I was planning on making a grow room in my basement and the dimensions would be 10-8-8. I would use part of the room for starting seedlings and the other part for growing some plants to fruiting. I wanted to use some T8's for the seedlings and a metal halide for the bigger plants. I was thinking maybe 6 to 8 plants that I would grow to full size in a DWC setup. My question is how big of a light would I need for that area? By the way I'll be growing super hots.
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Light Question?
- Thread starter NattyPepper
- Start date
600 watt mh... should give you adequate light for 6-8 plants until your canopy fills out
After the canopy fills out then what?
Then you ditch your t 8s and spread the plants out under the mh, or rotate your more mature plants to a new room or outdoor space.
If your looking to grow year round you need indoor, greenhouse/ coldframe and outdoor gardens for proper crop rotation. Otherwise you will need multiple indoor gardens.
To stretch out having to get more lights you might try putting the fluoros vertically around your plants (after you don't need them over sprouts or whatever)with the halide or whatever above.
I have 6X 4ft. fluoros on my kitchen ceiling that really add to the light when my plants get too big for my overhead led panels.
Adding verticle light really helps.
I like 5000K - 6500K in as bright a Lumen as I can find.
For me T8's don't come in as many Lumens as t12's or in the same K that I like.
T8's seem to be hotter too for some reason.
A lot of times it isn't that your lights aren't bright enough.
It's that you need to get creative about placing your fixtures to get the best advantage of the light they are putting out.
I have 6X 4ft. fluoros on my kitchen ceiling that really add to the light when my plants get too big for my overhead led panels.
Adding verticle light really helps.
I like 5000K - 6500K in as bright a Lumen as I can find.
For me T8's don't come in as many Lumens as t12's or in the same K that I like.
T8's seem to be hotter too for some reason.
A lot of times it isn't that your lights aren't bright enough.
It's that you need to get creative about placing your fixtures to get the best advantage of the light they are putting out.
Thanks smoke master that info really helps.
Depending on what bulbs you have in what Lumens and K , it can't hurt to check out using the fluoros as and added light source.
Gotta be better than just reflected light from an over head light using white paint or mylar.
Reflected light looses a LOT of Lumens.
If nothing else I think it would add to the reflected light from your halide reflected light.
As far as my LEDS that are spotlights that shoot a beam and don't reflect light from the tudes,top,sides etc.
Lesser Lumen LEDS or Fluoros work great for branching at a VERY early time period.
I started seeds for a pepper 6/22 and have branching from the seed leaves up and tons of buds from overhead and side/verticle lights.
Can't hurt to try.It can only add to the lumens your plant needs under the canopy.Even if the bulbs are not that high in lumens.
Cheeper than buying and running another halide if it works for your grow.
Getting through the canopy isn't as productive sometimes as placing light under the canopy that put light under it.
I think under the canopy needs less light than the canopy does since it is,by nature shaded growth.
Worth a try either way.
I do think for the few plants you are growing you might want to try verticle lighting on a few and if they seem ok you might be better off adding a few Fluoros than running another halide.
Gotta play with what you have then decide.
Way back when,in the 70's,a lot of grow boxes were a bunch of growlux bulbs placed vertically around the box.Reflective mylar was the only light a plant got from top side.
And that was when Grow lux was about the only light there was for plants.
Post how things work out for you...
Gotta be better than just reflected light from an over head light using white paint or mylar.
Reflected light looses a LOT of Lumens.
If nothing else I think it would add to the reflected light from your halide reflected light.
As far as my LEDS that are spotlights that shoot a beam and don't reflect light from the tudes,top,sides etc.
Lesser Lumen LEDS or Fluoros work great for branching at a VERY early time period.
I started seeds for a pepper 6/22 and have branching from the seed leaves up and tons of buds from overhead and side/verticle lights.
Can't hurt to try.It can only add to the lumens your plant needs under the canopy.Even if the bulbs are not that high in lumens.
Cheeper than buying and running another halide if it works for your grow.
Getting through the canopy isn't as productive sometimes as placing light under the canopy that put light under it.
I think under the canopy needs less light than the canopy does since it is,by nature shaded growth.
Worth a try either way.
I do think for the few plants you are growing you might want to try verticle lighting on a few and if they seem ok you might be better off adding a few Fluoros than running another halide.
Gotta play with what you have then decide.
Way back when,in the 70's,a lot of grow boxes were a bunch of growlux bulbs placed vertically around the box.Reflective mylar was the only light a plant got from top side.
And that was when Grow lux was about the only light there was for plants.
Post how things work out for you...