Hps light question

[Gordon d'Angelo]

Hi guys im not a new grower ......my question is this......i have 2 x 600watt digital ballests running in my flower room...........will i benefit from adding another 600 watt flower light ?......or with having 1200 watts already can the plants take more lumens ?.............thanks in advance guys.........be lucky weedtastic

 

[TorturedSoul]

Kind of impossible to answer that question as it stands.

If your flower room is a 2.5' x 4' cabinet... No.

If your flower room is a 25' x 40' basement... Yes.

If your flower room falls somewhere in between those two... Maybe.

 

[HealingKronic]

....adding to that TS how many plants are you growing... how tall are you vegging them out to? i only keep 9 per HPS but then again i veg out to 15 inches so my plants will get crowded later if i try more....

 

[Gordon d'Angelo]

Kind of impossible to answer that question as it stands.

If your flower room is a 2.5' x 4' cabinet... No.

If your flower room is a 25' x 40' basement... Yes.

If your flower room falls somewhere in between those two... Maybe.

hi TorturedSoul thanks for the response my grow room is 1 and a half meters wide and 1 meter deep (front to back) i spoke to my hydro shop guy yesterday and he thinks it wud be ok .....althou he didn t say weather it wud be beneficial so im still a little stumped wot to do ? thanks again for posting........be lucky weedtastic

....adding to that TS how many plants are you growing... how tall are you vegging them out to? i only keep 9 per HPS but then again i veg out to 15 inches so my plants will get crowded later if i try more....

hi HealingKronic thanks for your reponse......im growing 10 plants but usually grow 9 i had a white russian from my last grow which i cud not part with lol.......i too veg to 15 inches then flower im 3 weeks in flower now and this morning they had stretched to 25 inches tall....i already have 2 x 600 watt hps......but i cud put another in the middle of the 2 i have ?......wot do you think ?........my grow pics are in my signature if you fancy taking a look ?...........thanks again for posting......be lucky weedtastic

 

[TorturedSoul]

So you're at ~74.3 watts per square foot now and you wish to increase that to ~111.5 watts per square foot.

You won't see the full benefit of that much light, IMHO, unless you add supplemental CO2 (and a fair amount of it). If you're running sealed, air-cooled reflectors that are cooled by air coming from outside of the grow area that exits the area, that shouldn't be a problem.

Which is not to say that you wouldn't see some benefit even without boosting the CO2 - only that the increase would not be proportionate to the increased wattage (again, IMHO).

Placing three fixtures in that small space would allow you to go with reflectors that produce a very focused footprint, which may aid in penetration.

 

[HealingKronic]

i think 3x600w is over kill unless you were to add six more plants

sounds like we are about the same time in our grows too im at 23 days with my Pure Kush grow

 

[Gordon d'Angelo]

So you're at ~74.3 watts per square foot now and you wish to increase that to ~111.5 watts per square foot.

You won't see the full benefit of that much light, IMHO, unless you add supplemental CO2 (and a fair amount of it). If you're running sealed, air-cooled reflectors that are cooled by air coming from outside of the grow area that exits the area, that shouldn't be a problem.

Which is not to say that you wouldn't see some benefit even without boosting the CO2 - only that the increase would not be proportionate to the increased wattage (again, IMHO).

Placing three fixtures in that small space would allow you to go with reflectors that produce a very focused footprint, which may aid in penetration.

hi mate again thanks for posting......ok ive been thinking of adding co2........and im also leaning on the 600 watts more light won t make a massive impact........so if you cud please help me out a little more.......is there a co2 unit or machine or summit fool proof which you cud recomend ?........will i have to take reading of the co2 amount im putting in and is there an aparatus to messure this.......im sorry for all the questions but im really new to the co2 thing and cud do with sitting down with someone who knows wot there talking about............thanks again for posting.......be lucky weedtastic

 

[Gordon d'Angelo]

i think 3x600w is over kill unless you were to add six more plants

sounds like we are about the same time in our grows too im at 23 days with my Pure Kush grow

hi mate thanks for posting.....hmmm im thinking same but.........wud never add more plants for the fear of being caught.......ive told my doctor im growing for depressian which ive suffered for years 10 plants in the uk.........is normally a fine and don t do it again....anything more and im playing with 3 years jail......thanks for your advice i appreciate it........ill drop by your grow soon as poss..........be lucky weedtastic

 

[HealingKronic]

IMO c02 really isnt necessary. for all the work and money to start up its not really going to improve weight as much as other things

 

[TorturedSoul]

i think 3x600w is over kill

It's definitely up there, lol.

