4x4 = 62.5 w/sq ft...4x5 = 50w/sq ft...using 1k hps so why...

Elkhunter

Elkhunter

coolin in the Rockies..
why does everyone including me...use a 4x4 foot print under a 1k...i was always taught 50w/sq ft was the target which would be 4x5...i thought maybe because of the Gavita style lights but the 4x4 thing been going on for decades...i think ill open my next grow up to a 4x5 and go scrog under a 1k...i can get a 4x5 fence door panel (2x2 holes) from tractor supply that would be a perfect 4x5 scrog panel....anyway was just curious about those extra 4sq feet of space...peace...elk..
 
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I always thought 4x6 made more sense for a 1k light. The bulbs are rectangle, the reflectors are rectangle, but the foot print is an even square? I never went for that. Sucks they don't make 4x6 tables or tents really.

I think the gavita double ended 1k hps I have covers 5X9 easily.

I think upgrading your footprint will be good for you. The worst thing that can happen from over expanding is extra buds that you wouldn't have had before that might be a little fluffy/airy and great for making hash if you don't want to smoke them. Most likely if you have the right height on the lights, you will increase your yeild and the buds on the outside won't be very much different than the other ones, except for the big ass kohlas right under the lights. Seems to be my experience.
 
Hmm....I had been taught that 40-50 w/sqft was optimal...and that once you go over 60, you actually start encountering a diminished return.:dunno:

When I built my flower room, I made it 6'x9' for two 1k HPS lights...that's only 37 w/sqft. It always worked great for me. It allowed options for whatever way I was growing. I could do SOG directly under the lights with bushes around the edges...or when doing perpetual I could put the newer plants under the lights and the older ones around the edges...or I could just leave a little space on the edges to be able to squeeze my ass around them when tending them, rather than pulling them out of the room. And except for a straight up SOG, I liked to space the plants so they weren't touching each other, to allow the light to penetrate further down.

I also don't think lighting is a factor you can consider all by itself. Merely adding CO2 changes the whole aspect. When I decided on my room size, I knew I would never be using CO2...just good ventilation. I understood adding CO2 would have allowed for more w/sqft to be beneficial.

...just my experience. :)
 
NocturnalG said:
I always thought 4x6 made more sense for a 1k light. The bulbs are rectangle, the reflectors are rectangle, but the foot print is an even square? I never went for that. Sucks they don't make 4x6 tables or tents really.

I think the gavita double ended 1k hps I have covers 5X9 easily.

I think upgrading your footprint will be good for you. The worst thing that can happen from over expanding is extra buds that you wouldn't have had before that might be a little fluffy/airy and great for making hash if you don't want to smoke them. Most likely if you have the right height on the lights, you will increase your yeild and the buds on the outside won't be very much different than the other ones, except for the big ass kohlas right under the lights. Seems to be my experience.
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You really think that Gavita would cover that 5x9 ? i thought those type lights were more for a tighter light footprint, with that type reflector ? I checked out those Gavitas, Hortilux makes one now same style ive been eyeballin...maybe i should check youtube for some data.
 
Elkhunter said:
You really think that Gavita would cover that 5x9 ? i thought those type lights were more for a tighter light footprint, with that type reflector ? I checked out those Gavitas, Hortilux makes one now same style ive been eyeballin...maybe i should check youtube for some data.
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I know for a fact they can cover 5x9 if you have good ac and keep the heat down. My last run in my 5x9 tent with it turned all the way up I got 40 oz plus a couple of moldy oz from the big buds under the light getting too thick. Imagine how much less bud I would have gotten if I ran it in a 4x4 area instead. 4x4=16 square feet, 5X9 = 45 square feet. So almost 3 times the area to fill up with buds.

I know some of the 120v gavitas got discontinue for some reason but I know other companies still have the double end hps so I am assuming they would be similar with the correct bulbs and all.
 
I could swear I remember reading that 50watts per sqft was the minimum as opposed to the maximum but I could surely be w...it was quite a long time ago.
 
NocturnalG said:
I know for a fact they can cover 5x9 if you have good ac and keep the heat down. My last run in my 5x9 tent with it turned all the way up I got 40 oz plus a couple of moldy oz from the big buds under the light getting too thick. Imagine how much less bud I would have gotten if I ran it in a 4x4 area instead. 4x4=16 square feet, 5X9 = 45 square feet. So almost 3 times the area to fill up with buds.

I know some of the 120v gavitas got discontinue for some reason but I know other companies still have the double end hps so I am assuming they would be similar with the correct bulbs and all.
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yeah when the gavitas got discontinued is when i first started looking at them, i couldnt find any info on why either...dont those double ended get hot as hell ? i really like that Hortilux and the fact they also designed it around a bulb they also produce...I scrog 80% of the time, because I, like you, am always looking to maximize my gr/watt efficiency....thats why i started looking at the watts/sq foot...and trying to break out of that 4x4 and 50w/sq ft thing...i think theres some yield opportunities there..
 
guerilla1277 said:
I could swear I remember reading that 50watts per sqft was the minimum as opposed to the maximum but I could surely be w...it was quite a long time ago.
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yeah 50watts was generally the target for the MINIMUM watts/sqft...just kinda the way its been..
 
Imo you should only keep plant matter in a 4x4 under one single ended hps. Unless you have multiple lamps. Hold your hand under the light and move it the same height under your lamp. You can see the light start to dim when you move it out of the 4x4.

I don’t like a bushy over crowded canopy. The side lighting doesn’t produce the same quality product as the main canopy. The less bud sights you have the better the main colas will be at the end of the day. It also speeds up the processing.
 
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