First timer.....Is this enough light?

[j4zzd0g]

Hey guys, long time lurker here finally getting around to starting my first very own grow! It's an exciting process and will def. have some more questions as I get going. But here's my situation, my workspace here is 5ft wide x 7ft long x 8ft high...I have purchased a 400w HPS quite awhile ago, is this sufficient enough? I will not be flowering all 14 plants as the system allows after further thinking, but would I be able to pull off at least 6-7 w/ my current equipment??? Thanks a lot for the help as i'm sure you guys never let another newbie down! haha...smoke on

Edit - When I mean "as the system allows" i'm referring to STINKBUDS AEROPONICS system he created awhile ago, which appeared in high times....

 

[4twenty4all]

It all depends on how big you want your plants to get before flowering. I would think you can get 6 plants about 30ish inches tall at end of flowering under the 400w. Do you have any pictures you can post of your setup?

 

[j4zzd0g]

Ok guys, thanks for your replies here are some pics of my flowering room so you guys could better help me out!

Do I need another 600w to fill this room nicely???? Please help me out!

 

[Bandit420]

You want about 100 watts per square foot to flower. You don't have nearly enough light for the hole space. You can use a light mover to extend the area a little bit but I would be thinking more a footprint of 2 feet by 2 feet to put the light over.

100 watts per square foot?
Most lighting calculators use an equation based on 50 watts per square foot.
I bloom in a 4'x4' tent with only 430 watts of HPS, 195 watts of LED and 96 watts of T5HO and I'm still 79 watts short of the recommended 800 watts. Yet still my bud fully developes with nice density and loads of resin. I grow plants ranging from 20" to 36". Right now I have a 65" monster in the hut that is developing very nice head to toe.
If I went with 100 watts per square foot that would be an intense 1600 watts over a small 4x4 footprint. IMO that would be overkill and I would expand the bloom area to around 7'x7' and have plenty of punch to fill up the entire space.

100 watts per foot would be nice but very expensive and very hot

 

[Hogdady]

Hey guys, long time lurker here finally getting around to starting my first very own grow! It's an exciting process and will def. have some more questions as I get going. But here's my situation, my workspace here is 5ft wide x 7ft long x 8ft high...I have purchased a 400w HPS quite awhile ago, is this sufficient enough? I will not be flowering all 14 plants as the system allows after further thinking, but would I be able to pull off at least 6-7 w/ my current equipment??? Thanks a lot for the help as i'm sure you guys never let another newbie down! haha...smoke on

Edit - When I mean "as the system allows" i'm referring to STINKBUDS AEROPONICS system he created awhile ago, which appeared in high times....

Your square footage is 35. The generally accepted watts to square foot ratio for maximum yield is 50. Multiply your square footage by 50 and you get 1750 watts. Some people will say as much as 65 watts per square foot. I have never heard anybody advocate 100 watts per square foot other than the post above! That is totally unnessecary and a waste of money and energy! Just google "watts per square foot" and see what you get. Bear in mind that the distance from your light to your plants plays a huge role. You want your lights as close as possible, without burning. Water cooled lights and light movers allow closer distances without burning.

 

[Hogdady]

100 watts per square foot?
Most lighting calculators use an equation based on 50 watts per square foot.
I bloom in a 4'x4' tent with only 430 watts of HPS, 195 watts of LED and 96 watts of T5HO and I'm still 79 watts short of the recommended 800 watts. Yet still my bud fully developes with nice density and loads of resin. I grow plants ranging from 20" to 36". Right now I have a 65" monster in the hut that is developing very nice head to toe.
If I went with 100 watts per square foot that would be an intense 1600 watts over a small 4x4 footprint. IMO that would be overkill and I would expand the bloom area to around 7'x7' and have plenty of punch to fill up the entire space.

100 watts per foot would be nice but very expensive and very hot

Hell, if your gonna overkill, why not 1000 watts per foot?

 

[j4zzd0g]

Hmmmm, I may have to do some rearranging given those facts...Nothing is set in stone as of yet and I only have the 400w available at this time. Let me try to resize the room and get back with some new measurements

 

[Hogdady]

Hmmmm, I may have to do some rearranging given those facts...Nothing is set in stone as of yet and I only have the 400w available at this time. Let me try to resize the room and get back with some new measurements

If you use less space, you need less light. You said that you eventually wanted 14 plants, which would fill your 35 square feet. Less plants, less space, less light. Good luck to ya....

 

[Bandit420]

Hell, if your gonna overkill, why not 1000 watts per foot?

Man if that was the case CAP or Green Air would have to start selling nuclear reactors for us 'cause no utility on the planet would issue a drop for a home requesting that much power!

For that system above I would probaly rock two 430 watt HPS over head and then run some T5s down the length of the system for side light just see where that takes me. I'm a big believer in multiple 400 watt lamps over a single 1000 watt. It's nothing scientific, just my preference

That type of reflector will create a cloud of heat over the garden too so that's something to consider.

 

[PitViper]

I can send him a SuperPenatrator 2.......if hes worthy....remove all women from 3 block radius and use the included suit

 

[Bandit420]

I can send him a SuperPenatrator 2.......if hes worthy....remove all women from 3 block radius and use the included suit

 

[Hogdady]

Man if that was the case CAP or Green Air would have to start selling nuclear reactors for us 'cause no utility on the planet would issue a drop for a home requesting that much power

I can send him a SuperPenatrator 2.......if hes worthy....remove all women from 3 block radius and use the included suit

too funny!!!

