Ready to begin to purchase hydro grow tools, need help...

[mst428]

ok, i've been doing a lot of research and thought i fully understood this growing thing, but the most research i do, the more confused i am. this is what i had in mind: grow room is a closet (door open using a dropcloth in front of the door, gonna buy/maybe build this, then i wanted 600w hps lights. my questions are, do i need a fan in my closet? for my light, do a need a ballast or just a reflector or are they like the same thing? oh and i read the thread on making your own carbon filter and wanted to know if air has to be sucked from it for it to work? please help ready to start puchasing this week if bush sends me my money.

 

[capncash]

you need air intake and outtake from the closet. a ballast is the metal box that runs the lamp, the hood or reflector is on the light itself. you have a long time before you worry about the smell so i would figure that out later.

 

[sgtpeppr]

Get at least an osculating fan for the plants. Or even some $5 clip fans.

For a 600 watt HPS you will need a ballast, mogul socket and a reflector would be advisable.

As far as the carbon filter...these will work for a small fan and small amounts of air moving through them. They would ideally be placed overtop of a computer fan at the exhaust

 

[mst428]

ok well guess i'm gonna have to downgrade my lighting to make it more economical for me. gonna go for the 400 w. i'm off oday and gonna start some of my shopping. thanks

 

[sgtpeppr]

I have seen in local OSH hardware stores around here HPS bulbs that are 150w and screw into a regular socket and don't need a ballast for $21. I think this is the best low cost option. You may just have to buy a regular socket if you don't have one in your area....and what is that 10 bucks?? The ballast is the biggest money investment in the setup. So here is an option that eliminates that need.

 

[mst428]

I have seen in local OSH hardware stores around here HPS bulbs that are 150w and screw into a regular socket and don't need a ballast for $21. I think this is the best low cost option. You may just have to buy a regular socket if you don't have one in your area....and what is that 10 bucks?? The ballast is the biggest money investment in the setup. So here is an option that eliminates that need.

thanks a lot, went to home depot today and they weren't very helpful as usual . they had 70 watt fixtures but nothing higher, and didn't advice what u stated. so i guess ill go back tomorrow and get some bulbs. thanks!!

 

[sgtpeppr]

I've haven't seen the bulbs I saw at OSH at any other hardware superstore......of course that doesn't mean there not there.

 

[mst428]

I've haven't seen the bulbs I saw at OSH at any other hardware superstore......of course that doesn't mean there not there.

yeah they have em. they actually have 250 w for 21.99

 

[mst428]

..... You may just have to buy a regular socket if you don't have one in your area....and what is that 10 bucks?? The ballast is the biggest money investment in the setup. So here is an option that eliminates that need.

i was thinking about using these with a power surge...

 

[mikey420budd]

would i need a ballast to run my 250watt MH bulb? and im growing in an old chest of drawers, roughly 4 and 1/2 feet high, 3 feet wide. i can easily fit two 20centimetre pots in there. enough room to run 250 watt MH?

where can i get mylar?

 

[SilverRabbit]

DO NOT buy your HID lights at a hardware store... they are way too hot and do not provide the right light for your plants. High Tech Garden Supply has 400w MH and HPS kits for a $120 bucks (i have one, and it works fine). You should get a blower and an oscillating fan. All that and you should be good to go..

 

[SilverRabbit]

would i need a ballast to run my 250watt MH bulb? and im growing in an old chest of drawers, roughly 4 and 1/2 feet high, 3 feet wide. i can easily fit two 20centimetre pots in there. enough room to run 250 watt MH?

where can i get mylar?

Yes thats fine... I'm sticking a 400w MH lamp into a 2'x2'x4' area. You just have to make sure you pull the heat out so it doesn't become an oven. You can get mylar from your hydro shop or online store. If you can't get any just buy some reflictive white paint.

