Gadfly
Well-Known Member
Re: Could Really Use Assistance on How To Best Utilize the Space I Have in My Small C
The Kelvin scale is an indication of the visible light spectrum. Higher Kelvin temps means more blue and lower temps means more red. We are using artificial light to mimic the natural changes of the seasons for our indoor plants. During vegetative growth, the higher kelvin temps (blues) are best. During flowering we want those lower reds to simulate the fall. It's ok to combine both but it is best to make the right one dominant during the right stage of growth. When using CFL's nothing special is needed. Simply go to the nearest hardware store and get cool white(blue) bulbs for the veg and soft white(red) for flowering. The more watts the better. One light per plant will get you through the first couple weeks. You can buy splitters and add bulbs as they grow.
Multiple CFLs hanging all over can be a hassle but there are benefits as well. They produce very little heat which is why you can have them so close to your plants. Little heat also means that you can place bulbs strategically (as you curiously pointed out) to maximize light penetration w/out the worries of frying everything up. They're cheap and long lasting--I'm still using bulbs that I bought 5 years ago. They also use less electricity and eliminate the need for a ballast. The pitfalls of the cfl is that their Kelvin temps can't compete with the HID/HPS. However, you will pay out in terms of cash and other hassles that go along w/ the HID/HPS set-up. These things get hot, very hot, and this will mean that more attention--and money--will be needed to manage that. Also keep in mind that the bulbs for the HID/HPS can range from $20 on the cheap to $80+ on the higher end and they should be changed regularly (every 6 months at least) because they put out less light as they age. Another thing to consider is that working in that small a space 2 400watt lights probably wont work. One 400watt would cover that area w/ ease. A 600watt system would be pushing it but doable. I use a 300Watt cool white cfl for vegging and a 400watt hps to flower in my 3x3x6 tent.
Fox Farms works and is beginner friendly. Just start off using 1/4 of the recommended doses and work your way up. Avoid Miracle Grow whenever possible as cannabis doesn't respond well w/ most of their products. As w/ almost everything there are pros and cons to using soil from the back yard. Considering that I'm a city dweller and don't have much experience growing farmer style I cant say much about your soil. I buy Fox Farms Ocean Forest.
I've never had to order seeds being the spoiled CA resident that I am. Can't help much on that front. It's probably best to secure some ASAP.
The Kelvin scale is an indication of the visible light spectrum. Higher Kelvin temps means more blue and lower temps means more red. We are using artificial light to mimic the natural changes of the seasons for our indoor plants. During vegetative growth, the higher kelvin temps (blues) are best. During flowering we want those lower reds to simulate the fall. It's ok to combine both but it is best to make the right one dominant during the right stage of growth. When using CFL's nothing special is needed. Simply go to the nearest hardware store and get cool white(blue) bulbs for the veg and soft white(red) for flowering. The more watts the better. One light per plant will get you through the first couple weeks. You can buy splitters and add bulbs as they grow.
Multiple CFLs hanging all over can be a hassle but there are benefits as well. They produce very little heat which is why you can have them so close to your plants. Little heat also means that you can place bulbs strategically (as you curiously pointed out) to maximize light penetration w/out the worries of frying everything up. They're cheap and long lasting--I'm still using bulbs that I bought 5 years ago. They also use less electricity and eliminate the need for a ballast. The pitfalls of the cfl is that their Kelvin temps can't compete with the HID/HPS. However, you will pay out in terms of cash and other hassles that go along w/ the HID/HPS set-up. These things get hot, very hot, and this will mean that more attention--and money--will be needed to manage that. Also keep in mind that the bulbs for the HID/HPS can range from $20 on the cheap to $80+ on the higher end and they should be changed regularly (every 6 months at least) because they put out less light as they age. Another thing to consider is that working in that small a space 2 400watt lights probably wont work. One 400watt would cover that area w/ ease. A 600watt system would be pushing it but doable. I use a 300Watt cool white cfl for vegging and a 400watt hps to flower in my 3x3x6 tent.
Fox Farms works and is beginner friendly. Just start off using 1/4 of the recommended doses and work your way up. Avoid Miracle Grow whenever possible as cannabis doesn't respond well w/ most of their products. As w/ almost everything there are pros and cons to using soil from the back yard. Considering that I'm a city dweller and don't have much experience growing farmer style I cant say much about your soil. I buy Fox Farms Ocean Forest.
I've never had to order seeds being the spoiled CA resident that I am. Can't help much on that front. It's probably best to secure some ASAP.
