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I'm currently planning for my first grow in the next week or so. I ordered an 400 watt dimmable grow tent set. My tent is 60x60x78. Is this tent too big for a 400 watt light? I am planning to grow six auto plants. I got a northern light variety. Is 6 plants too much for my 400 watt light? Could I do more than six? I have read that these plants tend to be smaller and do not require very strong light to thrive. I am gonna do a 16 an 8 light cycle. Any feedback would be appreciated.
that is a large space for a 400 watt, just keep them in the back 2' x 4' area (or 3' x 3'). You can easily grow 12 autos under the 400 watt. I would go for a longer period of light, 18/6 at least.
I figured the tent was too big. I was thinking that if things went good I might get a 600 watt light later on down the road, or put led panels on the walls inside. If I grew 12 with the 400 watt light would that sacrifice yield? How far away should the light be when you first plant the seed? Is there any common beginner mistakes to watch out for?
with auto flowering plants your not talking about growing 'trees' or bushes, time is limited so you want the appropriate size vessel to support the plant, 2-5 gallon will easily support the quick growing autos and I'm sure you can fit a dozen of them under a 400W footprint. If they overgrow the space then I'll be a monkey's uncle. So there.
Ok so I ordered three big buds an three ak-49 an the gave me one free critical auto flowering an one free white widow an one free double berry can I put all them under a 400 watt hps in a five x five x six high an how close should I start with that big light on my seedlingsQuote:
Originally Posted by Shovelhandle
How many plants could I fit in my grow tent totalQuote:
Originally Posted by Shovelhandle
Thomas, This isn't your thread to ask questions. I believe this is J_Julz thread for him to ask questions. Do you have an answer to his question?
I didn't know we couldn't ask questions if it wasn't the person who started the post sorry an no I don't have any answers for him at the time for his questions at hand check back wit me at a later date an I jus might be able to answer his questionsQuote:
Originally Posted by Shovelhandle
So when I start these out do I need the full 400 watts or can I bring up the watts as the plants grow?
It's amazing how many people have viewed this thread an nobody can offer any advice.
It's mainly people like us looking for the same advice for there first time grow too
Well Thomas, what are you planning? Maybe we can help each other?Quote:
Originally Posted by thomas2681
[quote=J_Julz86]Well Thomas, what are you planning? Maybe we can help each other?[/QUOT
Well I'm going to start off with a quick germination. Then place them in dixie cups till they are about a few weeks old . An the stems are pretty strong . An I'm going to use a seed starter soil or a fertilizer free soil . From what I here its BAD for the plant an roots . After the first few weeks I'm going to depot them in 2 or 3 gallon pots then off to veg they go . Then when they have their fifth set of leaves they are ready for fertilizer an there new two or three gallon pots. Not sure which one I'm going to use yet . Then add fertilizer in their feeding on an off each feeding . Then when they are about two feet tall its time for their last an final home a four gallon pot an then the last two weeks of budding I'm going to flush them with jus water no ferts ...... How about your self
Over the last year in preparation for my first grow I read everything I could get my hands or eyes on.(not to be rude but try it, knowledge gained is worth more than given)Quote:
Originally Posted by J_Julz86
IMHO When plants are very small, excessive heat and light can stunt their growth or even kill them. For this reason it is not practical to start them under a HID lamp, youâ??ll certainly be wasting money if you do as youâ??ll need to place the lamp a good distance away from the seedlings (so youâ??ll be wasting heat and light).
Fluorescent lighting is less intense and gives off less heat, so is much more suitable. The propagation lighting available from your local grow shop â?? such as T5 propagation strips or CFL â??eco lightsâ?? will have an output in the blue / white spectrum; this encourages plants to develop roots, grow outwards rather than upwards and will see your plants through the propagation phase and into the early vegetation stage of growth.
These fluorescent lamps are cheaper to purchase and operate than HID lighting and, because they give off much less heat, they can be placed closer to your seedlings â?? so you waste very little light.
I hope this helps...
I have been researching everything I can get my hands on and I joined this community to get insight from veteran growers. Even if I have a dimmable ballast an use only 50% that's still too much? I plan on buying led lighting in the near future though.
That dimming light might work fine - I've never used one so I can't comment on it. I use HO T5 fluorescent lighting for my clones from the first day they are cut until I start them on 12/12 for flowering. This saves on heat generated and the plants seem to veg out just fine - just have to make sure there is plenty of light so the plants do not stretch looking for more light. For flowering I use a 400w HPS light except in summer when its too hot to keep things cool - then I use the T5 lights. Yield is down some but thats to be expected. And in case you don't know you can use the HPS light for vegging if you like. I have a switchable ballast light system with MH and HPS. I see little difference except that (from what I've read) the HPS is a bit more efficient for the given amount of light produced and produces a bit less heat. While the HPS light does get quite hot I've noticed the MH light seems to get hotter.
I also use the same size grow tent as you do. There isn't enough light with a 400w light to fill the tent completely - something I knew when I bought it. I also knew I'd have to make room for a 560cfm fan and the ducting it requires - which is why the larger tent. The light seems to cover a 3x4' area pretty well.
I also wanted to point out I will be growing auto-seeds so I don't need to change light cycles. I'm using a 18/6 light cycle all the way through. I read that these plants are great for beginners to get a feel for how the plant grows. After a few rounds I am gonna try regular strains. I got the tent that size because I planned on getting a 600 watt system down the road and led panels. The fan/filter combo I got isn't even close to that. So I think I'm gonna need a bigger one.
[quote=thomas2681]Transplant your seedlings straight into the pots you plan to finish the plants in. Every transplant stunts growth and adds another chance for something to go wrong.Quote:
Originally Posted by J_Julz86
I have never grown auto flower so I will not comment on that aspect of your grow plans.Quote:
Originally Posted by J_Julz86
For traditional cannabis you may want to invest in some veg lighting. HPS is a flowering light with output in the red spectrum. MH are veg lights putting out more blue spectrum. CFL and LED come in both spectrums and for veg you will want 5000k for cfl or blue spectrum for led.
I'm sure you could veg under a hps but even with a 24 hr light cycle the plants wiil start to flower after some time. Regardless of the 24 hr light the red sperctrum will win out and trigger flower.
The in's and out's of lighting in a nutshell as I understand them. Then again I'm an outdoor guy and only use 5000k CFL indoors to veg.