Autoflower SOG beginning advices & help !!

[hopkanthon]

Hello
I'm starting an autoflower sea of green grow room. I'm a plantation enthusiast since I've been planting many kinds of plants outdoors and even weed for like 10 years. My plan is ready for everything and all the phases except the lighting issue.
I've read many things about types of lights and wattage but nothing is really clear. I hope to get a clear and concise answer about this matter.
Here are my settings:
- Autoflower weed
- 3x3 meters (9m2 or 97 sq foot)
- 2 gallon pots
It is my first grow and I want to know what type of bulbs to use? MH or HPS or CFL or HID or T5 ...?? or even LED ??
What's the difference between them?
What is best for optimum results and what is best in term of electricity consumption / bill?
How many lights should I put for the 9m2 area? And how many watts each would be?
How to calculate it in terms of wattage per m2 ??
Oh and how can I do a timer to automatically switch lights on and off? and what timing do you recommend; 20/4 or 18/6 would be best?
And for the experienced, do you recommend any soil mix / recipe for optimal outcomes?

I'm a beginner to this and I really need some advices on how to start.

Thank you

 

[OG1969]

From my understanding of the auto flowering plants, from the reading I have done is as soon as they sprout they are looking to flower hence the name. Most of what i have read say 12/12 from the start, myself I would go a week at 24/7 then go to 12/12 . As far ad lighting again they are wanting to flower as soon as they come up, making them more difficult for cloning. I personally would go with an HPS light if you plan on doing this semi long term. I prefer HPS myself , but to each their own . Good luck can't wait to see them girls in action.

P.S. I think for.that size area properly lined with mylar a 600 watt light would do , remember the plant is wanting to bud as soon as it comes out of the ground some in as little as 60 days so your gonna run an efficient hid system 12/12 from the gate not a bad deal . Again good luck and may the buds be packed with resin and trichomes .

 

[hopkanthon]

I've got some feminized autoflower seeds dude
Thanks for you advice... how many watts per square meter do you recommend for optimum results?

 

[OG1969]

You want to try and mimic the sun 10,000 lumens per sq foot at 3x3 with a 600 watt sodium light you meet that goal, as long as you add mylar to you walls and pack true plants in to a plant a sq foot , personally I would put more , you have less vegative growth and all they want to do is bud , that will be trial and error, but 9 plants would be a safe start till you dial the room in , hope that helps look forward to some pics. OG

 

[OG1969]

Soil type , rght now in cali I am using fox forest ocean organic and root organic, I have heard the fox farm ocean organic mixed with their other one main for seedlings , name escapes me . Someone will chime in with it. Me I love soil and love organic help what we smoke goes into our blood stream so I do my own horse manure compost and mix it into everything, next grow will be the same but will include the blue planet nutrients.

 

[DelBoy]

only on ma first grow myself but i did a bit o research about light cycles m8 an what they were sayin was lights on 24hrs bud. we change light cycles in a grow room to mimik autum so the plant starts to flower..auto flower does what it says flowers automaticaly...i had mine under a 250watt grow light for first 2-3 weeks then put them under a 600 hps av still gt 5 weeks to go till harvest and they are doin amazin buddin up nice av gt 7 in an 8ft x 4ft grow room a built and am runnin out o space their grow rate is explosive ...

 

[Hosebomber]

OG1969, He said the room was 3x3 meters... not feet (roughly 10ft x 10ft). 600 Watts is only good for ~12 square feet. He has 97 square feet to cover. At the low end of optimum for flowering you want 50 watts per square foot, or 4850 watts for your area. I'm guessing 100% of that area will not be covered, so four 1000 watts lights will prolly do the trick for you. Just have the walking areas around the outside of the room not in the coverage area for the lights.

As for times, I would personally do 18/6 for the first 3-4 weeks then change it to 12/12 once flowering starts. I live in an area where electricity is very expensive and plants DO need a dark period. There is a lot of chemical reactions that only happen during the dark time.