A newbie's 1st grow

Hey guys,

just getting kitted out for my 1st grow, gonna be northern lights feminised in rockwool medium. Got my 3ftx3ft grow tent with extractor fans today. Was going to go entire Veg & Flower with a 600w HPS but after some more reading today was thinking a 400w might be just as good in that small space. Also how many plants you think I should go for, was going to do 4plants in individual 12 litre pots becuz I want better bud but could I still get good bud with 8 or even 10 plants and if i did would a 30"x30" tray be better?

All advice appreciated dudes

I would recommend using a 400w for a 3x3 tent, unless you plan on upgrading your tent in the future, then go for a 600w. I think you are going to find the 3x3 tent rather small for growing more than 4 plants, IMO. I had a 3x3 and was not happy with that size at all so I got a DR120 II and I am much happier. Good luck.

even if you plan on upgrading, several smaller lamps > 1 big one. dont forget, that plants dont grow sideways really, they grow up. even the bushier sativa, is still a tall plant, the indica one is taller, and less bushy, but both go up, not sideways really. in a 3x3 area, you could in theory, have 1 big ass plant, or 4 smaller ones. id be worries of them crowding each other. so yea 4 plants max. the metal halide light is great for veggie, and HPS for flowering. id recommend getting one that works with both bulbs. ive never heard of HPS from start to finish, suppose you could, but id be worried you might confuse them early on. guess if i did that, i would do a 24/0 light cycle for vegetative growth, and make damn sure they dont get confused.

Start a journal. <-- more help than any light, area, dirt additive, whatever.

Thanks for the words of wisdom guys I'm gonna for sure keep a journal. 4 plants is settled on. I've read some good things from HPS alone and at the minute my cash is really strapped so prob go with it for the 1st grow. 24/0 light cycle a good idea man? that stop those hermies comin out?

nick17gar said:

even if you plan on upgrading, several smaller lamps > 1 big one. dont forget, that plants dont grow sideways really, they grow up. even the bushier sativa, is still a tall plant, the indica one is taller, and less bushy, but both go up, not sideways really. in a 3x3 area, you could in theory, have 1 big ass plant, or 4 smaller ones. id be worries of them crowding each other. so yea 4 plants max. the metal halide light is great for veggie, and HPS for flowering. id recommend getting one that works with both bulbs. ive never heard of HPS from start to finish, suppose you could, but id be worried you might confuse them early on. guess if i did that, i would do a 24/0 light cycle for vegetative growth, and make damn sure they dont get confused.

Start a journal. <-- more help than any light, area, dirt additive, whatever.

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Guy's please don't give out mis-information to a new guy, if your not 100% sure about what your talking about.... 1. Several smaller lighter do not > than 1 big one, it depends on the situation and the lights. 2. A sativa is the taller less bushy one while Indica is the shorter bushier plant. 3. You can run HPS from start to finish, I've done this with almost every grow. While you will get slightly better vegetative growth under the MH the difference is not that great if you plan to have a fairly short veg. I do less than a month usually and still have ended up pulling great yields using only HPS. If you have the space/money for a MH/Veg area by all means you should go for it though. Also you will not "confuse" the plant by using a HPS early on that's one of the craziest things I've heard. 4. Do not use a 24/0 cycle for veg, they need a dark cycle to promote root growth and a bigger healthier root system will improve your yields. Will a 24/0 cycle work? Yes but you will not get the best results.. 18/6 for veg, 12/12 for flower...

Fufidus said:

Thanks for the words of wisdom guys I'm gonna for sure keep a journal. 4 plants is settled on. I've read some good things from HPS alone and at the minute my cash is really strapped so prob go with it for the 1st grow. 24/0 light cycle a good idea man? that stop those hermies comin out?

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If your cash strapped the HPS alone will be just fine like I posted above, Do not do a 24/0 cycle do a 18/6 as I stated above. Also the light cycle will not stop hermies, they either happen do to genetic mutation often from feminizing seeds or severe stress to the plant from mistakes the grower will make.

Thanks for the input SikSol. When using just HPS what height would you start to flower at? Would you agree with the single 400w bulb and 4 plants for the 3'x3' space I have for max quality crop?

Fufidus said:

Thanks for the input SikSol. When using just HPS what height would you start to flower at? Would you agree with the single 400w bulb and 4 plants for the 3'x3' space I have for max quality crop?

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As far as the height a good rule of thumb is to place your hand at the top of your canopy with the back of your hand facing the light. If its to hot and uncomfortable to your hand then its to hot for the plants and raise the lights some. On top of that just watch the plants for signs of heat stress. Yes a 400w HPS will be good for 4 plants in a 3x3 space, as far as max quality crop though there is alot more to it than just lights. Genetics, nutrients, temps, humidity, co2 etc.... all play roles. For your first grow its best just to keep it very simple and get the experience under your belt then work your way up.

EDIT: sorry just seen you didn't ask about height of the light but instead height at which to flower at with a HPS. The type of light itself be it CFL, HPS, MH shouldn't and doesn't determine at what height to flower at. The amount of grow space you have does, all plants are different and grow at different rates. Generally though you can assume that once your plant start to flower it will double in size before harvest. For example if you only have 6-7ft of vertical usable space then you probably do not want to start flowering any later than when the plants reach 3 feet. It also depends on the size of the pot/container your growing in as the smaller it is the smaller your plant will be as the root system is restricted.

gona try put all youre advice to use and fingers crossed get at least some good bud from this 1st grow.
Cheers dudes

I have a 600W HPS in a 3x5' footprint. If I had to do it over again, I would go for a 400W MH. 600W puts out a lot of heat and I can't control it without AC.

zvuv said:

I have a 600W HPS in a 3x5' footprint. If I had to do it over again, I would go for a 400W MH. 600W puts out a lot of heat and I can't control it without AC.

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This it does ^ even the 400w ones put off a good bit of heat. If possible keep the ballast outside your tent, also if you can run a cool tube with inline fans to vent cool air past the bulb and push the out air out the tent then in another spot have a inline fan pushing cool air into the tent for ambient temps or any other setup for cooling. If you cant afford to do a cool tube setup or have inline fans or w.e, you will have to fight with temps a good bit. Possible leave the tent open while the lights are on with a fan blowing into it then close the tent when the lights go off.

400w it will be! i have an extractor fan with an air filter to get the stale air out and was hoping the vacuum caused would be enough to bring fresh air into the plant. My grospace is in my wooden garden shed in Ireland so can't imagine there being much trouble keeping temperatures down. Shed is totally sterile and semi insulated but still freezing cold in the winter time. I have a plug in heater if I need to raise the temp should it need it.

Thanks for the posts so far guys, i'm just starting out so every single post is appreciated.

Oh yeah you shouldn't have to worry about high temps then more than likely you will be worrying about to cold of temps lol. That's often a easier thing to deal with and sounds like you got a plan with your heater. No problem on the input that's what I'm and most of us are here for, I was once a newbie like you! Good luck and be sure to let me know if you start a grow journal I will keep tabs!