Many people often think that bigger is better when it comes to grow lights. Most of the people who think this also often end up killing their plants. Don't get me wrong, there IS a proper application for two 1000 watt high-pressure sodium lights, but there is also an improper application. The amount of light directly correlates the number of plants you are growing, and the available space in which to grow them.
As a rule of thumb, each plant will need around 50 watts each. So if you have 6 plants, a 300 watt HPS light will do just fine. There are exceptions to this rule of course. If you are only growing one plant, I would not hesitate to use a 100 watt light. However, this also depends on the type of weed your are growing. If your particular strain of weed is bushy, rather than tall, you could increase the amount of wattage by 50%. If it is tall and skinny, I would maintain the 50 watt per plant rule. The easiest way to have the proper light to area ratio, is to use one of these hydroponic kits for growing weed indoors.
The average weed plant takes up four square feet of floor area. This is a 2' x 2' square. So, if you are growing 6 plants, you will need about 24 square feet of floor space. However, if your room is considerably larger than that, you will lose some lumens, and it would be acceptable to add more light to the plants. For example, if you need 24 square feet, but your grow space is 100 square feet, you could go up to as much as 100 watts per plant. On the other side of your spectrum, if your grow area is only exactly as much as you need, you should reduce the amount of lighting to 35 watts per plant.
Believe it or not, the main concern for too much wattage on your grow lights is the heat generated by them, not the light itself. You not only run the risk of causing heat damage to the plant, but also burning down your house.
Hopefully after reading this guide, you will be able to accurately judge the correct amount of lights for your particular indoor grow operation.
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