Alright ganga lovers of the world!

(I wasnt really sure where to post this set of questions)

Im kinda confused about lighting (amongst other things) and what to go for, I am really tempted to go for the safe and easy enviro/super light option but I'm not completely sure.

On this website their is a technical info page which goes some way to explaining about the science of plants & lighting, which is very interesting and even I can understand what the vast majority of what its saying. Im totally new to growing so please forgive my ignorance (and dogdy speling and grama) :-)

- This page says that hps/hid are excellent on lumen output but poor on the color range emitted (PAR) while the envirolite/superlite are poor on lumen output but the PAR is excellent, I figure both lumens and par are both important factors but is one more important then the other? Does this mean both types of lite balance out in terms of effectiveness as they seem to exist at oppiste ends of the scale?

- Say If i went for the envirolite/superlite option and bourght one of each type (red and blue) I used one at a time (for the vegging/flowering stage) how big should the container be that I intend on growing my plant(s) in, to maximize the usage of light energy? Is this big enough for growing a ganga plant in or should I buy more than one of each type of bulb and make my growing area bigger?

- The mglights techinical info page says a bit of red light while vegging is good and bit of blue light while flowering is also good. So if I had a fair bit of money what bulb ratio should I go for (for veggin and flowering) ? ie for veggin 3 blue to 1 red

- are envirolite/superlite gonna allow me to maximize on yield and potency?

- I havent decided on a variety to grow yet, has anybody had results that suggest certain strains grow better under the envirolite/superlite then others? (im loooking to get completely wasted out of me mind!! ) who isnt tho?

- Ive seen various ideas for growrooms and I like em all, I had an idea of my own which was to create the container from carboard ie a large cardboard box (the lights would sit/hang from their own structure) I came up with this idea after reading about envirolite/superlite are touch cool, any body got any comments on this?

- I get the impression from this forum that hps/hid bulbs loose their strength after year and have to be replaced is this the same for envirolite/superlite?

- regarding reflective material to line the inside of the container: Whats the best, cheap, easily available option?

- I had a quick look at carbon filters and they seem mighty expensive, anybody got a decent cheap DIY version I could use; how long is the life on one these jobbers?? does it become less effective after a couple of months?

- wheres the best place to position a fan, the top or the bottom of the container? Anybody recommend us a cheap fan suitable for the task? I assume the filter goes at the oppisite end?

- in an ideal situation how much space should I give my plant?


Well Im certain I'll have more questions before I get me crop on the go, so till the next time!! Many thanks (in advance)

Mr Brine

Hi Mr Brine;

Welcome to uk420.

Lots of questions there.

I am not an expert, but do have some answers for you!

On the subject of the lights, well enviro lights are very popular for vegging and some peeps use them to flower too, so it is possible. My understanding is that you need blue for veg time and ideally a mixture of red/blue for flowering!

All bulbs lose some of their effectiveness after being used for a length of time. If a cardboard box is going to be your grow space a HPS or MH may be a fire hazard as they get pretty hot, enviro's do generate some heat but far less than the other grow lights.

As regards the reflective lining....well matt white paint is recommended.

here is a link to a good homemade carbon filter. It's on about the 3rd page of the thread.

When you say fan.....I assume you mean extraction fan.......it needs to be at the top of the grow area as this is where all the heat will rise to.

As for space.....well it kinda depends on growing style.....if you top a plant, for example you will get a bushier one and it will need more space. If you want to grow SOG style then you can get a plant per square foot! .....I think

Hope this helps some!

EO