Need help or growing 101

G

grandmabeany

New Member
I want to grow 1-3 plants. What kind of lights do you think are best with out increasing light bill much?? I am just starting and i have not bought my lights yet. I read about lighting :thanks:and all the different lights is so confusing. I am hoping there are some people who just want to grow for personal use like myself that could help me. Thanks ahead of time.
 
Hi and welcome. I was in the same dilemma when I first started to grow, all the talk about ballasts, inline fans, high electric bills etc.caused such confusion to me who is just a plug in type of grower so I went with a LED and was never sorry. Only worry with it is to be sure to purchase it from a led manufacture not a hydro store wanna-be kind and there's reputable dealers right here at this site; one that I read reviews on is Advanced and they have the 3w LED UFO that is perfect for the whole grow through. People say they're to pricey but in the long run I found them cheaper than all the other lights with hi electric bills, heat issues, etc. So that is exactly what I recommend for a first time wanting to have pleasure with the grow as a hobby. When I bought my Led Ufo 5 years ago I paid $500. for it but got 4 good years continuous grow from it before 1/2 burnt out. So my 2-cents. Good luck with your decision. :peace:
 
grandmabeany said:
I want to grow 1-3 plants. What kind of lights do you think are best with out increasing light bill much?
Click to expand...

Don't think in terms of "How many of what wattage/type of lighting for # plants." Instead, think in terms of what size space you are setting up for your indoor garden, and what wattage/type of lighting you need to adequately light it.

For one, that'll give you a much more realistic answer. For another... I've seen plants spaced anywhere from nine per square foot to one plant filling an eight square foot space (and that was just in my own past gardens, lol). So, without more information, you can't really give a proper and (presumably) correct answer to a question like that.

So... What size space are you planning on setting up? Will it be enclosed (walls) or open (say, in a corner of your living room, in the middle of an open bedroom, et cetera)? Will the walls be covered in a reflective surface (flat, satin, or eggshell bright white paint, mylar, et cetera)? What strain or type of plants do you wish to grow (sativas generally require more light than indicas)? What size do you plan to grow these plants to, and what spacing are you wishing to shoot for? Are you willing to do some form of training (LST - Low Stress Training, Scrog - Screen of green, basically training the plants under a flat grid screen with the intention of having it end up full but not overfilled, with lots and lots of buds, one growing up through each hole in the grid) or are you planning on simply "turning them loose" to grow however they will with no training? Et cetera.

If you are still in the learning stage, you probably cannot answer all of these questions. But whatever information you can provide will help people give you an answer that will actually help.
 
I ran a small grow in a closet from seed until veg with only one 45watt CFL. (5 plants in approx 2 square feet)

I upped it to two 65watt CFls once they began veging and have had no problems so far, they are cheap to buy, about 10 pounds, (15usd) each on amazon, they run straight off of the mains and have low heat output and low running costs.

In the end, it all depends on the size of space you are filling and how much space you wish to have between plants.
 
Budman x said:
I ran a small grow in a closet from seed until veg with only one 45watt CFL. (5 plants in approx 2 square feet)

I upped it to two 65watt CFls once they began veging and have had no problems so far, they are cheap to buy, about 10 pounds, (15usd) each on amazon, they run straight off of the mains and have low heat output and low running costs.

In the end, it all depends on the size of space you are filling and how much space you wish to have between plants.
Click to expand...

I'd like to try a vegging cfl but I don't seem to be able to find a fixture for it; all i want is the thing to screw the bulb in it and it's on a plug-in cord, is there such a fixture like that? If so where can I find it? I don't know how to put anything together like some of the cfl pics i see here. :thanks:
 
Vampire said:
I'd like to try a vegging cfl but I don't seem to be able to find a fixture for it; all i want is the thing to screw the bulb in it and it's on a plug-in cord, is there such a fixture like that? If so where can I find it? I don't know how to put anything together like some of the cfl pics i see here. :thanks:
Click to expand...

Have a look on amazon. There are options of fixtures from basic clip on light mains to a decorative lighting fixture. Also can get heavy duty screw in fixtures. Just make sure you get the correct fitting for the bulb you plan on using.

If it's a bulb that would go in a regular household connection then you are looking for a bayonet connection if you are in the uk. I don't know how they are in the US etc but it would be just a regular clip on one you are after. A local hardware store would be able to help you and wouldn't ask any questions if you walked in with a low wattage cf bulb and asked for the appropriate connection as they are widely used as energy savers in regular household lighting.

Hope that helps :)
 
Ah yeah that helps alot, thanks. I did snitch a pic of the 68w 2700k light that another grower showed for what he was using in veg-state, so I'll just take that and ask for the simple screw- in fixture for it. :thanks:
 
grandmabeany said:
I want to grow 1-3 plants. What kind of lights do you think are best with out increasing light bill much?? I am just starting and i have not bought my lights yet. I read about lighting :thanks:and all the different lights is so confusing. I am hoping there are some people who just want to grow for personal use like myself that could help me. Thanks ahead of time.
Click to expand...

My first grow consisted of 8 plants and 4 cfls. I gradually got to 10 cfls, daylight and soft white combined. I still use them til this day to veg. I am far from a wizard on the light issue. But I think it really begins with what you can afford to use. Or what you're willing to spend. I grow for personal use and am on a budget. I have a 400w light in my flowering closet but I had to rob Peter to pay Paul to get it. It does make a difference over cfls and my bill got a little higher but to me worth it.
 
