Old dude, first grow, need help from the pros

Grow Cycle Preparations
21

I will defer to @dbrn32 for expertise, but I keep notes on his recommendations.
For a 4x4 space, my notes say:
Two HLG 260 XL kits.

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22

Oh, I just noticed you said you want to grow 6 plants. That will be tight in a 4x4 space - most people would grow 4 plants (4 sq. ft. per plant) in that amount of space.
If you decide you want to expand to a 5x5 space, the lighting recommendation would be:
Three HLG 260 XL kits.

Growing marijuana gets expensive quick!

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Yeah, Tommy, growing can be very expensive but cheap in the long run if one nos what in the hell heā€™s doing. Those kits are around $360.00 each so 2or3 would be over the top. I would have to sell my first-born son to pay for them. And heā€™s an adult working in law enforcement and probably wouldnā€™t go for that. Can u recommend an LED under $200.00 that would allow me to grow 3-6
beanstalks like Jack climbed?

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One final stat. I have an empty 18ā€™ x 30ā€™ room devoid of light so space is no problem.

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I donā€™t believe such a fixture exists. You could probably go with air cooled 1000 watt hps fixture for probably $200-300, it would also require a duct fan.

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Yep. HID (High Intensity Discharge) is the way you want to go. It was the defacto standard for a long time, and is still a perfectly viable solution. Expounding on what @dbrn32 said, you want:
1000 watt HID fixture, air cooled
Digital dimmable ballast
Metal Halid bulb for vegetative stage, High Pressure Sodium bulb for flowering stage.

Iā€™m not endorsing this particular product, but I wanted to provide an example of what weā€™re talking about:

By the way, in case youā€™re interested: growershouse has a really good deal on a 4x4 tent package with just about everything you would need to get started: 1000 watt air-cooled HID setup with both types of bulbs, exhaust fan, carbon filter, circulation fans, outlet timer, and some pots to grow in.
It is part number 4x4-1000HID-S

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Hey dude, thanks. Iā€™m looking into it. So much info on this site.

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Regular HID lighting is what I have worked with for many years. Works great but the heat is a major issue. The package deal above is worth looking at. If I have to replaceā€¦I would go that way.
Not an electronic expertā€¦no experience with LEDā€™s. The price range stops me.
Will look into it once I win the lottery.

BTWā€¦I made a pvc frame to hold the light. 1.5" pvcā€¦a couple of 90 elbows and two tees.

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The key to HID lighting is to use an air-cooled reflector. All the heat gets sucked out of the tent.

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