first timer ?s

34in wide x 20in deep x 8ft tall

180cfm 4in duct blower, carbon can filter, sunblaze 4x24w T5, internal circulation = 8inch moving fan & 2 30cfm computer fans

My 1st question is, currently at 2inches off the plants the temp of canopy is 75.2 (room temp constantly around 73). I'm vegging, but when I begin to flower I'd like to switch to 250HPS.

What kind of temp increase will the HPS give off? My vent blower is so gangster it sucks the door closed, but using an inline cooled hood isn't an option given the space constraints.

2nd - I have white widow, arjian haze 3, hindu kush, Holy Grail 69 & Thunder Bloody Marry. But currently only vegging widow, it's really stinky (good way) at 3weeks old. Is that any indication of sex?


Thanks for reading.

a 250w should be ok as you have 8ft to play with buddy especially if you dont grow too big and dont forget that tall plants dont necessarily yield more at all ! , keep an eye on temps though as always ! i work in centigrade though so workin yours out isnt great for me ! 72f is 23-24c i reckons but dont forget a 250w hps will be further away.
t5 and pll are not as hot but they do get hot still especially as we growers have them close ! the top of the canopy is going to be the hottest and closest to the light especially when t5's and pll's are only a few inches above !
your air exchange is good enough imo .
measure your temps just a few inches into the canopy and see how they are. i dont know where you are on this spinnin ball but here where i am winter comin fast so that makes it easy, well alot easier to deal with !

75F = 24C, so yeah your math is on. A 400w is out of the question though, correct? Considering I can't actively cool it...? I want good shit and as much as possible.

In a 34in wide x 20in deep x 8ft tall space, could I use a 400w HPS without having it in-line cooled? Or is the space just too small for 400watts? I have more than sufficient exhaust with the blower I'd think, but I have 0 experience with HPS anything so estimating the heat output is difficult. I know my results would be far better with the 400w, but I just don't have the cash to blow "hoping" the 400w would work.

I run a 250 in about the same area and my temps stay around 76-78 with the light 6" away from canopy.... I feel that 400w would be ok in my grow area so when i get the extra cash, I'm upgrading..

I just have a 2ft oscillating tower fan for airflow...

How hot would a 400w HPS ballast get? I'm guessing it would be a fire-hazard under my bed?

don't put the ballast under ur bed fock around and toast your ass when ur asleep lol

The folks at my shop seem to think the 400w will be fine as well, especially since colder weather is approaching, so I'm excited about that.
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Can I use fan leaves for clones? I know it's supposed to be 4th node back blah blah blah but will it work? I just topped my 18day widow, she was already around 8inches, I followed the "topping to get 4 coala method" as posted in another thread.

Also, the 1quart white/black plastic grow bags - are these large enough for 1 month veg growth? they're 3.5x3.5x7in deep.