How much wattage of HPS do I need per plant?

medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
I plan on using HPS for both vegging and flowering. I am growing 3 plants at a time. Im wondering how much wattage of an HPS light I need per plant? And then should i buy just one big hps or a couple little ones. (sorry if I sound ignorant this is my first grow, I have very little knowledge of any of this).
 
Sire Killem All

Sire Killem All

Well-Known Member
do you have your ballast already? normal is 100w per [lant but size of room is the standard for finding the wattage u should run, so more info would help.
 
Greenwhilley

Greenwhilley

Active Member
IMO it really depends on your grow space and temps.

im have 3 plants in a 4x4 tent with one 400w hps. I recently added a bank of 4x24w t5's.

with a bit of lst my tent is packed, I still have vertical space, but I try and maximise the full light penetration.
a 600w in the same space you could get more penetration and probably denser nugs, but you will have more heat to deal with.
 

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1itsme

1itsme

Well-Known Member
it depends on what you are trying to do.
if its strictly for personal smoke and density is not an issue a 400w (@2x2 canopy area) will do fine.
600w is the smallest that will reliably get good density 3x3 canopy (irrelevant for smoking but has a big impact on bag appeal)
1kw 4x4 canopy, lots of heat
 
medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
Sire Killem All said:
do you have your ballast already? normal is 100w per [lant but size of room is the standard for finding the wattage u should run, so more info would help.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the quick reply sire, no havent bought anything yet. The ballast is what powers it, I believe? my grow space is a closet about 3x3x7ft. I also have central air conditioning, I heard that can help a little bit.
 
medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
Thanks for the reply man, and the pic! nice little girls you got. My space in feet is about 3x3x7 and my temps should be running relatively cool. Im assuming Ill need to buy 2 lights no matter what because the flowering will require different light cycles then the vegging.
Greenwhilley said:
IMO it really depends on your grow space and temps.

im have 3 plants in a 4x4 tent with one 400w hps. I recently added a bank of 4x24w t5's.

with a bit of lst my tent is packed, I still have vertical space, but I try and maximise the full light penetration.
a 600w in the same space you could get more penetration and probably denser nugs, but you will have more heat to deal with.
Click to expand...
 
medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
1itsme said:
it depends on what you are trying to do.
if its strictly for personal smoke and density is not an issue a 400w (@2x2 canopy area) will do fine.
600w is the smallest that will reliably get good density 3x3 canopy (irrelevant for smoking but has a big impact on bag appeal)
1kw 4x4 canopy, lots of heat
Click to expand...
Thanks for reply itsme, I am just growing herb for my own medicinal use nobody else, maybe a friend here and there but thats it. I asked before but Im assuming Ill need two lights no matter what right? one for vegging and flowering.
 
1itsme

1itsme

Well-Known Member
i use t8 shop lights for seedlings/clones/veg, 600w hps for flower. a mh would veg alot faster but i got 8-10 weeks to wait for a spot in the flower room so no hurry. hps or hm will both veg/flower very well. which one flowers better is arguable.
 
medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
Awesome, thats the advice Im lookn for!:mrgreen: I appreciate it. Yea Ive been reading and I think Im going to go with HPS for everything this time around. Its my first time so I just want to take the most basic approach, then I can experiment from there.
 
dr.tree

dr.tree

Member
Hps all the way is way good. The smallest anyone should go is a 600 if you have the $$$ get a dimmable 1000. Tents are awesome and I highly recommend them. Also heat from one 1000 Is not bad to deal with, blow it out the window in the summer and plum it into the vent in the winter. Just don't cheap out on a fan, and run it 24-7
 
medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
Id love to go the tent route, but my funds are...limited :cry: Once I save up though I might. Well see how the closet goes first. Ill for sure have an ocsilating fan running 24/7, Im just not sure how many fans Ill need, Im guessing at most 2 maybe 1 clip on.
 
dr.tree

dr.tree

Member
Got to vent the air out of the room. If you can don't use a closet temps will go crazy fast. I have used panda film to make a temporary room. Good air flo is key. Best word of advice is don't cheap out on the fans that cool your light.
 
kinddiesel

kinddiesel

Well-Known Member
what you should do is get 2 lights. a florescent set up a t5. to save electric 4 bulbs. 2 footer will be perfect 3 plants. like 150 watts. and you can grow them 2 too 3 feet tall easy that light. then use a 600 watt hps for flower. get a massive yield ! you can veg with hps. tends to stretch the plant. murders the electric horrible to clone with . my opinion. save electric and yield a shit load.
 
medicinallymedicated

medicinallymedicated

Member
Right on. Definitely could use some more change in the pocket! Still leaning towards HPS for all stages, but idk if its worth it to ramp up the energy bill that much.
 
F

fg2020

Active Member
HPS for all stages works great. Last time I checked, Lumatek makes a 250/400 ballast that is not only dimmable, but multi-bulb (meaning you can use either a 250w or 400w bulb). Cheapest bulbs come from Grainger. For a 3x3, I wouldn't go over 400w and the 250w option is very nice if you have heat issues.

For cloning, get either a cheapie flourescent or T5 fixture, both work well.

(I have used all of the products described above.)
 
jondamon

jondamon

Well-Known Member
Anyone who is telling you that you don't get good buds or density from anything less than a 600w isn't an accomplished grower.

I use a 400w and have posted a few grows on here with pics etc of my results.


Last harvest was 427g dry
Harvest before that 439g dry.

Check my signature link for my last harvest.

I utilise my 400w in an adjust a wing enforcer reflector over approx a 3x3 footprint.


The only issue you "could" have with a 400w is if you don't understand plant training, plant height vs hps penetration power can leave you with lanky plants with laughable buds.

With the right training you can keep your plants under 2.5ft tall and achieve 4oz per plant.

One of my own plants last harvest had 156g dry on her.



J
 
brodietheconeking

brodietheconeking

Well-Known Member
jondamon said:
Anyone who is telling you that you don't get good buds or density from anything less than a 600w isn't an accomplished grower.

I use a 400w and have posted a few grows on here with pics etc of my results.


Last harvest was 427g dry
Harvest before that 439g dry.

Check my signature link for my last harvest.

I utilise my 400w in an adjust a wing enforcer reflector over approx a 3x3 footprint.


The only issue you "could" have with a 400w is if you don't understand plant training, plant height vs hps penetration power can leave you with lanky plants with laughable buds.

With the right training you can keep your plants under 2.5ft tall and achieve 4oz per plant.

One of my own plants last harvest had 156g dry on her.



J
Click to expand...
jondamon is the man
 
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