I'd probably train them a little to make them little bushes early on then let them stretch once they're in the flower tent.

I could accommodate another 2x4 tent and they wouldnt grow taller than 2 feet before being moved.

As for how many, 2-8.

There's a big difference in a veg tent for 2 plants vs 8 plants. 2x4 would be overkill for 2 and 2x4 is an odd size for most single lights. Generally speaking, a veg tent can be half the size of the flower tent since plants double or triple in size during flower. Training will make them wider so each plant will take up more room but you're not letting them get very tall so it kind of depends on how long they'd veg and how wide they'd get. On the up-side you might be able to tier them and get two layers of veg space out of one tent for later expansion.

I'm not a fan of fluorescent lighting except maybe for cloning but it would get expensive throwing two smaller lights in a 2x4 area rather than one light in a 2x2 or 3x3 area. Typically I'd throw a 600w HPS in a 4x4 for vegging for two 4x4 flower areas but I don't SCROG. You could throw a 250-ish watt HID in a 3x3 for veg. I don't know if they make a CMH that size but if you wanted to try CMH that's about the size you'd want. Unfortuantely, a 250-ish watt HID wont cover the 4' length well if you really want a 2x4. If you went 2x2 or 2x3 you could use a 200w LED or 150w HID. Your 2x4 size selection does make it harder to be cost efficient. Does it have to be 2x4?

Maybe beefxer or one of the other SCROG guys can comment too...

So 2x2 then. I was going to get a 2x2 to make it a a "curing" tent, ie. a sealed tent with a humidifier in it with a drying rack hanging in there.
I could place a 2x2 beside it to act as a cloning/vegging tent for my small 2x4 and once I have the 4x8 enclosure running, I could have another 4x4 built in my new space to act as a vegging space for that.

Actually, that sounds more efficient. A 2x2 with 2-4 plants should be able to veg for a 2x4 flower area. Once you build your 4x8 (or two 4x4 areas so you can flip the light cycles to reduce load) for flower and another 4x4 for veg you can use the two 2x2 tents for curing or for mothers. All you'd really need then is a small area for clones and you'd have a nice perpetual system going.

Now, back to the original question; what veg light are you going to throw in that 2x2? You'll want at least 100w and probably less than 200w. The smallest CMH I've seen online is 250w which is overkill for vegging in a 2x2. The smallest Solis Tek is 400w so that's out. Are you going to add CO2 to the veg tent too?

You could go with another LED like the SolarFlare 200w, which are good veg lights or you could go with either a MH or HPS hid light. Growers House shows several options for reflectors with built-in ballasts in the 150w HPS and 175w MH ranges. They even make air-cooled flanges and glass for some of them.

Go with the 250w cmh IMO and SME is correct about T5! they work but HID will give better results in veg no question. They do make 150w cmh bulbs that run on digi ballasts but anything over that is magnetic for now (except the new 315w elite agro)


How about some pics Frank?????

250w is far too much for vegging in a 2x2 tent, imho...

SisterMaryElephant wrote:250w is far too much for vegging in a 2x2 tent, imho...

The 250w philips energy advantage allstart CMH actually runs at 205watts and has the same light output of the 250w hps versions

*If* it has "the same light output' as a 250w HPS then it's still too much for 4 sqft because I still wouldn't run 250w HPS in a 2x2 tent. Seriously, I know you like the CMH technology but it's jut not appropriate for his small veg tent...

SisterMaryElephant wrote:*If* it has "the same light output' as a 250w HPS then it's still too much for 4 sqft because I still wouldn't run 250w HPS in a 2x2 tent. Seriously, I know you like the CMH technology but it's jut not appropriate for his small veg tent...

I RESPECTFULLY disagree .........growers regularly run 2ft eight bulb T5 fixtures in that space for veg and it draws around 195w vs 205w CMH(minus the mag ballast wattage. can use a remote one) so the same cooling is necessary. we live on earth so amp x volt = watt .... a watt is a watt ......but you gain a way better spectral distribution with the cmh and "happier" girls.

SisterMaryElephant wrote:Actually, that sounds more efficient. A 2x2 with 2-4 plants should be able to veg for a 2x4 flower area. Once you build your 4x8 (or two 4x4 areas so you can flip the light cycles to reduce load) for flower and another 4x4 for veg you can use the two 2x2 tents for curing or for mothers. All you'd really need then is a small area for clones and you'd have a nice perpetual system going.

Now, back to the original question; what veg light are you going to throw in that 2x2? You'll want at least 100w and probably less than 200w. The smallest CMH I've seen online is 250w which is overkill for vegging in a 2x2. The smallest Solis Tek is 400w so that's out. Are you going to add CO2 to the veg tent too?

You could go with another LED like the SolarFlare 200w, which are good veg lights or you could go with either a MH or HPS hid light. Growers House shows several options for reflectors with built-in ballasts in the 150w HPS and 175w MH ranges. They even make air-cooled flanges and glass for some of them.

It would never have crossed my mind to build two 4x4 to alter the load on the electrical grid. That is a brilliant idea.

If HID isn't an option, I'd rather not get too many different technologies and stick to LED then. The SS200W isn't very expensive.

Remember that I still have this 2x4 tent, so if I follow your train of thought:

4x8 (or two 4x4) for flowering
one 4x4 for vegging
one 2x4 for clones (?)
one 2x2 for curing
one 2x2 for mothers
one vault to keep it all, and in darkness bind them

Or I could do without mothers and just take cuttings from my vegging plants?