Looking to start my first grow...

Dimensions of box are going to be around 1x1m and around 1.2m tall.

I've ruled out HPS systems because of the heat... I want to keep this thing as safe as possible so that I can leave it alone without fear of burning my house down. (I know you can make anything safe but I'm more confortable with low temp CFLs)

So looking at the options and taking into account a budget of under a £100....

2x 250w CFL (plus cables fittings) = £100~ for 500w

40x 20w CFL (plus cables fittings) = £60~ for 800w

Obviously the second option requires a bit more work but I don't mind putting the time in. It also seems to me that 2x250w CFL without a reflector is going to be rather crap in comparison to the second option which will give me amazing light spread within the same box. I'm also getting more watts/lumens for less money.

I am planning on building a 10x4 grid of lamp holders screwed to a back board which will be setup to slide up and down the box so that I can keep them as close to the plants as possible. I will be covering all sides top and bottom with mylar too.

What do you think? Is it worth the hassle? I'm probably looking at some auto's for my first grow to simplify things and keep total grow time down.

Well hi and welcome to uk420, im not to sure on this but it must be worth a go at 60 pounds and in the end you cant loose out as you will always have spare lightbulbs for the house if not, just thought i would say hi, im sure someone will give you some great advice. Traci

I think the 2 x 250W envirolights would be better as they're designed for growing!
not an expert at this but from what i've read it would be beneficial to use better lighting + you'd save a load of space only using 2 lights!
household cfl's can grow but for better yields you need specially designed lights.
but hey i might be talking ass.
anyways good luck with whichever you decide on using!
red-eye

Providing your reflector is secure and you look at your plants ever couple of days there is no reason not to use a 250w hps the only difference is you cant get so close to the bulb but since you would have to scrog with all those cfl's you may as well scrog with a 250w hps. You will use far less power which is the main cost of growing , produce far less heat than 500+watts of cfl and produce a similar if not larger amount of bud. 1.2m is all i have you just need to top them and tie them down. 250w hps bulbs really are'nt that hot.

What erbivore9 said.

All light sources are fiendishly inefficient (mostly heat), and the most effective for our purposes is still the HPS - by a healthy margin. (and big fluorescents are an abomination in my book).

Are you sure you only have 1.2 metres of height ?

Actually I grew for quite a few years in a space of a very similar size with a single 250 watt HPS - just a little taller, but I was growing a lanky skunk#1 pheno...

What are you doing about ventilation ?
At the very least you need to dispose of the pong.

edit :-

Just noticed this is in micro and experimental.

The thing is, this size of grow isn't really that micro.

I can go higher than 1.2meters but I'm trying to keep it fairly compact.

Ventilation Isn't too much of a problem but smell is... I don't want the house stinking so I'll be using a carbon can filter. with as many fans as is needed.

A 250 watt HPS is the ultimate beginner's lamp where you have sensible headroom.
Some of us never upgraded ...

It's only a bit hotter to the touch as the same wattage of fluorescent - but only because it's just a heck of a lot bigger (and fragile).

HPS lamps are used by the million commercially - they're robust as well as efficient.

Hi all

Height is the main problem

No refector can cover 1m x 1m at that height

If possible. Hang bulb vertically 250 hps no reflector and extract from above bulb

Kit the room out with reflective material

Put the plants around the outside higher

check out the end of leepys big dig - he has built a metal frame to raise the plants

and has verticle bulbs - cool

when your commiting to a big electric bill - then get the best bulb

check out metal halide bulbs - reduce stretch first half flower

hope this helps bro

hb

hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hpshps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps hps

1 x 1m is hardly a micro grow

hb

An aircooled reflector will also gain you some precious inches.

who cares where he posted it.

anyway dogzilla. fuck enviros, as you well know.

Have used both hps and just enviros for grows and gave up on the enviros going back to hps...
like folk have said..

get yourself a 250w hps with a nice digital ballast, cost ya about 70-100 quid all told
. will use much less electric than the enviros and if anything gives off less heat.. i find it easier to control temps using a hps than the enviros..And the finished product under hps is much bigger yield and better potency in my experience..

plus after 1 maybe 2 flower periods, the enviros light has degraded so much that they become almost useless..

economically it is a myth that enviros are cheaper..the bulbs are more expensive and they need replacing more often...and the difference in electricity used is minimal

everyone keeps advising HPS but some people just dont want em.

no doubt about it, HPS is the lamp of choice. A 250w HPS is a great personal stash growing lamp.

But for those of us who do not want a HPS, look into L type fluoros like Philips PL-L, Sylvania Lynx L. They're the most efficient fluoros effectively being a T4HO tube bent in half.. I was just looking at 2x36w 6500k for a small mother/clone cab, 2900 lumens from 36w on a standard ballast. High frequency electronic ballasts (longer lamp life quoted at MTBF 20k hours, less watts used, more lumens) are £10 for a 2x tube ballast from Philips. You can buy them in 55w sizes and these are good for growing. You may have to go for a SCROG or SOG to get optimum yield.

Standard spiral or U tube shape CFL, enviro fluoros lose a lot of light because a lot of the light has to travel through a tube or two once reflected to get to your plant (optical losses), L types lose far less. These will be used quite a lot in the future methinks.

but, a 250w hps on a digi is easy, and will grow some nice nugs.