Budman x said:
Make sure you use a 6400k spectrum for veging and 2700k spectrum for flowering
Click to expand...

Yeah i just need it for vegging; I'm set in flowering with hps. How many watts with a 6400k and is it right to get 'soft white' or something else? (Supposed to be blue like the led i'm using now right?). Thanks again.
 
Vampire said:
I'd like to try a vegging cfl but I don't seem to be able to find a fixture for it; all i want is the thing to screw the bulb in it and it's on a plug-in cord, is there such a fixture like that? If so where can I find it? I don't know how to put anything together like some of the cfl pics i see here. :thanks:
Click to expand...

Piece of 14/2 (or 12/2, or 10/2) wire. First number is the thickness (more or less), the lower the number the heavier the wire. Second number is number of "conductors" (wires). Thus, 14/2 would be a fairly light-duty wire with two individual insulated wires (generally made up of multiple strands, but they have solid also). 14/2 is plenty for building a light-duty light. 14/3 would have three insulated wire runs - this is NOT the same as a two-conductor wire with a ground wire, that would be 14/2 with ground (ground wire is uninsulated).

Price... Around a dollar a foot in short runs, or buy a roll cheaper. Or dig the broken lamp/hairdryer/etc. out of the trash.

Ground not needed for this application.

One male plug end (male meaning... it's an outie, lol). Maybe a dollar or two depending on quality. Will have provision for connecting each wire to a spade on the plug (generally, with a screw). Just trim the insulation off the end of the wire. Don't trim too much and the wires won't touch each other (or have bare wire showing).

One socket, medium (standard household type). If using CFLs 125-watt or higher, they often require mogul socket (larger). Couple bucks or about twice that for mogal socket. I like the ones with plastic or something around the metal, because I have yet to figure out how to break Murphy's law ;). Same connection, one wire goes to one screw, other wire goes to other screw.

Make sure wires don't short out (touch each other). Make sure no bare wire evident. Screw in bulb. Plug into wall. Squint from sudden presence of light.

You probably should know that one wire is neutral and the other is hot. Modern plugs are polarized (one blade wider so it only plugs into your receptacle (that's female - she's an innie)), so as to keep the two wires from being mixed. Most of my outlets are so old they aren't polarized, so I get to grind the wide blade of each plug down so it'll plug in. I suppose I've probably plugged half in backwards. <KNOCKS ON WOOD> I'm still here. But you should be aware of it. Walk into Lowes or Home Depot and they've probably got a pamphlet. Or get lucky and the store is having a "how to change an outlet" type class where you can ask.

You can daisy-chain several together, but that's Lamp-building 102, lol. Good for three credit-hours and costs $2700. The basic course was free and you passed. Bring the teacher an apple. (He'll show you how to make a bowl out of it in 2.5 seconds while managing to eat half the apple.) For additional courses, please see "Dirty Old Men and You 101 - 465" Volume discounts available. :rofl:

Wait... You're a girl... Who chose the handle "Vampire." Err... Do I know you, lol?
 
Say what? Vampire is a girl? I assumed she was a guy.. I guess when I think vampires I think male, due to True Blood's Bill and Eric....Vampire Diaries Stefan and Damon...And of course, the grandest vampire of all, LeStat. What can I say, I am obsessed with vampires.
 
I was using a magnetic 250 watt HPS with a 250 watt MH conversion bulb for a bit, and it seemed to me like it would have grown three topped Indicas pretty well. If you're doing it in an enclosed area an inline 4" fan is about the least you're going to be able to use to remove heat. There's 345 watts right there, plus a fan for below the lights and your looking at probably 375-400 watts. So expect a little extra on the electric bill. Altogether I run a:
1) 500 watt light system w/125 watt inline and (3) 25 watt fans.
2) 450 watt light system w/95 watt inline and a 25 watt fan.
3) 125 watt CFL light system and a 20 watt fan.
To give you an idea of cost (it can vary a lot depending on where you're at and other things, so don't take this as exact), I just added the last 125 watt system I listed. Minus it, I was paying an average of $100.00/month extra on my bill. I expect the new system to add another $25-30. But when I get it all tweaked out I'll be 'mokin like a Navajo Chief..... :thumb:
 
Damn Tortured Soul I'm feeling bad that u went through all that typing and I don't understand diddly of it, lol. See that's y I went with Leds from the get-go-grow. Thanks, I thought I could just get the cord with a plain screw-in fixture on it and just screw in the bulb so right now I'll stay with the leds and put the vegging's outside and under the vegging leds when the sun goes down - I'm all set with 2 hps for the flowering garden.
I'm impressed with your knowledge of it though. :bravo: :thanks:
 
Glad the babies have sprouted for you. Thanks for the well wishes, doing good here. Hope you are well too!

Sent from my LG-P505 using Forum Runner
 

Similar threads

I
Need lighting help
Replies
5
Views
1K
HybridKGB
H
M
LED light help needed
Replies
3
Views
739
MustangRanch
M
S
Various stages of LED lighting
Replies
1
Views
1K
dawook4420
dawook4420
O
Need Help - growing lights for a few plants indoors
Replies
2
Views
1K
Kalimaki420
Kalimaki420
S
Help with lighting
Replies
4
Views
1K
swarty23
S
Back
Top Bottom