New grower. Need help

I am a new grower. I constructed an 8x8 foot room with 9 foot ceilings. I put an exhaust fan and covered every wall with Mylar. I want to grow about 8 purple haze plants and 8 white widow plants and get the highest yield I can. I bought two 1000 watt MH/HPS and a 400 watt MH/HPS lights. I am wondering if this is too much lights or not enough? I don't want a huge elec bill if I don't have to. Maybe just use a 1000 and a 400? I'm not sure if I will be over doing it? Please Help

start veg with the 400 mh for a while. then move to just a thousand with an mh bulb in it. then flower with all of them in 2400 watts of hps goodness. that or the 2 1000s hps and the 400 mh kinda a dual spectrum kinda thing. that would be bangin.

So I don't need all that light for veg? I was told the more light the better. That's why I bought so much. So doing it the way you recommend I will get the best yield? I was also told to keep them in veg state until about 4 feet tall and top them and switch to flowering to get 2 main colas and increase the yield. I appreciate your help and this site. I would have put plants under my porch light without this site!! Haha not porch light but not close to what I got.

I only grow with cfl's right now..but a 400 would probably raise my power bill about $20. I don't know where you are, some places it would be more, others less. Man.....with 9ft ceilings i wouldn't veg until 4 ft...maybe 3 and that depends on strain. Indicas then 3 ft..just me. You can certainly grow sativas in that space. I'm stuck in a small cab so my mind is really going here lol. I need to move

I am growing purple Haze and white widow. I was told it will about double in height during flowering so I figured 7 feet would be good. It is my first time do I don't know what to expect but I want to do it right.

use the 2 1000's hps for flowering and the 400 mh for veg, that is plenty of lumens for that size of an area, 64sf, at 5000 lumens per square foot, thats assuming your 1000 watters are 150,000 lumens each, the sun only puts off about 10,000 lumens per sqf so thats not bad, you could also make the room a bit smaller say 6x6 and run the same setup for 8000+ lumens per sqf, again assuming each 1000 has 150,000 lumens, if you did shrink the room ventilation would be key

Thank you very much. I wish I knew that was all I needed before I spent all that money on all those lights. One of the 1000 watters is dim able so should I use two 400's for veg stage? Also how much exhaust should I use? Only enough to keep temp steady?

2 400's for veg would be very good, for your 1000 watters i would recommend an exhaust over 400cfm per light if you can milk that, or just the highest cfm you can purchase, and maybe a cool tube or vented hood. the veg room can be vented with something less elaborate, but make sure thier is fresh air being exchanged, if you dont use a cool tube or vented hood, the fans will suck up air and pull aif from any leaks or input vent, but otherwise have a dedicated intake fan, strictly for pumping new air into the room as the old stale air gets exchanged

By cool tube do you mean the reflectors with the openings to connect a 6 inch hose to suck air from the hood? I have 1 vent that will suck air from the top of room to the outside and bring in fresh air from opposite side of room on the floor. And gonna have 1 more vent connected to the lights to suck out the heat from the lights. Is that enough? I also bought 2 of the eXhale homegrown CO2 bags to hang inside the room.

yeah thats fine, a cool tube is different from a reflector, it is a single tube around tjhe light. but only worry about that if you cant control temps with fans and fresh air but keep a thermometer in there at all times, and make sure the air coming in is new air not recycled. also a 700+cfm exhaust fan would work well for that size room, would replace air in a matter of a few minutes

Do I keep the exhaust fan on all the time? Don't I want the co2 and stuff to stay there for a while? Or doesn't matter just leave fan on at all times? Also off topic but when do I know it's time to switch from veg 18 hour light to flower 12 hour light?

If you are growing under HPS and MH, expect a HUGE electricity bill my friend, it's a symptom of growing the sacred plant with HPS but worth it in the end.

as has been said for 16 plants i would use a 400w over each set of 8 plants for the veg stage and use as much as you can afford for the flowering stage. as for ventalation if your using co2 i would have ventalion on a timer knock it off for 15 minute periods when your releasing the co2 so that it isn't just being sucked straight out the room what a waste.. as for letting them get to 3-4 foot before switching to flower sounds a little over excessive i would maybe veg till about 2 foot remembering plants double to triple in size depending on strain with 1000watters your going to need to keep them a fair bit off your plant so as not to burn them.

