First time grow

Still trying to decide on my parts. Thinking about a secret jardin dark room 60 tent, hortilux bulb, and lumatek ballast. I only wanna do one plant. And the tent Im looking at measures 24x24x55. Was wondering if I could get away with a 250w bulb and ballast? Also looking for suggestions for a good brand for my reflector. I was looking at radiant, xtrasun, suns system, and yield master. There are so many brands not sure which one to buy.

Thanks for help.

ninja834 said:

Was wondering if I could get away with a 250w bulb and ballast?

Click to expand...

for one plant, certainly.

not sure what hood to get for one plant, but dont spend too much, they all do about the same.

i would suggest planning on enough space for at least 2 plants at a time, as seeds can come up male from time to time.

good luck on your planning.

Get a 150w Hps
http://www.htgsupply.com/growlights.asp?categoryID=1&subcategoryID=155&typeID=84

This tent I have two of them, I use this one for vegging
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydroponics-Tent-36x20x62-Home-Hydro-Cabinet-Grow-Box-/320594054663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aa4e50e07#ht_4159wt_1002

A small clipon fan blowing up at the relfector and bulb keeping the hot air up and away from the plants, also makes light run cooler making less heat

4" Inline fan and scrubber combo
http://www.htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=52531


Don't grow only one pant man.... You can fit 4 good size vegging plants in that tent I showed you and then when they show sex, choose the keeper as the one to devote the tent to.

Good luck

Why only 1 plant? if you have the space to grow more this seem's strange to me.

I wouldn't bother with a dark room 60, they are small man, i have one and ended up buying a dark room 100 which i can grow 6 plants in.

peace

I was thinking one plant because space and power requirements are a concern. Small tent with 250w bulb and ballast might keep me below an additional $100 a month to my electric bill. (Im hoping)

But it does seem kinda silly to do all this and only do one plant. If I get the dark room 80 which measures 32x32x63 and do 2 plants will a 250w still be enough or will I have to bump up to 400w?

BTW thanks for the links. Ive noticed those cheapo tents on ebay and amazon. At first I was gonna buy one then I changed my mind and wanted brand name. How do you like them?

The 250 will work really well, in that 2' x 2' space. I suggest you go with the 400, even if you opt for the smaller tent. It'll give ya better yield, denser buds, and better penetration Basically, a better harvest. If you go with the bigger tent, you'll definitely want to go with the 400. Actually, a 600 would be much better, because you'd be stretching the limits of a 400. If possible, bigger is always better. Trust me, on that one.

Just about any reflector will work fine. The main decision is whether to go air-cooled, or not. IMO, you should go air-cooled, and avoid/minimize possible heat problems.

ninja834 said:

I was thinking one plant because space and power requirements are a concern. Small tent with 250w bulb and ballast might keep me below an additional $100 a month to my electric bill. (Im hoping)

But it does seem kinda silly to do all this and only do one plant. If I get the dark room 80 which measures 32x32x63 and do 2 plants will a 250w still be enough or will I have to bump up to 400w?

BTW thanks for the links. Ive noticed those cheapo tents on ebay and amazon. At first I was gonna buy one then I changed my mind and wanted brand name. How do you like them?

Click to expand...

Hi Ninja

Welcome to RiU

Your focus seems to be on saving money on your energy bill.... and i think your over doing it with thinking it will add an extra $100 per month ( i could be wrong ... but that seems like a lot )

What the guys are trying to say is ... your going to HAVE to use the light ( you decide to use ) anyway ... and you have space for more plants ... You might as well go with more than one to make full use of the light your useing ... Of course the choice is yours at the end of the day

With lighting , The MORE you use the better your yeild will be , I have a feeling that if you go with a 250w and 1 plant ... it will not be very long befor you decide you want to step up to a higher wattage and more plants .

If the electric bill really is your main concern ... may i put this to you ? , Go with a larger light .... a bigger tent .... more plants ( 4 is perfect ) and maybe save a bit of cash to cover comming bills befor you start your grow ?

