Some General Tips:
• Lighting systems generally consist of four components: ballast, cord and socket, bulb and reflector. A 400 watt light will cover a 3x3 or 4x4 area, a 600 watt will cover a 4x4 or 5x5 area, and a 1000 watt can usually cover up to an 8x8. Remember the more light you have, the more the plants can feed, thus photosynthesize and produce a fruitful yield.
• When air cooling lights, use at least 250 cfm per 1000 watts.
• Generally it’s a good idea to use 3000 btu of cooling energy per 1000 watts.
• Typically, you will want to exchange the air in your grow room every five minutes. To figure this out use the formula Length x Width x Height = Cubic Ft, then Divide by 5 to get your recommended CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute)
(Example 8ft x 12ft x 8ft = 768 divided by 5 = 153.6 so you would need at least a 153 cfm fan to exhaust your room)

Using Carbon Filters:
Carbon filters are great to use in your grow room. Since you need an air exchange any way, why not sanitize your room in the process? Match the CFM of the filter and fan, attach it to fan intake, and you are ready to go. All carbon filters have a recommended CFM; it is important not to exceed the recommended CFM as the filter will not sterilize the air properly. When mounting your carbon filter it is best to mount the filter high in the grow room to allow any hot air to be filtered first. If mounted and connected properly your fan and filter will accomplish three things:

• Act as an air exchange in your grow room
• Decrease the temperature by taking out hot air
• Sterilize grow room killing mold spores, pathogens, and deodorizing

Specially prepared nutrient formulas can be added directly to the hydroponic solution, providing ideal nutrient balance for various stages of a plant's life. Commercial "grow" and "bloom" nutrient solutions are very easy and rich in proper nutrients. A plant requires more nitrogen at the beginning of its growth cycle, so a nitrogen-rich "grow" formula is used. Grow formulas contain increased levels of potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate, giving the plant a safe nutrient boost for vigorous growth. Once flowers appear, the plant generally requires more phosphorus and potassium. So the "grow" formula is flushed out, and the "bloom" formula is added. By regulating grow and bloom nutrients, more of the plants energy can be put into fruit production at the appropriate time. Click on the chart to the left for common signs of nutrient deficiencies in plants.

Amperage: To figure how much amperage your unit is using, simply use the following formula: Wattage divided by Voltage equals Amperage.

The average household circuit breaker is rated at 15 amps. In other words, if the total amperage drawn from that circuit exceeds 15 amps, the circuit breaker will trip off. You have probably one or perhaps two circuits per room. If you have a 1000 watt unit running off a 120 volt circuit, it will draw approximately 9 amps (1000 watts/110 volts = 9.1 amps).

As for the cost of electricity to run your grow light, we recommend that you check with your local power company, since the cost will vary depending on the geographical area. Find out what you are charged for one kilowatt hour (kW/h) of Power. 1 kwh = 1000 watts for 1 hour. I.E. 10 ea 100 watt light bulbs for 1 hr.

Example - If your charge for 1 kilowatt hour in your area is 6 cents per kW/h, a 1000 watt fixture will use 1.1 kW per hour. Lets say you burn your light 14 hours per day; 14 hours x .066 (.06 x 1.1) = .92 cents per day. If you burn it 30 days per month the cost will be 30 x .92 per day = $27.60 per month. If you burn burn 400 watt lamps you will use .46 (46%) of 1 kW hour. So it will cost .06 kW x .46 = .028 or 2.8 cents per hour x 14 hours per day = .39 cents per day x 30 days per month = $11.70 month. 1000w fixtures use 1100 watts per hour, 400 watt fixtures use 460 watts per hour, 250 watt fixtures use 295 watts per hour and 175 watt fixtures use 210 watts per hour. The reason the fixture uses more watts than the lamp rating is because of ballast inefficiency and heat loss.

More on Power Usage with Sunlight Supply Fixtures

Propagation & Cloning:

Cloning:
1. Select a branch or stem that has at least 2 or 3 sets of leaves.
2. Locate a spot on the branch between, or next to, a set of leaf nodes where your cut will be made (leaf nodes are where the branches come out of the stem). Leave at least one set of nodes above the cut.
3. Make a clean, neat, 45 degree slice with a razor blade or knife. It is important that you do not damage the branch while handling.
4. Remove the lower 1 or 2 sets of branches (stems and leaves), leaving the upper sets of leaves to be placed above the growing medium line. Trim any flowers or buds that remain.
5. To prevent an air bubble (embolism) from lodging in the stem where the cut is, immediately dip the base of the cutting into a quality cloning gel, like Clonex or Rootech. Place cutting into your growing medium.
6. Keep your growing medium moist and warm with bottom heat at all times for best results. Never let your growing medium dry out.
7. Check your growing medium and transfer cuttings once roots appear or a strong root ball is established.
Additional Tips for Cloning:
1. pH balance your medium between 5.5 and 6.2.
2. Healthy and actively growing plants provide the best choice of clones.
3. Be sure to sterilize your growing medium and any tools needed to do the job, i.e. the scalpel.
4. Keep the bottom heat around 75*-85*F and the ambient greenhouse/indoor temperature at 70*F.
5. Keep your RH high by using a humidity dome. This will help root development by allowing the plant to actively transpire without drying out during the rooting phase.
6. Remove the growth tip and excessive foliage to reduce water loss through transpiration.
7. Fluorescents are best for seed germination and rooting cuttings. HIDs can be used, but make sure the light is raised high above the humidity dome to keep the seedlings and cuttings from drying out or burning.
8. Don’t over water your cuttings.