HPS Tablegrow?

I reposted this... posted in indoor growing first but i got no answers!

Guys, i just got my first HPS... the reflector though was bigger then i thought. I will have it under a table which is 1m/39inches from floor to table. The reflector itself is maybe 6.7 inches tall...im just curious, do i need alot of space above it? is there much heat right above the reflector?..im very worried would be awesome for a bigger grow but mine is 2 plants... i figured out though i can SOG a few inches above my pot.

Thanks
im flowerin right away.
1 is vegged for 1,5 weeks and the other is going straight from seed. My time is limited ITs not my cravin!

Im planning to use a table then attatch reflector sheets on the 4 legs of the table to form a kind of squared growroom. I figured out it would look normal and a good way to keep the light out. I am using the room where i have my plants... no dedicated room or anything, so i really need some help. The HPS is alot bigger and the Ballast is just crazy crazy heavy. It reminded me that im dealing with real & hot stuff. I thought it would be more toyish... even the hangers were huge!

How big of a light? 400w, 600w, 1000w?
Pics of the area would help out a lot.

It is a 250W light! Didnt want to go with less wattage since i may in the future grow more then 2 plants! Might be able to do some pictures !

Doesn't leave a lot of vertical space but I'd recommend a longer veg & SCROG. You can string up a simple SCROG net & tie off to the 4 legs...spread the nodes of the 2 plants out like a f-ing octopus & then flower them out to get a decent yield. HID lights are great but will get hot in a small space. That table top will be really warm but if you ventilate well should b ok... Odor will be a problem tho. You might consider going with cfls.. You can get a t5 that will take up less vertical space & stay cool. Of course adding side lighting would also increase yields & bud density; you can get some cfls to mount onto plywood or something & paint it white underneath for some stellar side lighting under that table. Then maybe even add an exhaust fan & charcoal filter for total stealth under the tablecloth

midnitetoak said:

Doesn't leave a lot of vertical space but I'd recommend a longer veg & SCROG. You can string up a simple SCROG net & tie off to the 4 legs...spread the nodes of the 2 plants out like a f-ing octopus & then flower them out to get a decent yield. HID lights are great but will get hot in a small space. That table top will be really warm but if you ventilate well should b ok... Odor will be a problem tho. You might consider going with cfls.. You can get a t5 that will take up less vertical space & stay cool. Of course adding side lighting would also increase yields & bud density; you can get some cfls to mount onto plywood or something & paint it white underneath for some stellar side lighting under that table. Then maybe even add an exhaust fan & charcoal filter for total stealth under the tablecloth

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Thanks for the help! Though... it really sucks! I spent my last penny on that HPS! I could install a fan then maybe use some Ona gel? I agree with you, the tablecloth version sounds good. I do have alot of CFLs just layin around, but i really dont want all these fackin cables. Its annoying, irritating and everything inbetween. T5's are probably pretty decent but i really want to put my HPS to good use. Does the reflector get very hot?


btw, its hard to veg for very long since.. hehe.. i dont have much space and my time is limited. I got about 11 weeks from today until i have to be done! So vegging longer would maybe work but then i would have to cut pre-finished flowered plants. An hour ago i put my seed into the soil after some germinating. The first plant which is 1,5 weeks.. wait.. maybe 1,8 weeks but whatever. Its not too big, reason for that is light has been an issue. Too many bulbs=too hot. Im not growing under the table yet, the table alone is a huge improvement in space. Cardboard box right now!
Thanks!

Yeah might be better off just getting a small cheapo grow tent or building a taller growbox in a closet or something... 11 weeks will yield a few grams each plant which is not worth all this trouble IMHO. Planning is key

midnitetoak said:

Yeah might be better off just getting a small cheapo grow tent or building a taller growbox in a closet or something... 11 weeks will yield a few grams each plant which is not worth all this trouble IMHO. Planning is key

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Man, im spending 5 minutes a day on these plants. Put a little water on them, have the timer go off. If they give me a 1/3 ounce im satisfied! I got more seeds and more time after this first grow. I can probably let them veg for a week longer but theyd be better under the HPS then the 2 CFL 23w im using right now. I wasnt asking about yield, more about any heat issues that might arise. Thankyou for providing me with your knowledge though It helpd me a little but all my questions are not answered yet.

Oh yeah, haha, might add. I barely even smoke weed x)

Reason for why im growing=

Got some seeds from a friend. Thought, hell, why not. They wouldnt germinate though, got mad since i had been expecting a small plant from them. Ended up buying all this equipment+seeds. I smoke about once every three months or less.


People said, small cfl will work.. okay.----> buys small cfls. Then i read it didnt work. -----> makes homemade LED lights ----> reads i need more watt, christmas light wont work -----> i buy lots of CFLs ----> Reads CFLs arent good at all -----> buys HPS. ----> Ruined ---> Reads i should not grow at all.

