Input needed for # of lights I need to purchase

[DownSouth34]

Well my MP brothers and sisters the grand day has come. I have convinced my wife to let me do a small grow. I will be buying some lowlife Fem AF White Russian beans. I will only be growing 3 plants at a time in a somewhat small box area in our master closet ( I will put up pics when I get to the building portion of my project).

My question is, for all you 150w HPS users, should I buy 1 or 2 of these bad boys. I am a little new to the AF characteristic, but from what I have been reading they veg for roughly 2 weeks then begin to flower. Will I also need to buy a couple good CFL's for those 2 weeks or can I just use the HPS's on an 18/6 cycle?

Thanks in advance, i'm off to class. Keep it safe all and rejoice!!! DS is about to grow :holysheep:

 

[slowmo77]

it depends on how big your space is gonna be. i use two in 4 sq ft. they are 15000 lumens each, that would work for 3 sq ft if you go by the 3000 to 5000 lumens per sq ft.

 

[time4tokin20s]

I would go with 2 or 3.Just add a few daylight cfl's and you'll be fine for veg.I would keep them on during the whole cycle.I have noticed Autos still love a little blue spectrum during the first few weeks of flowering.

 

[DownSouth34]

Thanks for the input you two, looks like 2 will be the magic number and some daylight cfl's.

 

[Fadeux]

Just buy a 400w setup. It wont be much more expensive, and you won't have to worry about questions like these.

 

[DomsChron]

Well my MP brothers and sisters the grand day has come. I have convinced my wife to let me do a small grow. I will be buying some lowlife Fem AF White Russian beans. I will only be growing 3 plants at a time in a somewhat small box area in our master closet ( I will put up pics when I get to the building portion of my project).

My question is, for all you 150w HPS users, should I buy 1 or 2 of these bad boys. I am a little new to the AF characteristic, but from what I have been reading they veg for roughly 2 weeks then begin to flower. Will I also need to buy a couple good CFL's for those 2 weeks or can I just use the HPS's on an 18/6 cycle?

Thanks in advance, i'm off to class. Keep it safe all and rejoice!!! DS is about to grow :holysheep:

Hey man, what I'm saying is just buy a low wattage switchable ballast and buy the MH and HPS bulbs. I'll tell you why. I've used both alot and CFLs will allow plant growth but the only way you'll be truely satiffied is with HID lighting. I'm even against vegging with cfl then flowering because you can increase plant yeild by SO much in that small time you have that MH in. The MH will make your plant VERY large (compared to cfl) before it flowers, and provides a better light penetration, light spectrum, root growth, stem and leaf growth. Your yeild in the end will be increased due to the added bud growth sites.

Also, this won't be your only grow I know this because growing is addicting. You will want these items later anyways for non autoflowering strains. You will be happy you went with it from the start. Enjoy your grow and good luck!

 

[Mutt]

How much do you smoke ever 2 months?
I think peeps get wrapped up into area...but what kinda goal are you wanting to get at for a personal op?
I think that is the first question you want to ask. if you haven't built the area yet and you know what you want might as well design around that. IMO. yes some like me I won't be happy until i get flo T5's in one area for veg and a MH/HPS 400-800W (both for full spectrum) each for flower an another area for crossing. but thats me, where most would be good with an ounce or two every two months. come down to your needs and what your ole lady will be willing to go along with IMO...its her butt too if ya get caught.

 

[andy52]

i would definitely go with the 400 watt switchable,lumatek is a good ballast.it is what i use.i have switched to cfls on the grow i have going now and to me its a hassel with all the lights to get the lumens needed.i will go back to metal halide for veggin my next grow.you also get plenty of heat from the cfls also.also think about the future grows.you will be growing again like Domschron said.it is highly addictive.so be sure you have what you want before you go to buying.i bought all my major equip.at cheaphydroponics.com.good luck and i am sure we will hear from you again.welcome also

 

[slowmo77]

wow, if you grow with cfls they tell you to get an hps, you get an hps and people tell you to buy a bigger one. are you guys ever satisfied? the question wasn't should i buy a bigger light. it was how many 150 watt hps should be use. im not sure if you guys (domschron and andy52) have ever had anyone shoot down your ideas but its not fun. im sure he knows a 1000 watt light is better than a 150 watt. but its most often about the money not the light its self. everyone doesn't have 3 or 4 hundred bucks to drop on a light. or even 100 on a cheap 400 watt hps. its easier to spend 30 or 40 dollars for a couple of 150 watt. sorry but it gets under my skin when i see things like this.

 

[time4tokin20s]

Don't get the switchable ballast for autos!!!You don't need a MH to veg autos.Plus they like a little blue light when flowering.If you're not gonna use the 150's and cfl's then get an agro HPS.

