i have a 2 part question. part 1 what is the lowest watt bulb i can use for my vegetation room, with out using a fluorescent light, because i have 2 150 WAtt hps bulbs and set up at my disposal.
Part 2 my grow room is 4’x7’x8’ what is the lowest watt hps light i can use and i plan on growing 10 plants in 5 gal buckets
I use a 100 watt in that space. However; A 400 watt on a light rail, or 2 400 watt set 2’apprt. You could go with 1 600watt and move it 2 times a day across room.
2 150 watt hps is great for a veg room. One of them if you have a 2’x2’veg room.
Check out this lamp, and the different sizes.
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Look into this light rail. I have one and it is awesome. Works great with the lightweight hoods on the “above” Ipower lamp systems.
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This is what you need and there is nothing smaller or less expensive. I personally own both these items, and I love both. The light rail will allow you to have better coverage overall to your plants. Keep in mind; PLants do not need intense light every minute iof the day. This is a perfect solution for an 8’ room. If you had a smaller room; I would recommend the 4’ light track. Happy growing, Peace lw 
Last note. You can always add the 150 hps lamps as side light once your canopy fills your space, and it will!!!
Wanted to know how things were going?
This is a good post for me, while I try considering what I need to buy before I can even start, I mean, I have an area about the same size, four to six feet wide by ten foot long, with plenty of height I need to measure, a custom built shed I use right now as a waste storing spare possessions. Actually, the thing is ten by sixteen foot long with a high peaked roof, but I only need to use 1/3 or half for my future “pain relief”, so I figure I could section off the end of the shed, then subdivide it for various “rooms” if that is the way to go. I think using silver backed tarps is good, and fast. I sure wished I had it in me to build a sectioned off wall with a door, then tarp off two rooms or three. Seems to me, needing to study the grow bible and posts further, that “three areas” are needed, one for starting very small plants from seedlings with t5 flourescents, then one for vegging, then one for flowering.
I am still trying to figure out whether or not I need t5 flourescents just for plant starting and early growth. Maybe the combination people use is T5 flourescents for seed to one foot high, then mh or hps for the rest after that(hps for flowering of course)?
I would make a 4x6’ flower room. a 2x4’ veg room/seedling room
Run a 4’ T5 with 4-8 bulbs for veg, and a 600 watt digital for the flower room
Another option would be to have a smaller seedling space with a 2’ T5
Split the room with common framing, then apply panda plastic to separate the rooms
Ya know, I am gonna do just that, makes sense, that the veg room can be a little shorter, dunno what I was thinking about making everything even steven. Plus the advice on the lights, I will do just that, get some 4’ t5s for vegging(probably save me electricity), and then get one of those 600 watt high pressure sodium fixtures for later. I probably will get some framing accomplished. I don’t know what panda plastic is, but I can figure it or something out. My little thing I will do is fix it so I have running water in the shed cause I have a water hose spicket nearby. I figure the t5s won’t get the shed that hot during winter, but during summer, wow, there is gonna have to be some figuring going on. Just a little improvements here and there, a small personal pain relief grow I believe shouldn’t turn into an operation where I need more electricity and lots of fancy equipment, other than a well cared for, well lit, and proper environment, smaller is probably always easier. Of course, I need to read the grow bible, I was unsure about the whole t5 thing, whether or not that was enough for even a small grow, I mean, the space in my shed area can be huge, if I wanted to, I could grow very large plants, before the peak even starts its like ten feet height wall, I could have bushy plants, etc, especially on a card, they only allow six plants and 18 under a foot immature plants, in Oregon.
Google/Youtu0be Greenman. It gets no simpler00 than that.
T5’s don’t get nearly as hot as the 600watt HPS will. T5s can be used for flowering, but you will be hard pressed to get as good as results and as well developed rock hard nuggs during flower with only T5s, it can be done as you can get your T5s a lot closer to the plants for more intense light on the plants, and for the plant it is all about the intensity of the light reaching its surface. HIDs, like the 600 watt HPS will have better penetration through the canopy so as much side lighting with the T5s would not be as strongly needed to get that growth to also develop thickly instead of light and airy buds.
