lighting ? For newbe

[BULLDOZIN]

Im going to start growing in my closet its 2' deep 6'wide and about 10' tall. what kind of lighting should I use? My budget is about $150 for lighting. And how many plants do u think can grow in there.

 

[Dunge]

I got a low end 400Watt socket and simple shade with a Metal Halide and a High Pressure Sodium bulb for about $150. Ebay.

Take note: Your closet may stink you out of the room in late flower.

 

[Genius Genetics]

so thats 12 square feet of space but with it being 6 feet wide (lights wont spread that far) the sides wont be gettin much light.
you want to aim for 50w a square foot (more if you can) for proper bud production so a 600w hps would be perfect
but if you mount it in the middle of ur closet the sides at each end will suffer.
what you really need is a linear light mover with a 600w+ hps

on the number of plants you can get in that space, that all depeneds on what the strain grows like, dose it stretch much or at all in flowering?
is it a single bud 1 main stem strain or a bushy many tops kinda strain.
it could be any where from 1 plant a square foot (so 12 plants) or just 6 plants

hope this helps

Peace G.G

 

[Duder]

Unless you have the ventilation to keep it cool in there Id go with a T5 fixture, and supplement with cfls on the side..

 

[Genius Genetics]

Unless you have the ventilation to keep it cool in there Id go with a T5 fixture, and supplement with cfls on the side..

A T5 fixture, and supplement cfls on the sides will grow u some buds
but dont expect the yield to be much

you said your closet is 10 feet high,
you want to take advantage of this and grow some nice sized plants that will yield for you when all's said n dun.
T5 fixtures and cfls do not penetrate the light past the canopy very well,
you have to keep the lights very close to the plants.
Tall plants grown with T5 fixtures and cfls are a nightmare,
they will yield far less than plants grown under a single HPS giving you at least 50w a square foot.

T5 fixtures and cfls are better suited for seedlings/clones and vegging.

if you have got good ventilation i would definately go with an HPS setup
may cost a little more $ but it will be well worth it in the end.

you will need some sort of ventilation with either light setup you choose
so why not just make sure it good enough for a HPS setup

a single 4" or 6" inline fan mite be enough for the ventilation
you could have the in-take passive
or use a fan the same size or slightly smaller its up to you

Peace G.G.

 

[dedust]

your local hydro store should have some used gear for cheap. although i don't how reliable used ballasts, bulbs, etc. would be...

also, do you plan on using a reflector? do they make reflectors that are < 2 ft.?

 

[BULLDOZIN]

So I found a reflector its 19" by 13" by 6" and I was going to get a 600w hps. Is this going to be enough lighting for this area? my local dispensary has some seeds and clones from the cali connection so i want to grow some OG.

 

[CalcioErba2004]

Yes 600w will be plenty. Now look into cooling it...

 

[Melvan]

I would suggest you tighten up the space, make fake walls by hanging mylar, although it would be easier with panda film. You need 3000 lumens per sqft for veg, 5000 lumens for flower. Wattage means nothing if the lumens are low. People say 50w per sqft, but with the cfls putting out higher lumens at a lower wattage, that guideline really only works for hps.

I would like to add that this is not a cheap hobby, if you're going to commit yourself to it be prepared to invest some cash. After all, you're going to be growing something with a value between $300-$400, you can't do that cheap.

 

[BigCountry]

My first grow was with fluorescents supplemented with 75w security HPS lights from the hardware store. 5 gallon buckets, miracle grow soil and nutes.

Got my $150 worth in 53 impatient days.