So using 2 400 MH and letting veg until 3 feet would be best? What if I do LST? They stay shorter right? And I was reading that during flowering using 2 1000 watt HPS and 1 400 MH is the best for flowering. Since I have so many lights I won't have to use a dual spectrum light?

FLOWER ROOM specs:2x4x4 poly wooden box lumens per square foot: 1st 3 hours: 6,875 6 hours: 11,875 2nd 3 hours: 6,875
400 watts hps 12 hours= 17.28$
400 watts metal halide 6 hours= 8.64
110 watts 6” 400cfm centrifugal fan 12 hours=4.75
120 watts 265 cfm blower 12 hours=5.18
35 watts 1/3 power 1' oscilating fan 12 hours=0.50
co2 negligable (on timer E )
VEGITATIVE specs: 2x3 area in tent lumens per square foot: 1st 12 hours: 3,333 2nd 12 hours: 666
250 watts metal halide 11-12 hours= 10.80
80 watts flouro 12 hours=3.46
50 watts 6 in” 165cfm duct fan 12 hours=2.16
2/3 power 90 watts 4 in” centrifugal fan 24 hours=2.16
35 watts 1' oscilating fan 24 hours=1.00
PROPAGATION specs: 3x2x1 poly wood box
65 watts heating pad 1/3 power 24 hours low=1.87
25 watts water pump 24 hours=2.16
18 watts air pump 24 hours=1.55
15 watts stereo 24 hours=1.80
26 watts flouro 24 hours=2.18
total 30 day cost=65.49 or 76.29(24hour 250 watt) (cost is based on hours a day x watts /1000 x .12 cents x 30 days)
co2 is injected 4x 10 min bursts a day no exhaust/7:00-7:11/9:24-9:35/11:48-11:59/2:12-2:23/4:36-4:47
cubic foot area=175
co2 flow rate=1.2 cfh
minutes on=11
20# tank lasts 7 months
ENTRY TIMES:7:00AM-7:00PM/ 9:00-9:20/11:25-11:40/ 1:40-2:10/4:00-4:30

this is all my costs and equip inside a 5x5x7 tent on its side. 30 plants in 2liter bottles about 1oz ez in groups of 15 8 or 7 2-3 weeks apart. 30 in 4x4 square pots and 4 mothers square foot pots in veg.

i write this on tape with sharpie to keep track of everything.

typical label:
ww#1 1/1/11-1
*2/1/11
ww is abreviation for strain in this case white widow
#1 represents the genetics it is the 1st ww plant (the next widow seed planted at the same time would be labeled ww 2 1/1/11-1)
1/1/11 is the date it was germinated or rooted from cut
-1 represents that it was grown from a seed -2 means it is a clone ( a clone label would be ww 2 1/1/11-2 clone of a clone -3)
*represents date it was put into flower