Panda film or plastic sheeting is available from most local hydro grow stores and most grow supply places online. It is solid black on one side for good light blocking and pure white on the other side for good reflection and is perfect for lining floors and walls in the grow room. White is always better under HID lights than too shiny or too mirrored of a reflective surface, as the polished side of aluminum foil or other similar surfaces can reflect in such a way that causes hot spots under HID lights, not that different than sunlight being bent and focused through a magnifying glass that can cause a hot spot and potentially burn something.
Well, here is my advised strategy, maybe the original poster is doing the same or similar, I ordered a 4’ 8 bulb 6500k each bulb grow light for around $150 cause there were only two left, and tomorrow or tonight I order a simple hps hid lamp with simple reflector and one of those t5 seedling/early growth or clone starters with the frame and adjustable light cause its no doubt better than that fluorescent 48" grow lamps in shop light fixture I used for house plants previously, some light timers, and various other small items like an adjustable hanger set for the t5 setup. Of course, even now I am contemplating and doing some rather large expenditures, or relatively speaking.
My grow closet is 3x3x8, really small right. I puchased the Apollo GLK600 setup on Amazon, my original thinking was to use the MH 600 68,000 lumen for germination and initial flowering. Then switch to the HPS 600 watt 92,000 lumen when my two girls starts heading to the heavens. Decided to just grow 2 plants at a time. I’m beginning to wonder if I went overboard on the lights for the amount of space I have. Or If I keep in mind the distance from the plants I’ll be ok. I’m a first time grower waiting for the mailman everyday now, so maybe I’m going into prep overload
Any suggestions would be appreciated, I do have a fan and air purifier in the closet to keep the air moving in such a tight space.
moejoehowitz, I do know one thing, in that smaller space, that your mh and hps lights better be duct cooled by six inch exhaust fan with a correct or added on correct ducted hood, cause its gonna get too hot, I mean, I have been posting previous my problems with multi fluorescent t5 bulb light assembly in a 4’x2’ tent, and I had to make a ducting assembly for the t5 light fixture cause it damaged several of my plants from heat on the first two days. I have read from the experts that when considering amount of light that plants can’t really get too much, supposedly, there is probably someone out there with a full on 1000 watt system in a space that small and only several plants, as long as proper cooling. I too sort of wonder for my uses if I could have gotten by with very low wattage mhs or hps(for later), like 250 watt, meaning less heat seemingly to manage, I even read that someone has a 150 watt mh or hps light assembly for small grows. I wish I would have gotten into medical marijuana just at the start of winter, it was a cold winter and the heat bill spiked in cost one month when the temps dipped, I mean, I could have stayed warm inside and grew marijuana at the same time and by now I’d be smoking or toking already.
Thanks budbd! I really don’t want to purchase a new light set. Once I get my girls I’ll closely monitor for heat related issues and try to play it by ear.
moejoehowitz, you probably won’t have any of the same problems as your tent is much taller than Budbd’s tent. You need to use the right light for your application and expected distance from the canopy of leaves.
Great, Thanks MacGyverStoner!
For 600 watt HPS, a square meter, slightly bigger than a 3 foot by 3 foot space and with a 8 foot tall height might be about the smallest area you’d might ever use that big of a light. But I do know lots of people that do use 600 watt HPS in 3x3 tents. It will get warm, you will want to be sure your tent/closet can be vented well if necessary.
I have a question… I have a 300 w dual mode led light aka 150 for veg 300 for mid veg and then supposedly then 150 for flowering This unit is over top 2 mongrel and 1 white widow auto-flower … My question is based on the WW went auto as it should have so I switched over to the 150 w flower (red orange spectrum) 1 of the mongrel is showing pistils (fem) the tallest mongrel just looks to be going pistils as well Since the WW is already showing results would it HELP or HINDER if i maintained the 300 w dual mode through out the flower state ? the whole tent is now on a 12 /12 light schedule side bar the 2 mongrels were simply testers/experiments Widow is main focus…