Ok thank you
ANYONE HELP FIRST TIME GROWER ANY TIPS ACCEPTED GREATFULLY
- Thread starter JoshBG123
- Start date
Jimdamick
Well-Known Member
But buy digital as they run cooler, are lighter and cheaper, plus dimmable.
I went for this one?
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OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
High Josh
Not sure what you got altogether for gear but I see so many kits that come with tent, ballast, MH and HPS bulbs, reflector, carbon filter and all the fittings needed so cheap on Amazon, EBay and the like that I'd of done that if I was just starting off.
All my ballasts are 25 yo magnetics and still work great. Many of the no-name digitals sell cheap because they are cheap and are hard on bulbs and many fail after a couple grows. Make sure any bulbs you get are specifically for digital ballasts and even then you should have a spare even if it's a cheapo standard bulb tho something like a PlantMax bulb is dirt cheap and still better than a standard bulb for the same price. I use mainly top end bulbs like Hortilux for flowering but not too fussy about veg bulbs. I still use a 15 yo Hortilux 400W conversion bulb off an HPS ballast and it vegs plants just fine. It has been used for at least half it's life at 18 hours/day so was worth the extra money.
Is that ballast you posted switchable from MH to HPS as it doesn't say in the picture? I passed on a switchable magnetic 1000W ballast a few months back when I had money to blow on grow goodies and wish I hadn't. Only $125CAN and a Hortilux conversion bulb to flower with my 1000W MH ballast was $170 when the proper HPS bulb of the same make was only $85. Oh well.
Autos are fine tho as said already they aren't the best for yield tho many rival their photoperiod cousins in potency. Perfectly OK for a new grower to cut his teeth on. Grow them in the largest pots you plan to use from the start for the best results. If run at 24 hour lighting until they begin to flower holds off flowering for a bit so the plants are larger when flowering starts then back off to 20 or 18 hours of light/day.
If that ballast dims to 400W then get a 400W bulb to use at that setting too for the veg period. Running a 600 at 400 screws up the spectrum and from all I've read about the subject shortens the life of the bigger bulb. Don't forget to change the bulb when switching up or the 400 will have a very short life indeed.
Not sure what type of growing you plan to do but for nutes I'm a big fan of Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect line for DWC or soilless growing. Used along with good reverse osmosis, RO, water will give you the best bang for your buck and mean you never have to concern yourself about the pH being off. If you want to go all organic then you best read up about that as I'm not great at dirt farming. I am growing out some plants now in a half and half mix of ProMix HP and ProMix potting soil and getting good results. Got pics of the plants in my grow journal and about to post new ones today.
Just one of many at day 48 of 12/12
Good luck and good growing!
Not sure what you got altogether for gear but I see so many kits that come with tent, ballast, MH and HPS bulbs, reflector, carbon filter and all the fittings needed so cheap on Amazon, EBay and the like that I'd of done that if I was just starting off.
All my ballasts are 25 yo magnetics and still work great. Many of the no-name digitals sell cheap because they are cheap and are hard on bulbs and many fail after a couple grows. Make sure any bulbs you get are specifically for digital ballasts and even then you should have a spare even if it's a cheapo standard bulb tho something like a PlantMax bulb is dirt cheap and still better than a standard bulb for the same price. I use mainly top end bulbs like Hortilux for flowering but not too fussy about veg bulbs. I still use a 15 yo Hortilux 400W conversion bulb off an HPS ballast and it vegs plants just fine. It has been used for at least half it's life at 18 hours/day so was worth the extra money.
Is that ballast you posted switchable from MH to HPS as it doesn't say in the picture? I passed on a switchable magnetic 1000W ballast a few months back when I had money to blow on grow goodies and wish I hadn't. Only $125CAN and a Hortilux conversion bulb to flower with my 1000W MH ballast was $170 when the proper HPS bulb of the same make was only $85. Oh well.
Autos are fine tho as said already they aren't the best for yield tho many rival their photoperiod cousins in potency. Perfectly OK for a new grower to cut his teeth on. Grow them in the largest pots you plan to use from the start for the best results. If run at 24 hour lighting until they begin to flower holds off flowering for a bit so the plants are larger when flowering starts then back off to 20 or 18 hours of light/day.
