doogster03

Last year, before I even started thinking about purchasing expensive equipment to grow, I went to my local hydrophonics store just to parooze the place... I talked with the guy working for a while about hps lights and came upon the question: if you switch your plant from flouros to an hps light would it hurt the plant at all?

He said as long as you raise the light far enough above the plants it would be alright... but if you cant do this (restrictions) you could string a piece of aluminum foil below the light and, as time goes on, poke holes in it to allow more intensity through the foil (as the plants got used to more power).

Im not positive he said aluminum foil, but i'm pretty sure... the reason I am asking is because my "stealth grow box" is only about 4' tall and I will be utilizing it soon. My seeds are germinating as we speak and i'm planning on putting them in soil and slidin' em' right in (under my 250w hps light)...

If this "aluminum foil" method has any merit/worth; let me know....

Thanks,

Brood


p.s.- box is 29"x23"x45" w/ good ventilation

Andru

Sounds like it'd work to me, as long as it's close enough to the bulb to stop there being spots of light. Whether you really need it for a 250w is another matter. I really wouldn't say you needed it - 250w really isn't that powerful. As long as it's not close enough to burn the plants, it should be fine.

Nobody puts aluminium foil between the sun and seedlings

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Perpetual Harvest?
Lord only knows whats going on in my growroom at the moment, things are too hectic to do a proper grow journal, so for now I've given up. By December I should have 10 5 gal bubblers going, so I might start a new GJ then

naturall_mystic

doogster03. I love the use of the word parooze, don't see it much. Hey welcome to HC.com.

May well be correct.

Your predicament is not an uncommon one. I too grow with height restrictions (box is 24Wx36Dx48H). The suggestion the guy made at the hydro store has merit. Actually I am not convinced you need to be so concerned about switching from fluros to HPS. I start my plants using a 400watt MH as high a position as my cabinet can accomodate. Where you run into problems is when the plants are in flower and are growing close to the glass (you do have glass on your hood don't you?). That is when you tend to have sunburned leaves. I made a little device called a heat shield for my cabinet. This is not an original design, but I have not seen them available in the USA so I just made my own.
The picture is of the original device. I forget whose grow journal it is in. Try a search on "heat sheild".

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n_d_shadows

Crazy Diamond was the first on here i saw with a heat shield and he loved it.

I've grown with a 250 hps in a 2x2x4' box. When starting seedlings out I had the light 2' above them. When i noticed the seedlings stretching I lowered the light 2" per day until the stretching stopped. when i transplanted I burried part of that stretched stem. worked well for me.

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Delta9420’s DIY Raw Salt Fertilizers for Dummies
Deserves a good read

naturall_mystic

Thanks n_d_shadows for clarifying who had the heat shield.

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doogster03

I was planning on using a suppercropping method (LST i think its called) so the buds would all be in a uniform spread across the box.

I dont have any glass around my light... its just a wing-type aluminum reflector... I'm guessing i should change this somehow... anywhere to find out how to build a hood with a glass cover? thanks.

-bro-d

naturall_mystic

doogster you don't have to have glass. It is just helpful for controlling heat but isn't required by any means. You have a reflector and that is good enough. Since it is a wing type reflector you can easily use the aluminum foil idea if needed.

You will find with LST that most of the buds will be 'about' the same height. Some will be taller some shorter. IMHO you really don't have a great deal to be concerned about right now. Try a grow and see how it goes, fix problems as they arise. Good Luck

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mellowbifta

Not a chance mate I clone & veg under a 125 cool flouro & veg for two weeks under the same lamp then move to flower room using two 400 watt HPS to veg for two weeks & then turn to 12/12 for around 9/10 weeks

I keep my 400 watt around 18 inches from the top of my vegging plants always

& I can say not a problem dude

mb

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Grow guide~6 plants=20 ounces~What is hydroponics-By Hydrosan


A must for scrog growers-Crazy Diamonds 600watt journal.

Old_Phart

Say,
I put my sprouts under a 600 wt. HPS no more than two days after sprouting. I put the light no closer than 3 ft above sprouts.
OP

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SEXING-MALE/FEMALE PREFLOWERS~OLD PHART'S FIRST INDOOR GROW~OLD PHART'S 1ST CLONE GROW~OLD PHART'S 1st HYDRO GROW
OLD PHART'S 2ND HYDRO GROW~OLD PHART's WW GROW PART ONE~OLD PHART'S WW GROW...continued