Small grow space advise needed- 250watt metal halide

[Jock420]

Hey fellow growers. I am looking to grow my
Own Ganja. Street weed here has been very bad
Lately. Damp & overpriced.

So I would like to try and grow my own.
But only looking to do 1 x plant scrog
Under 250 watt light. Metal halide

Also can anyone recommend a good reflector
For 250watts m/h should I go air cooled.

Also I want to build the space from wood.
Because I think it will hide sound better than a tent.

I just need some help to get started on what size to build cab.

I was thinking 3ft wide 2ft deep this is 6ft/sq
So 41watts per square ft.

Or a cab thats 2ft x 2ft x 5ft =62watts per square foot with 250watt

Any help would very much be appreciated

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Welcome to ICMag!!

You're going to want to spend time reading the "Micro Grows" sub-forum. Tons of information on growing in small spaces there. I started micro-growing over 15 years ago, and I'm back to building cabinets again with SIL lamps on the side.

 

[Jock420]

Cheers Douglas that what I have been looking
At.
Seeing all members grows & see what I can build for my grow.

 

[Jock420]

Yes Douglas Curtis I am looking to build a cab
For 250watt too 400watt if possible. If I could run a 400watt I would do 2 plants. Just need
Enough buds to last me until next crop.

 

[Frosty Nuggets]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Or a cab thats 2ft x 2ft x 5ft[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For this space I would recommend a HLG135 v2 Rspec.
[/FONT]

 

[Lester Beans]

I would go with that LED recommended in the last post. Less heat issues. If going with MH I would go 400 with an air cooled hood such as a Cooltube. It makes sense to build the biggest cab you can or have space for now. Upgrading sucks once something is built.

 

[Jock420]

Thanks everyone led lights not an option.
I have a maxibright dimmable ballast and
A 250watt & 400watt m/h I will look into
Air cooled Reflector cheers jock

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Maximum yield with minimum budget? I'd start with the 250 MH, and build an appropriate sized box (or framed in space). With HID lighting, 55watts per square foot of flowering space is a great recommended for working with all strains. Pure Wide Leaf Drug (WLD) type cannabis often does well with 50wpsqft. On the other end, some pure Narrow Leaf Drug (NLD) type cannabis genetics prefer 60+wpsqft with the right environment.

Scrogging is awesome, and will significantly increase your yields. (Unless your genetics want to only grow one huge cola and a bunch of smaller ones. It happens, but not that often. ) Plan on spending extra time each day to 'train' the branches to the screen. Once flowering begins, plan on spending 2 sessions a day for a while. Once stretch stops, it's all about keeping them fed properly and raising the light each day.
The more time and care you put into scrogging, the higher your yield is going to be.

Air flow and filtering are very important. I prefer 3 complete exchanges of air per minute, and I do not mind slightly higher when done properly. (keeping plants from being abused) Check the link in my sig on an inexpensive option for HEPA/High-Micron filtration. Filtration keeps out stray pollen, mold spores, all kinds of dust and other natural/synthetic fibers/particles which taste bad when burned. Without filtration, 3 complete air exchanges per minute will put an amaaaaaaazing amount of dust on your plants. *gackcoughhack*


Who says LEDs are too expensive?
I'd consider setting up a small veg area with a SIL array. A fan, $20-$30 worth of SILS, $20 for sockets, 1 long extension cord, screws, wood slats and some wire to hang it. CRAZY options with SILs these days, especially with the quick change ability to replace lights or modify spectrum/intensity.

Remember, LEDs only need 25-35 watts per square foot of flowering space. The more blurple and lower quality the lights, the closer to 35wpsqft you'll want to be. HID and LED produce almost the same heat per watt, so only needing half the wattage also means half the heat.

 

[Jock420]

Great Post Douglas Curtis. Thanks I have already read your HEPA thread excellent build
By the way. I am going to build cab for 50wpsqft
Thanks Jock420

 

[St. Phatty]

I use an OLD 250 watt MH with a new bulb, in a closet about 5x7, maybe 8 feet ceiling.

It works good ! no ventilation, just a bucket of CO2 sometimes.

 

[Jock420]

Sounds good St. Phatty. I just bought a North star Reflector.it has a 5in hole on top. So was thinking a pc fan might help on top.

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

250w MH, i would like to choose 2ftx3ft one for less potential heat issue. Happy grow.