New Grower Will This Be Enough Light??

[shotgun10111]

GM AFN Members,


I'm beginning to start a new grow and this is my first time growing. The grow will be in soil (Fox Farm - Medium & nutrients) inside a closet under the stairwell. The measurements of the closet are 35"W x 58"H x 7'L and will be lined with diamond mylar. The lighting I am using will be Quantum Badboy T5 with Badboy bulbs.


My question?


Should I order the 6-bulb (324w) or the 8-bulb (432w)Badboy to grow 3 Think Different's in 5-gallon Superoots Air Pots? I just want to make sure I have enough light to get a good yield (over 300g).


Thanks in advance
Peace & Love Peace & Love

 

[blue]

Welcome to AFN Shotgun

Hey Shotgun

Welcome to AFN!! ^_^

Given the lighting choice i would go for the bigger option! Think Different can grow rather large - Check this out! Big Think Different
Why not pop up a "hello" over at introductions for a nice warm welcome from our members!

Happy Growing Shotgun

All the best
Blue ^_^

 

[faded187]

the more the better.you should get a good bit of bud from 3 td

 

[az2000]

Should I order the 6-bulb (324w) or the 8-bulb (432w)

Rosenthal says 20w per sq. ft is minimum. 40w is the most efficient use of space/electricity. Anything over 50w is diminishing returns.[1]

In your case you have 14.4 sq. ft. 575w would be best. That might be more like a 6 bulb and a 4 bulb (216w) used together? That would also give you better adjustment of light height for irregular plant heights. (Also, angle each fixture to conture of plant.).

[1] Frank/Rosenthal, The Marijuana Growers Guide, page 34.

 

[low_and_slow]

If this is your first time growing, I'd suggest you try 1 or 2 plants in a "small scale" setup to ensure all of your environmentals are correct and your setup produces results. If you go into this planning to optimize the space and get everything you can out of your first grow, you're going to make one of the most common mistakes and spend a TON of money on tech you don't need. I'm at a point where I can get 2-4 oz out of a 270w LED in a 2'x2'x5' closet...super small-scale setup and it's all the personal meds I need. 7' of width is a good amount of space, but I'd probably focus on developing a lighting solution that will allow you to learn the basics of cannabis horticulture using 1 or 2 smallish plants under a single conservative light.

Edit: That being said, the formula above this post is perfect...30-40w per square foot, depending on what kind of technology you use and how much heat becomes a factor. LED I would bias on the low end of that recommendation. HPS/MH I'd try to be right in the middle or to the right hand side. For a CFL or T5 grow, I'd get as close to 50w per square foot as possible without creating problems with heat and humidity.

 

[shotgun10111]

Thanks to everyone for all the helpful replies. I will definitely introduce myself over at introductions. I plan on doing a grow journal for possible assistance in growing along the way.


I ordered the 6-bulb Badboy and plan on getting another 6-bulb Badboy in a couple of months. Gotta watch the budget and also plan on slightly condensing down the length from 7' to 5'.


Peace & Love.....Peace & Love

 

[az2000]

also plan on slightly condensing down the length from 7' to 5'.

Ooops. I just realized I calculated your sq. ft. using your 58" height, not your 7' length. You can figure it out. 40w per sq. ft. is most efficient. 50w may produce more, but it's not proportionally more for the electricity used, heat added, etc.

Also, I wanted to add that Rosenthal's idea 40w per sq. ft is in his discussion of T5 lighting. It probably doesn't translate into LED, HID, et. al.

If I had to do it over again, I'd probably invest in LED. My T5s seem good for veg. But, after the stretch, they don't seem as good for flowering. They don't penetrate the way I think an LED would. You can ameliorate this if it's a problem by dangling a few CFL around the sides.

 

[pop22]

Rosenthal says 20w per sq. ft is minimum. 40w is the most efficient use of space/electricity. Anything over 50w is diminishing returns.[1]

In your case you have 14.4 sq. ft. 575w would be best. That might be more like a 6 bulb and a 4 bulb (216w) used together? That would also give you better adjustment of light height for irregular plant heights. (Also, angle each fixture to conture of plant.).

[1] Frank/Rosenthal, The Marijuana Growers Guide, page 34.

Its seems to me we need to move on to rating lights by PAR, not watts, as the movement toward LED lighting has skewed the comparison. Its also a think a better way to compare lights. Of course, this means we need to encourage the grow light industry to include that rating on all lights. just my "My 2 cents"

 

[GoAuto6]

I'm a little old school, what you need is two 600 watt hps........ you need about 750 watts more is better..that's rite I said watts? It's just easyer for new peeps to understand that way...

 

[wwwillie]

It can be confusing that's for sure. Lots of good sound advice so far. The best from low_and_slow, start small and slow and get a feel for it. I probably wasted mare money than I should have by not going it that way.
Sounds like you have a good handle on it though.
Peace and happy growing.