400w vs. 600w vs. 1000w

I am in the middle of my first grow. Plants are about 3 feet tall and have turned to flower 6 days ago (10 Sativa-5 Indica). They appear to be very healthy and pistils have formed no significant bud to this point. I am growing in a5x5x8 bathroom with a HPS 400w Grolux that I can adjust to between 14 and 20 inches above the plants. I know I probably need one more light but I am on a budget and trying to keep electricty costs dowm as much as possible. I have been told I should get another 600w light and another suggested a 1000w. When I initially started I was told to stick to the 400w lighting. I currently have another 400w HPS Grolux bulb and am considering another ballast and reflector setup. Will this take care of my needs in finishing the present grow

Swisher Sweet said:

Plants are about 3 feet tall and have turned to flower 6 days ago (10 Sativa-5 Indica).
I am growing in a5x5x8 bathroom with a HPS 400w Grolux that I can adjust to between 14 and 20 inches above the plants.

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I currently have 12 x 3' plants flowering under 2 x 600W HPS. This is adequate light for my setup. I suggest purchasing at least a 600W if not a 1000W.
I have a larger space, so I can handle heat better, so maybe you want to go for the 600W. The 1000W would get you closer to the amount of light that I have per plant, but you should have better reflectivity with a smaller room, and may be just fine with a smaller HPS. I would not go with a second 400W unless you plan smaller grows in the future.
If you get a new HPS, you can still use your 400W with a MH bulb to enhance the spectrum. * Studies have shown the combination in flowering to be superior to all HPS of a given wattage.

EDIT : * this assumes that you have a switchable ballast.

You don't probably need another light. You definitely need another light. I'd have 2 600watters in there. You could go for 2 400's and some flourescents in the middle. Since that seems what your going for.

I was given another 400 today and purchased a nice fluorescent for the middle. This is my first grow and am excited . Will move up to 600's next time as that sounds like the way to go. Thanks for the info and feel free to post if you have anymore suggestions.

if you are trying to cut cost's make sure you get an digital ballast. I was running a magnetic 400, switched to a digital 600 could't tell the diff on my light bill

wiseguy316 said:

if you are trying to cut cost's make sure you get an digital ballast. I was running a magnetic 400, switched to a digital 600 could't tell the diff on my light bill

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Wait, could or could not tell the difference? How much difference in you opinion?

Appreciate the info. please post further with any suggestions

yeh,your gonna need more light,3 ft,I always switch a 2ft.