need info from experianced small watt hid users

ok here is what i have been rolling around in my head for the last week or so. i have been growing some plants for a while now with 6500k cfl's till they were big enough to clone for sex which i have done and im workin with girls. i built a new flowering cab and am trying to decide the best way to light it and could use some good advice. my cab dimensions are 24'' deep by 32'' wide by 41'' tall. i am wanting to do a perpetual sog grow using 2 liter coke bottles. the cab will hold 5 bottles deep by 6 bottles wide. i am wanting to add 5 bottles per week till i get to where i can harvest something every week or so many days. i am shooting for 8 to 10 grams dry on each plant if thats possible. actually 6 grams a plant would be killer to me but why not shoot for the moon. ok so now what i am wanting to know is which type of lighting would help me most efficently reach my goal? i have seen 70 hps at the home depot for 39 and the 150 hps for like 85. also i have thought of using cfls too but am stuck with what i hear everyone say about but the bulb right up next to the plant. so i guess what i have pictured with using cfls is that i would have to have a bulb per plant if that sounds right?? the one thing that i am concerned with the hps is my cabs height. how far do i need to keep a 70 watt hps above my plants vs using a 150 watt??

Hi,

Well a 70 watt vs a 150 watt would be about half the distance 4 inches or so.

It really depends on ventilation. Sounds like you want to do this on the cheap side.
CFL'S like one above every plant, will give off as much heat as a HID what I would recommend you do is at least a 250w in the center and CFL'S on the end. Look into DIY cool tube, if you cool the bulb instead of the chamber its much more efficient.
I am doing it with a 400w and 26w CFL's on the ends in a 48 x 24 cabinet.

i had 6 plants in a 4x2x5 with 2 150 watters and they did pretty well, i kept the lights anywhere from 10-14" away, in 2 months all were atleast 2' and some change with no LST or scrogging, i had 2 4" exhaust fans and it was all i could do to keep it below 90, with just some passive air ventalation it was 82-86 in the day and 72 at "night", my plants were in 3 gal containers however.....never got to see the fruits of my labor as it was discovered and i destroyed it, got a new setup right now taking shape, its about 2x2x4 and im looking to SOG in about 30 solo cups

best of luck to you

your cab is ideal for a 150 watt Hps...12" away from tops is sufficient...you can add side lighting using 42 watt cfl's to bump the lumens...more lumens=better growth/yield...

Skip the 70W, too weak. The 150 works pretty well

i use 40 watt floros and my plants loove itt..

ReggaeGanja said:

i use 40 watt floros and my plants loove itt..

Click to expand...

have ya flowered with them?