This will give you time to dial in your tent and get the right enviroment ready for when your ready to start you grow ... Also , Keep in mind that maybe when your plants have given you some nice fruits ... you can sell them at market to recover any costs you may have layed out while setting up your grow room .... AND your electric bills

Hope that helps a bit

Again , Welcome to Riu

V


EDIT : Just noticed this is my 666th post .... but no evil here

Thanks for such a warm welcome. What do you guys think about these LED lights? Less power, less heat, longer life expectancy, you can change the color spectrum, its better for the environment. Everything sounds good.

LEDs are not proven, but may work fine.

as far as your electricity cost concerns go...

based on $0.10 per kilowatt hour...a 400watt light running 12/12 for 30 days...400 watts uses 1 kilowatt after 2.5 hours...your light will be on for 360 hours a month...360/2.5 = 144 kilowatt hours at $0.10 per kilowatt hour = $15 or so.

add fans and other stuff...you'll only be pushing $25 or so a month extra on your electric bill. no worries there!

Ive been reading alot of good things about the LEDs. They dont get hot and wont burn your plants, so you can put the light closer to your plants than you can with HPS. They say the closer light source gives better light intensity and penetration for below the canopy. I wouldnt have to buy a reflector or bulbs. And they use 50-75% less power. It almost sounds to good to be true. I noticed there is alot of debate about LED but I havent really heard any negative things so far. I think Im gonna try it. So far Im looking at buying this equipment.

Light - http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Systems-LEDGP45-Grow-Light/dp/B001N4NKB8
Tent - http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Jardin-DarkRoom-80-Inches/dp/B0029AL4JU/ref=sr_1_5?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1285657635&sr=1-5
Fan - http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydrofarm-Active-air-4-inch-In-Line-Fan-165-CFM-/330476933702?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf1f5d246

Do I even need a fan with LEDs cause I hear they dont give off any heat. What other parts will I be needing?

^You're going to be very dissapointed with LED lights, unless you do the research first. Don't believe what the ads tell you, seek actual results, then judge for yourself. Look at some LED grows here at RIU, then buy a system that you KNOW will work. That's my best advice. That system you have in that link, is almost guaranteed to perform like crap. Seriously man, I'm just trying to help ya out. The good systems are quite expensive, but do exist. 95% of the lights on the market, are total crap. Be careful, or you'll be wasting your money.

I understand your skepticism. Most are crap. But I hear the good ones are superior for vegging. The debate is whether they are better for flowering. I saw a few HPS vs LED threads and some guy was reporting 1.25lb yield with HPS and 0.75lb with LEDs. But he also said that it was his first LED grow and he did a few things wrong and he expects a 1lb yield for his 2nd LED harvest. So the difference in yield is not that huge. (according to that guy) I dont doubt HPS will yield a little more but I think the 80% power savings makes the LEDs worth it in the long run. I noticed most of the people talking badly about LED's have never actually used them. With all the benefits of LEDs I think its worth trying for myself. The potential savings and convenience is worth the risk. If I dont like it I'll get a HPS system. Ive been looking at these models and was hoping for some feedback.


This guy was using the same grow panel 45 lights I linked and reported success.
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/312780-cru3ls-led-grow-veg-tent.html


Been looking at these from HTGsupply.
http://htgsupply.com/viewproduct.asp?productID=53987


I saw this $1500 stealth on ebay for $600.
http://www.greners.com/grow-lights/type/led-grow-lights/stealth-grow-sg602-600w-led-hps-grow-light.html


Lumigrow
http://www.lumigrow.com/products/es-330-led-grow-light/


Procyon 100, this one looks really nice, has internal power supply so i wont need a ballast
http://www.homegrownlights.com/100W.html


TI smart lamp
http://www.theoremeinnovation.com/products.html

yea you need a fan to keep air flow within the tent.

ninja834 said:

I understand your skepticism. But people are saying LED is a viable light source for growing plants. I noticed most of the people talking badly about LED's have never actually used them. With all the benefits of LEDs I think its worth trying for myself. If I dont like it I'll get a HPS system. The potential savings and convenience is worth the risk.

