So I decided that I have this neat old coal room in my house that I should just convert into something more permanent. I has the old style Michigan walls which make a nice natural shelf. I am also going to use a lot of "budget stuff" with this one, but I am going to upgrade over time when I get a feel for the new room. Obviously this room needs cleaned out. It is roughly 4 x 8 and about 5'10" high. I am going to cover the walls in Mylar "safety blankets" or with a Mylaresk reflective bubble material (better insulation). The entire room needs rewired and I am a fairly handy person and decided to go with either CFL or tube lights. I am only growing three plants at a time with a possibility of incubating another one or two. Here are my questions. What do you think is better in a room like this CFL or tubes? (I want to stick to fluorescents) If I go with a 250 CFL, do I still need a hood? Is one of those enough per plant? If a tube is better, should I go with a double 2 footer per plant? I know with my fluorescents keeping them warm might be a problem, what is a good recommendation for keeping the heat up? It is a basement and tends to run on the cooler/wet side. Any other recommendations for the room? I am trying to keep the price under 100, so any suggestions with links would be appreciated. Thanks…

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skip the Mylar ... paint the walls with flat white paint ... reflects almost as well, and Mylar dulls badly with time, anyway ... pain in the ass to keep clean, too ... if using fluorescents, and you have the room (you do), go with the 48" tubes ... GE 'cool white' for vegetation, GE 'kitchen& bath' for flowering ... the more, the merrier ... keep them within 2 inches when seedlings, then maintain one inch clearance, after that ... that's why high-pressure lamps are best, flourescents can't penetrate the canopy ... maintain constant oscillating fan airflow, throughout the grow ... keep temps as close to 75f, as possible ... (you can't have enough light, or ventilation ) ... good luck ...

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" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

Nice, I might as well primer it and paint it. I think I am still going to mylar the ceiling though. So in a room that is 4 x 8 and with only 3 plants, would 4 - 48" be sufficient or should I look at 6?

Also, my basement is closer to 68-70, is there a good way to add heat if I need to. I assume my tubes won't heat up the room much at all

if it's damp in there, I would also consider a dehumidifier. maybe a small heater could help with your temp. just make sure to get one with a good thermostat. and if you can, go with 6 bulbs. like reaper said the more light, the better. which you can add them as you go.

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helpful links:
cfl-hps-how-much-light
el-cheapo-guide-lighting
drying-curing-your-buds
med-strains-specific-uses

Yeah, I'll put in a dehumidifier and a small ceramic heater.

Is there any benefit for mounting tubes on the floor or on the side walls?

Other than that, I think I am good. I'll post some pictures next week when she is all done.

run your lights ABOVE the plants ... 'fill-in' lights may be added later, if you wish, but results vary ... Fact: I was up to sixteen 40-watt tubes, when I finally gave in, and switched to high-pressure lamps ... and, I never looked back ... there is just NO comparison ... you can grow healthy plants with fluorescents, but you cannot grow the big, dense buds, that you desire, without making the switch to HPS ...

__________________
" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

Unless you already have the heater and the dehumid, I would try the dehumidifier 1st and check temps. They put out a fair amount of heat by themselves

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"I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer."
Benjamin Franklin
i'd rather not be told by the all powerful state how far i may rise and how much i can accumulate. i'd rather have the freedom to fail than the mediocrity of an enforced comfortable poverty. a free market allows such a life. all else is slavery.DelusionsofNormalty
.

I have both already. What is a good humidity range to strive for 40-60%?

I have never used HPS lamps. I tried reading through the information here, but it was confusing at best. I think I want to run a smaller setup than most on here. How many HPS would I need for my room to grow 3 plants? Where is the best place to buy those? Can I use both? Sorry about all the newbie questions...

Thanks for all the information so far...

60% is a little high but ok. I would go with 400w Hps.( you only need one) The thing about growing is once you start it is addicting. Soon you will want to try this strain or that. or if want a perpetual harvest you will have to separate your room into a veg area and a flower area. 4 x 8 is a good size for a small grow if separated, or you will need to put up some kind of divider so you can keep as much light concentrated on the plants and not bouncing all around a mostly empty room.

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"I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer."
Benjamin Franklin
i'd rather not be told by the all powerful state how far i may rise and how much i can accumulate. i'd rather have the freedom to fail than the mediocrity of an enforced comfortable poverty. a free market allows such a life. all else is slavery.DelusionsofNormalty
.

rule of thumb: aim for 50 watts per square foot ... so, a 400-watt high-pressure sodium lamp would be excellent for a 2' x 4' cabinet, or 3' x 3', etc.... still a 'small' grow, but with much better results

__________________
" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

OK, I am sold. I am going with the 400W HPS. Is there any benefit to running tubes vertically along with walls or am I getting into the realms of overkill?

Also, any suggestions as to where a good place to buy from is.

Thanks for all the answers...

Does this look like a decent unit?

Ebay HPS Light

the additional vertical tubes may help undergrowth, yes ... not really 'overkill', but more than most feel necessary ...

note: the HPS you're referring to, on eBay, is a 'refurbished unit', and has no protective hood, or means of cooling ... but, it's inexpensive, you may be able, to do well with it ... I prefer this kind of setup, but of course, their 'economy' 400-watt 'Switchable' ballast (Metal Halide + HPS) setup, would run you about $230 + shipping ... it has a 5-yr warranty ballast, an (optional) enclosed hood, with air-duct fittings on the ends, and tempered glass ... comes with a bulb, too ...

Discount Hydroponics - ValuLine Lighting

'Discount Hydroponics' is my current source ... I've only used them twice, but they were really on the ball, I had no problem communicating with them, regarding my orders ... they're in southern California, so shipping costs could be a factor ... they do ship discreetly ... be sure to scroll down, and read their Customer Reviews ... I like that, about their website ... good luck growing

__________________
" keep it simple, it's a WEED ! "

" when in doubt, imitate Nature "

" 2008 people voted for Obama to prove they weren't racists.....in 2010 they will vote to show they arent socialists " - Islandborn

OK, you lost me. What cooling are you referring to? The units on the page you sent me to look almost identical to what I was looking at. I know I am missing something, but I am unsure to what it is.

Also, I am going to need a HPS and a MH bulb right? MH for my vegging and HPS for flowering.

How about this unit?
A Little Better HPS/MH System

It also comes from Pittsburgh Go city of champions...

do what I did, ill post pix if I can remember to take my camera to my buddies house today, buy a closed outside fixture, like 60-70 bux, comes with reflector ballast everything, it might need to be wired directly, but a simple 3 pronged extension cord can be wired up to it in order to be used in an outlet. Anyways, also while you are at the store, buy a nice big hole saw, about 3-4 inches if you can find. I had to use little carbide tipped drill bits and it took forever to drill 200+ holes. Anyways, drill a hole on both sides, then either get yourself some couplings or just use actual ducting tape(the metal tape stuff) and through some flex-ducting on there, grab a fan for 25-30 dollars, also at homedepot (4" inline booster duct fan = $25 = 110cfm, 8" = $30 = 210cfm) and your done and it only cost you about 110 bux, worked for me twice so it should work for you atleast once, lol.

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Any posts made by me are purely fictional in nature and by no means is anything I say to be taken seriously. I do not grow or condone the growing of anything not legal. Any and all pictures I post are pictures wildly available on the internet and any discussions I am involved in are purely hypothetical or are commentary in nature and should not constitute advice or be considered advice to assist in activities that are deemed illegal.

Back to that, I still am lost. On a side note, I have the room vented pretty well and even though it is a low ceiling I think I can control the heat. I am just waiting a week for the paint to dry and the room to de-fumigate