 

[mst428]

DO NOT buy your HID lights at a hardware store... they are way too hot and do not provide the right light for your plants. High Tech Garden Supply has 400w MH and HPS kits for a $120 bucks (i have one, and it works fine). You should get a blower and an oscillating fan. All that and you should be good to go..

i've been doing a ton of reading here and other sites and so many people say they get their lights from a hardware store. are you sure i can't get them there? anyone else care to help....

 

[email468]

Here is something i wrote regarding picking the right area/space to grow in which you may find useful....

The Grow Room or Closet

Before we can begin growing, we have to make some decisions regarding where to grow and what equipment to use. That's what this section is all about. But before we start making a shopping list and knocking out walls, let's decide where we're going to grow.

The ideal grow room should have the following qualities:

Clean - you don't want to give a lot of dust, mold, mildew, insects, or other unpleasant things easy access to your plants.

Climate controlled - you want an area that you can have some control over the temperature and humidity.

Secure - you don't want your garden to be accidentally or easily discovered. Some advice I heard was there should be no less than two locks between the outside and your plants. We'll also need to make sure we can control any odor emanating from the plants.

Easy Access to Water Source - this one is often overlooked. You don’t want to be running a garden hose through your bedroom or carrying heavy buckets of water up and down many flights of stairs. Not having easy access to fresh water can take the joy out of gardening.

Easy Access to Fresh Air - somehow, someway, fresh air must be able to enter the growing area, which infers a way to exhaust hot, stale and often very smelly air will be necessary.

Easy Access to Enough Electrical Sockets - provided it is convenient, heavy-duty power cords can be used to bring electricity to the garden. Often, it is necessary to add circuits to accommodate the electrical requirements.

Light-Tight - Finally, you'll want to be able to make your grow space light-tight. That means no light should be able to enter or leave the grow area. You want to keep light from exiting to prevent it from attracting unwanted attention. And no light should enter as to not disturb the plants photoperiod.

Fire/Water Proof- don't want anything easily ignitable in there. Also, a way to catch leaking water can save you much more than just money; especially if you have downstairs neighbors.

I'm sure a few areas sprung to mind. Closets, basements, attics and spare rooms all have their pros and cons. You can also purchase a grow tent. Building or modifying a cabinet is also a very popular option.

It is best to accurately sketch out the area you plan to use and draw in where all the components go.

 

[sgtpeppr]

As far as I know, with a few exceptions, there is not that much of a difference in the manufacturing of "garden growing" HID bulbs and the ones I've seen in the store....I'm not including the outdoor flood lights. Some have other chemicals to create a broader spectrum of light, but the ones will work just fine. Now if you have several bulbs on at once I would imagine that you might have to deal with some heat issues. But if you are looking at lighting a small area these might be a good option since there is no need for a ballast with the bulbs that fit in a normal "Type A" socket. So if you found a 250W for $22 that's 1000w for $88.....that's not bad.

It has been a little while since I have researched bulbs that thoroughly...so I may be mistaken about the specific differences in the bulbs, but the ones I am referring to look like they will work fine.

 

[Ellehcim]

ok, i've been doing a lot of research and thought i fully understood this growing thing, but the most research i do, the more confused i am. this is what i had in mind: grow room is a closet (door open using a dropcloth in front of the door, gonna buy/maybe build this, then i wanted 600w hps lights. my questions are, do i need a fan in my closet? for my light, do a need a ballast or just a reflector or are they like the same thing? oh and i read the thread on making your own carbon filter and wanted to know if air has to be sucked from it for it to work? please help ready to start puchasing this week if bush sends me my money.

So much for the war on drugs... *chuckle*

I really dont think that is what he meant by economic stimulus...

 

[email468]

So much for the war on drugs... *chuckle*

I really dont think that is what he meant by economic stimulus...

I wish everyone getting the IRS bonus spent it on growing weed!

 

[mst428]

So much for the war on drugs... *chuckle*

I really dont think that is what he meant by economic stimulus...

i'm sure bush smokes a lot of bush.....

economic stimulus is to jump start the economy, it definitely will jump start mine, no more having to spend on smoke, grow it myself, more ca$h in my pocket. thanks bush!!