Would this lighting scheme work for a VERY small grow? (2-3 plants)

I'll be relocating in a few months to an environment in which I can grow safely indoors, and as of now I'm planning to do so. The operation I have in mind is strictly for personal use (hence the 2-3 plants) and will most likely be happnening in a closet in which the dimensions and the air quality are not an issue.

One of the details about the grow that I'm not sure about is the lighting situation. I live near a good hydroponics store that sells plenty of products that would undoubtedly shower my plants with all the light they need, but I'd hate to use more resources than I actually need (i.e. pay more for the purchase and usage of features I don't need).

That said, would an ideal enclosed growing environment consisting of 2-3 plants do OK with a 150 watt HPS bulb emitting 16,500 lumens, all in a ballast with reflectors? The next upgrade is only about $20 extra and emits 28,000+ lumens with at 250 watts, but I'd like to avoid dealing with the extra baggage that using that model would pose.

Any thoughts/insight are appreciated.

 

If you're growing in a full closet then spring for the 400w. It's very much worth it, not only because of higher yield but also because your buds will be tighters and more potent. I wouldn't bother with anything less than a 250w.

 

If you're implying that light leaking throughout parts of the closet not devoted to growing will render a mere 16,500 lumens ineffective, I plan to partition the closet off so as to grow the plants in just about as small of a space as I can get away with; the boundaries of the enclosed space will reflect light back on the plants.

Even still - 400w? I respect your opinion, but don't you think that's a bit much for just two plants sitting in an enclosed space in which the escape of light from the point at which it is being directed is fairly miniumal?

Let me know if you really do still think that 400w is the way to go regardless of the small space and limited target, because I might have to do some tweaking of my plan in that case (namely a little investigation of what else is runs on the circuit supplying the attic).

 

A 400-watter may be a bit overkill for 2 plants, but keep this in mind:
Unless you've got clones from a known female, one or worst-case scenario both plants will be males, which mean no buds. I wouldn't go with anything less that 5 plants. You can ditch the males when they express sex 2 weeks into flowering.
5 plants do nicely in a 3' x 3' enclosure, ideal for a 400-watt HPS.
Be sure to supply adequate flo-through ventilation--a powered exhaust and and least passive intake (powered intake is better).

 

The luck of the draw variable of getting a female vs. getting a male has crossed my mind, but I'm still not sure that going all out with a 400w lamp is proportional to the risk that I'd be running of going 0/3 as far as getting females goes; I'd actually be perfectly fine with just one plant, or even a few 'lost' weeks that, if nothing else, will probably be chalked up to valuable experience along with the disclosure of some valuable information such as how much growth I can expect upon the induction of flowering.

Nevertheless, the prospect of getting a 400w lamp does seem at least a little more attractive considering its conduciveness to what is roughly the size of the grow area I had planned on tending to.

Thanks for the advice.

 

...at any rate, would the light scheme that I described work for just a few plants?

 

You should be able to flower 3 under the 150 but don't expect anything special. All I'm trying to say is that you're risking your ass to grow the bud, whyslack on the light? Atleast get a 250.

 

I see what you're saying, and I agree to an extent. My hesitation to go with more wattage stems from a possible circuit problem (it's a very hold house-turned duplex, so the electrical scheme is a little nutty). In addition to that, I had only planned on growing one or two plants into flowering, so a 150 HPS seemed reasonable.

But yeah, I'll probably end up going with the 250 watt HPS enclosed ballast mini-system since an extra $20 doesn't seem like too much of a tradeoff for an upgrade that will probably work towards giving me a better final product.