Cfl to hps transition questions.

T

Touchmejesus

New Member
Hey there, I have been growing since last year and both of my harvests have been pretty weedy. I didn't weigh them properly but the buds were about as big as a peach core, or a coke bottle cap and i got 5-6 per plant. Don't get me wrong it was great stuff, but it only lasted me 2 weeks. I have been using 150w cfl bulbs - 2 per plant for the first 2 and 1 per plant for the 4 after and I am seriously disappointed (except for the first 2, just slightly disappointed). SO I had a thought this morning why not go hps, the heat from the 4 cfls is probs the same as one hps right? So i'm looking at a 250w and a 400w, obviously 400w will give more lumens but how many more? How much extra heat can i expect? the temp of the room is usually between 15-19 celsius and the grow area gets up to 30 if i don't open a window and its sunny outside, but usually its about 26. How many plants could it support? i think my space is about 0.6m wide, 0.4m deep and 1 metre tall. I'll probs go for 4 either way. How hot does a ballast get? How does 12/12 work with hps? How many watts of cfl would work for veg? I'm looking for low cost, so If I setup a rig of 1 150w cfl in reflector could i veg 2 plants on 18/6?

Cheers in advance
(Insert some kind of smiley)
 
You are right about the heat. Why not. The ballast you should have out side of grow area to help keep heat away. The one thing I do not see in your post is what are you using for a exhaust fan?
Now the part about 1 150 cfl for veg why not run a T5 fixture more light coverage runs cooler. A T5 4 bulb fixture would do the best with 2-4 plants. You can see I have four plants under mt 4 bulb T5 in on my links. A 200hps would do great for two plants in your space. I would not try 400 in a 3 foot tall grow room. That size grow room a LED would be the best I think. This one right here Reflector LED Grow Light Old Model LED Grow Light - Led Grow Lights or this one Old Model LED Grow Light - Led Grow Lights
 
See the problem is I just don't trust LED, not for the price in the UK or the import from wherever. I have an exhaust fan i think its 350 cube metres of air an hour. I can definitely see what you mean about the heat in grow room. Its actually a fridge so its great in the winter, but it struggles with heat a bit. but my thinking is that 4 150w cfls are equivalent to a 400w hps in heat or at the least the 250w. I was reading this on another forum - "my 400w in a large wardrobe no ventalation in the room with a desk fan was on average 86f which was little to high so switched to cfl." i have the exhaust and a 6" fan, 30c is ok right?

i'm gonna leave the vegging, thinking about it now.
 
LochGee said:
CO finest, would this LED panel be enough Watts for 1 or 2 plants?? would it be better then a 300W CFL?
100x3w led grow light
Click to expand...

Yes it would. The LED will put out a lot better spectrum and wavelength then Cfl and HPS lights. That 100x3 is good for flowering.
 
Touchmejesus said:
See the problem is I just don't trust LED, not for the price in the UK or the import from wherever. I have an exhaust fan i think its 350 cube metres of air an hour. I can definitely see what you mean about the heat in grow room. Its actually a fridge so its great in the winter, but it struggles with heat a bit. but my thinking is that 4 150w cfls are equivalent to a 400w hps in heat or at the least the 250w. I was reading this on another forum - "my 400w in a large wardrobe no ventalation in the room with a desk fan was on average 86f which was little to high so switched to cfl." i have the exhaust and a 6" fan, 30c is ok right?

i'm gonna leave the vegging, thinking about it now.
Click to expand...


With normal levels of CO2, in a well vented space, 90 degrees would seem to be the absolute max, while 85 may be closer to optimum, even with a great deal of light available. Do not let the room temperature get over 35 C (95 F) as this hurts growth. Optimal temperature is 27-30 C (80-86 F) if you have strong light with no CO2 enrichment. Less than 21 C (70 F) is too cold for good growth.

Low temperatures at night are OK down to about 60 degrees outdoors, then start to effect the growth in a big way. Mid 50s will cause mild shock and 40s will kill your plants with repeated exposure. Keep your plants warm, especially the roots. Elevate pots if you think the ground is sucking the heat out of the roots. This is an issue if you have a slab or other type of cold floor.

As temperature goes up, so does the ability of the air to hold water, thus reducing humidity, so a higher average temperature should reduce risk of fungus.
 
CO Finest,

I have read all of your journals and must say you have this down to an art! Thanks for all the information that I have gleaned from your posts and journals. Perhaps you might have some thoughts about a lighting switch I am getting ready to implement. I have a Veg cabinet 4x4 with 4 WW fems at 10 weeks old under a 400w HPS. All the girls are very thick, bushy, and smelling really good for Veg phase. I have procured a 5x144 MH LED and want to replace the 400w HPS due to heat problems. Any guess on the effects of swapping out the illumination, such as distance between tops and panel, or any other about things I might need to watch? The plants are so very healthy and thick and I really don't want to set them back or injure them so close to flower time (maybe 3 weeks from now after they hopefully adjust to the new light source.) I appreciate you help and knowledge, thanks for sharing everything that you have with 420Magazine folks.

JB
 

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