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 FAQ

What Wattage Light do i need for my grow room or grow tent?

(Below is advised for HID - HPS - MH Lighting)
250w - 0.6 sqm - 1.0 sqm
400w 0.8 sqm - 1.2 sqm
600w 1.0 sqm - 1.5 Sqm
1000w 1.5sqm - 2m sqm

For optimum results and maximum yields we recommend 600w per 1.0 sqm - 1.2 sqm
we advise a min and max range for each light, if for example you want to use a 600w in a 1.0 are use a narrow refelcting reflector, if you want to use a 600w in  2.0m space make sure you choose a reflector with a wider light spread.


What about types of lights?

HID - High intensity discharge lighting, this is the industry standard and come in to forms of bulb MH - Metal Halide ( for veg and early stages ) and Hps ( for flowering and bloom stages ) This is the most expensive lighting to run but produces the best results and the biggest yields as the lighting produces the closest type of light to actual sunlight as possible. This type of lighting requires a ballast to ignite the bulb.

CFL - Cfl lighting ( compact fluro lights ) were originally designed and suited for the veg and growth stages of the plant due to there blue spectrum and colour,this has then transformed in to red and purple (dual spectrum) lighting that can be used for flowering stages also. Cfls are deigned for plants and although appear the same as household fluros they are very different, our eyes just cant tell. Cfl lighting is a low heat option over HID lighting and uses a lot less electric... however they do not carry the power and results that you get from hid lighting... look at cfl as a watered down version. This is why cfls are generally persevered and used for veg and early stages as they are lower powered lights and wont harm young and small plants

Led - Leds are fairly new to the market, there are a lot of cheap useless immiations and useless leds being passed off as suitable for plants going around the internet often bringing bad reviews due to the Chinese influx of them. However buying the right leds that are designed for plants are a different story, with them being new technology they are  at the dearer end but produce benefits that are essential to some growers light there high power output but low power consumption and heat output. leds are generally best for young plants, clones and veg stages but can be used from start to finish with great results, however master growers say they see a 20% drop in results over a HID equal, however many deal with these by additional leds but benefiting mainly from the low heat and low power usage of leds. Leds are getting better and better every year our advice is use a led for the seed and veg stages and then use a led AND Hid for flowering stages. these seems to be the best medium for power, results, yields, heat and efficiency and most importantly costs.
 

What about the different colours and light spectrums?

White/blue = propagation (seeds/clones)
 Blue = vegative (growth)
Red = Flowering (bloom)
Purple = Dual Spectrum ( not all dual spectrum bulbs appear purple )
 

What Size extractor Fan and or carbon filter do i need for my grow tent or grow room?

if you would like to calculate  the size of fan you require simply follow these instructions:

Quick answer
Room width x room depth x room height =
times the answer by 60 (x60)
times the answer by 1.25 (+25%)
thats the minimum m/3 you need.

The longer Answer

We recommend that you renew the air within your grow room once every 1  minutes (60 times per hour).

Step 1
A good formula to work out the M/3 of your grow room is ( lets say my grow room  is 2 x 2 x 2.
Room dimensions w x l x h ,

e.g 2 x 2 x 2 = 8 m/3

Step 2
Ideally the air in your growroom needs replacing every 1 minute, so for this times your above answer by 60

8 x 60 = 480 M/3

Step 3

Now you want to compensate for resistance when adding ducting and carbon filters to the equation , times the number by 1.25 ( +25%)

480 M/3 x 1.25 = 600 M/3  

if you think you are going to have a long run of ducting and other bends, we would advise you add another 20% (x 1.2) to the above formula.

Step 4
if you are going to be growing in an attic, through the hot summer or even using maximum lights per metre we would advise adding another 25% ( x 1.25 again) ( Otherwise stick with step 3 )


600 m/3 x 1.25 = 750 m/3 

Answer for insulated or sealed rooms = 600m/3
Answer for Attics and summer growers or maximum lights = 750 m/3 

We recommend getting as close to this number as possible and always go over rather than under, fans can be turned down if you buy over powered fans, but if you buy fans that arent up to the job then the only answer is another fan.

