How many watts MH too veg 20 plants

[Theendish1]

I want too veg 20 plants how many watts MH light should I use ? Was thinking two 600 watt MH . Could I veg with just 1 600 watt MH light? Advice would be much appreciated . Trying too do this on a cheap budget as I'm skint so using 1 600 watt would be very handy , but I suppose is unlikely too get good results .

 

[c526]

how big are the plants to start with?? how big is your room?

most spaces are measured in sqft a 600 does a 3.5x3.5 space or about 14sqft,usually with hid lighting we try to get a minimum of 50wt per sqft

you can start with one and as they grow put in the second,if they are seedlings dont kick there ass with all the power at first

good luck and have fun

 

[Seraphim]

How long do you plan to keep them in veg? (The longer in veg, the better the yield but the bigger the plants which means more of everything else including light.) Are you starting from seed or clone?

Also, what type of container/grow media/system? That will determine light needs as well.

Now, a good question is, what are you planning to bloom under? Are you planning on blooming under the same one 600W HID or do you have a separate area for bloom? I ask because if you are going to bloom in that same area then you don't want to go too long on veg with 20 plants. However, if you have a separate bloom area with more lamps than the one 600 then you can let them get bigger in veg.

Remember, plats will usually double or triple in size at the time you flip them. Sometimes the light that may work on say 20 young plants may not be the best option when those 20 plants are mature depending on how long you allowed them to veg and your style of growing (topped? LST?, etc.).

You may want to re-consider the number of plants. Could you reach your goals with less plants? You could theoretically get the same final weight from a single, long vegged plant as you could from 10 or 20 very small ones. So, its very flexible what you can do.

I would suggest that you consider running the grow without expectations. This will tell you what you can expect get out of your space with the one light you can afford and then go from there.

Hope I didn't complicate things more. Just letting you know what you may want to consider.

 

[c526]

nice post seraphim,and some of the best advice right here

I would suggest that you consider running the grow without expectations.

 

[Blueballavngr]

I've over filled a flower room with too many plants. 8 would have produced the same as the 20 because light penetration just wasn't there, waiting a lot of trim time I'm on small popcorns that would have been bic lighters or better if light could have got down there. Spent extra time on trim and more money on nutrients and soil.

 

[Seraphim]

nice post seraphim,and some of the best advice right here

Thank you c526! Cheers!


Also, Theendish1, if you are just concerned with veg and cost, you may want to consider other alternatives as well besides HID.

I use the MARS-II 400W LED in Veg spectrum for my veg needs and it does absolutely amazing. Florescent lighting may also be a viable option for you to consider. Both of those may be less costly than the 600W HPS.