thoughts or ideas pls

[static12]

hi guys, managed to blag the missus to let me grow (1st timer) couple of problems, one, her being paranoid to fcuk bout fire (she was in a house fire) so wire's, boxes an heat don't really float her boat in you know what i mean, an second, am very limited to space, i have built the box to a maximum of 2ft wide, 2ft long an 4ft tall. convinced her by telling her i'd use CFL's, as there's little or no heat discharge an as my box is 4mm plyboard no risk of fire. im looking at a personal supply so prob 2 plants flowering using LST or SOG for optimum yield's (i think). have been advised by a few very helpful peeps (posted stuff in wrong place, doh!) that a 250w HPS is the way to go, but then there's the wires an heat issue with the missus. oh yeah an the box is under the stairs, an the only door to it is in my living room, so the less noise, heat an smells the better!! any ideas/advise would be more than helpful but pls remember im a newbie !!

 

[hererisssh]

You should look into a 2 foot, 4 bulb, T5 fluorescent fixture. High output, no heat (she can put her fingers on the bulbs and ballast). They can be had for reasonable prices and will be far superior to cfl's. Example

Stick to small pots (1/2 gallon max, stay away from a common bed) and flower the plants very small. Do a bunch of them to make up for the lack of space.

Good luck

 

[jadins_journey]

H-Man gave ya some good advice there. I've got a buddy I keep in clones that grows in the same manner as you, under the stairs etc. little smell noise all that. I got him to pick up one of these lights:



and it's all good these days. Winter time he runs a 250HPS and summer time it's one of these T-5's 4 bulb.

 

[RansacktheElder]

Two excellent bits of advice there. The T-5's are great! With T8's or larger bulbs the plants tend to reach toward the center. I know, I have some. But with my T5's they seem to keep the intensity all the way down the length of the bulb. Very effective lights and would be perfect for your situation IMHO.

 

[static12]

bin looking at those T-5's an they do sound like the business - looks like i'll be needing sum more fund's before investing, bit of a tight budget due to a new baby, anything out there that might be 'easier' on the pocket? or am i better off just waiting until i can get the T-5's? if i was to switch T-5's summer/HPS winter what kind of temps would i be looking at with a 250w HPS? (am asking because i insulated my box with kingspan due to the cooler temps under the stairs and me thinking i was going to grow with CFL's to try and retain a steady temp) would i have to remove it if i use HPS or just need a fan? big thanks to H-man, jadins an ransack, the more ideas the better, i know i aint gonna get it right from the start but can't effin wait to try!! really looking forward to the whole idea of nurturing from seed to plant to flower to chop to smoke thing!! reading through posts an threads is a joy, plus i'm being educated all the time - bonus!!

 

[hererisssh]

Congrats on the baby static. People do grow with CFL's but the T5 (and to a lesser extent the T8) are in a different league. You're better off waiting and using a piece of equipment that will give you a better return on investment than CFL's.

If you have some fixtures hanging around and could get 4-6 CFL's going really cheap, it wouldn't be a bad idea to practice on some bag seed. Growing is mostly understanding the plants needs and meeting them as soon as possible. That takes experience.

 

[RansacktheElder]

Okay.....these can be cabled together, mine came with their own patch cable. They're cheap and will work for a small box.

SunBlaster Single T5 Fluorescent Fixtures are excellent options for supplemental lighting. This two-foot, 24-watt tube emits 2280 lumens and produces light with a color temperature of 6400 Kelvins to provide plants the perfect spectrum for growth. The 7/8" wide SunBlaster Single T5 Fixture includes a six-foot power cord, "daisy-chain" cable to link multiple units, built-in electronic ballast, 22,000-hour rated tube, and mounting hardware for horizontal or vertical positioning.

These are $29 ea at the shop I use.

The way I understand it is that the yeild will not be the same as under hps, but you're in a situation that's particular, as you described it. I'm thinking that these lamps in a small box would work out well for you. Moderators, thoughts or concerns?

 

[hererisssh]

Those are fine start out with at least two and then get two more as soon as you can afford it. Id fix them to a piece of plywood and hang the plywood to make adjusting the height easier. You really need control over the lamp height to make fluoro worth anything.

Honestly, I think fluoro grows are much more difficult for beginners because you really need to keep the plants in check usually by training, topping etc... to yield anyhting decent.

