Mylar or Flat white

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absolutR

Active Member
Hey guys, my cabinet is almost finished, i'll post a journal up soo however i'm not sure as to what to coat the inside of the box with....

I have a 400w hps setup and an exhaust fan, and i can put a little fan within the cabinet no problems..

Now, i'm worried about heat, i don't want to fry my plants as my cabintet is only 1.6 x 2 x 3.3 (weird measurements coz i'm in the metric system here with 450 x 600 x 1000 mm :)...

Since mylar is such a reflective surface i was wondering if it would be overkill for my plants.. Would flat white paint be a better alternative..

thanks guys..
(i tried searching but it always comes up with 'nothing found')
 
desertrat

desertrat

Well-Known Member
last first - search using the tag function.

mylar will not heat your plants. but white paint is almost as good a reflector and is easier to use for small grow areas.
 
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absolutR

Active Member
ahh k, because i've heard ppl saying that 400w is too much for some spaces so to reduce heat then the addition of a fan would be most suitable yeah?
 
desertrat

desertrat

Well-Known Member
absolutR said:
ahh k, because i've heard ppl saying that 400w is too much for some spaces so to reduce heat then the addition of a fan would be most suitable yeah?
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just looked at your space dimensions. while the mylar won;t make your problem worse, you are going to have a challenge cooling with a 400 in your cabinet. fans will only do so much in an enclosed space like that.

also, you don;t really have enough space for a 400. count on 12" for the light and space between the light and your plants if you have an aircooled hood. more like 18" for a normal reflector. add 10" for a pot or hydro system and your plant has to be 11" or shorter. you can grow a plant that short but the yield will suck.

most people use cfl's or something like a 150 or maybe 250 watt hps. a 400 watt light is really designed for a 16 sq ft area.
 
M

Melovibes

Active Member
Yeah, like desertrat said, be careful on the cooling of your bulb.

I think that is more important than what is reflecting. It's already a big bulb in a pretty small space, so keep it all locked down and you should be good, no matter what is on your walls.

But, IMO, I would go with the mylar.
 
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absolutR

Active Member
well i got wide based 6" pots 2 with 2 pnats in each i'm planning that is... my light and reflector housing is about 4"... i should have just over 2ft of growth...

the lid isn't actually finished on my cabinet so i could raise it 6" which would hold the light.. giving me nearly 3ft......

would this work?
 
desertrat

desertrat

Well-Known Member
absolutR said:
well i got wide based 6" pots 2 with 2 pnats in each i'm planning that is... my light and reflector housing is about 4"... i should have just over 2ft of growth...

the lid isn't actually finished on my cabinet so i could raise it 6" which would hold the light.. giving me nearly 3ft......

would this work?
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two plants in the same pot is a no no - trust me, for lots of reasons.

you have to include space between the light and the plants and typically some space between the light and the top of your cabinet to prevent fire risks. by the time you add those distances, you;re going to be down to under a foot.
 
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absolutR

Active Member
thanks for all the advice guys... i spent man hours today building and what not, i'm starting a thread for a grow journal very soon guys..

all the help has been much apreciated, cheers
 
Budda_Luva

Budda_Luva

Well-Known Member
ey man 1 plant per pot unless ur growing in a tub and 2nd i would say use flat white paint the mylar reflect bout 80% heat and i think u would have a hard time getting that heat down and gimme a link to ur journaql
 
ugmjfarmer

ugmjfarmer

Well-Known Member
I use Black/White 6 Mil Panda Film. I seal all the cracks using so called duct tape, however its more like foil tape. I use filtered air for an intake. I use filters for the exhaust.

I would do the same. The Mylar seems too flimsy to work with, and isn't light proof as well as unless its hung as tightly as possible i hear you can get hot spots. White paint or panda wont do that.
 
Zhu

Zhu

Well-Known Member
absolutR said:
well i got wide based 6" pots 2 with 2 pnats in each i'm planning that is... my light and reflector housing is about 4"... i should have just over 2ft of growth...

the lid isn't actually finished on my cabinet so i could raise it 6" which would hold the light.. giving me nearly 3ft......

would this work?
Click to expand...
Like rat said. Also take in mind they wont stay in 6 inch pots forever your gonna need something bigger especially if you use a 400w because there will be alot of growth. So you will probally end up with 3 gal pots over time which are about a foot tall plus the hood on most lights are a half a foot. So unless you plan on growing plants the size of a bic lighter I would suggest a bigger cabinet or cfls before worrying about mylar vs flat white.
 
ugmjfarmer

ugmjfarmer

Well-Known Member
I use 1 gallon grow bags and FFOF/FFLW for a sea of green. I cram 10-12 plants into a very small area. It fits, the plants stop short of 18" tall. No ideas on yields yet, but it will far exceed 1/2 gram / watt. You need a strain that grows short to make this work. Lowryders do, I'm trying Aurora Indica as well.
 
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