If that ballast dims to 400W then get a 400W bulb to use at that setting too for the veg period. Running a 600 at 400 screws up the spectrum and from all I've read about the subject shortens the life of the bigger bulb. Don't forget to change the bulb when switching up or the 400 will have a very short life indeed.
Not sure what type of growing you plan to do but for nutes I'm a big fan of Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect line for DWC or soilless growing. Used along with good reverse osmosis, RO, water will give you the best bang for your buck and mean you never have to concern yourself about the pH being off. If you want to go all organic then you best read up about that as I'm not great at dirt farming. I am growing out some plants now in a half and half mix of ProMix HP and ProMix potting soil and getting good results. Got pics of the plants in my grow journal and about to post new ones today.
Just one of many at day 48 of 12/12
Good luck and good growing!
Thank you so much, the ballast is not switchable but can go from 259 to 600High Josh
Not sure what you got altogether for gear but I see so many kits that come with tent, ballast, MH and HPS bulbs, reflector, carbon filter and all the fittings needed so cheap on Amazon, EBay and the like that I'd of done that if I was just starting off.
All my ballasts are 25 yo magnetics and still work great. Many of the no-name digitals sell cheap because they are cheap and are hard on bulbs and many fail after a couple grows. Make sure any bulbs you get are specifically for digital ballasts and even then you should have a spare even if it's a cheapo standard bulb tho something like a PlantMax bulb is dirt cheap and still better than a standard bulb for the same price. I use mainly top end bulbs like Hortilux for flowering but not too fussy about veg bulbs. I still use a 15 yo Hortilux 400W conversion bulb off an HPS ballast and it vegs plants just fine. It has been used for at least half it's life at 18 hours/day so was worth the extra money.
Is that ballast you posted switchable from MH to HPS as it doesn't say in the picture? I passed on a switchable magnetic 1000W ballast a few months back when I had money to blow on grow goodies and wish I hadn't. Only $125CAN and a Hortilux conversion bulb to flower with my 1000W MH ballast was $170 when the proper HPS bulb of the same make was only $85. Oh well.
Autos are fine tho as said already they aren't the best for yield tho many rival their photoperiod cousins in potency. Perfectly OK for a new grower to cut his teeth on. Grow them in the largest pots you plan to use from the start for the best results. If run at 24 hour lighting until they begin to flower holds off flowering for a bit so the plants are larger when flowering starts then back off to 20 or 18 hours of light/day.
If that ballast dims to 400W then get a 400W bulb to use at that setting too for the veg period. Running a 600 at 400 screws up the spectrum and from all I've read about the subject shortens the life of the bigger bulb. Don't forget to change the bulb when switching up or the 400 will have a very short life indeed.
Not sure what type of growing you plan to do but for nutes I'm a big fan of Advanced Nutrients pH Perfect line for DWC or soilless growing. Used along with good reverse osmosis, RO, water will give you the best bang for your buck and mean you never have to concern yourself about the pH being off. If you want to go all organic then you best read up about that as I'm not great at dirt farming. I am growing out some plants now in a half and half mix of ProMix HP and ProMix potting soil and getting good results. Got pics of the plants in my grow journal and about to post new ones today.
Just one of many at day 48 of 12/12
View attachment 3863776
Good luck and good growing!
bobtokes
Well-Known Member
the intake fan supplies your tent with fresh air, if you don't have 1 you will need a vent in your tent so the exhaust fan draws the air into your tent passively
OldMedUser
Well-Known Member
I prefer passive intakes which should be at least double the square inches as the fan-driven exhaust. Best to have a negative air pressure in the grow space so all the odors go thru the carbon filter if you have one. I have filters on all my intakes to keep bugs and spores out.
nfhiggs
Well-Known Member
Actually I would not suggest autos to start with if you've never grown before. The vast majority of new growers experience various types of problems early on in their grow, and autos are absolutely unforgiving in this respect - NOTHING retards or delays their flowering. So when you experience anything that slows down your growth early on you end up with a stunted small flowering plant that yields a few grams at best. With photos you can veg though any issues you might run into. Get your grow dialed in first with a photoperiod plant - you'll better know what to expect when you grow an auto.