 

[DownSouth34]

Thanks for all the reccomendations guys, but slowmo hit it right on the button. My wife and I are newlyweds, I'm workin on my masters and she is working so we do have to keep costs down on everyting WE do, let alone what I do as a hobby. I would love to throw down some cash on a ballin' 600w MH/HPS system with an amazing 280 dollar fan to keep it cool, but in reality I have added up all my costs and i'm lookin at $325.37 for everything( and this isn't even with an exhaust fan). Hell the 5 seeds and minimum ferts ( bonaticare grow and bloom) are like 140 bucks, so I had to really start cutting costs after just those 2 things ( Lowe's ftw).

It's really more of a challenge project, If i get ounces GREAT! If I get 1 little fluffy bud...well not great but it's more that I got it all the way through flower and saw a plant grow and mature from my care into a sexy lady. I see this as another one of my experiments except this time my collegues are all you here on the MP forums.

 

[DownSouth34]

Well, as my luck goes i'm gonna have to give up my grow project because my wife's car is now in the shop and the siding on the backside of my house is bowing out (smells like a water issue ). Can't wait to see the bill for all this. I thank you again for the input and will be delving into these forums as just a spectator for now. Burn em if ya got em and stay safe.

 

[slowmo77]

thats how my luck goes too. if it can go wrong chaces are it will.. i hope you can get it all takin care of and get this grow goin.. good luck

 

[DomsChron]

wow, if you grow with cfls they tell you to get an hps, you get an hps and people tell you to buy a bigger one. are you guys ever satisfied? the question wasn't should i buy a bigger light. it was how many 150 watt hps should be use. im not sure if you guys (domschron and andy52) have ever had anyone shoot down your ideas but its not fun. im sure he knows a 1000 watt light is better than a 150 watt. but its most often about the money not the light its self. everyone doesn't have 3 or 4 hundred bucks to drop on a light. or even 100 on a cheap 400 watt hps. its easier to spend 30 or 40 dollars for a couple of 150 watt. sorry but it gets under my skin when i see things like this.

Slowmo not to be mean or anything but I don't appreciate this disrespect. I didn't say any advice in that post I made, that I myself wouldn't follow. If you want to get all cocky on me, go ahead but I just want you to know everything I said was just advice. Advice to be taken or ignored. It's not your job to go out of your way to make me feel like a bad person because if that were your job you'd be banned. But you should be ashamed for getting angry at your fellow MPers for wanting to help YOU out. This isn't for me, let me tell you man I don't see not one gram of that harvest just the smile and the happiness of helping another grower. I happen to smoke about 2 oz. a month so to me it is worth it to see him go straight from the start and buy the switchable ballast because, just like you said, I wanted him in the long run to save on money.

To be honest, quoting you, "the question wasn't should i buy a bigger light. it was how many 150 watt hps should be use." What my post was trying to get at is if you go right from the start and buy a low wattage switchable ballast, you will be glad you did so. I'm just saying this because since I don't sell my pot, I lost out on alot of money buying newer diffrent setups untill I was satisfied. And I wasn't trying to make him buy a 1000 watt setup with 270 dollar can fans. Please don't use extreme exaggerations. I simply said he should buy a low wattage swichable ballast.

Also the price of getting this would be even less than what he wanted to do. He wanted to buy two 150 watt hps's which is rediculously more expensive than what I said to do because you need to buy two reflectors, two ballasts, two ac chords, and two bulbs! NOOO! That's bad. What I would do is buy one 400 watt light, one 400 watt ballast, one chord and one reflector. MUCH cheaper and MUCH more effective.

Yea slowmo, it also gets under MY skin to see someone literally go off on me for trying to help another person out. I had respect for you too before this man.

P.s. also, please clarify for me. What did andy do? Provide a wonderful brand make for us? Lumatek? Oh no let's curse him out too!

Don't get the switchable ballast for autos!!!You don't need a MH to veg autos.Plus they like a little blue light when flowering.If you're not gonna use the 150's and cfl's then get an agro HPS.

As I stated in my earlier post, I advised him to do this for future grows so he saved money in the long run.

 

[slowmo77]

My question is, for all you 150w HPS users, should I buy 1 or 2 of these bad boys. I am a little new to the AF characteristic, but from what I have been reading they veg for roughly 2 weeks then begin to flower. Will I also need to buy a couple good CFL's for those 2 weeks or can I just use the HPS's on an 18/6 cycle?

please read the question domschron. i don't care if you have respect for me of not. im not here for your respect. im here to learn not to remind people what they can't afford. if he could afford a 1000 watt light he would have ask about them but he didn't. i answered the question asked all you did was tell him to go buy something else... so get mad, report me or whatever. i'd do the same thing again

 

[Hick]

.....:ignore: :angrywife: I'm not gonna have to stand you two in the corner for a timeout, now am I?...

 

[Mutt]

can't beleive there's an aurgument over a light
whole point is to grow free weed
don't matter how we get there as long as there's good home grown bud at the end

 

[DomsChron]

I'm sorry guys I was victimized and attacked!

I was trying to be helpful