Tough questions: 150 or 250 watt hps ,to vent or not to vent

LOWNskater52 said:

Hey guys, i am planning on starting my first personal grow this august and i am still in the planning stages of my operation. I have read 2 books on closet cultivation and have learned much from this website as well. I Hope to learn more from you guys throughout the upcoming month.

My situation is this. I am a college student who is renting an apartment for a year and a half and i plan to experiment with some small scale marijuana growing for a fun past time (and love to get high )

I plan to get a Darkroom 40 (maybe 60 but that is unlikely) and have that house 2 strong plants that i might LST or train if i have the energy and know-how. My question is could a grow tent that is 16inch W by 16inch D by 47inch H could house a 250 watt hps (or should it)?

Issues that come are heat, ventilation and light penetration.

A 150 watt HPS produces much less heat and can be kept much closer to the plants. My worry stems from the heat build up in such a small grow tent. Would it be too much heat for one area if i went with the 250 watt HPS? This brings me to ventilation.

I feel like with a 150 watt hps, i could avoid having to buy two 4 inch inline fans for both intake and exhaust port and just buy one for the exhaust (things are expensive!)

As for light penetration i think 150 watts, or 16000 lumens, would be enough for two plants in a super small area like mine right?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

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robmills said:

No, I would go with cfl's over the leds, unless he gets the 300 watt one.

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LOWNskater52 said:

idk guys my plan is pretty much set in my mind for what i wanna do.

i am pretty sure i am gonna buy a 150 watt hps with an spare Agro bulb for vegging, a 4 inch inline fan for both the intake and exhaust port (the exhaust port will have a 4 inch carbon filter leading out), a Darkroom 40 (16.8 inch D by 16.8 inch W by 48 inch H) All of this will be purchased from htgsupply.com except for the DR40 which will be from wormsway.com.

I happen to live by a badass nursery with quality grow products so i will be buying alot of stuff locally. For medium and nutrients I plan to get the Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil as well as the Fox Farm Grow-TigerBloom-Bloom package from the nursery. I will also pick up an electric pH/moisture meter as well as a thermometer/hygrometer combo. As for pH, The guy also sold me on some dolomite-lime and sulfer for my soil pH adjusters. I will have to pick up two 2 gallon (10 inch wide) pots so that each plant will have its own pot and prob some rockwool cubes to get the seeds started. Thats about it for the nursery.

For the rest i will prob have to head to good ole home depot. I am gonna need ducting and clamps for the venting as well as hooks and a set of chains for the light. Another big expense are the heavy duty timers for the lights and fans and prob some small extension cords. Overall i plan to spend 500 on setup and seeds and hopefully no more.

What do you guys think? Have i missed anything in the planning process? is the 150 watt good for that space and will heat be a problem? If so will my setup described take care of the heat?

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