt I should have gotten a 400 watt

but at least my 600 watt is the most efficient HPS per lumen!

:D

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Finding the right size light for your growroom...is critical.

How big is the space.

A 400W convertable ballast that takes both Halide and Sodium is ideal. you can veg and flower with the same ballast and get better results imo than with CFL's and HPS.

Temps are manageable with a 400W.
Ventilation and air circulation in the closet would be another thing to take inot consideration prior to purchasing.

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Originally Posted by justanotherbozo

personally, you can have the lights practically touching the plants

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:thumbsup: good thinkin!

heres a excellent starter thread to get your knowledge up too par.
http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...-dankness.html

:hippy: :hippy: :hippy:

thanks everyone!! you answered all my questions :)