Minimum Lighting

[admin]

Hi All
This was from a question in one of our comments sections. It raises the question of what would be the minimum lighting you could get away with as a new grower on a tight budget. Anybody?

if you have no led or cfl lights can you use a cheep lamp at night and a window in the day?

[Wizard51]

I just went through this myself last year setting up a new grow room on a budget. Wal-Mart can be your best friend. Just save your receipts!! lol. Wal-Mart carries a 4 foot shop light in their lighting department. It's a 32 watt 2 lamp fixture that uses T8 lamps.. There are two that wal mart carries, the cheaper one cost me $11.74. The lamps cost me another 20. I bought a package of soft or warm white, and one of cool white. I put one bulb of each in the fixture to get an even white, and used this for my vegetative stage until I could afford another fixture. The reason I said save your receipts, is that the fixtures really are crap. I replaced more fixtures than bulbs. They are really good about honoring their guarantees, so little issue there, at least until they get to know you on a first name basis. And they will. If you can afford a little more than $11.74, Hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot carry much better quality fixtures, just a little more outlet. I moved up to a 4 bulb fixture from Home Depot that cost me $51.87 after tax. Since this fixture uses the same lamps, just more of them, and since I still had 4 lamps from my previous expenditure, all I paid for was the fixture, so basically this setup would have cost me around $70.00 dollars had I gone that route first. Hope this sheds some light on the question.

[Lollipop]

When i first started growing there was no such thing as hydro shop or internet it was all trial and error and i actauly bought a couple of T5 fish tank lights second hand from junk shop £10 and and old chest of draws and made myself a little unit and 3 mnths later i was smoking my first batch of weed and it may not have been the best but it was the tastiest you have ever smoked and what you then do is invest some of your profit back into your hobby and before you know it you be running the system you want, its a shame you are not closer as i could sort you out a lovely set up but looked into it before post is just so exspensive, as most hydro stuff is heavy too. ATM i have 2 or 3 400 watt Ballasts at least 5 600 watt ballasts digi s and im now on Gravita 1250s x2 also have lots of other stip light T5 lighting, i aint kidding my house is like hydro store lol anyway i hope you manage too sort something out and just more exspensive doesnt mean better, one of my best grows was done on budget 5 plants 30 ozs under fish tank lights. Lollipop

[slo-han]

Back in the early 70's they had a tube light called gro-lux. It was kind of like a fish tank light but was for growing starters for a garden - that was my first experience with indoor lighting. We would start a bunch of plants under it and wait for better weather - then move them out side. Today they have ag-gro lites. Look around your local habitat for humanity store or second hand store for fixtures. Buy your bulb new. I think what I'm trying to say is cheap light system small plant but can still be satisfying for first grow. When you start to learn your plant and "listen to it", it will tell you what it wants. This could also explain "the trail of gear" in peoples homes that have grown for awhile. This is my second time around and it s a whole new world and I am starting my new "trail of gear". Cannibus will grow under almost any light but your yield may end up a disappointment. 2 cents from Slo-Han

[slo-han]

Oh, that smell, it's been the down fall of many grows. I have a train wreck that doesn't smell at all - yet - and three mystery clones that are smelling up the room they are in. I also have a girl scout cookie that doesn't smell yet - also a clone - go figure. Now, to create a strain that kicks butt and does not smell???