Indoor 24/0 lights for heat?

[MANNIK]

Hello all, new auto grower here. I have had a few outdoor grows when I was younger. Now I am trying to help my wife with her medicine to provide her with a better and cleaner product. I will be growing a couple Mephisto strains to start.

I live in the New England, US and am dealing with typical winter conditions here. My issue is that my tent is in a room in my basement which sits idle at about 50 deg Fahrenheit. When I run my 600W HID light I can get the temp in my tent to sit at approximately 72 -75 deg.

I will be growing in a 5' x 5' tent with 3 gallon smart pots filled with Biobizz Lightmix. Following TaNg's Easy Auto Feed as a guideline. This seems to be fairly simple plan and I want to make sure that I do the best that I can.

My concern and question is am I better off to keep a 24/0 light cycle for temperature? Or should I try 20/4 and turn my extraction fan off during the dark cycle?

I initially thought about using a space heater but in researching the power usage it was going to be cheaper to use the light. Not to mention the fire hazard etc... My breaker in this room is a 15 amp as well. This would put my amperage at the peak when I include the fans as well. I could use an extension cord for the heater but that seems to be a big no no as well. Neither myself or my wife are really keen on using a space heater in such a confined area. I it is absolutely necessary than I may have to consider it.

Any ideas or suggestions? Please keep them relatively cheap as it is winter in NE and work is light this time of year.

I thank you in advance for any help or ideas that you could throw my way.

 

[Chester]

Autos love 24/0 ... many of us adjust our times to match heating and cooling conditions ... good luck w/ your grow ...

 

[Yeatster]

I 2nd that. I live in N.E. too. 24/7

 

[Chester]

It's a good idea to keep the pots warm for the first 2-3 weeks of the plants life ... some use things like this or at least insulate the pot from the floor ... I used to be able to get 3-4 x 3 gal pots to each sit on the corner of a heating pad for germination ... works great as long as the heating pad doesn't turn off every 20 minutes ...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seedling-Heat-Mat-Seed-Starter-Germination-Clone-Sprout-Warm-Pad-10-x-20-75-EY/391459502609?_trksid=p2045573.c100506.m3226&_trkparms=aid=555014&algo=PL.DEFAULT&ao=1&asc=38530&meid=cf0ed7100328409787039f7c648df394&pid=100506&rk=1&rkt=1&

 

[shumway]

Run all my grows 24/7 for the added heat,Sucks being only able to grow during winter months and trying to combat the ultra low humidity

 

[MANNIK]

It's a good idea to keep the pots warm for the first 2-3 weeks of the plants life ... some use things like this or at least insulate the pot from the floor ... I used to be able to get 3-4 x 3 gal pots to each sit on the corner of a heating pad for germination ... works great as long as the heating pad doesn't turn off every 20 minutes ...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seedling-Heat-Mat-Seed-Starter-Germination-Clone-Sprout-Warm-Pad-10-x-20-75-EY/391459502609?_trksid=p2045573.c100506.m3226&_trkparms=aid=555014&algo=PL.DEFAULT&ao=1&asc=38530&meid=cf0ed7100328409787039f7c648df394&pid=100506&rk=1&rkt=1&

My tent is in a carpeted room that has an insulating pad under it on the concrete. I was going to raise my pots off the bottom of the tent floor as well to help avoid convection of the cold into the pots.

Maybe I can grab one or two of these mats to help as well. I was going to germ my seeds in a paper towel on top of my light for heat then drop them in the soil that has been sitting moist under the light for the couple days it takes for germination. Then I will put a clear plastic bowl or something similar to keep temp and humidity up for a week or so. Is the 600w too much for the seedlings?

 

[MANNIK]

Run all my grows 24/7 for the added heat,Sucks being only able to grow during winter months and trying to combat the ultra low humidity

I can grow all year. Legal for medical here. Basement is an awesome 60-65 all year besides winter, humidity climbs a ton in my basement during the summer.

If I turn the dehumidifier in my basement off I can keep it at roughly 40%RH.

 

[Chester]

Humidity should go up when you turn the room into a jungle ... I think if you get the pots off the floor by an inch or so you can skip the pot warmers ... I like to soak a seed for 24-36 hrs then straight into it's final home ...

 

[AutoWonders]

My led lights stay on continuously from the moment I drop in the germed seeds.

 

[talkative]

There is no scientific doubt that cannabis needs no dark rest. There is some doubt about how all the soil microbes act in darkness. I like a stable environment both for plant and soil so I run 24/0/365.