How much lighting to root clones?

[Just a Habit]

Would a 400 Watt Metal halide be enough to only root 90 clones in small cups...is there a minimum on area that it would cover?

 

[Seamaiden]

A 400W MH would be too much. Go lower.

 

[the lorax]

Use fluorescent lighting for your clones. If you use a 400w Mh your clones will not be happy.

 

[CelticEBE]

What would be the optimal Flouro wattage for one dome filled with clones?

 

[Seamaiden]

One or two 2' fluoros (can't remember the wattage) would be my choice. I've been cloning in my veg-table, the new cuts get stuck on an end that's just not as bright. I use 4' shop lights and CFLs in that.

 

[Just a Habit]

Good question by Celtic. Anyone the optimal wattage then for a dome filled clones? I figured a 400 Watt would be pretty weak for cloning but I guess not. Are you saying a standard 60 Watt lightbulb would work? How close would you keep it...couple inches?

 

[Seamaiden]

No, not a standard 60W bulb, those are incandescents and entirely inappropriate for anything other than making light for people to see by. I said what I would recommend up above. You want less light when trying to get Mary to root, not more. A foot or two is more like it.

 

[sky high]

IMO....A 2 ft long - 2 lamp t-5 with 6500K lamps is a very nice light for rooting clones.

like this:

^^^^^^^^^^^ I have no affiliation here..just did a quick search. you can possibly beat this price...dunno. Just an example, FWIW.

good luck

s h

 

[Bobby Smith]

Fluorescents are (IMO) better for clones, but I have a 400HPS over my EZ 120 right now and it's fine - I've rooted clones under a 1K HPS as well - as long as you're not nuking them with light you'll be fine.

The HPS in the picture is ~2 feet above the EZ, and you can see that these are VERY small clones.

 

[CelticEBE]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Just a Habit]

Thanks Bobby, So I'll do okay cloning with a 400W as long as its above 2 ft? Out of curiousity why dont you use a humidity dome? I have an extra 400 just lying around I figured I could use it with the proper environment. But if I have to use a flourcensant I will. Its my first time cloning and making a few mothers and I dont want to fuck it up.

 

[Seamaiden]

Mmm... I see that you're doing it, Bobby, but for me, because I'm paying out the hoo-hoo for electricity, I can do exactly what you're doing with a pair of 4' shop lights, @80W apiece. That's 160W vs 400W, which I'd rather throw at flowering girls who really need it.

Just sayin'.

 

[Bobby Smith]

Mmm... I see that you're doing it, Bobby, but for me, because I'm paying out the hoo-hoo for electricity, I can do exactly what you're doing with a pair of 4' shop lights, @80W apiece. That's 160W vs 400W, which I'd rather throw at flowering girls who really need it.

Just sayin'.

Trust me, I have 4 4' T8 tubes (so 8 total tubes, two per fixture) that are usually mounted above the EZ (attached pic) - was just too lazy to get them out of the closet in my garage and set them up properly, so I drilled a hole in the ceiling and put the 400 above.

Simply a temporary thing, the 400 is usually above my mothers and the fluoros above the EZ (two levels in a 4x2 tent).

Lazy is my middle name :banana1sv6: