2x2x4 growbox. HELP w/LIGHTING

[HippyLettuce420]

This is my 1st grow, and im currently vegging with flouros. Im considering getting an hps for flower cause it sounds like their the bizz. My question is what would you recommend for me and my 2ft(length) x 2ft (width) x 4ft (height) setup? 250 watt hps, 400 watt?? something else maybe? Thanks for your input!

 

[selmagreen]

250 max if and only if you have good ventilation.

 

[nomaninsf]

I have a 2x2 for vegging. I use the New Wave T5 28 system. It uses 8 two foot T5 high output florescent bulbs in a reflector.

The whole system is just shy of 2x2 by a couple inches.

Whats nice is they burn cool. You can get this light about 4-6 inches from the plants without burning them.

This isn't where I got mine but it's the same light
http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=HLIFT5NW28&eq=

 

[HippyLettuce420]

I have a 2x2 for vegging. I use the New Wave T5 28 system. It uses 8 two foot T5 high output florescent bulbs in a reflector.

The whole system is just shy of 2x2 by a couple inches.

Whats nice is they burn cool. You can get this light about 4-6 inches from the plants without burning them.

This isn't where I got mine but it's the same light
http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/customkititems.asp?kc=HLIFT5NW28&eq=

do you use those for flow too?

 

[nomaninsf]

do you use those for flow too?

For flowering I use a 600 watt HPS and a digital ballast with an air cooled enclosed reflector. I use the Daystar AC reflector with 6" duct flanges

I use a separate room for veg than I do for flower. The T5 system is less lumens so it doesn't grow the plants as fast as the 600HPS. The slower growth is good for me though because it allows enough time time for the ladies in my flower room to develop.

If my clones were growing as fast as the ladies they would be ready to be placed in the flower room and there wouldn't be room for them because I'd still be finishing up whats already in there. This allows for a harvest every 1 1/2 - 2 months instead of every 2 1/2 - 3 months.

 

[jpipe]

Go with a 250hps with good ventilation it would be great for that space.

 

[Boneman]

250 HPS period...end of subject. Or you can settle for less. Your choice

 

[HippyLettuce420]

250 HPS period...end of subject. Or you can settle for less. Your choice

in such a small area, would there be a chance that the plants could get burned?

 

[nomaninsf]

250 HPS period...end of subject. Or you can settle for less. Your choice

His grow box is only 2x2x4. I agree with you that a 250hps would be better than flouro's normally but he's going to have issues with heat using a 250hps in such a small area.

I use a 600w with good ventilation and my room stays between 75-82 but I am in a 4x4x6.5 room. That's 104 cubic feet.

2x2x4 is only a 16 cubic foot room. Even though his 250 will give off less heat than my 600 it's still going to be way hotter than flouros.

You also have to think about height. Reflectors for HPS bulbs are going to take up about a foot of his room height. Now he's only got 3 feet of height left. What if his containers are a foot tall? Now he's only got 2 feet of space before the plant touches the light.

 

[HippyLettuce420]

His grow box is only 2x2x4. I agree with you that a 250hps would be better than flouro's normally but he's going to have issues with heat using a 250hps in such a small area.

I use a 600w with good ventilation and my room stays between 75-82 but I am in a 4x4x6.5 room. That's 104 cubic feet.

2x2x4 is only a 16 cubic foot room. Even though his 250 will give off less heat than my 600 it's still going to be way hotter than flouros.

You also have to think about height. Reflectors for HPS bulbs are going to take up about a foot of his room height. Now he's only got 3 feet of height left. What if his containers are a foot tall? Now he's only got 2 feet of space before the plant touches the light.

thats an excellent point! i didnt really think about the plants reaching the bulb. could i get away with pruning the plant tops to make them smaller you think?

 

[beginningbotanist420]

Go with a 250hps with good ventilation it would be great for that space.

250 max if and only if you have good ventilation.

250 HPS period...end of subject. Or you can settle for less. Your choice

250w HPS with a cooltube! Have one fan to exhaust the cooltube, and another to exhaust the box. Hell, if you're feelin ballsy, go for the 400w; but if you do, use at least double the ventilation you would have used for the 250w.

 

[nomaninsf]

thats an excellent point! i didnt really think about the plants reaching the bulb. could i get away with pruning the plant tops to make them smaller you think?