Click to expand...

I think you mis-took my advice, or rather, I wasn't clear enough, in giving it? What I was trying to suggest, is that you should be very careful to not buy a system based on the manufacturer's ad, how great the light looks, etc... because most of them aren't worth using, even though their ads say otherwise. LED lighting, is a viable light source, but only if you use the right product. There are only a few companies that produce a quality product, and that, was my main point. I was trying to prevent you from wasting your money, and buying something based on the advertising, alone. I advise that you view some actual results, first. I've seen a few nice LED grows here at RIU, which'd be the place I would start.

It's funny that you linked that light from HTG Supply, because I just so happpen to have some firsthand info, about those.......

""the Tri-Band 120 watt LED GROW LIGHT boasts light intensity and growth rates exceeding that of a 600W HPS""

^That's a quote, directly from their ad. Kinda implies that the 120 watt Tri-band will compete with a 600 HPS, right? I thought, "Wow, I buy my stuff from HTG, so I want to check into this.", and went to their shop, myself. I wanted to replace four 400 HPS lights, with 4 of those Tri-bands, and reap the rewards, that we've all heard about LEDs, efficiency, low heat, etc.... They fool you into thinking that one Tri-band will damn near replace a 600 HPS, so I assumed that they would easily replace a 400 HPS. Right? Wrong! I pressed them for info, and basically told one of the head guys there, that if I spent that kind of money on those lights, and they didn't do what they claimed to do, that I'm come back and shove 'em up his ass. Then, he came clean, with me.....

...Yes, that light will perform similar to a 400/600 HPS, BUT, will only cover a fraction of the area. Yes, you'll get nice dense buds, but what they fail to mention in the ad, is that the light will only cover approx 12" x 18"(give or take a couple inches), and that you'll need 4-6 of them, to replace a 600 HPS. You'll end up using close to 75% of the wattage of HIDs, in order to effectively replace them. I'd need 10-12 of those 120 watt Tri-bands, in order to replace four 400 HPS lights. Yes, they are more efficient, and have other advantages,(heat dispersion, etc...) but are also very expensive.

I wasn't trying to dissuade you, I was trying to stress the importance of not buying in to the hype, not until you've done the research, first. I would go inspect some actual grows, then decide if LEDs will provide you with the performance you are seeking. That, is my advice to you.

Ads, are too misleading/exaggerated.

I understand what your trying to tell me. Dont buy the hype. Do my homework. Make an intelligent decision. Or I will be disappointed. Good advice. But Im still curious, have you ever used LEDs yourself? If not you cant really say anything for sure can you? We are both making assumptions based on what other people are saying. No better way than to do it yourself. Im more curious than anything. Even if it isnt what I was expecting at least I can say I did and I have first hand experience. You never know it might work good.

BTW I PM that guy that used LEDs in that link I posted to get his 2 cents. This is what he had to say. If your goal is to use a grow panel 45 as a primary means of lighting, you'll be disappointed. You should mix LED with CFL like I do. HPS costs too much electricity!


Sounds like a thumbs up from that guy, I just need to supplement it with another light source. And he was using those cheap glow panels. If I get a really good one like the procyon I should be straight. Ive been trying to find out why some of these LEDs are over $1000 and from what I understand its cause they use 2/3w LEDs instead of 1w. And they have more color spectrums 455-475nm, 620-630nm, 660nm and bright white 2,700 kelvin. Is there any other spectrum that my plants need? Couldnt I stack several 1w units to produce the same light intensity as a 3w unit?

And what do you guys think about a nub starting with aeroponics? Im tempted to skip soil and HPS and go straight to aero and LED. Sounds like fun. I work with computers so Im good with my hands and technical stuff. Im always upgrading my computer and I see how quickly technology advances. I kinda dont wanna invest and learn in a system thats old news. I enjoy the latest technology. I know its more work and money, but Im ok with that. If these systems are superior I will take the time to learn. I just hope Im not biting off more than I can chew. Any advice?