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Newbie Grow Light Help Request
- Thread starter gabjaz
- Start date
qwerty
Member
When I first started growing, I had no idea that there were many hydroshop garden centers in my city. Go to google maps and see if you have some in your area.
Do you want to grow with HID's or CFL's? HID's are way better than CFLs if you have the room and proper ventilation. If you have a smaller space, than a CFL setup may be the option for you. What I recommend is that you go to the Grow Rooms and Design forum and just read and see what best suits your needs. Everyone is going to give you different advice...but go with what you need.
BTW, how big is your grow area?
gabjaz
Member
I have an extra bedroom. I can either use the closet or just set up growing in the room. From everything I have read I think HID"s are the way to go, but in order to set that up will I need to spend hundreds of dollars for a kit? I might ask my hubby to make me one. Thanks for the great advise... I'm on my way to join the Grow Rooms and Design forum....
ToughGirl
Member
Order an HTGSUPPLY 400w hps ballast, they are only about $120 and come complete. It was the first light I owned and it still works fine years later. For an extra $40 you can get one with a MH conversion bulb and have a veg and bloom light all in one system, and honestly it's dirt cheap. I wouldn't try to 'make one', that's a good way to burn your house down. Get ready to spend some money if you are serious about growing. There's nothing cheap about this sport. You can accumulate some things through time, but I guarantee that you'll need to spend a few hundred bucks to get everything right. You can probably use a bunch of CFL's and extension cords, but again that looks hazardous to me.
Look at it this way, what do you pay for a good ounce? $150-200? Take that 200 and buy a decent hps, a few bags of good soil (*see soil mixes in the threads), and some good nutrients, and in 3 months you'll get all your money back X2.
Look at it this way, what do you pay for a good ounce? $150-200? Take that 200 and buy a decent hps, a few bags of good soil (*see soil mixes in the threads), and some good nutrients, and in 3 months you'll get all your money back X2.
Very good advice!
Bud_Soldier
New member
I am partial to T-5 for veg. I have a 4 bulb T-5 that is growing a sative strain with super close nodes. Ill switch to a 400 HPS for flower. The average garden shop or store wont offer what you really need unless you want to assemble a DIY kind of setup. Good Luck
gabjaz
Member
Ok, I think I have made my choice. I would love to hear your comments...
~GrowBright 1,000 watt grow light system both HPS & MH
~Four-sided horizontalgrow light reflector
~1000 watt high pressure sodium bulb
~1000 watt horticultural metal halide conversion lamp~~Super nova Reflector
~Extra light bulbs
Am I getting a good starter grow system (hubby seems to think this is the one), or am I buying too much (not enough)?
My biggest concern is safety.How should I pay (Buying online from HTGSUPPLY). Is it safe to use a credit card or send a money order? Should I have this shipped to my house or a PO Box (which is under my name and has my address anyway).
I'm so new at this. The last time I enjoyed the herb (before the last couple of months) was probably in the 70's and early 80's.... Crazy huh....
Thanks everyone who has taken the time....
JollyGanjaGiant
New member
a friend of mine managed to find a 1000W HID at home depot for $20. I'm not sure how it was so cheap, maybe because it was sold as a work bench lamp? He's gonna start up tomorrow I think, got some free seeds (6 awesome noname dank and 2 blackberry), hopefully the HID works out well 
good luck to you!
good luck to you!Second the HTG opinion... good people so far in my deals with them. IMO you may want to start with a 600w light. Offers best bang for the buck cost/light ratio, and you can always add a second light if you are going to scale up production later. I'm only planning on growing 3-4 plants at a time, so 400w will do me just fine but hey, do what you will.
Good luck,
B
Good luck,
B
gabjaz
Member
I'm going to try to growing just enough for myself and I think I'm a pretty light smoker. So I will only be growing 3 plants at most.. Should I get a lower watt bulb?
ToughGirl
Member
For 3 plants, 1000w is major overkill. Rule of thumb is 100w per plant, so a 400 is good for 4 good sized plants. Personally I have 2-600's and a 400 for blooming, but for someone on their first grow I recommend keeping it smaller at first, less to go wrong. And remember, big 1k's throw tons of heat, so ventilation is very necessary. Particularly in a smaller area, although I don't know what size of an area you're growing in. If you're thinking closet grow, then 1000w will make that closet 150-170 degrees (unless you have a giant walk in closet, but I consider those grow rooms). One way or another if you plan on having a good sized grow you'll need a filter and blower. You can get away with a grow or two without one with a smaller light, but eventually you're gonna need a filter or your home is going to smell like pot. Not like smoking a joint pot, like a field of PPPPOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTT!!
As for being a light smoker, that'll change
It's like owning a vineyard. If you make wine, you drink more wine. It doesn't make them alcoholics. You taste it and test it, and start to become 'kind of' immune to it, or at least more tolerant to the effects. I smoke with friends and watch them become destroyed and just stare at the tv and drool, meanwhile I'm cooking and running around doing my normal things. My eyes don't even get red anymore!!Check out this thread. You may want to do something like this. http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=21514
When ordering your beans I would include a pack of autoflowers such as sour 60 or
easyryder or snowryder. They will finish from seed in about 60 days without having to switch your lighting to 12 on 12 off to get them to flower. That way you will have smoke while you are looking into the whole mother cloning thing. I like the Auto's, less crap to buy, you don't need a separate veg and flower room and so on. The reg strains have a great deal more to choose from but the Auto's are coming on strong.
easyryder or snowryder. They will finish from seed in about 60 days without having to switch your lighting to 12 on 12 off to get them to flower. That way you will have smoke while you are looking into the whole mother cloning thing. I like the Auto's, less crap to buy, you don't need a separate veg and flower room and so on. The reg strains have a great deal more to choose from but the Auto's are coming on strong.
