Any Recommendations On Lights

[Slayer84092]

So i'm restarting my closet grow room. Basically every time I redo it I add some better equipment and the end product gets noticably better with it. This time i'm replacing my lights. I want to switch to either metal halide or high pressure sodium as i've heard they're my best options. My grow room is 4'x4', and i'll have between 4-6 plants. What specific lighting system do you think would be best for my situation and why? Any info would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.

 

[moe323]

i know someone that has a 4x4 room. and is growing 2 plants in there but has plenty of space for more. they have a 600 watt HPS light in there and in my opion is plenty of light for the area. as for the MH it is used more for the growing stage of the plants and then when you cut your lights back to 12/12 you change over to the HPS for best results. but if you only plan on using 1 light go for the HPS as it can be used for both stages.

 

[MeanBean]

Would you Consider LED?

 

[CocoJoe]

Hi Slayer84092, You have a few options to choose from. moe323's answer is the way most people go and works fine. MeanBean says to consider an LED light. This would be used for veg. and flowering. You might save some money this way. I am going to try this when I can. The last time I flowered plants it was under a Warm MH lamp. This works better than you might guess. You can also veg. healthy plants under the same. Metal halides lamps run at higher temps than than HPS lamps. If money is a concern, go with a one lamp solution. HPS, Warm MH, and LEDs can be used for both veg. and bloom.
Also you can use cfls or T5HO lamps. You Have lots of ways to go.
Stay Safe and Much Luck!

 

[Strain Hunter]

I think the best way to go would be if ya got a digital interchangable ballast that excepts both MH for veg and HPS for flowering, the best indoor results ive seen have used a simular setup, a 600w fitting would be perfect for the amount of plants ya want to grow but dont rule out a 1000w fitting

 

[Slayer84092]

I don't have any objections to LEDs, I just don't know anything about them. So far the HPS lights sound the best to me. Any brands to check out in respects to bulbs and fixtures?

 

[CocoJoe]

Hi, IMHO, I would buy a digital ballast 400 or 600, and a hortilux bulb.
You may want to go 1000, I just would not need that much light.
Again, opinion only, I would buy a Lumatek or a Galaxy ballast. screwnuts33 just bought two an loves them. Hortilux is GE Phillips if memory is working today. Much Luck!

 

[Slayer84092]

Cool cool. I'm betting it's been asked a thousand times, so sorry in advance, but how do I determine which ballast system to get? One Galaxy system I found says its for 120-240V.

 

[Slayer84092]

Also, I found a bulb on the Hortilux website that says it's a HPS and MH combo (EYE Hortilux SUPER BLUE). Would this be overkill for my closet set up or is this good?

 

[Slayer84092]

Found one other thing. Looks like a cheaper option. I don't know about using CFLs, but how is this one?

200W 5000K Mogul Base Compact Fluorescent Grow Lamp - Plantlighting Hydroponics

 

[CocoJoe]

Hi, Standard wall current is 110-120 v ok, Eye Hortilux Super Blue should veg. plants better than a standard Hortilux, and should be as good for flowering.
If your using one bulb for both veg. and flower this may be your way to go.
I would think the flowering plants would be a little bit healthier under the Super Blue as well. Stay Safe

On CFLs
I have been told there are issues with this type of bulb when they over 105 watts. from a store owner. Take a breath and think it over.

 

[Slayer84092]

I got a pair of these for free today. Are they worth using for either veg. or blooming?

 

[MeanBean]

Well, they may create more heat than worth dealing with. if not;

A. clones- seeds will love em

B. if you got a motherplant that doesnt need to give clones for a while she could live off these. Won't grow much but that may be what your looking for. Then when you need clones heat her up with some high wattage.

 

[Slayer84092]

I can deal with the heat. It IS only two bulbs. I might end up only using one anyways. I think i'm only gonna grow 3 this time and just try to focus on quality. It should be perfect from what I read on Frank and Rosenthals lighting guide. I heard that you should have 30-40 watts per plant, and past that is unused wattage. I plan to use clones from my local medical club. Still not sure what kind, just depends on what they have I guess. Hopefully they have Chocolope again. So will they be good for growth or blooming or just for keeping them generally alive? I was going to just buy a HPS system. At home depot I found a 400 watt HPS for $20 and a fixture with its own internal ballast, but it was about an inch too small to fit the bulb... pain in the ass, but what can ya do right

 

[CocoJoe]

So will they be good for growth or blooming or just for keeping them generally alive?

How ever you like. IMHO, I would use it as a mother plant until you get tired of smoking it. What do clones cost you?

 

[Slayer84092]

$15 each.

 

[CocoJoe]

That is not to bad. But you'll save 15 bucks for every clone you flower.

 

[Screwnuts33]

I have the Galaxy digital balasts. They run on either 120v or 240v and can run either a MH (vegging) bulb or HPS (flowering bulb). They run nearly silent and put off very little heat. I am using Sun Super 2 air cooled hoods. Currently I will be using the HPS for flowering as I am using T5's for veg.

 

[Slayer84092]

I've been hearing more and more about galaxy ballasts. They sound good. I thought that the metal halide lights were better for vegging than flourescents, why would you use T5s? Also, I wanted to know if you are supposed to match the bulb and ballast. By that I mean, if I have a 400 watt hps bulb, should I be using it with a 400 watt ballast and a hood that's rated at or above 400 watts?

 

[Screwnuts33]

I've been hearing more and more about galaxy ballasts. They sound good. I thought that the metal halide lights were better for vegging than flourescents, why would you use T5s? Also, I wanted to know if you are supposed to match the bulb and ballast. By that I mean, if I have a 400 watt hps bulb, should I be using it with a 400 watt ballast and a hood that's rated at or above 400 watts?

Galaxy is Sun Systems digital line. The quality is top shelf. Not the cheapest but looks very well made.

I am using T5's for veg primarily because I have them in 6500k color and the lumen output on the Sun Blaze 48 is very good. Right now I have the lights only 5" above my seedlings with no heat issues. Can't do that with MH bulbs.

Balasts have to be matched to the bulb in both wattage and bulb type. A switchable balast can run a MH or HPS bulb. Not all balasts are switchable. The Galaxy's are. Be certain the hood/reflector you choose will accept the bulb(s) you intend to run.