Live Stoner Chat new grower..help

[berrymaker27]

ok guys im new here on afn and im a new grower and i need advice from the pros.i have a 8x10 space however i will only be growing 10 autos at a time. what lights are the best for the price and yield higher? i was thinking multiple cfls, like 20 overhead and maybe 4 more for side lighting but for the cost of all that i could buy a hid lamp. somebody point me in the right direction plz.

 

[stonercafe]

if you go with HID you have more venting to worry about. 8 x 10 is plenty of room. theres also different ballasts to consider. analog ones put out a lot of heat and the dual hps/mh ones need to be manually switched. they also have a higher fire rate. digitals are expensive but worth the money. for 10 you would only need a 400w hid and a mid sized vented reflector with glass shield. you can buy the cheaper hps/mh bulbs for now they'll work fine till you can afford the good ones. i thibk the digital ballasts only start at 600w. then you need inline vent fans also. from $25 to $250. you also need a temp/ humidity controller for your venting. you could set all this up for as little as $400 or as much as $750

 

[Joe Dirt]

Your personal budget has everything to do with what your available options are... Also, you need to determine how much of the 8' x 10' you are actually going to use.

A 400w HID will give adequate light to about a 3' x 3' area... MAX (IMHO). A 600w would be better for that size and would cover a little bit more, and so on.

Personally, when I am able, I'll be converting to LED panels... less heat, power, longevity, etc.

I hope this helps. When you are shopping for grow lights, the recommended coverage area is usually available somewhere under "details".

 

[Smidgette]

It might be helpful to tell us what your budget is and we can help you build your room within your budget. You can always upgrade later!