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lighting HPS lighting

V

Valo

Hi everyone!
 
I am brand new to indoor growing so please bear with me :)
 
I recently became interested in being able to grow indoors all year round, I called a few of the hydroponic shops in the area...
 
1) A few told me a HPS light will be able to do the whole grow and one told me I would still need to change it out for a MH bulb - true or false? Is there any other bulb that can do the whole grow period from vegetative growth thru to flowering thru to fruit?
 
I have limited space in my house, I have a cupboard which is 170cm high, 57cm wide and 40cm deep. The shelf in it is moveable up or down in increments of 5 inches. Not a huge cupboard, but I am limited for space like I said. I have been recommended a 400w HPS kit by all the shops but it seems a little overkill after doing some reading on various forums.
 
Would love to grow a nice big Habanero or Bhut Jolokia (currently have 2 and 1, respectively, in the garden, about 3-4 weeks old) coming into summer here (Perth, Australia)
 
Thanks in advance! :)
 
To start, try not to mix inch/metric units.

You have 2.5 square feet of space to light and, with HID, you will need 75-100 watts to grow through fruit.

HPS comes in smaller lamp sizes than 400w.
 
willard3 said:
To start, try not to mix inch/metric units. You have 2.5 square feet of space to light and, with HID, you will need 75-100 watts to grow through fruit. HPS comes in smaller lamp sizes than 400w.
Click to expand...
 
All of the local shops only stock 400w as a minimum, although I will call and ask if they can order in a light in the 250w range (just so I have a bit more if need be). Prefer to buy local and not online.
 
Thanks for your reply :)
 
Edit: Would this suffice for the entire grow? http://www.hydromasta.com.au/view_product.php?p=12044&id=9 -
Frequency Spectrum:
660nm x12
630nm x12
610nm x2
530nm x1
460nm x4
420nm x1
 
Eh, LED is not a bad option for that small space, less heat is always prime. But that company looks pretty dodgy, and they're probably relabeling no-name Chinese COB units. No mention of a specific warranty is a big red flag.
 
Anything advertising CREE bulbs or another quality manufacturer is what you're looking for. If you're in to DIY, this site may be of interest. LED reviews on sites like ICmag are handy.
 
I have used 400 HPS and worked very well, I also did a test of 24 hours or 12/12 and found Peppers did very well on 12/12, it cost less to run and I had the lights on at night to keep the temps down.  Bhuts can get large so more head space would be better, a 400wtt. can do about 4' x 4' and that could grow all three plants or more.  
 
Ended up buying a tent 1.45m wide, .80m deep and 1.6m tall along with a 400w hps kit but I have not purchased fans just yet.
 
Does the air need to be replaced completely every minute?
 
Might start a glog on the weekend when I get it set up somewhat.
 
Thanks to everyone for your help, I really appreciate it! :)
 
Anywhere from 2 exchange per minute to one every 5 minutes. Maintaining temperature is the main goal there.
 
Start a glog! We need more indoor growers :P
 
I wired my fans to a thermostat they turn on/off based on temp (10-15 seconds on every 2-3 minutes), chillies like heat I have a co2 meter and weas monitoring co2 levels I rarely dropped below 400ppm (base line with fresh air is ~450ppm, natural levels 100 years ago were 350ppm).
 
Once pods are heavily forming I will increase ventilation to reduce risks from moulds etc.
 
Chillies love heat I'm just resetting at the moment but next grow I intend to keep the tent around 28C lights on and 22c lights off I also found 16/8 until they are adult plants then switch to 12/12 induces flower formation (Although flowers will still form under 16/8 or even 24/7 just a lot slower.)
 
VALO REMEMBER your contactor for the timer!
 
I'm in the UK so we're going into winter now you're coming into summer so your mileage will vary.
 
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