# What light should I use? Closet grow!



## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 1, 2008)

this will be my first grow, in my closet, 2nd floor of the house

I got dinafem feminized seeds

gonna try to do two plants in soil...

blue hash and white widow

my space to grow is 4 feet by 4 feet (technically 51 inches and 52 inches)

the height is probably around 7 feet, but sloped to 4 feet

I was thinking about a 400w HPS from start to finish, or do you think this is too much for the area?

the closet doesn't have a vent, but I'm going to easily put one in, gonna put it in low, so I can use it to hit the plants with, because I can maintain a constant temperature in my room/closet with my thermostat.

only problem is I don't know how to vent out, I do have a door in the closet that accesses the attic, but it's not a door door, it has hinges on one side like a normal door, but you have to push it and it sort of sticks in the door seal. any ideas on this would be great...

any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

thanks for having a look!

Johnny


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## Funkfarmer (Oct 1, 2008)

Imo 400 watt would do fine, as for the vent pics would help alot.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 1, 2008)

I'll try to get some pics up sometime tomorrow...

in the meantime, any other opinions?


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## Fadeux (Oct 1, 2008)

As long as you are venting it, why not go 600? You can never have too much light, and the only issue would be extra heat. If you aren't using MH for veg, and have a little extra cash, I think 600 would be the better choice.


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## Sin inc (Oct 1, 2008)

when you have the acttic door open can anybody see that he door is open anddoes anybody go into the acttic  
can you usea drill and cut a 4in whole in the acttic door. if so can use your drill to cut he hole goto hmoedeopt and get your self about 5 feet worth of the thing that looks like a giant slinky that you put on the back of your lundry dryer.then get 2 computer fans the more powerful the better. ok now take 1 computer fan and attchit to the door with some screws. then attch the hose to the fan some how. now you take the other fan and attch it to the other end of the hose now make sure you put this end up some where high to pull the heat from your room.this set up should keep your room temps down and since you have other opening briging fresh air this should work nice


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## The Hemp Goddess (Oct 1, 2008)

A 400W is not quite enough for 16 sq ft.  You want a minimum of 5000 lumens per sq ft for flowering.  A 400W puts out around 55000 lumens, which is 3437 lumens per sq ft.  A 600W puts out around 90000 lumens or 5625 lumens per sq ft.  A 600W puts out more lumens per watt than any other size HPS.  You might want to consider a conversion bulb.  A HPS during vegging will cause the plants to stretch.  An air cooled reflector makes a lot of difference in the heat.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 1, 2008)

hmmm I'm not sure about the 600w...

I basically only want to grow 2-3 plants for now...

I don't really smoke weed at all (but when I do, I love it)

I originally wanted to do CFLs, but decided to try the HPS since the quality and quantity would be better. I know there is always something better, but I figured the 400w would be nice for 2 plants. 

Sin inc: no one will be able to tell about the attic door being open or not...

no one goes in the attic, last time someone went in there was to fix the AC, but it's fine now. thanks for the info about the duct work, I definitely gotta look into that. I'm not sure if my mom would be happy with me cutting holes and stuff in the door, hmmm we'll see...

and another thing, assuming that I do the AC duct work, and the exhaust duct work, I really think I can keep temps down...

But I'm not sure how to light proof the door to the closet... any suggestions?

and I'm always nervous when I think about all these fans and the HPS light on all day, makes me think it would burn the place down...

thanks!

Johnny

PS I'll really try to get some pics up tomorrow


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 1, 2008)

hey Hemp, but couldn't I always supplement with a few CFLs?

and you still think 600w for 2 plants?

thanks!

Johnny


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## Fadeux (Oct 1, 2008)

So stick with the 400w, I'm sure hemp goddess knows what shes talking about. But the thing about growing weed, after investing all this money, is it becomes really fun. You might want to do a few more plants next time, and there is no such thing as too much light. 

A buddy of mine and I did a bathroom grow with a 400. We originally used 8-4' tubes of fluorescent, but then figured it would be worth buying a 400w setup, then we decided to go bigger and bought a 600w setup to add to it. We would have saved a few hundred bucks to just go with a 1000w setup from the get go. 

Sounds like the 400w will work perfectly for you, so go with that. Make sure you get a good reflector. I would also advise looking into the lumatek digital ballasts. They aren't much more expensive, are dead silent, generate much less heat, and give off about 20% more lumens. Plus they run MH and HPS.


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## Fadeux (Oct 1, 2008)

SmokeUpJohnny said:
			
		

> hey Hemp, but couldn't I always supplement with a few CFLs?
> 
> and you still think 600w for 2 plants?
> 
> ...



I wasn't saying that you "need" it, just that it couldn't hurt.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 1, 2008)

hey Fadeux, can you recommend a place online to buy one that you mentioned?
a 600w lumatek?

