Grow room lighting

Hey Ive grown unsuccessfully before before but this is my first time posting. I have a 5'x6'6'' closet with 7' ceilings. Im considering either a 600w hps or a 400w hps with cfl side lighting. im on a budget and using a soil and perlite medium. im planning on a full ventilation system but it may have to wait on money. Any advise about lighting or anything else is appreciated

You have the space, it comes down to what are you going to do about heat. More watts = more ventillation.

60 watts per sq foot is what you are looking for ideally but if not then fall back on half that ratio will be 900 watts so what you are proposing is 20 watts per sq foot with 1 HPS 600w bulb. My suggestion would be to try and splurge for 2 HPS that are 400w if you can but if NOT, buy the 600w HPS & try as best as you can to supplement the side lighting with CFL's. The more light the better. The only other aspect that will cause you problems is HEAT so if you have plans for a full vent system I would make sure you get that going stat or your plants may end up cooking.

Yea ill put the vent and filter in before i do anything. In terms of the lights ill prob go with the 2 400w hps. Ideally with that setup and 5 gallon pots how many plants am I looking at.

You don't have to fill up the entire space with plants. If you get 2 lights, make sure you have your plan down pat. That's more set up and configuration...If I had your closet, I would probably look at the 600 and figure out how I'm going to keep it cool. Actually, I'd buy one of those digital dimmable ballast that has an option for 600 and 400...that way you have more flexibilty. If 600 is too hot for the money, you are potentially only out one bulb. Your light footprint will depend on the hood and the light distance...what you will be losing with the larger closet is some reflective ability of the walls for extra light, but I'm not sure that's really worth uping the ante with two lights, plus you can always section the closet off

goalie1stp said:

Yea ill put the vent and filter in before i do anything. In terms of the lights ill prob go with the 2 400w hps. Ideally with that setup and 5 gallon pots how many plants am I looking at.

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Well, if you find the right strain for a SOG you can sometimes get away with 1 plant per square feet so 5x6 = 30 sq ft = up to 30 plants. That's IF you get the correct plant to do it with but for me I'd probably go half of that & try to squeeze 15 in there. 2 light sources instead of 1 is going to give your plants better light distribution instead of growing to just 1 source & thus makes your lighting more efficient. You're going to be growing in soil, right? If this is your 1st grow you are trying to be successful with, I suggest keeping a journal on everything you're doing. It will come in handy for you to avert the same trials, failures, and tribulations you may experience along the way.