 

[static12]

hi guy's, thanks for the congrat's on baby H, am so grateful to have become an insomiac all over again!! (3rd child - think im going mad!!!) i think i'll set sum CFL's up an try a few dummy runs, the more i understand my plants the better an being a newbie experience is what i need. gonna take you're advise H an go for the T-5's, they look awesome. am i better off getting a mixed spectrum tube? thanks for the idea ransack but i think the missus would be more inclined for me to use the T-5's, your i idea would work, just not sure my ability in building it correctly an getting decent control of height for my light would!! an last off, i have insulated my box due to the cool enviroment in the room, what am i best covering the inside in, mylar is favourite i gather?

 

[hererisssh]

My 3rd is on the way bro.

I'd go mixed spectrum if you plan on flowering with them. For the wall surface, flat, white paint will work just fine static.

 

[Steve Zissou]

good luck with those t5's. unfortunately they dont have the penetration of a HID once your plants get big and bushy. so your side lighting becomes critical at this point. what kind of intake and exhauste cfm's are you predicting? for nutrients i dont know if youve chosen one, try the house and garden bio 1 if your in soil. great quality nutrients that doesnt leave your herb with a bad taste. glad you started to grow brother, if i were you i wouldnt waste time growing things in that box other than what you built it for. the best knowledge is gained by trial and error. a good portion of my knowledge was me screwing up something and figuring out the 12 different reasons why it happened. Also, if you have a place like the farm full of growers you shouldnt have as many problems. Airflow, lighting, proper nutes and good karma are the keys to any successful harvest.

tip- free co2, get a 2 liter bottle, some yeast, and sugar...1-2 cups of sugar to 1 tbs of yeast in a 2liter bottle, you can either set it in your cabinet, or drill a hole and silicone some airline in the cap and run it to your intake vents TA DA!

 

[static12]

heeyyy, good look with everything H!! roll on the insomnia an nappies - AGAIN!!

i'll get the paint brush out, and order mixed spectrum when the fund's for the lights accumulate!!

 

[eyes]

if it were me the 250 or 175 hps is a more viable option then cfls.nothing wrong with cfls but a 175 250 run cool enough and put out a hell of alot more light then cfls.most will argue that the plants dont use 50 percent of the wavelength emitted by that bulb.the spectrum is all wrong.but how long have people beenrocking the hps?look at the bud densities.more thc can be had with ultra violet supplemenattion or a true mh bulb. youll notice the buds under mh are more resinous then hps but hps buds are denser.at least in my opinion.

a 2 by 2 x 4 is good for a 250.enclose the bulb in a reflector with glass if worried bout breakage or fire.personally id hang it vertically and point a small fan up at it and exhaust the heat through a carbon filter.hope this helps.

 

[ismokepot]

My only suggestion is to stay away from Worm's Way!!!! They went out of their way to provide purchase information and details in a bust I was once involved in. They are bad news all around.... and expensive to boot.

 

[static12]

cheers for the advise eyes, am beginning to reconsider my thoughts on T-5's, especially when i can pick HPS up for half the price, as long as there's no real fire risk an i get a nice tidy setup i think i might get away with it. thanks for idea on nutes steve - an a quality tip for co2!!

 

[eyes]

no fire risk if the ballast is enclosed in a metal case.so if it shorts for any reason it trips the fuse on the breaker panel.the only worry is the glass bulb.dont foliar spray or mist around the bulb.pull the plant away from the bulb mist her and put her back under.try to be consience my spelling sux of working around the bulb.keep the bulb enclosed in glass enclosure if real paranoid.will lose 10-12 percent lumens though.any other questions just ask.glad i could help

 

[hererisssh]

HPS is absolutely the superior choice static. I thought it wasn't an option for you.

 

[static12]

i know H but almost everyone is recommending hps as a first choice, the folkes have been really helpful with ideas (yourself included) an the T-5's do look like a good buy an i know the missus would be happy with that setup. but i have also been checking prices an i think it'll be a while before i can get em. whereas the hps could be here a lot sooner and i could start growing (learning) sooner!!
maybe im trying to run before i can walk, probably rushing into things here, after sitting back and re-reading i think its best for me to wait till i got sum cash saved before making a purchase (it gives me a few extra weeks). plus if i did hps an the missus found out ...........

 

[hererisssh]

Let me reiterate static: If it's possible to run an HPS instead of fluoro's you will be way better off and your ROI will be much higher, faster.

HPS is the place to start, if it's possible to do so.