First Grow, Need Advice

Hi Everyone, I\'ve got 20 Top 44 plants (from seeds) in soil vegging under CFL\'s. A friend gave me six 4 foot fluoro shop lights which I\'ll set up soon. The tubes are 36 w cool white and say they put out 2800 lumens. My plan is to veg under the fluoros, but I want to buy a 600 w HPS for flowering. I guess my question is, will the fluoros be ok for vegging and how long should I veg for? I\'ve seen some HPS bulbs with 20% blue light, should I get one of those or do I want pure red spectrum for flowering? Sylvania Growlux bulbs are the cheapest, but the Philips and Osram ones aren\'t much more. I\'ve heard a bat wing reflector is what I should get. And what about digital ballasts? Are they worth the extra money? The grow shop near me sells Lumatek ones but they\'re a lot more expensive than the regular magnetics. I know these questions have probably been asked lots of times before. I\'ve been reading a lot, but am still a bit confused and appreciate your help. Cheers.

Top 44 said:

Hi Everyone, I\'ve got 20 Top 44 plants (from seeds) in soil vegging under CFL\'s. A friend gave me six 4 foot fluoro shop lights which I\'ll set up soon. The tubes are 36 w cool white and say they put out 2800 lumens. My plan is to veg under the fluoros, but I want to buy a 600 w HPS for flowering. I guess my question is, will the fluoros be ok for vegging and how long should I veg for? I\'ve seen some HPS bulbs with 20% blue light, should I get one of those or do I want pure red spectrum for flowering? Sylvania Growlux bulbs are the cheapest, but the Philips and Osram ones aren\'t much more. I\'ve heard a bat wing reflector is what I should get. And what about digital ballasts? Are they worth the extra money? The grow shop near me sells Lumatek ones but they\'re a lot more expensive than the regular magnetics. I know these questions have probably been asked lots of times before. I\'ve been reading a lot, but am still a bit confused and appreciate your help. Cheers.

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That's a lot of shit to cover bro, so let's get started. The flouros are fine to veg under. Keep them as close as possible to your plants. You should be able to drop them right down on top because they through very little heat. Next, different ppl will tell you different things about how long to veg for, but this is the answer that is in the "Growfaqs"(which by the way, you should read every bit of). At about 4-6 weeks into veg, your plant should start to grow in the "Alternating Internode" pattern(look it up in the Growfaqs). At that point, the female plant is "Mature", and will produce the best weed it's capable of producing. Lots of ppl will tell you you can flower before then, and you can, but I'm answering your question, NOT giving my opinion. Next, the 600W HPS bulb is the best bang for the buck as far as lumen/wattage goes. Yes, you should get the one that has the 20% blue spectrum in it. That will duplicate the suns rays pretty closely, and that's what we're all trying to do here. If you can afford it, skip the batwing reflector and get yourself a nice sealed reflector for the 600W HPS bulb with a fan to pump cool air through it. Little more work and $$, but you'll be able to get that HOT HD light a lot closer to your plants, giving you BIGGER buds and a better harvest. Once again, if you can afford it, a Digital ballast is better in a lot of ways than a magnetic one. Runs cooler, uses less power, will produce the most lumens from your bulb, doesn't make that loud humming noise. Only drawback is if you have to fix it. Will cost way more to fix. Lumatek's are supposed to be the best. That's all of your questions answered. Now go to the scales and leave me some +Rep! LOL. Good luck with your grow. One other thing, DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT YOUR GROW!!!!

Antman said:

If you can afford it, skip the batwing reflector and get yourself a nice sealed reflector for the 600W HPS bulb with a fan to pump cool air through it. Little more work and $$, but you\'ll be able to get that HOT HD light a lot closer to your plants, giving you BIGGER buds and a better harvest.

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Antman, you rock! Thanks for all the help bro. Is a sealed reflector the same as a cool tube?

Top 44 said:

Antman, you rock! Thanks for all the help bro. Is a sealed reflector the same as a cool tube?

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Yupper, same thing bro. It will allow you to get that 600watter as close as possible over the tops of your plant(s). Thanks for the +Rep.