IMO c02 really isnt necessary. for all the work and money to start up its not really going to improve weight as much as other things

It is overkill if you don't add CO2. I went from just under 80 watts per square foot to ~102 per and noticed a jump. Then I traded a set of 36-lb. injectors and a fuel pump for a small CO2 setup. Got a bigger jump. It worked for me. I had high temperatures and fairly high humidity (until the last four or so weeks of flowering when I'd haul in the dehumidifier) and I really feel that the extra CO2 helped offset that greatly.

In this case, my thought is that the OP will benefit from more light in that space, but he would not realize the full benefit that another ~37 watts per square foot is capable of bringing him without CO2 levels being somewhere in the 1500PPM-2000PPM range. It's like having an automobile that has a ten-gallon fuel tank and regularly going on long trips - you decide you'd like to get a little more range so you have the tank swapped out for a 20-gallon one. But if you then only fill to to the 15-gallon level each time you stop for fuel, it's helped your range - but not as much as it could. Ya bought the third light - err... 20-gallon tank - so you might as well wring out every mile that you can. Ok, not the best analogy, but think of supplemental CO2 as that last five gallons of fuel. CO2 is cheap (once you have the equipment) and the light is going to cost the same to run whether the garden is yielding the most it could or not.

Having the light cooling run entirely separate from the grow area's ventilation setup is almost a necessity. If the room ventilation can be set to only run part of the time, you won't be ventilating the CO2 out as soon as it is injected into the room. If you're lucky you can turn the room vent off most of the time. Things that might prove helpful for that would be insulating the ducting run where it is in the grow area, insulating the reflectors (DiY or with the "covers" that are available for many reflectors), and making sure that the air used to cool the lights (and that used to ventilate the grow) is as cool as possible. Every little bit helps. With the extra CO2 the plants seem to tolerate higher temps, which also helps. With a space that size, I'd guess that you have to daisy-chain the lights together instead of having separate cooling runs for each, so having a fan that moves as many CFM as possible is important. Rigid metal duct seems to work better than the "accordion" stuff, is easier to insulate, and is quieter IMHO. Sealing the grow in general as much as possible is also called for - patch any cracks/holes no matter how small, prime and paint, make sure the door is sealed (gasketed if at all possible).

It's the big things that help the most - and the little things too, lol. Everything kind of works together. Doubling the space and the light, for example, will increase your yield. But doing all the little stuff to the space you have will maximize the yield that your setup will support. Lots of stuff isn't that expensive (but requires the person to "donate" a little sweat to his grow) and isn't a reoccurring expense. It won't decrease the reoccurring expenses, but it will help ensure that those expenses are giving you all of the value (yield) that they are capable of.

unless you were to add six more plants

Debatable and depends on the grower's method. You can easily fill an eight square foot scrog with one plant if you don't mind a decent vegetative period. I guess if you're growing pure indicas it could be a PitA to do so, but with the OP's self-imposed ten-plant limit it ought to be a non-issue. He could even drop to eight or nine and keep a mother or two if he has another small unobtrusive space (even an aluminum trash can will work as a mother chamber).

10 plants in the uk.........is normally a fine

Is that any ten plants or ten plants below a certain size/yield?

Your ballasts aren't adjustable (Lumatek, etc.) by chance, are they?

 

[Gordon d'Angelo]

It's definitely up there, lol.



