Lighting issues plus electric bill etc

I had 2 plants going in flower under a 150w hps. both in 1 gal grow bags.

i had to chop down a master kush i bred myself because it grew too tall.


i dont seem to have enough lumens to get a good yield (since i couldnt even keep 2 plants under it)


Would i be better off only using the 150w for 12/12 all the way through (keep in mind i usually only grow from seed)?

would i be able to use another 150w (300w total) w/o impacting my electric bill to a noticeable level?



the reason ive never ran 12/12 all the way through is because i wouldnt know when/how much veg food i should feed (obviously even if i dont give it a veg stage its still gonna need veg food) i use the fox farm line by the way and they dont provide a chart for 12/12 all the way through.

that may be an amateur-ish question considering ive been growing 5 yrs but you know what they say "if it aint broke dont fix it" so i just always stuck with a 3-4wk veg and then flower but under a 150 a 3wk veg (wat i did this last time) is just way too long.

ideas?

thank you

Man You need more bread to go bigger.

from what iv read electricity wise it will be only noticable in your wallet, remember farms pay out thousands a month another one lightbulb is no different to probably boiling the kettle another 10 times a day probably boiling less cause they use 1000watts or something ridiculus, its easier to trip yourself out when in reality you probably dont need the stress on your heart. they will only come knocking if you stop paying and even that will be months down the line.

Switch to LED's. The new ones are incredible. They have the spectrum down to a science and the par is bang on. My 200 watt Apollo 6 LED will out perform a 400 watt HPS with ease. They use 50% of the power, barely get warm, and no more changing expensive bulbs. This is my suggestion. Go to Cidly.com and they will ship great quality LEDs for a great price.

a 400w hps w/ fans and air raised the bill like 40 bucks no big deal I used to know a guy who sat in his livingroomsurrounded by like 3 of those 3000w space heaters around him there are plenty of reasons you would add600w to your bill each month... a new stereoa new big screen running an air conditioner/ heater....point is you got no worries if you were running 3 1000w lights with fans and ac you might look saspiciouse but not just because of your bill

money isnt my problem. nor is the police.

i use to run a big set up (2 600s in my flowering room along with a/c, fans etc) plus a veg room with t5's and fans. a/c etc.

now i have to fly under the radar. 150w is nothing which is why i picked it. even though im still adjusting to it im not sure theres enough juice to create a sustainable supply for myself/gf (daily user of mj plus supplying the gf...so yeah) i think i need more.

i'd like to avoid selling my 150w because obviously i wont get what i paid for it even though im only on my second grow with it. granted i could be having issues adjusting to a 150w after being on such a big setup. yield has never been my issue with growing until now. infact id grow a room of low yielding strains without worry. now since im such a restrictive setup its important but i dont want to only grow only high yielding strains. thats fairly limiting.

I was hoping to add another 150w (side by side im assuming would be my plan for now) therefore doubling my current capabilities. im not sure how many watts i can get away with using before theres a noticeable spike in the monthly electricity costs.

my electricity issue theres someone's eyes that cross the bill every month who i would rather NOT know about our growing. therefore i want the change to be minimal and not cause concern or raise any eyebrows.

therefore idk if i should:
A) just keep the 150w and suck it up/cut down on our consumption
B) add another 150w (300w total not counting fans, etc)
C) add a 250w (350w total not counting fans)
D) scrap the 150w and just use a 250w

i think 400w may be too much



EDIT: this is in a closet/cab type setup so a 400w is also probably too hot 4 such a space/setup.

right now the 150 poses no heat problems even in the summer (we hit 90s-100s in the summer!)

i grew 2 autos off a 150w, eventually added a 135wled for heat issues when i got that fixed i added back the 150w, got some 2fts, that yeilder just over 30gs a plant. if you tie down or scrog sog you you get betetr yeilds just find smaller plants.

just say to who ever is looking at the electric bill u have bought a sauna i hear some are 5000w, or a electrical oil rad, or some mad excuse. growing comes first man lol. goodluck btw

well i just got news that the bill should be arriving in my name sometime early 2013. so i guess i'll just work with the 150w till i get to break out my 2 600w hps again! this is gonna be great! i last grew with those 600's back in 2011!

Right now i just have 1 pineapple express growing under my 150. i had a master kush i bred myself under there but the pheno was crap. it stretched wayyyy too tall in flowering so i chop'd it down.

next up under the 150w (before i get my 600s running again) i either was considering doing a s.o.g. grow with a 10 pack of regs and go 12/12 after 1 1/2 wks of veg (since you cant flower straight from seed) and pull the males once sex shows...or doing an SCROG with 1 plant. opinions on what works better under a 150?

Ive got 2 150's. They seem hotter to me cause the ballast is built into the hood. So all that heat is in the grow area. I have a couple 400's the ballast is separated from the grow area and one 400 seems about the same as the two 150's. Either way I needed decent ventilation.
good luck

Straightjacket said:

Ive got 2 150's. They seem hotter to me cause the ballast is built into the hood. So all that heat is in the grow area. I have a couple 400's the ballast is separated from the grow area and one 400 seems about the same as the two 150's. Either way I needed decent ventilation.
good luck

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yeah having the ballast and hood built together sucks. i searched high and low and was fortunate to find a digital ballast 150w that was separate from the hood (like a traditional bulb/ballast combo)

you have a sunsystem or something else?

themanwiththeplan said:

yeah having the ballast and hood built together sucks. i searched high and low and was fortunate to find a digital ballast 150w that was separate from the hood (like a traditional bulb/ballast combo)

you have a sunsystem or something else?

Click to expand...

Yea Sunsystem, I use em for side lights now. nice little light for $75.