# Questions about starting up my grow



## Wantstogrowbuds (Nov 11, 2014)

Really wanna get this going and I'm fed up with waiting around so I figured I'd just ask some professionals. Consider me being broke as well.

Okay, so I recently ran into some 1000w MH and HPS combo lights and ballast. It's got the air cooled hood reflector as well. Basically, I'm waiting on a bit of money before I buy a 200+ cfm fan and carbon filter, and I'm wondering if for the meantime using a 100 cfm exhausting fan (just to cool the lights down a bit) and an open concept room in the basement(with one of those rotating fans as well) would be sufficient until I can afford to put up a tent in an upstairs room with the fan and filter. Any thoughts?

If not are there any other ideas that I could take advantage of until I can afford the proper fan and tent?

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Also, I'll be using the MH first but that leads me to a whole new question. The HPS bulb started to get a little black at the bottom from being plugged in for a little while to test it out when I bought it. Is it safe to use once my flowering process begins?


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## The Hemp Goddess (Nov 12, 2014)

The 200+ CFM is not going to be enough for a 1000W light.  I would get a 6" 450 cfm for a light that size.

What exactly do you mean by "open room" concept?  If you are speaking about just putting the light in a corner of the basement with out any kind of walls, that doesn't work very well.  The light will disburse throughout the entire room and will not give good results.  I really do not advise anyone to pop a single seed until they have a space set up and at least somewhat dialed in.  You probably would have been better off buying the tent and fan/filter first.  You can start plants under CFLs and they will be fine for several weeks.  You are going to not want to use the 1000W on seedlings anyway as it is simply too strong for them.  

Unfortuantely broke and growing great bud do not go together.  It is going to require a certain amount of money to get going and to continue to grow.  Some things you cannot get around.  Having a good space, sized to your light with a good exhaust system is critical and you really cannot scrimp on any of these things.  If you are handy and can scrounge stuff up well, you may be able to build yourself an enclosure cheaper than you can buy a tent.  I also highly recommend buying quality genetics and not using seeds that you find in a bag of dank bud.  There are reasons for this, but the major one is that those seeds are most times a result of selfing and will result in a plant that hermies.

There is a lot to growing this great plant.  In the meantime while you save your pennies, I recommend that you do all the reading you can so you understand exactly what this plant is going to take to get to harvest.  It is not like growing anything you have every grown before and there are a myriad of problems that can happen during the 3-4 months it is going to take.  So, check out soil mixtures, pH requirements, nutrient needs, optimum room environments.  The more you read and learn and are able to put it into practice the better your grow will be.


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## Wantstogrowbuds (Nov 12, 2014)

Ah yes, sorry I was wrong. Just wanted to make sure. Either way I should soon be buying a package from a guy who grew before. 200 dollars for a 435 cfm and 4x4 grow tent. Maybe I will do like you said and start them up with some CFL lights before I get this gear. Also I was wondering another thing, if you don't mind answering. My reflector hood has two holes for ventilation, one on each opposing side of the light, but on one side it's slightly blocked off by the light fixture and cables. Would my best bet be getting the cables out of the way as much as possible and putting the carbon fliter on that end and then sucking the air out of the room with the fan on the other side that isn't obstructed with cables? or would there be a more convenient way to do this?


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## Dman1234 (Nov 12, 2014)

Put the filter up high in the tent. 
Filter..duct..light..duct..fan..out of tent.


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