new at this

[selkirkrcs]

I purchased a 4'x2'x5' tall grow tent. I wanted to get the 250w HPS but amazon I guess doesn't carry them and other places were out. Soo, I bought the 600w HPS with a ballast that has a 200w, 400w and 600w positions. I started a seedling with the 200w and it seemed to struggle. the burnt tips and yellowish which I chalked up to too much heat. I will admit the humidity was real low, 32ish. She made it through and has now graduated to 400w and I've just switched to light 12/on 12/off. Do you think I can ever get to the 600w. Does it take to go to flowering to reach the 600w?

 

[FunkyButtLovin]

You can switch it to 600w whenever you want. I've raised plants from seed to harvest under 600w MH/HPS, there are no issues as long as you keep the light at an appropriate height.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

I’m curious how you’re using that powerful of a light in a 2x4x5 tent. Im imagining the temps way too high and the humidity way too low. What are they in this setup? I grow in my basement and it’s pretty chilly in my grow room so I have a T5’s running in my 2x4 with temps at 80 and I have a humidifier going to keep humidity in low 50’s. Pretty soon I’ll be using a 150w HPS Bc anything higher and temps skyrocket to 100+

 

[dphipps1020]

I agree, that light is too much for the small space. Not necessarily that it puts off too much light, but moreso the heat it creates. 400W will give you some good growth in there though, provided you can keep the heat down. I honestly probably wouldn't even try it at 600W, 400W is plenty enough light in my opinion. I'm curious why you didn't go with LEDs for that tent? There's a lot of affordable options for a 2x4 that won't hurt the wallet when the electric bill comes. For example, I bought a Spider Farmer SF2000 for $300 US and it only draws 200W at max power. I'm in the process of switching from CMH lights to LEDs in all my tents because of the heat issue. There's a few good options out there, but I figured I'd suggest that.

 

[dilvish]

yellow tips is more likely too much nitrogen but yes as others have said it could have been the light although if it is doing better under the 400W I'd have to guess too much nitrogen, assuming you are using added nutrients.

 

[selkirkrcs]

I hadn't intended using the 400 or 600w but amazon and other places did not have the 250w and I had already received the grow tent. I guess what I should do is get to where I'm proficient at this (I hope) and then expand to a larger tent to accommodate this light I have. This ballast does have the 200w which is where I started. Do you think it may be a good idea to turn it to the 600w for a couple of hours to acclimate the plant to a higher wattage. You're right the temp was high and the humidity low. I used my wife's small humidifier but broke the darn thing and couldn't control output. It looked like a horror picture.
Anyway thanks for all the comments. Your help is appreciated..

 

[selkirkrcs]

Thank you for your suggestions. My friend gave me a 250w LED for some flowers once I get up and going. As bboyfromwayback mentioned the LED should work well in this size grow tent I have.

 

[bboyfromwayback]

In my experience, even turned all the way down to 200w, it’s going to put off too much heat to contend with in a 2x4. My HPS fixture is 300w total made of 2 separate 150w bulbs, if I use it in my 2x4 I can only use 1 bulb at a time and it still runs way hotter than I’d like. That’s just a lot of heat in a small space.