Quote Originally Posted by Damion5050
Question about light roughrider.. I am starting my very first grow.. My space is 3 foot wide 3 foot deep and 6 foot tall.. How many lumiens do you think I need or is there a "FORMULA" that you know so I can figure it out.. Because once I solve my light issue then I can get to growing.. :thumbsup:
3' x 3' = 9 sq. ft.

5000 lumens per sq. ft. and you'll do fine. So that's

9 x 5000 = 45000 lumens

...which is pretty much dead on what you'll get from a 400w HPS. I would use that to flower. It will cover your entire grow area very well. Make the most of the light--flat white plant or mylar on the walls.

However, for veg, I stick with the budget alternative. Get two 10.5" clamp lights at Wal-Mart for $10 each. Get six Y-socket splitters for $1.50 each. Get three three packs of 26w GE Daylight (6500k) CFLs for $8.00 each. Put one Y-socket into each of the clamp lights and then a Y-socket into each end of the screwed in Y-socket. Now you've got four bulb sockets for each clamp light with a good reflector. Those lights will put out about about 7,000 lumens each...perfect for taking 6-8 plants through the first few weeks of vegging. IMO, CFLs do the best job in vegging...each one of those could even take a plant all the way through flower if you wanted. Regardless, it's $55 well spent.