I dont understand why everyone has to be so problematic! If we imagine it was legal to grow. It cant be fackin harder then a flower in the kitchenwindow!
Soil+Water+Light = Done

I just want it to work, i dont dedicate my life to this thing. Its just a flower, a plant, a vegetable. If i was growing tomatoes and got a small yield i would be like. Hmm.. tomates, well, bad summer this year. Atleast we got a few. I wouldnt spend over 200$ just to get a better yield because im not a farmer, nor a Deluxe Grower 2000. I grow at home, im not addicted, im not praising the herb either [maybe when im actually high]. I do have a job and a too big yield even scares me. If i would get a big yield i would probably end up losing my job. It would be like, hey, i got this big bag of weed here just staring at me. I might aswell just smoke it all up.
If i got 5 ounces that would easely take me over a month, by that time, i would be enclosed, eating butterpopcorn and watching movies 24/7 instead of doing something that people would say is normal behaviour.

I enjoy a smoke every once in a while... end of story. No dealer avaible where i live, i dont want to know a dealer either. Because they put glass in the fuckin Haschich and they sell stuff that aint weed aswell.

Growing weed is probably you guys hobby. I dont mind that, but it aint mine. Might be in the future, but for now. Im a just stranger passing by, learning from the masters and putting my interest and dedication to the test.

Someday i might learn the Ancient techniques and unlock more wisdom. I really do appreciate every bit of knowledge i have gotten from this site. Everything from growing a plant that looks like Harry Potters wand to how it needs only the best of food to thrive & be happy-

& be happy

CFL is good for veg. gotta keep it within 3 inches though.

HPS is good for flower.. Not under a 3 foot table though... You might look into a 5 foot tall tent... either 2x2 or 30"x30"...

If i were you i would get the 30x30 if they make them. Then I would attach a carbon filter and fan... Carbon filter, fan, and tent will cost you around $250... The grow tents are good value... it would be difficult to build one yourself for the price they are going for.

If you have room to veg in another space you could do 1 large plant....

However i imagine space is an issue... I would recommend keeping them under 12 hours of light for the entire grow... I would put like 4 plants in 1 or 2 gallon containers... After about 1 month they should start flowering... very important to not overwater because it will slow the growth and when you only have approx. 3-4 weeks of veg every single day matters.

Otherwise you could use the HPS to veg them until they are like 1 foot tall under 18/6 light schedule.

if you do all this right you could easily end up about 3-4 ounces.

don't expect stellar results for your first couple grows.. there is a lot to learn on your first 3-4 grows.

BeastGrow said:

CFL is good for veg. gotta keep it within 3 inches though.

HPS is good for flower.. Not under a 3 foot table though... You might look into a 5 foot tall tent... either 2x2 or 30"x30"...

If i were you i would get the 30x30 if they make them. Then I would attach a carbon filter and fan... Carbon filter, fan, and tent will cost you around $250... The grow tents are good value... it would be difficult to build one yourself for the price they are going for.

If you have room to veg in another space you could do 1 large plant....

However i imagine space is an issue... I would recommend keeping them under 12 hours of light for the entire grow... I would put like 4 plants in 1 or 2 gallon containers... After about 1 month they should start flowering... very important to not overwater because it will slow the growth and when you only have approx. 3-4 weeks of veg every single day matters.

Otherwise you could use the HPS to veg them until they are like 1 foot tall under 18/6 light schedule.

if you do all this right you could easily end up about 3-4 ounces.

don't expect stellar results for your first couple grows.. there is a lot to learn on your first 3-4 grows.

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I am very grateful!

You really do get me. I actually bought the HPS more for to shorten the time that was needed to veg and to flower. I take back a bit from what i said earlier about how much yield i want/dont want. If i get alot thats fine, but i wont feel sorry about it if i get the smallest amount smokeable.

I thought them Growtents was a bit overpriced but i guess Demand and Amount really does equal sum of $-
Ive seen some growtents that are made for normal vegetables. Shouldnt be much difference more then that the real marijuana ones are made to not be revealing. Should be easy to modify, too bad those are only sold at summertime here. Im talking them small outdoor, growtents.

My cash is not enough for to buy any of these tents. I will have to mask the smell in another way, i will also have to find a good solution for where to hang my HPS light. But as you say, growtent probably is much less hassle.

I will probably use my HPS to veg em as my CFLs are not strong enough. 3-4 ounces sounds like alot and if i got that much i might aswell just make some friends very happy. Would be really fun to get that big yield but its not something im aiming for.

Im in a house, will it smell out on the streets? IF i do put the HPS under the table, will i get a fire? Im more worried about safety of my life then about laws.

