New Grower First time grower choosing equipment...

Excellent man thank you I'm gonna order this thing later today when I get home can't wait!
 
ahhh well dang now today they're sold out of the 600w, maybe it's just a good sign to save some money and get the 400w..... I dunno I've seen lots of journals that get real good results from them too, and i'm a complete noob and have used nothing so I just won't know how much more awesome the 600w is, makes sense right? :D
 
you could the only thin is you should match the light to the area or youll end up being underlit and getting poor results. buds take intense light to form well and put on weight.

you want atleast 3-5000 lumens per square foot. multiply the width and length of your grow room/tent to get the square footage then multiply that by 3000 watts and thatll be the amount of lumens needed for minimum lighting in that area for good results. use 5000+ instead for more optimal results. the lumen rating for 400,600,1000 watt mh and hps bulbs are in that chart in orange or on the box/webpage maybe.

example:
2x4=6 square feet of growing area.

6x5000(lumens)= 30,000 lumens are needed to achieve 5000/sqft

5000+ is optimal but obviously you can get away with less the calculations are just to let you know how ideal your setup is etc.
and all of this is assuming heat isnt an issue.

if you get the 400 maybe get a smaller tent? or plan on additional lighting in the future even just low powered cfls or something put where theyre needed. i think that 4ftx4ft one might be a little underlit with a 400watt just from guesstimation.

600 watt ballasts are the most efficient output wise(compared to 400/1000), id wait personally for stock to come in but if youre in a rush go with whatever sounds good with all of ^^^that^^^ in mind.

throw up a link if its a different deal anyway.
 

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here's the full setup in more detail ( they don't have the Cooltube either but I guess I was thinking heat would be less with the 400w, and the tent will be in an air conditioned room so hopefully it'll be cool)

Agromax 3.25' x 3.25' x 6.58' tent
Euro 6" Inline Reflector
Digital Greenhouse 400w ballast
GrowBright 400w HPS bulb (55,000 lumens)
GrowBright 400w MH Conversion Bulb (38,000 lumens)
GrowBright 6" HV Fan & Filter Combo With Clamps & Duct Work
Fox Farm Ocean Forest with the nutrient trio (i'll probably mix this with some FF light warrior from a local place as that seems to be popular)

it comes out to needing around 52,000 lumens for 5000/sq ft so that's pretty good with the hps bulb but the MH one is kinda low, but what do you think?
i'm gonna ask when they plan on restocking 600w but I'd probably not be able to wait if it's more than few weeks or so lol
 
that sounds good close to optimal with the hps i thought itd be a 400 in the previous tent, the mh doesnt really need to be as spot on as itll be for veg aslong as its somewhere close it should be good also 3000 is usually recommended for veg (in photos) so id say youre fine, you need the intense light more for the buds, thats why youll see alot of nice plants through veg but then they dont put on too much or have airy buds (photos+autos) sometimes its genetic but poor lightings next in line usually.
that tents about the same size as mine look in my sig if you want a sense of scale.
yeh the soil id just be worried about it being too hot but as yiou said mix in weaker stuff or you can start them in the lighter mix and transplant them when they can handle the other mix though its best not to transplant if possible to reduce stress and all that.
have a look through th esoil forum(think theres one) you might get a better answer on that there.

with the 400 it has less range than a 600 youll see on that chart it shows the optimal distances, shouldnt be a problem in a tent this small anyway just that will show you where you can have it and when its too far away.

it all looks good to me but itd be nice if someone came in for a second opinion.
 
haha yeah just me and you in here but your advice has been awesome so far thanks man! I'm gonna go for the 400w smaller tent it's a nice size little tent I saw your thread and your plants are looking pretty comfy in there, i'll wait a couple hours to see if anyone else chimes in at the last minute but then im gonna go ahead and order :D

i'm stoked
 
good plan, no problem someone told it to me im just passing it on :thumbs:

if your tent is anything like mine to set up you will have a fun day ahead the day it arrives.
:smokebuds:
happy growing anyway ill look out for a grow journal.
 
about the soil would it be smart to start the seed in one of those seed starter plugs and then just bury that directly in the soil once it's sprouted? or does the danger of hot soil last longer than that initial germination/sprouting period? I figure once the plant is grown a bit and pushed roots through the plug it should be big/healthy enough, but I also wonder if that would be the same sort of shock as transplanting it anyway b/c of the difference in soil type
 
yea buddy, reading all this makes me even more excited to make my first purchase....kudos on the advance help tho, thats what i did when i first joined:toke:...welcome to the fam...i too will be on the look out for your journal:smokebuds:
 
definitely pokalolo, thanks for the kindness and i'll be on the lookout for yours too!
:group:
 
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