Basic but essential equipment for an indoor grow

GROBRO6967

Well-Known Member
I go to Home Depot. I have a vivosun 600w HPS with dimmable ballast, 250w/400w/600w and then a super lumen setting. It was $150 on Amazon. I recommend buying a 250w bulb to start plants and then moving to the 400/600w once the plant has hit its veg stage. Great light so far, only issue is I’m struggling to keep temps under 80F and humidity above 35%. It’s very hot and dry here in California! Good luck
How far should I keep the 250w bulb during seedling and veg phase? How far should I keep the 1000w bulb during veg phase?
 

GROBRO6967

Well-Known Member
I would buy a gavita double ended 1000 watt set up. heat is a bit of a issue but they pound out the light
Would I need to buy a bulb and ballast with this setup because it doesn’t mention coming with a bulb and it does look like it comes with a ballast but I’m not sure if this ballast is good enough to use or if I should buy a different one
 

Raspberrykiwi

Well-Known Member
How far should I keep the 250w bulb during seedling and veg phase? How far should I keep the 1000w bulb during veg phase?
Seedling phase of a plants life is over once the side branching is growing rapidly. I wouldn’t switch to a stronger light until the plant is growing at a rapid pace. Once that happens, during your off hours, slap in a stronger bulb and let it run all the way through harvest :blsmoke: make sure you dim your ballast accordingly. If you have a 1000w light and it doesn’t dim, don’t put in a smaller wattage bulb!!! You’ll have to use some sort of supplemental lighting until the plant is strong and healthy enough for that kind of power
 

GROBRO6967

Well-Known Member
Seedling phase of a plants life is over once the side branching is growing rapidly. I wouldn’t switch to a stronger light until the plant is growing at a rapid pace. Once that happens, during your off hours, slap in a stronger bulb and let it run all the way through harvest :blsmoke: make sure you dim your ballast accordingly. If you have a 1000w light and it doesn’t dim, don’t put in a smaller wattage bulb!!! You’ll have to use some sort of supplemental lighting until the plant is strong and healthy enough for that kind of power
What do you think about this from seedling to harvest I’m only going to use this from seedling to harvest once or twice. When I have enough money I’m going to buy a bulb dedicated for seedling and veg
 

Angus Hung

Well-Known Member
Would I need to buy a bulb and ballast with this setup because it doesn’t mention coming with a bulb and it does look like it comes with a ballast but I’m not sure if this ballast is good enough to use or if I should buy a different one
That looks like the light i would suggest buying
 

Angus Hung

Well-Known Member
Would I need to buy a bulb and ballast with this setup because it doesn’t mention coming with a bulb and it does look like it comes with a ballast but I’m not sure if this ballast is good enough to use or if I should buy a different one
and it will come with a bulb
 

Raspberrykiwi

Well-Known Member
What do you think about this from seedling to harvest I’m only going to use this from seedling to harvest once or twice. When I have enough money I’m going to buy a bulb dedicated for seedling and veg
Only issue with this is it could burn up your seedling. They get very hot and they’re very intense. I would say start a seedling under a desk lamp and a 23w cfl bulb. Should be enough to get the plant started. You don’t want to burn the plant up off the bat
 

GROBRO6967

Well-Known Member
Only issue with this is it could burn up your seedling. They get very hot and they’re very intense. I would say start a seedling under a desk lamp and a 23w cfl bulb. Should be enough to get the plant started. You don’t want to burn the plant up off the bat
How should I get rid of the heat issue? Should I use a portable ac?
 

GROBRO6967

Well-Known Member
Only issue with this is it could burn up your seedling. They get very hot and they’re very intense. I would say start a seedling under a desk lamp and a 23w cfl bulb. Should be enough to get the plant started. You don’t want to burn the plant up off the bat
Would I be able to use the cfl light for a 10 plants? Also how far should I keep it away from the plants
 

rmax

Well-Known Member
for optimal growth 50 to 80 watts per sq foot will do. You can still have great results with 35 and up but not as good as if you have max wattage per sq ft.
How accurate is that watt assessment/how was it determined?

Think of a 78"x78"x78" grow tent. That's 42.25 sq ft.
1000wHPS/42.25= 23.67 watts per sq. ft.

A 78"x78"x78" grow tent would need two 1000watt HPS atop and supplemental light CFLs on the bottom.

Is that right?
 

spek9

Well-Known Member
How accurate is that watt assessment/how was it determined?

Think of a 78"x78"x78" grow tent. That's 42.25 sq ft.
1000wHPS/42.25= 23.67 watts per sq. ft.

A 78"x78"x78" grow tent would need two 1000watt HPS atop and supplemental light CFLs on the bottom.

Is that right?
The watt assessment I use is what I feel is optimum for my spaces, and that includes taking into consideration heat, coverage and operating cost.

I'd skip the CFLs, but that's pretty much it how you said it. Id prefer to have a 4x8' tent (and sacrifice the extra 10sq/f) for optimum lamp coverage in the case you've described though. I use a 1000W HPS in one flower tent, and a 600W in another.

There are numerous studies that have been performed on optimum lamp footprints. Most lamp manufacturers have recommendations for optimum coverage and at what heights, but I'd only go as far as trust highly recommended brands for that kind of info. Here's an example:
 
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710in780

Member
How accurate is that watt assessment/how was it determined?

Think of a 78"x78"x78" grow tent. That's 42.25 sq ft.
1000wHPS/42.25= 23.67 watts per sq. ft.

A 78"x78"x78" grow tent would need two 1000watt HPS atop and supplemental light CFLs on the bottom.

Is that right?
I am using the general consensus of what I have read and what my own personal experience has been. This Aglex was giving me 46 watts per sq ft in my 3 x 3. In my 4 x 4 it is reduced to around 32 watts per or something along those lines. However the reflective aspect of it skews the math for me IMHO as to what I am actually getting without buying a light meter and doing the measurements myself. Every light is different. Whereas you're talking HPS distance from canopy, I am speaking in terms of a Full Spectrum LED.
 
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