I am sure, both of you Masters are very correct and that these solutions are good. However, what good are they when i have no money. This was not planned, i had loads of money a couple of weeks ago. Now i do have the most Vital equipment and my plants are healthy. I see no reason to stop even though i dont have a tent or a good growspace. Its not too much hassle for me. In my free time i have all the time in the world and i dont have alot of friends.

edit: I do have alot of friends, but i feel that i can concentrate and think while alone.

You have a lot of friends . . . Fuck off ! Lol

johnkallaha said:

The HPS is alot bigger and the Ballast is just crazy crazy heavy. It reminded me that im dealing with real & hot stuff. I thought it would be more toyish... even the hangers were huge!

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.........

bazoomer said:

You have a lot of friends . . . Fuck off ! Lol

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Hahahaha!

Since you only want a short growing cycle (11 weeks), don't want to deal with the CFL's, insist on using the 250w HPS, and are limited on growth height, I would just throw the things into 12/12 flower mode right away. Forget the veg portion of the grow all together. You also are not into it for the yield, which you will not get from this method, but you will get a little bit of smoke.
Are the the seeds feminized, or do you have to sex them?

I would also use a smaller size of pot, also due to height restrictions.
Not much room head room to work with.

I like your determination OP.

I'm fairly new to growing aswell but what I can tell you is smell will become an issue. It's not really bad during veg but when you start getting buds it will smell. Now if you live somewhere remote and you don't get any visitors, workman or even postman then you can just deal with ot being quite pungent. If this is not the case you should look into a carbon filter. It really is crucial.

In regards to heat and safety, I would also say that will cause you problems. As you already know, the hps will kick out heat causing real fire risks if mounted directly to the bottom of a table. You need more height.

I appreciate you don't want to pump any more funds into this but you need to be safe while doing this. What about extending the legs on the table with timber? Would be cheap enough and would give you more height to play with. Still leaves you with a problem with filtering out the stinky air.

Do you have any fans? Can you pull cold air from outside? Are you remote enough to pump out the stinky air? These are all things you should consider.

Good luck man. Be safe and remember, if there is a risk of fire or being caught by someone then can it and wait until you can do it safely.

Edit. Oh and there is also guides to making homemade carbon filters. I made one for my small veg tent and it worked quite well.

dr.gonzo1 said:

I like your determination OP.

I'm fairly new to growing aswell but what I can tell you is smell will become an issue. It's not really bad during veg but when you start getting buds it will smell. Now if you live somewhere remote and you don't get any visitors, workman or even postman then you can just deal with ot being quite pungent. If this is not the case you should look into a carbon filter. It really is crucial.

In regards to heat and safety, I would also say that will cause you problems. As you already know, the hps will kick out heat causing real fire risks if mounted directly to the bottom of a table. You need more height.

I appreciate you don't want to pump any more funds into this but you need to be safe while doing this. What about extending the legs on the table with timber? Would be cheap enough and would give you more height to play with. Still leaves you with a problem with filtering out the stinky air.

Do you have any fans? Can you pull cold air from outside? Are you remote enough to pump out the stinky air? These are all things you should consider.

Good luck man. Be safe and remember, if there is a risk of fire or being caught by someone then can it and wait until you can do it safely.

Edit. Oh and there is also guides to making homemade carbon filters. I made one for my small veg tent and it worked quite well.

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dr.gonzo1


Hello my friend, thanks for answering!

You definetly helped me out! I can easely make the table taller with some kind of wooden cube etc. Possibly even stacked newspaper [Not safe enough tho]! I cant really imagine the stink being a problem. If i get a visitor i will probably vent it all out and by the time the smell is at its worst point, i can afford some Ona Gel atleast. I dont know if anyone more then me knows what this stuff is, but it should probably get rid of the worst. If its a sweaty smell, its quite easy to get away with aswell.

Im using the table because i seriously have nothing else to attatch the HPS to. I will wrap steelwire around the table, imagine its a small workdesk. I use steelwire, make a kind of stronger version by twisting multiple strings together. Then ill wrap it around the table so that it forms a line where i can put hooks on underneath the table. Ill just twist it all up at the top.

Im planning on having my timers go off so that the HID is used to heat the space itself. Since it gets hot i might aswell use it as a heatsource. I can have for example use my timers so that, when the light is on, my radiator is on for 1 hour, then off 1 hour, then on 1 hour just to even it out with the temperatures. When the light is off, the radiator can be on for 12 hours.

The table will also cover the light up. I dont know what you guys think, but i think this red light can be quite revealing. Now, i live pretty remote. It aint a city for sure, its a small village on the country.