It is overkill if you don't add CO2. I went from just under 80 watts per square foot to ~102 per and noticed a jump. Then I traded a set of 36-lb. injectors and a fuel pump for a small CO2 setup. Got a bigger jump. It worked for me. I had high temperatures and fairly high humidity (until the last four or so weeks of flowering when I'd haul in the dehumidifier) and I really feel that the extra CO2 helped offset that greatly.

In this case, my thought is that the OP will benefit from more light in that space, but he would not realize the full benefit that another ~37 watts per square foot is capable of bringing him without CO2 levels being somewhere in the 1500PPM-2000PPM range. It's like having an automobile that has a ten-gallon fuel tank and regularly going on long trips - you decide you'd like to get a little more range so you have the tank swapped out for a 20-gallon one. But if you then only fill to to the 15-gallon level each time you stop for fuel, it's helped your range - but not as much as it could. Ya bought the third light - err... 20-gallon tank - so you might as well wring out every mile that you can. Ok, not the best analogy, but think of supplemental CO2 as that last five gallons of fuel. CO2 is cheap (once you have the equipment) and the light is going to cost the same to run whether the garden is yielding the most it could or not.

Having the light cooling run entirely separate from the grow area's ventilation setup is almost a necessity. If the room ventilation can be set to only run part of the time, you won't be ventilating the CO2 out as soon as it is injected into the room. If you're lucky you can turn the room vent off most of the time. Things that might prove helpful for that would be insulating the ducting run where it is in the grow area, insulating the reflectors (DiY or with the "covers" that are available for many reflectors), and making sure that the air used to cool the lights (and that used to ventilate the grow) is as cool as possible. Every little bit helps. With the extra CO2 the plants seem to tolerate higher temps, which also helps. With a space that size, I'd guess that you have to daisy-chain the lights together instead of having separate cooling runs for each, so having a fan that moves as many CFM as possible is important. Rigid metal duct seems to work better than the "accordion" stuff, is easier to insulate, and is quieter IMHO. Sealing the grow in general as much as possible is also called for - patch any cracks/holes no matter how small, prime and paint, make sure the door is sealed (gasketed if at all possible).

It's the big things that help the most - and the little things too, lol. Everything kind of works together. Doubling the space and the light, for example, will increase your yield. But doing all the little stuff to the space you have will maximize the yield that your setup will support. Lots of stuff isn't that expensive (but requires the person to "donate" a little sweat to his grow) and isn't a reoccurring expense. It won't decrease the reoccurring expenses, but it will help ensure that those expenses are giving you all of the value (yield) that they are capable of.





Debatable and depends on the grower's method. You can easily fill an eight square foot scrog with one plant if you don't mind a decent vegetative period. I guess if you're growing pure indicas it could be a PitA to do so, but with the OP's self-imposed ten-plant limit it ought to be a non-issue. He could even drop to eight or nine and keep a mother or two if he has another small unobtrusive space (even an aluminum trash can will work as a mother chamber).



Is that any ten plants or ten plants below a certain size/yield?

Your ballasts aren't adjustable (Lumatek, etc.) by chance, are they?

hi mate thanks for taking the time to explain your theorys and to be honest i agree with you........however im not in a position to turn my exhaust off.....if i do the smell is too much.........i run a dehumidifier right from the off soon as i start to flower......i run into bud rot on my first grow........my ballest are future tech.....i can use mh or hps in them but adjustable ?....im not sure wot you mean......now im thinking ive missed something lol....the 10 plant rule is ant 10 of any size which is carrying 1 to 2 oz on per plant.....if you where growing 10 plants which had 5 oz each i think this wud be a different matter...........thanks again for all your input i really appreciate it...........be lucky weedtastic

 

[SnowBender]

Great post TS, as usual!

I would like to add that getting the ballasts out of the grow environment helps with temps too...for some reason thats often overlooked as a way to reduce heat.

 

[Gordon d'Angelo]

Great post TS, as usual!

I would like to add that getting the ballasts out of the grow environment helps with temps too...for some reason thats often overlooked as a way to reduce heat.

hi snowbender thanks for the advice........be lucky weedtastic