Light Spectrum questions...

Swiphty

Member
Okay so I just started my first big indoor grow.
I had an unexpected money crunch and haven't been able to buy my 1000 watt MH bulb as soon as Id hoped.

My 30 little clones are still relatively small so I'm hoping I can get away with what I have until this weekend, and Im just wanting to make the lighting as perfect as I can with my current equipment.

Right now I have 2 shop lights with 2 bulbs in each.
2 cool white 34 watt bulbs on the outside.
2 gro lux 40 watt bulbs on the inside.
(Apparently the gro lux are a blue red balance type of spectrum and since they didnt have any warm whites I grabbed them instead.)

I positioned the 2 shop lights to the right and left and a circular track lighting fixture currently on my roof in the grow room.

My question is more about the fixture but any advice is welcome.
In the fixture I have 2 60 watt incandescents and 1 40 watt CFL.

What I want to know is are the incandescents doing any harm to my little girls as far as the light spectrum they are putting off?
I monitor temperature and humidity very closely so that's not an issue im just wondering if the type of light they are putting off is helpful at all or if I should just unplug the 60 watt incandescents and wait until I can grab 2 more CFLs to fill the sockets?

Currently saving up for my MH and I'm almost there I just don't want to stress or stretch them out too much before then in case I stunt their growth and run into related problems down the line.

Ill try and get some pictures up ASAP.
 

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Well-Known Member
First off, yes get rid of your incandescents. I'm wondering why you are going with a MH bulb instead of a HPS? If your using cfl's you can put them almost right up aginst your plants. How big are you planning on growing them before you flower? If you use a MH to make a monster plant you have to remember that some will shoot up another third of their size or more during flower. MH are blue spectrum and you will want the red in flower. If I were you ( without knowing the answers to the previous questions) is to not waste your money on a big MH light and maybe go with a 400W MH (or 600w depending on the size of your grow room) and get another 400w HPS with a switchable ballast so you can use the same set up (hood and ballast) in flower you use in veg and you only have to change the bulb when you start to flower. More info is needed.....
 

Swiphty

Member
Im growing them in a full bedroom thats about 12x12. The rooms is about 7 ft tall so I'm not particularly worried about running out of room but I will still be cautious as far as when to start flowering. I guess I was thinking about starting flowering around 3 ft. or so but I figured I'd cross that bridge when I get there since im not sure how much room the HPS is going to take up.
I have a cool tube for both bulbs so i should be able to keep the plants pretty close.

Right now I just have the clones on an elevated table to get them 2 inches from the shop lights but eventually I plan to rig up some sort of a partition in the room so i have some space to work when I get to the flowering stage and my girls are sleeping :P.
Eventually what I hope to have is a 3 stage grow room. 1 area for clones. 1 veg room. and a flowering room.
This way I can harvest a lot more often.

Im getting the MH because about 2 weeks after I buy that I'm getting a 1000w HPS as well for my flower room.
I already have the ballasts/cool tubes for both bulbs so the bulbs themselves aren't a huge expense at this point considering I've already invested a good bit in the cool tubes.

So the incandescents are definitely not good for my girls in any way?
 

It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Well-Known Member
They do not produce alot usable light waves. They produce more heat than anything. It sounds like your on your way to a big op. Be careful and save up for a carbon filter if you don't have one of those yet. It took me a while to get my set up dialed in but now it's rocking.
 

Swiphty

Member
Ya I had planned to start off with 2 400w MH/HPS and 10 clones but plans changed and suddenly it's looking a lot bigger lol.
Its not my first grow. I've done a handful of outdoors grows and a few smaller mildly successful indoors grows so I'm not a complete newb.
I think I've definitely got my work cut out for me but I've got a good friend who knows his stuff if I have an emergency and of course all you great folks on the internet :]
I had originally planned for an all hydro grow but decided soil would simplify my first big indoor grow just a bit, save me some cash, and still be able to grow some top quality buds if I do it right.

Currently I haven't made plans for a carbon filter because I live in a very rural area. My closest neighbors are about a 15 minute walk away. And I almost never have visitors at my house.
But by the time I start flowering I should have some cash put away just in case I feel I need to grab a carbon filter.
 
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