this is my supply list

SOIL: 1-6 seasons of growing(season usually being about 3months from seed to harvest)
soil mix 20lb bag ocean Forrest or roots organics CURRENT QTY: ½ bag
Bale of peat-moss B-cuzz or Pro-mix CURRENT QTY: 1 1/2 bales
worm castings all organic 20lb. Bag x2 CURRENT QTY: 1 bag
dolomite lime 1lb bag CURRENT QTY: 0
coarse perlite 20qt. Bag CURRENT QTY: 0
vermiculite 10lb. Bag CURRENT QTY: 0
bone meal 10lb. Bag CURRENT QTY: 1/2
qty in soil mixed:
NUTRIENTS: 1-2 seasons
Mexican guano 1-5lbs. CURRENT QTY: 1 ½ bags
Indonesian guano 1-5lbs. CURRENT QTY: 1/2bag
bone meal 1-5lbs. CURRENT QTY: 1 bag
Ionic Growth 1qt. CURRENT QTY: 0
Ionic Bloom 1qt. CURRENT QTY: 1
Super-thrive 1qt. CURRENT QTY: 1
Hormex 8oz.. CURRENT QTY: 1
Pure Blend organic soil 1qt. CURRENT QTY: ¼ bottle
Bottle of vitamin pills chewy Fred Flintstones CURRENT QTY: 10 pills
Seaweed Extract CURRENT QTY: 1 bottle
MICRO-HERD: 1-2 seasons
Carbohydrate mixture of corn syrup and Humboldt honey at 2cornsyrup-1honey .corn syrup CURRENT QTY: 2 Humboldt honey CURRENT QTY: 1
worm castings 20lb. Bag CURRENT QTY: 1
mychorazai fungi CURRENT QTY: ½ container
GENERAL & CLEANING: typically 1-2 every season
rubbing alcohol 1liter CURRENT QTY: 1
hydrogenperoxcide 1 liter CURRENT QTY: 0
sterile enzymes prozyme 1qt CURRENT QTY: 3/4
Rags CURRENT QTY: 1
scalpels or razorblades CURRENT QTY: 2
Windex CURRENT QTY: 0
spray bottles CURRENT QTY: 7+
duct tape CURRENT QTY: ¼ roll
ona block CURRENT QTY: 0
CO2 20lb tank refill CURRENT QTY: 0
LIGHTING: 1-2 seasons
agro-son metal halide gold 400 or 1000 watt CURRENT QTY: 1
hortilux enhanced blue metal halide 400 or 1000 watt CURRENT QTY: 0
hortilux enhanced blue hps 400 or 1000 watt CURRENT QTY: 2
250 watt plantmax CURRENT QTY: 0
t-12 40 watt full spectrum CURRENT QTY: 6
t-12 40 watt sunlight CURRENT QTY: 4
t-12 40 watt gro-lux CURRENT QTY: 4

BUY LIST:
1. pH pen calibration fluid* 10$
2. co2 refill * 20$
3. fluorescent bulbs(not tube)**10$
4. pyrethrin* 20$
5. ona block**10$
6. velcro strips*
7. hygrometer**15$
8. 200 cfm carbon filter***100$




and this is my nutrients mixture and feeding schedule

WATER LIGHT AND FEED SCHEDULE
WEEK AND LIGHT SCHEDULE(on/off)
WATER AND FEED
PLANT STAGE/humidity and temperature (day/night)
week1
24/0
Standard water
Seedling/cutting
temp: 70°-80°/na
RH: 40%-60%
week2
24/0
Standard water/ foliar feed and pesticide
Sprout/reshly rooted
temp: 75°-85°/ 50°-60°
RH: 40%-60%
week3
24/0
Vegetative compost tea
ionic
vegetative topdress
Early Vegetative
temp: 75°-85°/ 50°-60°
RH: 40%-60%
week4
24/0
Standard Water/ foliar feed and pesticide
Mid vegetative
temp: 75°-85°/ 50°-60°
RH: 40%-60%
week5
24/0
Transition compost tea
ionic
transition topdress
Late Vegetative
temp: 75°-85°/ 50°-60°
RH: 40%-60%
week6
12/12
Standard water/ foliar feed and pesticide
Transition early
temp: 70°-80°/ 50°-60°
RH: 20%-50%
week7
12/12
Transition compost tea
ionic
transition topdress
Transition late
temp: 70°-80°/ 50°-60°
RH: 20%-50%
week8
12/12
Standard water/ foliar feed and pesticide
Early flowering
temp: 70°-80°/ 50°-60°
RH: 20%-50%
week9
12/12
Flowering compost tea
flowering topdress
ionic
Mid Flowering
temp: 70°-80°/ 50°-60°
RH: 20%-50%
week10
12/12
Standard water/ foliar feed and pesticide (in this case make sure you rinse plant with plain water after either foliar feed or pesticide)
Late Flowering
temp: 70°-80°/ 50°-60°
RH: 20%-50%
week11-12-13
12/12
Standard water only. no foliar feed or pesticide only rinse with plain water
Ripening
temp: 70°-80°/ 40°-60°
RH: 20%-50%
get humidity as low as possible