 

[PitViper]

You want about 100 watts per square foot to flower. You don't have nearly enough light for the hole space. You can use a light mover to extend the area a little bit but I would be thinking more a footprint of 2 feet by 2 feet to put the light over.

When the direct solar radiation is not blocked by clouds, it is experienced as sunshine, a combination of bright light and radiant heat. The World Meteorological Organization uses the term "sunshine duration" to mean the cumulative time during which an area receives direct irradiance from the Sun of at least 120 watts per square meter.[1]

 

[Hogdady]

I see a lot of people repeating stuff, but very little advice from experience. You can say, "100 watts is too much" but have you grown at 100 watts? I have

It's not a question of whether you have done it or not, it's a question of whether or not it is necessary. Can you conclusively say that someone needs 100 watts per foot for a healthy yield? Of course you can't. You didn't answer the thread starter with "in my opinion", you said "you want about 100 watts per square foot". That is authoritative, implying that your statement is without question.

I would ask you to spend a little more time here and observe some of the top growers. There are many growers here that I have come to respect because they haven't adopted that attitude, but to the contrary, challenge many of the "accepted" practices and set out to prove or disprove them by real world demonstration and observation. For those of us who do not have the time or expertise, we benefit from these growers experiance. No one can have all of the experiance with everything.

Maybe it's that 100 watt per square foot light that gives you 100%....

 

[j4zzd0g]

After much planning today I have came up with this new area...let me know how this will work out for me!!!

I think this time the ratio of light to space has greatly increased, how would this setup work out for me???

 

[Bandit420]

Sorry to cause such a big fight guys, after much planning today I have came up with this new area...let me know how this will work out for me!!!

I think this time the ratio of light to space has greatly increased, how would this setup work out for me???

High j4zz,
I think you're better off using the larger space. Your measurments for lighting should come from the foot print size of your garden, not the entire size of the grow room if that makes any sense. It looks like that hydro set up is about a 3'x5'system. If so you would want to be around 750 watts minimum. If you hang a 1000 watt lamp above that garden you'll have more than enough light.
I think there is a lighting calculator in the how to grow columns but I cannot find it. Here is a link to my calculator. It will help you with light, air, co2, ppm, and cost.
Hydroponics Calculator - on Brite Ideas Hydroponics

Your plants are going to grow larger than the boundaries of the system so you want to have some room between the wall and the plants for good air flow thru the canopy. If the plants are all scrunched up and cramped, your yield could be greatly affected by the lack of air flow thru the canopy.

 

[Lemon Paradise]

"[FONT=Tahoma, Arial]Current theory holds that the minimum amount of lighting needed to sustain a good rate of growth is around 20-25 watts per square foot. Mid range is around 30-45 watts per square foot. Optimal is 50-75 watts per square foot, but 75-100 watts/square foot is not unheard of."

Oh look I can go out and google like you guys too. Here's the difference, I've actually tried what I talk about and don't just repeat shit I've heard. You people should try it sometime.
[/FONT]

Just had to add my 2 cents...

I visit alot of different forums for work (mostly IT related forums) this is my only non-work related forum I visit. Anyways, one thing that has struck me about this forum, in the short time I have lurked around, is that ALMOST EVERYONE is very helpful, and genuinly interested in helping each other. No real flames, or attitude, some things work for some people and not others, just like there are different (phenom's?) or charachteristics within the same strain that 2 plants will be totally different.

Some people like to do things differently, that does not make it wrong, or better, just different, (like the martian thing I was reading about yesterday, that made my head melt).. alot of growers post very detailed journals (alot of work) just to help others that may need it, and provide useful information (like the led contest between HGL and HSS that SS did),, . (Of which I read a ton before joining.. gotta love bud pron)

even in this thread, I have seen where people disagree with your point (100 wats / sq foot), but they did not bash or flame you in doing so. they expressed their opinion that 100watts was a little wasteful and not needed.

Hopefully, I am not coming off as flaming either,, this is a peaceful herb, and growing should also be peaceful and relaxing,,, just my 2 cents...

as for the watt/per foot thing,, I have no idea,, I go by what I see/hear, and will try to experiment. (I currently just have 1 150watt HPS, in a small closet with one plant).. however,, I can say, that the setup you made j4zzd0g is way better than anything I could do,, (and I did read the thread that outlines how it is put together,, I just don't think I am that talented..lol)

anyways +reps for a job well done on that and best of luck to you on your grow.

 

[PitViper]

400 watts is great watch your heat and get a relector to help spread your light.you should be up and running in no time.

 

[j4zzd0g]

orangeblood - just ordered a Lumatek 600w HPS/MH system to add to the 400w I orginally owned....After thinking about it, the closet was most def. too crunched in there, and air flow was def. gonna be a headache in the future. Moved the beast down there to my orginal location and there she will rest!!! Once this new light arrives i'm gonna be ready to go for the first grow woohoooo

Pit, thanks a lot for the help also man i'm sure you will be hearing from me sooner or later!! hahaha till then smoke on!!

 

[Bandit420]

Are you gonna go with the big umbrella reflectors or maybe look at a couple air cooled units that can be daisy chained together to evacuate the heat?
Check out Hogdady's & PV's multiple light set ups and how they cool their lamps. Those set ups are totally pimp and the way to go when working with multiple HIDs