Micro grow options, 250w HPS vert vs 220w pl-l scrog vs LED scrog

[i.love.scotch]

Hi all,

I currently have a Darkroom 40 (14"x14"x4ft) that I had many a decent CFL grow in back in the day. Haven't grown anything in quite some time however we might be legalizing here in Canada in the near future and I've been fantasizing over some different options for a new indoor garden.

I want to get a new tent, or cabinet, that is more in the 2ftx4ftx6ft range so I can harvest a bit more but really I'm looking to keep my setup as simple as possible.

I already have a S&P TD-150 fan that I will be using with a carbon filter for this grow however everything else will be from scratch. I am planning on using my old tent as my veg/mom/clone area with some CFLs in there, but don't have ventilation planned for that yet.

I am not much of a DIYer and would like to keep this pretty 'plug and play' as it were so building an LED panel and such is a little out of my league. Same with doing carpentry work on a cabinet, may not be the best option for me (although minor things such as buying a built cabinet and cutting some holes is ok)

So basically let your imagination run wild and give me your thoughts on what your dream setup would be for 200-400 watt cabinet/tent space to get the most efficiency/yield and enjoyment of the gardening.

I have always grown amended organic soil but am considering going Coco just to try something new this time.

I am really leaning towards 250w HPS in 2x4 or 3x3 tent with sativa dominant strain and really trying to use all the height and let them go big in big pots. However I like the power efficiency and 'safety' of plug and play LED type lamps and been meaning to give them a try.

Stealth is definitely a factor and so is heat, and I would like to keep things as simple as possible so I can just enjoy my gardening (ie don't really want to get air conditioning etc involved but have to deal with 80-90 degree ambient in summer)

Perhaps a two level cabinet with veg on bottom and flower on top would be simpler for my life then running two tents and would blend in better with my living space?

Basically I would like to yield 1/2 pound per harvest if possible (if my gardening is good enough to get 1g/w) using minimal plant count but still keeping a couple moms.

So I would grow maybe 10 seeds (currently have Mango Haze I've been wanting to pop a long time), pick a couple moms and take clones then flower those out and repeat.

Let me know what you would do in the same situation!

I'm very excited to garden again and want to invest in a dream setup that I can happily garden in for many many crops!

I know I have put a lot of information here but basically I am trying to choose between 250w(maybe 400w?) hps vert tent + cfl veg tent or two level cabinet with retail LED or pl-l scrog flower and veg on the bottom.

Keep in mind I already have S&P 150 silent fan that I will be using for ventilation. I know there are many resources out there for micro growing but would just like to get some fresh ideas for my situation and see what peoples 'dream cabinet/tent' would be!

 

[ReikoX]

I built a metal storage cabinet for my first grow. I've been very happy with it. I'm pulling about 1/4 pond a cycle, but nowhere close to 1gpw. It is pretty much what you wanted to build. So, I would suggest the split LED cab with a ScrOG.

You said heat was an issue and I think a 250w vertical would be too small for a 2x2 area without major air exchange. The dual 150-watt CMH cab I'm designing uses 30"x30" and is cooled with a 4" Vortex. I would fear a 250w with a TD-150 would get too hot.

Good luck, and feel free to ask me any questions you have about my setup.

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

big factor: MONEY?

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

As Reiko and others have done, a basic cabinet isn't hard to modify into a nice grow box that's more stealthy then some tents, really just comes down to cutting holes for air with a simple light trap, a bit of paint, and light sealing, and you can have a nice stealthy grow.

If looking to get 227g "1/2 pound" your probably not going to be hitting 1g/W right away so you would be looking at at least 250w of lighting or more to achieve that, but hey if your smoking around an oz a week or want some extra kicking around then by all means. But the 250w range is a good place to start for most cabinet/small tent grows, or you can go to the 400w range if you can cool it enough but then your looking at a good 3ftx3ft space which is more of a closet, than cabinet.

The plug in led units and induction lighting have come down in price quite a bit over the years, but bang for the buck HPS/MH is still the way to go once you go high enough wattage.

And having a veg and separate flower chamber is very handy.