question about buying single 150 w hps bulbs

say i bought like a few bulbs... what else do i need to actually produce light from them?? where would i buy some sort of connector to plug into an outlet./.. i guess what im saying is what is the process from buying a bulb... to actually getting it to produce electricity?? is it hard to?? can i just buy it already set up like bulb + thing u screw it into? what is the thing u screw it into called and can i just buy that seperate as well?? this is one of my biggest questions if you could help it would be very much appreciated

you'll have to get a 150 watt hps ballast and a lamp socket with cord set to make that bulb work. i'd advise you to but a self contained light system but you could find the ballast at home depot and the cord set at an electrical suppy co. good luck

alleyezonme said:

say i bought like a few bulbs... what else do i need to actually produce light from them?? where would i buy some sort of connector to plug into an outlet./.. i guess what im saying is what is the process from buying a bulb... to actually getting it to produce electricity?? is it hard to?? can i just buy it already set up like bulb + thing u screw it into? what is the thing u screw it into called and can i just buy that seperate as well?? this is one of my biggest questions if you could help it would be very much appreciated

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its not hard to do if you have experience with doing things yourself.
it doesnt sound like you know all that much about h.i.d. lighting at this point so you need to do alot more research. if you dont know how to do the wiring and the disassembly of a fixture to make it a remote ballast, then you will probly want to buy a complete light set up from a hydro store for your first one. it will be complete with plugs already and much easier. it will be hard to find one at like home depot that will just hang and grow.

if you still want to build your own i will try and help when i can. good luck

smoke and coke said:

its not hard to do if you have experience with doing things yourself.
it doesnt sound like you know all that much about h.i.d. lighting at this point so you need to do alot more research. if you dont know how to do the wiring and the disassembly of a fixture to make it a remote ballast, then you will probly want to buy a complete light set up from a hydro store for your first one. it will be complete with plugs already and much easier. it will be hard to find one at like home depot that will just hang and grow.

if you still want to build your own i will try and help when i can. good luck

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hmm well, ive been reading alot lately about growing... i know about cycles, and germinating, veg, flowering, harvest/cure, etc, but it seems you answered my question.. i like to think im pretty smart... hmm it cant be that hard to build it can it?? maybe theres guides around the net i can search for? and is it significantly cheaper to just build it yourself the ballast? and what exactly is a "ballast" is that the actually thing that you screw the lightbulb into?? thanks for your help

alleyezonme said:

hmm well, ive been reading alot lately about growing... i know about cycles, and germinating, veg, flowering, harvest/cure, etc, but it seems you answered my question.. i like to think im pretty smart... hmm it cant be that hard to build it can it?? maybe theres guides around the net i can search for? and is it significantly cheaper to just build it yourself the ballast? and what exactly is a "ballast" is that the actually thing that you screw the lightbulb into?? thanks for your help

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the ballast is made up of seperate components depending on if its HPS or MH fixture these are;
transformer
capacitor
igniter

you need to have some electrical abilities and common sence. it could be a safety and or fire issue if not done properly. again its not hard to do but it depends on your abilities. every fixture will need to be modified in one way or the other unless you buy a grow lidht which are expensive.

im building 2 cool tubes now that probly wont save me all that much, i shoulda just bought cool tube reflectors but to each his own. do some google searches for 150 watt hps ballast kits, you will see the components.
heres a couple of links you can look at. if you get an idea of a fixture post a link or a pic before you buy it so we can see it.

http://highpressuresodium.net/150w-hps-ballast-120-volt-ansi-s55-kit-p-35.html?zenid=ea080ec4a4af1fc9a7108fe5336c4f69

http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProducts.asp?ProductFamilyID=2

http://www.e-conolight.com/Product/EProducts.asp?ProductFamilyID=5

ok thanks for all your help.. one more question... if i was to just buy a kit... if i was to just purchase a 400w hps ... would i need a pretty big grow space... if i had like 3-4 plants.. and would that 1 400w hps be more than enough to veg and flower?, im stuck between getting a 150 hps or just going semi all out and buying the 400 hps light... also the only other thing that is bugging me a little.. is how often do you know when to water your plants and how much water? and does that mean that im GOING to need a ph meter? ive read that it needs to be kept between like 5.5 (bare minmum) to like 6.5 (max) right i think?, and the only other thing that i need to get a firm grasp of is the nutrients part but i dont need to worry about that so much till flowering right? and i read this info

[FONT=verdana,geneva,arial]The most common fertilizers used in cannabis cultivation are:

• 20-20-20 / Used in vegetative stage
  10-60-10 / Used in flowering stage
  0-52-34 / Used in late flowering stage

• would u say thats pretty accurate?? i wouldnt really switch it up in a "later" flowering stage i dont think... any what exactly do those numbers mean... does it just mean i can go to a store.. and theres gunna be various brans of nutes that say 20/20/20, and 10/60/10 or do u mix and make that total solution?? thanks for all your help.

[/FONT]

Go here and look at lights and nutrients.

That cut and paste text you got for nutes looks like commercial nutrients made for tomatos and stuff. Those numbers work but you can get something much better and designed for mj

yeah ive been looking alot at HTGsupply.. ill prolly order off them... the only thing is ... hmm i would need to create a growroom and i need to find a destination for that first since i live with my mom... and she is not a marijuana supporter LOL. but aside from that.. i love this site i've learned so much and that will always stick with me... i guarentee i will grow some dank ass shit atleast once in my life... i gotta do that before i die LOL. but yeah.. hmm aside from that... i read i can buy sheet metal as a reflector right?? think so.. the only other thing that seems a little strange.. is the whole ventillation aspect... i wouldnt really know where to being with that... like would u reccomend buying like 4 fants total... two that blow and 2 that are suction.... and the suction ones need to pull out the air to some other area... so i would need to design something adequate for that. thanks for all your help

size and location of the grow room, ventilation, size of the light, soil or hydro are all factors that tie together. everything needs to be sized with each other.
larger room means more plants and more wattage and more to ventilate and exchange air.
if your still with your mom and she is not going to know, you should consider waiting untill your on your own. keep getting info untill then.

alleyezonme said:

[FONT=verdana,geneva,arial]

• 20-20-20 / Used in vegetative stage
  10-60-10 / Used in flowering stage
  0-52-34 / Used in late flowering stage

[/FONT]

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that's a really good way to ensure you have major problems in flower. pot does not like super phosphates. at first, you'll think "o shit, they love it!" two weeks later, after the p tox, your ph drops, you get burns and deficiencies at the same time.

no super p's. a proper flower ratio for pot would be like a 123 (ie, 5-10-15)

thanks for all your advice guys... and if anything i've been looking at the whole as informational anyway.. ill always have the information and i've learned alot.. that makes complete sense though about the amount of nutrients and ventilattion all depending on the size of your growroom/amount of plants etc... hmm seems like its a common sense initially type of thing.. and then turns into an experience thing.... but yeah.. if anything im just going to keep up my reading =).. and work on getting pieces for my growroom little by little... like getting lights, grow bags, sheet metal, etc