Going for 12/12 as soon as i start using the HPS wouldnt only be for to put the plants into flower but also, it reduces the risk of fire. I am going away for some time and i will need this entire process to be automated and working in just a few days, pref 48 hours. I will try the setup tonight! Need to run it for a while before i decide wether i can leave the house with the HPS on. Otherwise ill just leave the CFLs on for a few more days and then fix it all when i get back. However, since time is limited. The risk of not getting anything at all [Any quality at all] increases if i wait with flowering.

Got some veg CFL bulbs today, however, got only half the amount i ordered..... the other half crushed during transport.



jazlm

The seeds are all feminized! Didnt want to deal with regulars on my first grow, neither autos.
Just as you say, the 12/12 is a good idea to use from now on since i might not harvest anything at all if i dont do that. Hopefully they will grow and mature a bit as im flowering. The first plant does have just about 2 weeks headstart which could make it fun to compare them both aswell, since i have been vegging with floweringspectrum CFL bulbs, it hasnt grown alot. Especially the stemgrowth has been bad, hopefully it will grow a bit thicker as the HPS is set up. But it does look quite okay.


You say i should use small pots, i completely agree with you! You really do understand how low i gotta grow.

Yeah as said above cfl (4500k-6500k or dual spectrum) is good for veg and hps is good for flowering

Happy to help if I can.

Lets see if we can work out the best way to do this with the available materials.

Honestly, I think you might be cutting it a bit fine if you want to get this "dialled in" in 48hrs. Need to be confident if you're going to leave them with your hps running on a timer while away. If you're determined then lets try and do it as safely as possible.

The way I learnt to grow was by reading up on the what the best conditions are for mj to grow indoors and trying to get as close to that as possible. One of the many great things about this plant is that it will grow in almost any conditions but it's best to look for optimal and work back.

* So the tables going to be heightened. Could leave this part until you're back if your short of time, assuming the plant not to tall already.

* You need to think about an exhaust fan. Firstly because it means you can cut a hole in the ply or even better black and white plastic sheeting which will create a passive intake (the flow of fresh clean air, replacing the spent warm air is important for many things) secondly, I'm worried it will be too warm with such a small space (this could be your fire hazard) think carefully about how your going to replace the air. You need some sort of exhaust.

Sorry, it took me ages to type this on my phone but really want to give you the best advice possible.

*

dr.gonzo1 said:

Happy to help if I can.

Lets see if we can work out the best way to do this with the available materials.

Honestly, I think you might be cutting it a bit fine if you want to get this "dialled in" in 48hrs. Need to be confident if you're going to leave them with your hps running on a timer while away. If you're determined then lets try and do it as safely as possible.

The way I learnt to grow was by reading up on the what the best conditions are for mj to grow indoors and trying to get as close to that as possible. One of the many great things about this plant is that it will grow in almost any conditions but it's best to look for optimal and work back.

* So the tables going to be heightened. Could leave this part until you're back if your short of time, assuming the plant not to tall already.

* You need to think about an exhaust fan. Firstly because it means you can cut a hole in the ply or even better black and white plastic sheeting which will create a passive intake (the flow of fresh clean air, replacing the spent warm air is important for many things) secondly, I'm worried it will be too warm with such a small space (this could be your fire hazard) think carefully about how your going to replace the air. You need some sort of exhaust.

Sorry, it took me ages to type this on my phone but really want to give you the best advice possible.

*

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Oh god! Cant describe how thankful i am Writing that long of a message from your phone and all! <3

Well, materials i currently have that could help with air intake or outtake [Since im broke for now i cant buy a fan]

I have a radiator with a thermostat that i could use. It blows continously cold or hot air depending on the temperature of the room or space. To save on electricity i could wire this to a timer aswell!

Computer: Could install a program that sometimes boots the computer up and down just to let computer itself get a bit of air movin inside.


The table is slightly too low! I have moved my plants and they currently got no light. Which really doesnt matter since im going 12/12 from tonight anyways.

I wish i could post a picture but i got no cable so i cant get them pictures to my computer without uploading them privately on Facebook so that i can download them to my computer, then upload it here. For safety reasons i dont want to do that, did it before. I can try to find another way. I really need to show you what im working with here in terms of Reflector, ballast, space etc.

I do have a nice big reflective blanket but the walls where the table is [its standing in the corner] are already painted white.

No worries. I'ts midnight here and I should be sleeping but i'm the worst sleeper ever. This might keep me sane

I'm not sure about the radiator with a fan thing. This is gonna be tricky without an exhaust.

So the table is against a wall with a reflective blanket over it? You should just keep the cfls until you can deal with the heat from the hps. I can't stress how important that is if your going to leave them on a timer while your away.

Edit : thinking about this, you're going to need to invest something into it If you want to flower these. I can't see how you can do it without an exhaust fan of some sort.

Maybe someone else will have some cheap MacGyver like fix.