First time grow need advice!!

L

Lakerfan2420

Member
I gonna use a old cabinet with the dimensions of 3 tall 3ft wide and 1ft deep only planning on doing 1 plant right now I have 2 23w 5000k and 1 18w 2700k cfls will that be enough light? Or should I get more? pics to come
 
bb61

bb61

Well-Known Member
I'm not a pro like most ppl here but I know you'll need more for flowering for sure, veg I still think you need more.

Im sure an expert will tell you for sure
 
Jimdamick

Jimdamick

Well-Known Member
Is you cabinet open or are you going to keep it closed? Open you don't have to worry as much about heat, closed you must vent it. I would think about buying a Hydrofarm 125w fluorescent grow system on Amazon for $52. Use that as your central light, and use your other CFL's for side lighting. That should work pretty well for 1 plant. Peace
 
L

Lakerfan2420

Member
I'm going to keep it closed and I planning on putting in a intake and exhaust fans and I'm growing on a budget will the 125w use a lot of electricity?
 
Ogonzo

Ogonzo

Member
Hey Lakerfan, welcome to RIU!!

The rule of thumb is that you want 100W per plant, and the mix should be 75/25 2700K and 6500K for veg. This should give a good spectrum that the girls need. During flower, you should be all 2700K, but from what I've read, the mix in the spectrum is best.
If you think about it, 125W is about three light bulbs or three rooms in your house, if you leave the lights on in 3 rooms of your house, does the electricity go up? It sure does, but is it noticeable - no. At first you're on a 18/6 light cycle so even with 4 lights, three pc fans, you should be ok with the electricity.

I'm growing my first plants right now, so I'm learning just like you, but so far, I've learnt that you should germinate more than one seed, the chances of getting a viable plant increases along with the chances of getting a female.
I've also learnt that reading helps, asking questions help but most of all, read! Follow similar set ups as yours and you'll see, it won't be long before you're on the right path!

Once you're going, take some pics, I'd love to see your set up!
 
wheels619

wheels619

Well-Known Member
Lakerfan2420 said:
I gonna use a old cabinet with the dimensions of 3 tall 3ft wide and 1ft deep only planning on doing 1 plant right now I have 2 23w 5000k and 1 18w 2700k cfls will that be enough light? Or should I get more? pics to come
Click to expand...
i would put a 250w hps hung vertical in the center and have your plants grown up the wall on screens. maximize your yield and potential for the small sized area you have. wont cost much to power it. also since your doing intake and exhaust already it wont get hot inside the cabinet.
 
reku

reku

Active Member
If really really want to have a maximum yeaild in that space you will want to go LED but they can be costly, I'd be all LED if I could afford it, it really cuts down on heat and electric bill and you dont have to spend a ton to cool the box. I have a 150W HPS in a box thats 2'x'3x18" deep cab and I can't keep the door closed with it on or it gets to 100' in 10 min, I am told I need a $65 fan to cure that, trick is I don't have $65 bucks for a fan so I am running 2 75W 6500K CFL's and a 13w LED, With the cab closed,and at night I kick on the HPS and LED only and leave the door open. I have 3 PC fans kicking air out and one pulling air in from an A/C'ed room. Good luck!
 
VegasKush702

VegasKush702

Member
wheels619 said:
i would put a 250w hps hung vertical in the center and have your plants grown up the wall on screens. maximize your yield and potential for the small sized area you have. wont cost much to power it. also since your doing intake and exhaust already it wont get hot inside the cabinet.
Click to expand...
I would go buy a t5 light fixture and use it veg to 16". Then throw it under the hps for flowering

Take his advice on the 250w Hps, and keep it 14-16" from the plant top for flowering
 
OldGrowth420

OldGrowth420

Well-Known Member
You can grow with what you have especially in vegetative stage, If you want maximum yields i would throw in another 23w or two for the last two months.
You can find cheap led lamps that cut down on heat and electricity on ebay
125 watts wont use too much electricity, you can calculate the price by looking at your last electricity bill and using the data on price per unit of electricity by the amount of time you leave the bulbs on if you want to get technical.

[video=youtube;4PMxDi6N9KU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PMxDi6N9KU[/video]
 
Ogonzo

Ogonzo

Member
I don't think there is any need to redo your set up, especially if you're new to the hobby.
Can you post a pic of your set up?
 
TheSnake

TheSnake

Well-Known Member
But to add something, I dont see the point in risking a grow charge for 1 plant clearly for personal consumption that may be in vein if its a male... ? just find a dealer that hooks u up, thats just my opinion though.
 
Ogonzo

Ogonzo

Member
TheSnake said:
But to add something, I dont see the point in risking a grow charge for 1 plant clearly for personal consumption that may be in vein if its a male... ? just find a dealer that hooks u up, thats just my opinion though.
Click to expand...
Hey Snake, I was thinking the same thing you did and build my first pc case to supply myself. Then I noticed how much fun it is and learning a lot about growing in this small environment. Sometimes it's not about the smoke, but having fun getting the smoke.

Lakerfan,
Post a pic of your rig! Let's see if we can help you make some use of it.
 
N

Nok

Member
I too would like to see your setup! I don't have a box yet as I'm still wondering about the size but I'm only going to do 1 plant also.
 
OldGrowth420

OldGrowth420

Well-Known Member
What you have is great to start with. You can use those lights all the way through the process, and your cabinet sounds great.
 
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