100w HPS question for 6x6 growroom

I'm trying to find lighting I can afford right now without going CFL. I have a 6x6 walk-in closet that will serve as my growroom.

I will have approx. 6 sq. ft. of plants. 5.5" square pots x 24 in a flood/drain hydro. My op will be 4 tanks with 6 pots each.

Assuming 3000 lumens per sq. ft. is adequate, I'd need 18k lumens to effectively flower.

My question is this...Can I place one 100w HPS above 2 tanks, or 3 sq. ft. of plants, and get the proper lighting? My funding at the time limits me to purchasing 2 100w HPS.

I sure hope ya meant 1000 watts. 1000 watts will cover a 4x4 well ya could stretch it to 5x5 but thats pushing it.

If you read the whole post, I'm talking about lighting 3 sq. ft. of plants with 100w. The room is 6x6, the growing area will only be 3 sq. ft. x2.

5x5 will give you 40 watts per sq. foot. 6x6 gives 27.7777 p.s.f., From what I've read you need a minimum of 35 watts p.s.f. (others on this site will disagree with that but I go by what "Ask Ed" Rosenthal says) I'm a fan of the 50 watts p.s.f rule.

Edit: never mind

If ya read my post you should be able to figure it out.

Ya need a bigger light or less space.
Its ok for the frustration this shit will get to ya.

I'm fairly new to this, so please excuse me if I seem way off.

The actual area of my plants doesn;t matter, the entire size of the room is what your using to figure lumens needed?

I figured with 3 sq. ft. of plants and 100w, id have 33w per sq. ft.

I could even drop my trays down from 6 to 4 plants and thats 1 sq. ft. per tray for a total of 2 sq. ft. per 100w, or 50w per sq. ft.

Am I missing something?

Hey a2 ..... your just fine with 50w/sq.. you can even trim that down a little or add more plants if you add some descent reflection.. 40 -50 is just fine ... i grow 3 mothers with 70 w hps in a 1x2 area... just remember lots of ventilation ...good luck

If you can afford two 100w hps's then you can afford one 250w hps, maybe you just need to shop around more. Try craigslist for used 250 or used 400 even.

I know you think that's enough given some calculation given by an expert but then after you actually grow with that and see your wimpy little buds compared to other peoples fat dank nugs you will then know we were right and you will wish you had listened.

250w or even 400w. 400 may be more than you need for what little you speak of at the moment but you can never have too much light and in the world of growing 400 is not really large, 250 is small, and 100 is tiny.

I just had to watch craigslist for a couple weeks and then I came across over 30 250w metal halides that were being given away free. They were not agricultural fixtures, actually they came from a school, but they work great. Keep looking, and don't overlook used deals on lights from any source or of any type.

damn i love craigslist.

so oregon ya gonna hook me up with one of those MHs?

I donated almost all of them to Oregon Green Free. It's a local non profit dedicated to providing FREE medical marijuana and help to those in need who are legally qualified.

I could spare a light though, but they're really damn heavy so shipping really wouldn't make sense. It would cost more to ship than it would to find locally.

I'm hoping to find someone local to give the last few of them too, and it would be nice to get some clones or seeds in return, or timers or something else I can use.

here is a 1000 watt ballast for 120 with a 2 year warranty:
Budget Gro 1000W 120V HPS remote ballast - Plantlighting Hydroponics

Alpha Twinkie

Alpha Twinkie???

gangjababy said:

here is a 1000 watt ballast for 120 with a 2 year warranty:
Budget Gro 1000W 120V HPS remote ballast - Plantlighting Hydroponics

Click to expand...

Damn, I wish I would have checked this thread again before ordering my 400w from HTG.

I think the heat would have possibly been an issue with 1000w in my little 6x6 room. 400w will be plenty for the op I am planning. Thanks a ton for the link gangja! Might be something I will need in the future.