I've been reading for so long about growing weed, and I honestly can see how it can be addicting, hell I read the forums soo much per day and I don't have anything as of now (sent the seeds to myself from Spain, should be here soon)...

so should I attempt 3 plants in a 4x4 area with a 600 watt?

can you veg from seedling with the 600w?
and you think the quality/quantity will be a lot greater with the 600 v the 400?

and finally, the question everyone asks, how about infrared and hot spots...?
I've read some people say protect, others say don't worry about it...

thanks

Johnny


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## Sin inc (Oct 1, 2008)

well you could just leave the acttic door open just little go to homedepot and get yourself a trap the kind they put on cars some velcrow and and a staple gun you sould be able to light prof by putting this tarp on the inside of your room across the door so its like having 2 doors one made of wood andone made of tarp.when you open th door to get into your room just part the velcrow and when you leave well you know how velcrow works. oh make sure that you make your tarp door bigger then your door on all side and make sure it long enugh to leave about 2-3 inch of tarp on the floor so you donthave to worry about light coming out the bottom o the door


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## Sin inc (Oct 1, 2008)

stick with the 400 600 will up your temp alot when you havnt to you venting right


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## Fadeux (Oct 1, 2008)

SmokeUpJohnny said:
			
		

> hey Fadeux, can you recommend a place online to buy one that you mentioned?
> a 600w lumatek?
> 
> I've been reading for so long about growing weed, and I honestly can see how it can be addicting, hell I read the forums soo much per day and I don't have anything as of now (sent the seeds to myself from Spain, should be here soon)...
> ...



I don't know your setup, so I cant speak 100%. I do know a 600w lumatek will run you about 250 at your local hydro store. You can find them on ebay for around 190. Thats where I got mine. I don't know what benefits a 600w will give you over a 400w. I can only tell you the draw backs. Heat. It will produce significant more heat than the 400w, but as long as you are venilating, you should be alright. As far as infared, vent down, not up. Contrary to popular belief, infared can not see through anything, only significant surface heat signatures. There is no reason for you to think a FLIR (forward looking infrared radar) could pick up on your single 600w bulb. I would refer you to Barry Coopers "Never get busted Vol2" for more info on that. (Pm me if you want a copy) 

They dont make a 600w MH bulb. The lumatek ballasts can run either or, but the sad fact is there is no 600w mh bulb. There are conversion bulbs, which give you the same light spectrum as an MH bulb, but thatll run you an extra 80 bucks. I always vegged with 400w MH and 600w HPS. Is it perfect? Probably not, but I still had great product at the end. 

You could easily get by with 400w, but whats the point if 600w is only about 30-50 more dollars. I always justified the cost in this fashion. If spending 60 bucks on my grow gets me 1/8th an ounce more of weed, it is worth it. Market value vs investment.  Let me know if there is anything else I can help you out with, and understand I am no expert, I just know these things through personal experience.

Edited to add: Yes you can veg from seedling under the 600w HPS, but have it up high (3-4 feet) for the first couple weeks, just so the intensity doesn't burn the plants. Its the same case for the 400w.


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## massproducer (Oct 2, 2008)

A 400 will not come close to cutting it in that area, unless you cut the space in half with some panda film, it is not really about the amount of plants it is about the amount of space lit, so at 16 sq ft, a 400 will give you 25 watts per square foot, that IMO, is not even really enough to veg a nice sized plant, you need to get it up to around 50 watts per sq ft, so in that space you are looking at closer to 2-400 or a 1000 watter.

Dealing with the heat is not big of a deal and is something that has to be dealt with to grow respectible buds, because to get respectible buds you need very intense light, the more intense the the faster the plant can photosynthesis, so the larger the buds, with a higher quality.


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## 420usagrow (Oct 2, 2008)

I got a 400 watt MH/HPS w/air-cooled reflector from HTG Supply. They are a top-notch business that really takes customer service seriously. I bought my system on a Friday, and it was delivered on Monday! They will upgrade you if what you order isn't in stock! But I will upgrade to a 600 watt if my yield isn't that good on my current grow. I use a Homebox S which is 31.5 x 31.5 x 64 inches. You would be happy with a cool tube reflector that will really keep temps under control. I duct my exhaust into my closet attic (I live in an apartment). My temps will get up to the low 80s during lights on. So get your venting issues with your attic set up solved and that 600 watt will grow nice, tight nugs! Good luck on your grow! 420usagrow


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## Runbyhemp (Oct 2, 2008)

> They dont make a 600w MH bulb. The lumatek ballasts can run either or, but the sad fact is there is no 600w mh bulb.



I've seen them online


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## Growdude (Oct 2, 2008)

I want you to know that vegging with HPS can work just as good as MH or floro.
Look at the first post of my latest WW grow, I vegged 2 plants with MH and 2 with HPS there is no differance in the amount of stretch.

Im not saying HPS is better but IMO not worth any extra cost of switchable ballasts or conversion bulbs.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 2, 2008)

but what if i'm not utilizing the whole 16 square feet? i'm only going to grow in the middle of that...

why would i buy a light to cover every inch of the room, if i'm only gonna be using the middle?


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## Growdude (Oct 2, 2008)

SmokeUpJohnny said:
			
		

> but what if i'm not utilizing the whole 16 square feet? i'm only going to grow in the middle of that...
> 
> why would i buy a light to cover every inch of the room, if i'm only gonna be using the middle?


 
then you will be wasting a ton of light.

Try moving to the corner then walling it off.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 2, 2008)

here are some pictures of my closet...

I thought about taking the door down, and putting panda film up, then cutting a hole in the top of it and running the dryer hose and exhausting the hot air into my attic (with a carbon filter on the end)

let me know if yall have any ideas and about the 400w in the room(for 2-3 plants)

thanks!!!!!!


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 2, 2008)

also:


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## daf (Oct 2, 2008)

smoke up johnny i was thinking about setting up my first room also i have a spce like yours but i dont know what would be the right amount of light


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## Fadeux (Oct 3, 2008)

massproducer said:
			
		

> A 400 will not come close to cutting it in that area, unless you cut the space in half with some panda film, it is not really about the amount of plants it is about the amount of space lit, so at 16 sq ft, a 400 will give you 25 watts per square foot, that IMO, is not even really enough to veg a nice sized plant, you need to get it up to around 50 watts per sq ft, so in that space you are looking at closer to 2-400 or a 1000 watter.
> 
> Dealing with the heat is not big of a deal and is something that has to be dealt with to grow respectible buds, because to get respectible buds you need very intense light, the more intense the the faster the plant can photosynthesis, so the larger the buds, with a higher quality.



I'd listen, go to 600w, or isolate the lit area with panda film.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 3, 2008)

I think I'm gonna isolate half the closet and get the 400w...

or should I just say screw it and get the 600w?

what would you do ?

thanks again, I'll do some work on the closet once I finally know what to do...

then the grow begins!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Oct 3, 2008)

SmokeUpJohnny said:
			
		

> I think I'm gonna isolate half the closet and get the 400w...
> 
> or should I just say screw it and get the 600w?
> 
> ...



Decisions, decisions...I would go with the 600W--even if you decide to wall part of your space off.  I don't think that there is such a thing as too much light.  

Besides, this growing thing kind of gets in your blood.  You may decide to grow 4 plants in the future.  

As far as the heat, I use the heat from my light to help heat my bedroom in the winter.


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## ozzydiodude (Oct 3, 2008)

Go 600 watts you will thank yourself when the time comes to clone or start new strains. Growing is the most addictive sport there is.


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## SmokeUpJohnny (Oct 3, 2008)

alright guys and gals!

I'm officially talked into getting the 600w!

therefore, I will only panda film my attic door and maybe in front of the closet door, to block the light!

I'll get a 6inch cool tube, so I can hook a fan up to it and exhaust it out to the attic...

now I'm just nervous about cops and heat showing up ;-)

I know about the supreme court decision, but does anyone else have an opinion on that?

how much will a 600 cost me in electricity every month?

thanks again!!!

PS on this site

htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=48956

which reflector would be better? 
The cooltube reflector for 47$
or the easycool tube 6" for 48?


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## Fadeux (Oct 4, 2008)

SmokeUpJohnny said:
			
		

> alright guys and gals!
> 
> I'm officially talked into getting the 600w!
> 
> ...



Well done. A roll of panda film will cost you about the same as the price difference between 600w and 400w. Plus, you can do a bigger area on your next grow. (should you find this fun and fascinating...)

I am a big advocate of "You get what you pay for." Goto ebay and look up Lumatek Ballast. You can find a 600w on there for about 180. Bulb will run you 25 for generic, 100 for hortilux. Reflector, anywhere from 20-200. Hopefully someone else can step in with reflector advice. Thats a weak point for me. A Cord will cost you around 35 bucks. 

The reason I advocate piecing it together yourself, is it requires you to learn a lot more about it. I remember walking into my first hydro shop and asking about lights. They brought up ballasts, and reflectors and bulbs, and I was like "Dude, I just want a light, I want to plug it in and grow some plants..." The setup I am reccomending is quite a bit more spendy, but think of it in the long run. Say you spend 400 bucks on lighting. You don't need to spend it again. So, for an extra 200 bucks, how much more weed can you grow, vs how much more weed could you buy? 

As far as electricity a month, its an easy formula. You pay your electric bill based on Kilowatt Hours or Kw/h. Your bill should say exactly what you pay per Kw/H. On average, I would say between .10 and .30 per Kw/H. Depending on where you live. So we will guess .20 per Kw/H. 

What is a Kilowatt Hour? It is 1000w that burns for one hour. So, if you are running 600w 12 hours a day it amouts to 7.2 Kw/h per day. At $0.20 per Kw/H you are going to pay $1.44 per day to run it. At 30 days, it will cost you 43.20 per month. At $0.10 per Kw/H it will cost $21.60 per month. (someone please check my math on this, I've been drinking )

Anyway, I say piece the system together, learn about the componants, and do it right the first time. The last thing you want to do is drop 200 bucks on a crap system, and then another 400 getting what you actually want.  Just my thoughts...


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