# Basic lighting question for auto flower? :)



## Peter23 (Aug 19, 2008)

Hey guys, as of now i have one plant in veg. about 1.5 weeks old :hubba: its only under a 26 watt cfl right now.. But thats sort of off topic, because this plant isn't really my main concern haha it was more of a miracle that it even sprouted and i was definatly not prepared  So my plan is to turn my closet into my grow room (my plant is living in a cardboard box right now) lol. my closet is about 3 ft wide 2 ft deep and about 8 ft tall.. but im only planning on using maybe 4 ft tall because i'm planning on growing autos (lowryder, maybe auto AK) but my question is..... If i wanted to use hps bulbs how many would i need to grow (or at least flower, cause i might use cfl for veg) but right now i only have one 100W hps bulb without the ballast (lowes only carries bulbs not whats needed to use them)  so say i wanted to flower 4 lowryder plants how many HPS bulbs/watts would i need to flower these lovely dwarfs? Also.. I'm not completely sure how much ventilation i will have in there i plan to have a couple fans circulating air and trying to kep things cool. but how important is it that i get them fresh air?  is opening my closet door enough? and is it ok if i just close it while I'm out? i was also thinking of maybe rigging a small fridge/freezer to my box for some cool air maybe? (just an idea) is there any other way to get fresher cool air? or is it not too important for 4 small plants? or what if only grew 2 plants would that make things easier? ventilation wise?



*ALSO!* can anyone recommend where i could find some HPS bulbs or their ballasts.. and does each bulb need its own ballast and  does each different HPS bulb require a different specific ballast?

thanks a lot guys!,
Pete


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## Melissa (Aug 19, 2008)

*hi there well what ever u use u are going to need intake and outtake fans for ventalation ,,,i used  computer fans to take out the heat and send in fresh air ,,,,,
if you are in america try ://www.htgsupply.com/ for your bulbs and ballasts 
and you will need to match the ballast to the bulb ,,,you can buy a complete set up there 
also not sure what sizehp you will need but i guess it will be the minimum of 400 maybe go for a 600 or 1000 but dont forget they will put out a lot of heat
goodluck :48:
*


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## gettinggray1964 (Aug 19, 2008)

a 400 watt hps would work great in that size closet


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## Peter23 (Aug 19, 2008)

gettinggray1964 said:
			
		

> a 400 watt hps would work great in that size closet



just one would be sufficient enough for four small plants? 


Thanks,
Pete


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## gettinggray1964 (Aug 19, 2008)

and so would some good cfls....


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## gettinggray1964 (Aug 19, 2008)

yes, i got 13 plants started under a 400 watt hps in my 4x4x6.5 tent right now and they are jamming dude.....


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## Peter23 (Aug 19, 2008)

sick bro so you think if i use a 400w and a few cfl's i could make it though veg and flower? with even more than 4 plants?


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## nikimadritista (Aug 19, 2008)

Get a fan to move the air inside the closet and blow air out when U door is open... I keep my door open and it does OK.. Gets a bit warmer when door is closed but not too warm... I'm also on Fuoros but my space is much lower... 
It's better to have a fan sucking air out that a fan bringing air in... 
An open door will do for a closet... 
Get those lowriders.. Wanna see some pics


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## gettinggray1964 (Aug 19, 2008)

sure with that 400 watt hps and cfls for side lighting you could feel you grow space up... dont know the figures right off the top of my head right now because i just smoke some killer bud. but you want a min. of 3000 lumenious per sq. ft.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 19, 2008)

gettinggray1964 said:
			
		

> sure with that 400 watt hps and cfls for side lighting you could feel you grow space up... dont know the figures right off the top of my head right now because i just smoke some killer bud. but you want a min. of 3000 lumenious per sq. ft.



While 3000 lumens/sq ft will suffice during veg, you really want a minimum of 5000 lumens/sq ft for flowering.


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## Peter23 (Aug 20, 2008)

I have decided to go with only 2 plants and a 150 watt hps with a couple CFLs for back up  lol the 150 watt bulb emits 15000 lumen's and seeing as i might only need about one square foot for each of the lowryder plants i think 7500 on each square foot or each plant sounds ok? no? 

Thanks,
Pete


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## The Hemp Goddess (Aug 21, 2008)

Peter23 said:
			
		

> I have decided to go with only 2 plants and a 150 watt hps with a couple CFLs for back up  lol the 150 watt bulb emits 15000 lumen's and seeing as i might only need about one square foot for each of the lowryder plants i think 7500 on each square foot or each plant sounds ok? no?
> 
> Thanks,
> Pete



It really doesn't matter how much space you "use".  Unless you make your closet smaller, your light is being spread over 6 sq ft.  This works out to 2500 lumens/sq ft. or about 1/2 of what you need.  I would like to encourage you to consider a 400W for this space.


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## Peter23 (Aug 22, 2008)

where did you get 6 square feet from?  im not growin in my closet im growing in a grow box in the back of my cloest i have a RubberMaid tub with a base of  15 inches wide 17 depth which leaves me with about 1.77 sq feet 
Its about 30 inches tall as well 

,Pete


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