NUTRIENT, PESTICIDE AND SOIL MIXTURES
SOIL COMPONENTS:
ROCK: perlite, vermiculite, gravel, green sand,
INERTeat moss, coco coir,
FERTILIZER: worm casting, manure/guano, bonemeal,
my soil mixture tends to have a little bit of everything I will usual use a versatile organic soil that comes in a 20lb. Bag such as roots organic, or ocean forest in combination with a pH balanced peat-moss find it in a bale I recommend pro-mix or b-cuzz. I mix at a rate of 1 20lb. Bag of soil, 1 20lb. Bag of worm castings to half a bale of peat-moss. That is 2 bags of soil and 2 bags of worm castings to 1 bale of peat-moss.( I also mix about ½lb.- 1lb. Of dolomite lime in the mix to balance pH)
NUTRIENTS:
STANDARD WATER: pH 6.2-6.8
vitamin B1 indolebutric acid(hormex): 1 tsp viatmin B1 naptyhl acetic acid(super thrive): 1 tbs
Vitamin pill: 0.5 pill Sterile enzymes: 30ml
DIRECTIONS: clean 5 gallon bucket is filled to top with tap water or reverse osmosis filtered water. then nutrients are measured and mixed in. solution is aerated with regular air (not co2 enriched) using a air pump and air stone.
VEGITATIVE COMPOST TEA: pH 6.6-6.8
worm castings:4.5 tbs Mexican guano: 3.0 tbs
Bone meal: 1.5 tbs Fungus: 1 tsp or 5cc Seaweed extract: 1oz
Carbohydrate: 2oz
DIRECTIONS:5 gallon bucket is filled to top with tap water or reverse osmosis filtered water. Compost tea buckets do not need to be cleaned as they will harbor bacterium and fungus useful to the plant. A large air stone is placed at the bottom of the bucket. Dry ingredients are put in a mesh bag and tied shut with a twist tie. Dry ingredients in bag are then placed in water and liquid ingredients are then added solution is to be left alone for 24 hours, then it is to be aerated/agitated for 24 more hours once again with regular air.
TRANSITION COMPOST TEA: pH 6.4-6.6
Worm castings: 4.5tbs Mexican guano:1.5tbs
Indonesian guano:1.5tbs Pure blend:0.5 oz
Fungus: 1tsp or 5 cc Seaweed extract: 0.5oz
Carbohydrate: 3oz
DIRECTIONS:5 gallon bucket is filled to top with tap water or reverse osmosis filtered water. A large air stone is placed at the bottom of the bucket. Dry ingredients are put in a mesh bag and tied shut with a twist tie. Dry ingredients in bag are then placed in water and liquid ingredients are then added solution is to be left alone for 24 hours, then it is to be aerated/agitated for 24 more hours.
FLOWERING COMPOST TEA: pH 6.2-6.4
Worm castings: 4.5tbs Peruvian guano: 3.0tbs
Pure blend: 0.5oz Fungus: 1tsp or 5cc
Seaweed extract: 0.5oz Carbohydrate: 30z
DIRECTIONS:5 gallon bucket is filled to top with tap water or reverse osmosis filtered water. A large air stone is placed at the bottom of the bucket. Dry ingredients are put in a mesh bag and tied shut with a twist tie. Dry ingredients in bag are then placed in water and liquid ingredients are then added solution is to be left alone for 24 hours, then it is to be aerated/agitated for 24 more hours.
Pesticide is a combination of neem oil and chemical pesticide mixed to 1 gallon of water at 1/3 strength each with some dish soap as an emoulusion agent.only ever used during flower

That is a great post. Thank you. You are only growing each plant in 2 litre bottles? How much do you yield with each plant? I am planning on doing about 15 plants in 4-5 gallon pots to get the highest yield I can.

When I vent is it best to suck old air out from floor level and bring in fresh air at ceiling level or the opposite? And can't I suck out old air from hose that also goes thru the lamp hoods to cool light? Kind of kill 2 birds with one stone?

I run 2600w in my flower room. With Co2. You will need a 8" fan pulling freash cool air over your lights and vented out of the room. Keeping it sealed. No Co2 loss. And another 6" fan and filter set to pull heat and humidity from the top of the room and out of the room. This is set to a temp switch so it's only on when needed so to keep Co2 in. Heat will still be a issue so a A/C will be needed. And depending on how much you pay for electric your bill will be like mine around 500 a mounth.

I sometimes plug my wattage numbers into this calculator when I want to feel sick to my stomach. It's a strong argument to veg under T5s, though I use 1000w HIDs myself, I still might switch it up eventually. I don't know what electric is like in your area, but with the night discount rate, my average price/KWH is about 13 cents. You can use that as a baseline number.

http://www.citytrf.net/costs_calculator.htm