This formula is based on using 600w per 1.2 x 1.2 sqm ( maximum advised light per sqm )

The correct filter is ideally one that matches the M3 measurement of your fan, for example

4″ Carbon Filter “160m3″ 100mm x 250mm  would go well with the  4″ Rvk Extractor Fan – 100 mm A1 = “175m3”


Other things to consider

However if you are using Co2 then your growroom require less air movement do the above calucations but times the volume by 10-15 instead of 20-30 to get the required volume.

What Size Carbon filter do i need?

Use the above formula to work out what size extractor fan you need for your grow room or grow tent

The correct filter is ideally one that closest matches the cm3 measurement of your fan for example

4" Budget Carbon Filter "160m3" 100mm x 250mm will go well with the 4" Rvk Extractor Fan - 100 mm A1 = "175m3"


What is the ideal temperature & Humidity

Room Temp
Air temperature within the grow room should be between 20 and 30 degrees Celcius
The optimum temperature for your plants to thrive is around 24-28°C.

Water Temp
The optimum water termperature in hydroponics is 18-20c

Humidity
A humidity level of between 50 - 85% is adequate for most enclosed growing environments and stages of a plant growth, however plant Humidity levels above 90% still don't overly limit plant growth, but the incidence of fungal diseases and molds in particular is so much greater above 90% especially in the flowering stages.

For optimum growth Humidity requirements vary through a plant's life but as a general guide in vegetative growth aim for around 50-75%, reducing this with the onset of flowering to around 45%-55% to help stop mold developing in dense flowering areas.

 Tell me about adding co2?

C02 should only be used when your lights are on, as plants only use CO2 during photosynthesis. C02 is most effective during the flowering stage, but HG recommends using CO2 throughout the life of your plants for maximum results.

What Should My Ph Reading be?

The Optimum ph level for hydroponics is 5.8 - 6.4
The Optimum ph level for coco is 5.7 - 6.1
The Optimum ph level for soil is 5.5-6.1

Different plants have different ph requirements, this is just a guidline.

What do i need ideally to grow indoors?

1 – a room, grow tent or grow box.
2 – a grow light kit (bulb,ballast, reflector) bulb and ballast must me the same watt
3 – a contactor to allow the lights to be controlled by a timer without over loading it.
4 – an extractor fan ( for extracting the stale air and odour )
5 – a small intake fan for fresh air
6 – a Carbon filter (odour passess through this to eliminate odours)
7 - ducting and ducting clips to connect the fans and carbon filter together
8 – plant pots or a hydroponic system ( hydro plants grow 3-4 x quicker )
9 – growing medium (soil for plant pots) rockwool/clay pellets or alt for hydroponics
10 – a grow nutrient for the vegative stage
11 – a bloom nutrient for the bloom (flowering stage)
12 – a boost to add additional weight and yields in the last 4 weeks of flowering
13 – ph up ( to raise the ph of the water )
14 - ph down ( to reduce the ph of the water )
15 – a digital nutrient meter ( for testing/altering nutrient strength)
16 – a digital ph meter ( for testing/altering ph strength)
17 - reflective sheeting to reflect back lost light if you are not using a grow tent

What is the best Way to Dry and cure my plants and flowers?

(obvioulsy not required for fresh fruit and vegtables )

dried Flowers and herbs won't dry properly unless they have the right environment. The ideal flowers and herbs drying environment has the following characteristics:

Temperature controlled between 72-76F
Relative humidity controlled to 46-55%
Absolutely no pet hairs, insects, mold/fungi, dirt, dust, cigarette smoke or other pollutants.
Exhaust venting and air exchange to remove and renew the entire volume of drying-room air at least once every hour.
No sunlight or other direct intense light
Gentle air movement that does not sway hanging flowers or herbs

Please visit our  BLOG for more hydroponics help advise and tips.