Small 250 Watt Grow Please Help a Newbie

[Troublesome]

Ok this is my first indoor grow and im planny on working my way up to a larger grow but figure since im tight for $ i should start small. Im working with plenty of space in my cellar but my light is only a 250 watt hps. Iv got the area blocked off with a homemade barrier with the inside lined with aluminum foil (dull side out). I cant find any 250 watt grows on here. How much can i yield with this set up? How many plants should i go with? Iv got floresents for veg. and mommies n babies too. ADVICE, TIPS, ANY HELP WILL BE GREAT. Thankx. Once i get started i will be starting a grow journal.

 

[Troublesome]

thankx man thats pretty much what i was thinking, between 4 to 6

 

[Setting Sun]

I got 4.5 on my last grow with 250w HPS and three plants, but I also added two 42w 2700k CFL's as side-lighting for flowering.

 

[Troublesome]

I found some good cfl's at a local store there pretty exspensive but well worth it in the end. I was thinkin about gettin just one to set up on the floor for veg and maybe a lil help for the lil 250 during flower ... Suggestions???

 

[Setting Sun]

I'd use the 250w HPS alone for veg, and then add some 2700k CFL's to that for flowering.

I like to hang them vertically with extension cords and lamp socket adapters along each side of the HPS at more or less canopy height or lower if I want to give the smaller buds below the canopy more light.

 

[Troublesome]

Yes!!!!!! Thats beautiful SETTING SUN thats exactly what ill do

 

[Troublesome]

 

[Troublesome]

This is my biggest its prolly a male but looks to be indica?

 

[Troublesome]

this is all thats happened after the transplant. I expected alot worse theres two like this

 

[Setting Sun]

Looks like a little nute burn from overfeeding versus nute splash. They don't need any additional nutes at this stage unless you're growing in a soil-less medium.

You could also increase the reflected light by using mylar or black/white plastic instead of the foil.

It also helps to use a good high-output horticultural bulb in the 250w. The Ushio HiLux-Gro and Eye Hortilux super HPS are two good ones.

If you're going to grow all of those seedling out, 20 is way too many for a 250w grow unless you're going 12/12 from seed and have a reflector that will give you enough spread. A 250w with a 20" X 20" reflector will cover a max of 3 sq ft.

With 2-4 weeks veg time before 12/12, it's hard to fit more than 3-4 plants in that area.

 

[Troublesome]

well im not using nutes yet...??? I do however know that when i was a kid my mom always told me not to water plants during the middle of the day or theyll burn up... after transplant i watered em and got the leaves wet. My lights on 24hrs so maybe thats what caused this??????? Those bulbs u speak of sound exspensiven Settin sun. After this grow im gettin a 600 or a 400 watt set up. This is a loaned light for one grow

 

[Troublesome]

And im only keeping 3 or 4 females for a scrog grow iv got the 20 goin so i can pick from the best ones should i take out some plants or just keep goin as planned??????????

 

[Setting Sun]

The burn could have been caused by wet leaves and the light, but just keep an eye on things. The new growth looks fine, so I don't think it's a big deal.

What kind of soil are you using?

The horticultural bulbs for a 250w HPS run about $75. You don't need one, but they will increase yield a bit. If the 250w is a loaner, don't worry about it. If the bulb is old and tired though, it will put out less light.

At this point, you can still cover all the seedlings with light, so you don't have to get rid of any. Your plan to keep the best 3-4 sounds good.

 

[Troublesome]

Awesome so sounds like im on the right track. Right now im using real cheap organic soil from the dollar store i got a desent size bag for a buck Looked like pretty good soil too start with ill be gettin fox farm befor transplanting them again,im pickin up a bunch more hours at work to have a lil extra $ for this. Thanks alot SETTING SUN for takin a lil time out for a newbie

 

[Setting Sun]

you're very welcome

 

[Troublesome]

Finally built me a tent... Its not finished yet, ran out of materials
Heres the babies at 3 weeks

 

[Troublesome]

A Couple of my favorite shots Iv named it Popeye lol

 

[Setting Sun]

Nice DIY on the tent!

Babies are looking good. When are you thinking of transplanting?

 

[Troublesome]

well not sure when should I?????? UHHHm Should i put em into flower to find the males then put em back into flower to start the veg growth for the scrog im doin???

 

[Setting Sun]

Do you have enough room in there to keep all of them but go up in container size? Not to final size, but maybe something in-between? Then you could veg them a bit longer and avoid them getting root-bound in the cups.

If not, then I'd flip them to 12/12 asap.

If you have a lot of seeds, I think this is a great grow style, but with limited space and reg seed it's probably better to do it 12/12 from the getgo , so that you can sex them sooner, and then continue at 12/12 or reveg and grow them bigger before flowering them.

Or just start 10 plants instead of 20 in something like 5" square pots. Still a pretty good chance of getting enough ladies to fill that tent.