Suggestions: Need to 4 ballasts, bulbs and hoods.

Hi me and my buddy are doing our first Medical grow and neither one of us has used a E-ballast before. We had picked out a Lumatek 600w but did some research and read they are picky about which bulbs they work with. We called Lumatek and they said to use some GE bulbs and other companies wont work well which turned me off to the company.

Can you guys share your experience with me with e-ballasts and the bulbs you use. Also if you can recomend some ballast and bulbs that would be great.

We plan on buying a set of 4 of everything so we want to make sure we make good choices.

Our room is about 10x12 and we want each light to have its own strain. So help with a good hood recomendation would be awesome also.

Current beans we have as of right now is K.O kush and El monstre for sannie seeds cant wait to get them goin.

Money is not really a option so please dont be conservitive in your suggestions.

Thanks RIU
Uno

I love my lumatek. Never had a bulb problem. I heard that but never heard what bulb does not. I use just plain bulbs, plant max and some other cheap ones. I dont think that the bulb prob is common.

Thanks for the info, I have heard many people love there lumatek which made me interested in them in the first place but no one ever really states which bulb they used and had a succesfull harvest with.

I think it is a pain in the ass. These manufactures should have gone with a standard plug so the equipment could be interchangeable. I know you can buy cordsets and convert them but why have to hassel with it.

Well, heres my 2 cents.
You want to grow two strains and each have its own light, heres what I would do.

I would make one small veg area for clones and vegging plants. Light it with floros, shop light, whatever. I wouldnt spend much on this and I wouldnt get a mh for it.

The veg area would accommodate both strains It can be small like 2 by 3 foot area and short like 4 feet tall so you could use the rest of the space for storage. But in flower where they get there own light.

Flower area would be divided into two separate areas. say 4 by 5 foot Using the same res and ventilation system. The only difference would be each had its own lighting.

I would get one ballast, two hoods with bulbs, a relay and a timer. (Flip flop flower room) Run the bulb on the first one for 12 hours then the timer kicks the relay and switches the juice to the other one for 12 hours then back. Use the money I would have spent on two ballast to get the best one I could find and that would probably be lumatec. I would use the cooltube design and pump air from outside the flower area through the tubs and out the area again. That way I could control the plants environment much easer.

As far as ballasts are concerned, Lumatec has been proven and I would consider to be the best. I really dont see much difference between the rest.


Minimum size I would use would be 600W per flower area.
There is a new Dual 600w out now and you could double what I was talking about.

You mentioned you were going to get four of everything.

Hey thank you for the response, Sorry I meant to say the whole 10x12 room is for flowering and there will be 4 strains in there and most will have different flowering times. So 1 light per strain and 1 more then likely 1 resevoir per strain in a drip or RDWC we have yet to decide on that yet.

Thanks again.

giant rdwc! that shit is all over this seedbank I shop at. Texas Kid or someone. Sh! another forum I think, lol, well anyway. Dont see too many rdwc systes here for somereason. I bet we are getting made fun of. But this is way more fun of a place to spend the day. RIu, I mean. Anyway, the light flipper thing is awesome for economy, but have yu seen the price tag? They make yu pay for all that power yu will save up front! Like 600 dollars. Nice for a big gro tho and not a hobby. Yu seem moderate. 2 rdwc systems in a split flower room would get you some big trees! Could you imagine four 1000 watters over a single big rdwc system? Cool.