Scrog 1 Plant or grow 3 Plants with 400w HPS & MH

I dont know what would give me a better yield, scrogging 1 or 2 plants in a 5' x 5' cabinet or growing 3 or 4 plants as the cabinet is also like five or six feet tall so ive got a good amount of height to use also. both grows would use 400w HPS for flower & MH for veg

i would veg out 4 good strains, pick the best two, put them in big pots and set them next to each other. then scrog them together in your cabinet. scrog when done correctly produces very good yields and is great when space is an issue.

graab187 said:

i would veg out 4 good strains, pick the best two, put them in big pots and set them next to each other. then scrog them together in your cabinet. scrog when done correctly produces very good yields and is great when space is an issue.

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Ill be ordering seeds from nirvana, so it will end up just being a five pack once i decide on a strain. Im just not sure as i have never done a scrog.

I agree - 400W sounds better with two plants & scrog (this is my setup!)
However, I don't go with 4, then pick the best two. I just grow the two out to fill my screen ~60% before I flip the lights. I do try to pick the best plant to clone for my next grow ....
I think the light is going to be your limiting factor. A 5x5 space could use a bigger light.

mrwood said:

I agree - 400W sounds better with two plants & scrog (this is my setup!)
However, I don't go with 4, then pick the best two. I just grow the two out to fill my screen ~60% before I flip the lights. I do try to pick the best plant to clone for my next grow ....
I think the light is going to be your limiting factor. A 5x5 space could use a bigger light.

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is a 3X5 space with a 400w too small? or could i go 600 or 1000 watt for two plants in my closet. i have a good exhaust fan pumping air into the attic but it isnt always on. i need to figure out a system on how to turn it on and off when im not home

How big is your space? First post says 5x5, now 3x5?

Yes, you could benefit from a larger light.
At 400W and 3x5, your chief challenge will be getting the light to cover your 5' length
At 400W and 5x5, 400W is going to be a bit small overall.

I got a cheat sheet with some grow tips. Here is one tip I saved (sorry forgot the author...)
>>A rectangular growing area isn’t nearly as efficient as a more square one when using a single bulb. For maximum growth & potency, use a 2.3’ square area with a 400w or a 3.5’ area with a 600w.
This relates to your light density (lumens/square feet)

Another tip I saved:
>> In my experience and reading, lumen amounts per sq. ft./sq. m. look like this
- 2000 lumens sq. ft./21500 lumens sq. m. = Absolute minimum for growth. You won’t get much from this, especially after the plant has grown a bit. Not really eough to flower well.
- 3000 lumens sq. ft./32250 lumens sq. m. = Pretty Good growth. Enough light for the entire light cycle, although your yields may be lower.
- 4000 lumens sq. ft./43000 lumens sq. m. = Very good growth. Once you pass around 3500, growth rate and ability goes up fast.
- Over 5000 lumens sq. ft./53750 lumens sq. m. = Optimal growth. Dense growth in all stages.
(I think this if from Ed Rosethals book “Closet Cultivator”)

Assume you are at 3x5=15 square feet
Assume 400W HPS lamp produces 50000 lumens.
50000/15 = 3333 lumens/ft2
Good, could be better.

600W @ 90000 lumens, 15 ft2 = 6000 lumens/ft2
1000W @ 140,000 lumens, 15 ft2 = 9333 lumens/ft2
If you can manage the heat, you could consider a larger lamp.

mrwood said:

How big is your space? First post says 5x5, now 3x5?

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sorry im not OP, but i was just curious and asking the question haha.
thanks for all that info, ive decided im probably going to upgrade to a 600 after this grow. im going to have to buy another ballast so thats the only thing thats holding me back from doing it this run.
my heat is pretty managed because i have an exhaust fan that can be switched on at any time to drop the heat.
my only other problem is getting new fresh air into my closet. i leave my curtain open all day so the fresh air from the room and the window near by can rush in, but is that enough?
what happens when i start flowering and i have to close the curtain because of the brightness from the bulb. will it not be getting efficient air even with the exhaust?
thanks all