I started growing my own crops about 2 weeks ago. I use 23watt cfl bulbs. The plants have been growing fine for now. I have three plants.I think about replacing my 23watt cfl bulbs with 50watt hps ones.The hps 50w bulbs are 4200lumens and the cfl are idk aout 1200. Are the hps bulbs gonna be any better than the cfl ones. I can only buy 50w hps i dont have money to spend on grow lights.
CFL or HPS
- Thread starter Invader78
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to the forum...By the time you get the bulb and ballast, the HPS lights will cost you about $180 CAD each. A grow light with higher light output would be cheaper. One example is the Mars reflector 48, another the King X4 Dimmable 1200W LED Grow Light. Either of these would give you far more light than the 50w HPS. I use the King X6 in a 2' x 4' grow tent with good results. The Mars light draws 100w from the wall, while the King X4 draws about 215w at full output.
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- #3
Greenlizard
Well-Known Member
Hi, and welcome to the group.
So you want to grow 3 plants but use very little light / power... well it can be done but the first thing I would do is give away or toss out 2 of those plants. Just stick with the one that looks the best.
I never heard of 50 watt HPS lights so I can't help with that. I bet they give off more heat than they are worth but... you never know I guess.
What other info can you give us? Is this grow in a tent?
So you want to grow 3 plants but use very little light / power... well it can be done but the first thing I would do is give away or toss out 2 of those plants. Just stick with the one that looks the best.
I never heard of 50 watt HPS lights so I can't help with that. I bet they give off more heat than they are worth but... you never know I guess.
What other info can you give us? Is this grow in a tent?
I looked up the cost for a 50w HPS setup on Amazon. I'm happy to hear you've found a lower cost source for them. lights, being the most expensive part of my setup, are the components I put the most thought into.
I would think the 50w HPS would be more efficient and give you a better spectrum. I can't say with any certainty, as I've not used them.
I would think the 50w HPS would be more efficient and give you a better spectrum. I can't say with any certainty, as I've not used them.
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- #6
Well i have almost no money to spend i found a guy selling 50watt hps bulbs for 4 bucks a piece. I know they will be some chinese knock offs but im just wondering if they will be any better than the cfl ones. I plan on just putting one above each plant like i did with the cfls. The plant are growing well so i dont plan on giving up on them.
Greenlizard
Well-Known Member
Ok. I understand the budget is an issue. With that being said one 23 watt CFL bulb above each plant isn't going to grow you anything worth your time and effort in my opinion. If you switch over to the 50 watt lights you might have a harvest if they are actually 50 watts each. Keep in mind when I say harvest I am not talking about plants 3' high or anything. You will have to put them into flower at a really small size. Also an expected yield off 50 watts above one plant would be under an ounce in my opinion. Perhaps some budget growers will chime in and correct me but it's a lot of work, time, and effort to grow weed and without enough fruit for your labor it comes to a point when it's just not worth it.
Now if you take just one of those plants and put all 3 50 watt HPS lights over it you will have something worth your time in my opinion.
As you mentioned "The plants are growing well so I don't plan on giving up on them". This is very temporary. As mentioned you have 2 week old seedlings (at least that's what I got from your original post) Seedlings would do just fine for a few weeks under 23 Watt CFL lights but they will soon outgrow this and need much more.
Now if you take just one of those plants and put all 3 50 watt HPS lights over it you will have something worth your time in my opinion.
As you mentioned "The plants are growing well so I don't plan on giving up on them". This is very temporary. As mentioned you have 2 week old seedlings (at least that's what I got from your original post) Seedlings would do just fine for a few weeks under 23 Watt CFL lights but they will soon outgrow this and need much more.
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- #8
Thanks for your advice. I might consider doing so but i dont expect that much of harvest 20g a plant with do it for me. I just wanted to know if its even worth the effort to switch to hps. And so if i just leave one plant i will get more harvest than if i countinue to grow all 3? Im talking about combined not per plant
Greenlizard
Well-Known Member
That is correct. One plant with 150 watts of light over it will yield more than 3 plants with 50 watts of light over each of them combined. One thing for sure is the bud will be better quality even if you got the same yield weight from each process.
At four bucks a bulb? Buy them up. I would.
And 150w cfl over one plant. Done right could get you one ounce of bud.
And 150w cfl over one plant. Done right could get you one ounce of bud.
And $15 to $75 for each ballast (x4), plus sockets/wiring? You're going to end up in the same general neighborhood as you would if you'd decided to DIY four 70-watt HPS - or even 150-watt ones.
Or maybe one halfway decent new 250-watt HPS setup. The only benefit in going the low-wattage route, and that probably a hypothetical one, is that you could buy one part this week, one part next week, et cetera versus having fewer total parts to purchase - but ones which cost more per item. Between the greater efficiency (more gross light output) and greater penetration ability, a single 250-watt HPS would be the performance (and efficiency) winner. You'll also have a better selection of bulbs to choose from instead of general utility bulbs.
Or continue saving your money and buy one of the cheaper LED products available. $20 doesn't seem like much money - but it's 1/4 of the cost of Mars-Hydro's (one of our forum sponsors) ECO 300, and 1/5 of the cost of their Reflector 48.
If you must go the "cheapest" route, keep saving while you scan yours and nearby Craigslist pages for used 250- and 400-watt HPS and MH utility light setups; these things are often advertised for around $25 each (with quantity discounts if someone is selling more than four). If you buy one, you'll want to buy a cheap new bulb for it. If it's an enclosed fixture, you'll want to "remote" the ballast to get its heat out of the grow space. Unless you plan on modifying it for air-cooling, remove and discard the glass. If it's one of the 40+ pound ones, lol, you might want to discard the entire enclosure and just keep the ballast, socket, and reflector piece.
These days it's not uncommon to see actual "grow light" HIDs selling used on Craigslist. You can find these in 250- and 400-watt versions, too, but there are also 600- and 1,000-watt ones. They'll all tend to be more expensive than the above utility / general purpose lights.
I'd probably try to avoid used LED grow lights. Prices have come down, especially for the lower-powered end of the range, so you wouldn't be saving a great deal - and any savings up front would be balanced against the lack of warranty, unknown use history, and possibility that you'd be purchasing a lower-performing product.
By the way, speaking of Mars-Hydro products, they're doing a brand new product giveaway right now! You should enter it; maybe your next light will be free . . . .
Mars Hydro New LED Grow Light Give Away
Hi Everyone, firstly thank you all for the support so we get enough support to open this giveaway. Okay, so now Giveaway Begins! Please comment in this post: I suppose Mars Hydro New light is xxxxx (Fill the word in, and the word needs to be an adjective). We will pick the comment with most...
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