Roseman
Elite Rolling Society
Yes, in the water with lots of air stones giving them oxygen.
a DWC is a Deep Water Culture.
Diy bubbleponics
- Thread starter Roseman
- Start date
Yes, in the water with lots of air stones giving them oxygen.
a DWC is a Deep Water Culture.
edgewater21
Member
I just want to grow 3 or 4 plants would a 450w HPS work as good or be easier than all those cfls??
MostlyCrazy
New Member
As long as you have a way to vent the heat produced by those lights go for it.
Roseman
Elite Rolling Society
NO, with that 450 HPS you will need to VENT the HEAT and cool the bulb and reflector. If you want to VENT the HEAT and cool the bulb and reflector then it would be better results but costs more.
Especially for first grow and 3 or 4 plants, I'd go with CFLs, although many will argue with me.
From Ed Rosenthal:
In the new Skunk Magazine there was a question in the "Ask Ed" section that just made my night last night when reading it...
The question was...
Tiny Grow Space
I intend to grow a single cannabis plant in a space 1' x 2'. What light would you recommend? I was think of using four 30-watt compact fluorescent lamps. Will this be enough? Cost isn't an issue but I am deterred from getting a high pressure sodium [light] because of the amount of heat the bulb produces.
Barry, Internet
As you mentioned, you have several lighting systems to choose from, including compact fluorescents and high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps. Among HPS lamps you have a choice between a single 100-watt lamp which uses a total of about 120-watts and emits about 8,800 lumens(73 lumens per watt) or a 150-watt lamp, which uses about 180 watts and emits almost double that-15,800 lumens (87 lumens per watt).
A 42-watt compact fluorescent (CFL) emits about 2700 lumens(64 lumens per watt). Four CFLs use 168 watts and emit 10,800 lumens. Other size CFLs have a similar efficiency.
However, that is only part of the story. Plants use mostly red and blue light. Yellow and green light is of little use to them, so light that is emitted in these spectrums is wasted energy. Most of the light emitted by HPS lamps is in the yellow spectrum. Only a small amount of the emitted light is is in the orange or red spectrums, which plants use efficiently. Warm white fluorescents (2700 Kelvin) emit a greater portion in the red and orange sectors.
Although fluorescents produce only about 75% of the light per watt that the HPS does, the amount of light usable by the plant is equal or probably higher with the fluorescents. You may wish to experiment to see if adding a single cool white CFL to replace one warm white results in shorter, stouter stems and more vigorous growth. The reasoning is that warm whites don't emit much blue light, which the plants use for photosynthesis and to regulate their growth. The cool white bulb supplies the blue light.
My call for your unit would be to use several (three to five) CFLs with a total input of between 120-160 watts. Although the 150 watt HPS is a bit more efficient that the CFLs in total output, watt for watt the fluorescents provide as much useful light as the HPS lamp. Heat is another consideration. The HPS runs much hotter and emits more heat than the fluoescents.
Make sure to use reflective material around the garden so that any light escaping the garden is reflected back to the plants. Any light that doesn't get to the plant leaves is wasted.
edgewater21
Member
why does the air pulled off the lamp need to be cooled? lets say i have and inline fan installed pulling the air up a tube and vented into the attic thru the ceiling, would this solve the problem of getting the hot air out and cooling the lamp? is this the correct way to do this?
Roseman
Elite Rolling Society
HID lights get almost as hot as the eye of an electric stove, and can start a fire and burn the house down. They can heat a whole room up, including heating the plants.
MostlyCrazy
New Member
You need a way to get fresh air into the grow chamber and a way to exhaust the heated air (heated by the light) out of the grow chamber. Your inline fan would get the heat out if properly sized. Air intake goes floor level and exhaust goes up high (hot air rises). You will also need a small oscellating fan to move the plants around to increase stem stength (as the gentle breeze does in nature) and therefore it's ability to hold larger buds. HPS= big heat in a small area. CFL's 65 watt and under do not put out enough heat to worry much about.
edgewater21
Member
okay roseman why did you HID 2 posts ago? is it okay to exaust air into the attic that hs not been cooled? Do HPS lights grow bigger buds?
edgewater21
Member
how bad do 3 plants smell? so use a carbon filter?? is a carbon filter an inline fan as well? or waht please explain i am a noob obviously
mrfrench
Member
i've had 4 goin in a room with the door shut and nobody said they smelled it until they went into the room. i even had non tokers come over, but i think if your gonna do it right a carbon filter with a inline fan is the way to go to be safe. better safe than busted. and spend the money on a good fan prolly a 6 in
Roseman
Elite Rolling Society
Three mature Indica plants can stink up an entire house, like a skunk sprayed in it.
Ther are all sorts of DIY Smell Controllers in addition to pulling the air through a carbon filter:
Carbon Filters
Febreze Odor Control Bucket
Roseman
Elite Rolling Society
No.
Hydroponics began at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, using rapidly flowing water. Then, 40 years ago, man figured out he can add lots of AIR or Oxygen to the water, and the water does not have to be flowing, just be bubbley.
I appreciate the response! Maybe I did not clarify myself in my previous post about some of the issues, seeing as it was quite late when I posted
Both of the Wal-Mart locations here in Billings, MT do not have 8 gallon totes. Nor does the Wal-Mart online catalog carry such an item sadly.
And again neither the Lowes or Home Depot here have any of the suggested CFLs. A check through their websites, also lack the suggested with the exception of 42watt 6500K. Which lead me to try and come up with something that I could work with; within the confines of the stock that I have access to. I have read through your CFL Tutorial page several times and was trying to find a work around. 12 (25w) lights in a row, is not going to work as you said. I will just have to break down and buy 12 (42w) from an online retailer and place them in a row
Again living in a rural area has plenty of benefits but sometimes our stores don't seem to have the same stocking as many metropolitan areas!
I had the same problem. I purchased a blue 10 gallon tote from my local Wally World. I'd recommend using 7 gallons in the tote. 8 brings it right into the cups. (or at least the ones purchased from a hydroponic shop). You need that pocket of air. Not sure why just remember you do.
Roseman
Elite Rolling Society
2 years ago, on this site, they had a "shot glass" grow contest, and someone grew a plant, I guess you might call it bonsai, but they grew a plant in a shot glass with one cola or small bud on top. I've seen many posts of plants grown in a plastic coke bottle.
Remember the size of the plant is relative to the size of the root base, whether it be a tree, rose bush, a tomato plant or a pot plant.
I've done several 5 gallon bucket grows, and a one gallon container would work. Haven't you seen those aerogardens, that hold like two quarts of water and yield an ounce or two of buds?.
To answer your question, consider a three to 5 gallon bucket.
From Lowes:
$ 2.78 United Solutions 5-Gallon Grey Bucket
$4.98 United Solutions 3.5 Gallon. E-Z Grip Pail
$1.38 Encore Plastics 3.5 & 5 Gallon Snap On LidHere is a 5 gallon bucket grow:
at my friend's house:
