Grow room and lighting

[Torco]

I am making my first grow room, I am going with HID lights. My room is plenty big enough 12x16. My questions are lighting. How much of an area can a 1000 watt HPS / MH make a good grow. I have read around 8x8 area and how many plants can grow in an 8x8 area with out over crowding them.

Also how far away from the tops of the plants should HID lights be???

I am thinking of just starting off with 6 plants at first. Would a 1000-watt be to much for 6 plants or not enough light ??? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Coke420]

I do 16 plants under each 1000 watt and them seem to get plenty light!
Lights should be 18 inches from the tops of your plants

 

[Xlr8]

Plants can be managed to many different sizes and shapes with a little training. To that end, it's almost impossible to answer your question as the grower has a lot of control over the size of the plant. Many smaller plants can be grown under a single 1000w lamp, depending on how early you initiate the bloom phase and how much you trim or defoliate them. Conversely, you could grow 6 larger plants under a single 1000w bulb, pretty bushed out.

If you are trying to cover a larger space, another good (better?) option might be a couple of 600w bulbs. While the 1000w covers a lot of area, the plants on the fringes will get less of the light than the plants directly beneath. 600w bulbs are very efficient and are great for growing. They can perhaps cover the space more efficiently as you'll have less plant material in the fringes farther from a bulb (if you space them nicely). Just a thought!