First grow few problems

[bllsr]

Hello everyone i am in dire situation. this is my first grow and i think i bite off more than i could chew. i got this 2x2x2m grow tent and planning to scrog 24 plants in there. my problem is which reflectors shoud i get. i have 4 x 400 watt mhs at the moment and planning to get 4 x 600 watt hps bulbs. my question is that, 4 x 6'' cool tubes with little wings attached to it can do the trick ? air cooled sealed reflectors are so expensive in my country that i cant afford. sorry about my bad english

 

[AKgramma]

Go with what you can afford, even if you have to make them yourself out of stove pipe. If your lamps come with wings, those should be sufficient, if your tent has reflective or white material on the walls.

You can adjust the distance of the plants to the lights, which will give you the coverage you need. Many people don't use reflectors. And many of us, including myself, grow as cheaply as possible.

 

[bllsr]

Go with what you can afford, even if you have to make them yourself out of stove pipe. If your lamps come with wings, those should be sufficient, if your tent has reflective or white material on the walls.

You can adjust the distance of the plants to the lights, which will give you the coverage you need. Many people don't use reflectors. And many of us, including myself, grow as cheaply as possible.

you make me hopeful man thank you so im getting that 4 x600 watt cooltubes. i want ask more of you cuz no one else answers me. you think 20 or 18 plants for 40 sqft with 4x600 cooltubes, is it enough ?

 

[AKgramma]

Standard practice is 50 actual watts per square foot. You can raise and lower your plants or lights as they grow for the best penetration.

Don't get confused between the EQUIVALENT brightness in watts and the ACTUAL WATTAGE pulled from the socket. You want to calculate what the light unit pulls from the socket for your watts per square foot.

EXAMPLE: 100 watt brightness CFLs only draw 23 Watts from the socket. I calculate using 23 Watts. Plants do not "see" the same wavelengths humans see, so equivalent brightness is a human thing, and means nothing to a plant.

Depending on how long you veg your plants (I suggest 3 months minimum) you don't want to crowd them out. Mature plants with minimal training will need a 2 foot x 2 foot space each (4 SF). If you LST them to grow low and wide (if you're limited in head room) you'll grow fewer plants.

So, I think 10 plants is the uppermost number you should grow in that 40 SF enclosure. Now if the enclosure is for younger plants, you can tuck them in amongst the older plants and move the mature plants to the flowering enclosure, leaving room for veg.

If you can fit a wire shelving unit in the room, or have a decent-sized closet (6 SF or 8 SF), you can set that one up for your overflow, or for your flower unit. The plants in veg can wait their turn. I have vegged plants for the better part of a year, until a spot opened up in the flower unit.

Just an idea to toss into the mix.

 

[bllsr]

thank you for your precious advices AKgramma, my system is now set 4x600 watters with cooltubes, 1250 cfm fan taking out hot air through cooltubes so win win climate is perfect in there now and my 20 ladies sit there topped,happy. now i should dump some of them to prevent overcrowding is there now way to grow all of them in there? i mean they cover half of the area when put together. maybe 18?

 

[bllsr]

btw i am doing my researh well over a 2 years i think. it was the best passive hobby ever until now i worked with fans, ducting
ac units, for perfect climate before i put my seed into soil. i think i worked hard and only problem now the number? i think we can get over it

 

[AKgramma]

Do not kill any ladies to make more room. :-( Train them to fit as they get bigger.

 

[cakemix]

I did 8 plants in soil in a 4x4' tent and I regret doing that many. 24 is a a lot of plants to look after in a tent setting.