Look into LST and SCROG techniques. There are a lot of threads on this site that explain the process

 

[PotRoastDinner]

Dude with GOOD ventilation you could go with a 250w just top your plants a couple times to keep them short.. But if you do go with the 250w get a MH bulb for the vegging and use the hps during flower.. that combo is about as good as you can do in a space that size i'd say.. just play around with the temps before you actually put the plants in so that you can get everything figured out.

 

[nomaninsf]

Dude with GOOD ventilation you could go with a 250w just top your plants a couple times to keep them short.. But if you do go with the 250w get a MH bulb for the vegging and use the hps during flower.. that combo is about as good as you can do in a space that size i'd say.. just play around with the temps before you actually put the plants in so that you can get everything figured out.

If you go this route put your intake/exhaust fan/s outside of the room. This will save you precious space inside your grow room that fans would take up. It will also keep the heat from your fans motors outside of the room.

Fans don't generate much heat but every little bit counts in such a small space.

Another way to cut down on heat is to keep your light's ballast outside of the grow room. This is a no brainer but you would be suprised how many people I've seen with ballasts in the grow room. And then they wonder why they are in the mid 80's

 

[PotRoastDinner]

I concure with what he said but the biggest thing that will help you acomplish this is simply a higher cfm rate, i.e more fans or a bigger fan. the more air you circulate through the room, the lower the temp will stay. hope that helps man.. keep us posted.

 

[k00laidacidtests]

You will never be disapointed with HID lights. Go with a 250 watt or maybe even a little smaller depending on your ventilation

 

[HippyLettuce420]

thanks this is all good info. im gunna go ahead and get the 250. probably a mh during the veg then switch it for a hps to flower. i wont be able to get it til next week so i'll try to put some pics up then and you can check em out give any suggestions

 

[nomaninsf]

thanks this is all good info. im gunna go ahead and get the 250. probably a mh during the veg then switch it for a hps to flower. i wont be able to get it til next week so i'll try to put some pics up then and you can check em out give any suggestions

Don't get a MH. The whole MH for veg and HPS for flower thing is way overrated and a myth in my opinion.

HPS has a better watt to lumen ratio than MH so you're going to get more lumens from the HPS than the MH.

Go HPS all the way if you're going 250 and use the money you are planning to spend on a MH and buy a nice Can Fan.

Or even better, with the extra cash you would spend on MH bulb, get a Lumatek digital ballast instead of a magnetic ballast. They are advertised as 30% more lumens than a magnetic ballast but I've been told they only give about about 5% to 10% more. Still, more light is always better.

People are probably going to argue this one because because there are so many people out there that believe the spectrum thing has such a big impact. I know some of the best growers in CA and they all use HPS all the way.

I used to be a MH vegger and a HPS flowerer until I took the advice to go 100% HPS. I have noticed no reduction in cropsize. What I have noticed though is that I am getting higher yields now that I switched to digital ballasts.

 

[HippyLettuce420]

Don't get a MH. The whole MH for veg and HPS for flower thing is way overrated and a myth in my opinion.

HPS has a better watt to lumen ratio than MH so you're going to get more lumens from the HPS than the MH.

Go HPS all the way if you're going 250 and use the money you are planning to spend on a MH and buy a nice Can Fan.

Or even better, with the extra cash you would spend on MH bulb, get a Lumatek digital ballast instead of a magnetic ballast. They are advertised as 30% more lumens than a magnetic ballast but I've been told they only give about about 5% to 10% more. Still, more light is always better.

People are probably going to argue this one because because there are so many people out there that believe the spectrum thing has such a big impact. I know some of the best growers in CA and they all use HPS all the way.

I used to be a MH vegger and a HPS flowerer until I took the advice to go 100% HPS. I have noticed no reduction in cropsize. What I have noticed though is that I am getting higher yields now that I switched to digital ballasts.

thanks that makes it easier not having to switch. i'll look into the digital ballast that sounds good. quick question tho, why do people suggest mh to veg and hps to flow? and would it cause the plant much stress if i switched midway thru veg from fluoros to hps? should i just wait until flow to swap in the hps?

 

[nomaninsf]

quick question tho, why do people suggest mh to veg and hps to flow? and would it cause the plant much stress if i switched midway thru veg from fluoros to hps? should i just wait until flow to swap in the hps?

Its just a myth in my opinion and my opinion is based on experience and advice from some of the best growers in Cali.

Metal halides give off more blue spectrum and HPS lights more in the red spectrum.

The red spectrum is best for photosynthesis thus making your plants grow bigger and faster.