Awkward, confined grow space: What do you think?

manganese

Member
Alright, I'm attempting to set something up to grow in a space that measures 27" tall, 27" wide, and a bit over 10" deep. I'm going for one Lowryder 2 in a 1 gallon smart pot with coco coir. I plan on lining the whole thing with panda film. The two yellow things hanging from the hooks are vertical 105 watt 2700k CFL's. I'd like to be able to use just those lights, but the problem is, I'm thinking the top of the plant might not receive enough light if it gets taller than about 12" (not all of the yellow is actually bulb, I didn't make the bases of the bulbs a different color). I'm trying to think of some way to add more light horizontally, between the two vertical bulbs, above the plant. But it seems like any lighting fixture I look at buying/making either won't fit in the space, or is too tall and leaves me with less than 16" of vertical space for the plant to grow. Do you guys think the setup with just the 2 bulbs will work? If not, any ideas on getting some light above the plant that still leaves it some room for vertical growth? Thanks.

idea.jpg
 

Zakola

Member
You don't really need 105 watt CFL you can use many small CFL around the plant and it works better than a big one. To grow you need 6400k+. To flower you need 2700k-. Lights on the sides will help the plant grow larger so in your situation its good. If you want it taller just put 1 light on top horizontally and 1 on side vertically and turn the pot half day to get light on other side. Do you have proper air circulation?
 

manganese

Member
I'd need eight 26w or five 42w CFL's to total the 210 watts. I don't think I have enough space for that many bulbs. I don't have any space to put bulbs in front and behind the plant, only on the sides. Maybe I could just use the two 105w and turn the plant 1/4 of the way around half way through the light cycle? If it gets tall enough to where the tops aren't getting enough light, I think I should hang one of the bulbs horizontally and do what you said about turning it half way. I was also thinking that using 2700k throughout the grow would help keep the plant smaller and have it flower earlier, correct? I've seen people use HPS from seed without any problems. I realize 6500k is best for vegetative growth but these plants start flowering almost immediately. And yes, I am working something out with intake and exhaust fans.
 
Top