Growing with HPS
- Thread starter mufc420
- Start date
I have heard of many growers that used HPS bulbs years ago and there might still be some that do.
These days just about all the lighting systems are LED fixtures for several reasons. The LED is more efficient so it costs less to operate They operate at cooler temperatures so less concern about burning the tops of the plants. And, since they run cooler there is less need to add in strong ventilation systems that will pull the hot air from around the light and push it into another area of the house or even to the outside.
It is easier for the companies to build LEDs that will match a specific color spectrum. Some growers will have LED bulbs for vegetative growth and then switch over to LED bulbs that match the color spectrum many like for the flowering stage.
HPS and some of the other older style bulbs tend to wear out after a year or so and have to be replaced. They still come on and produce light but it is much weaker and will still cost a small fortune to run.
If you are going to look into using LED for growing then do a bit of research. Buy LED lights that are meant for growing since the LEDs used in the house or garage are not as strong. Avoid the ones found in the gardening section at a superstore or home improvement store since most of those are not going to be strong enough for growing a Marijuana plant past the seedling stage.
A way to look at it is that the LED lights should provide 35 to 50 watts of power per square foot of growing area. That is the amount of electricity as measured by how much is pulled at the outlet in the wall and not just the measurement mentioned on the bulb or packaging.
On an indoor grow the light system is the most expensive component. I cannot think of a way around that. Try to skimp on the lighting and it will cost more down the road because of smaller plants, smaller buds, fewer buds and weaker buds. Plus poor lighting and the plant will be smaller and weaker. Read up and understand the lighting systems you are thinking about, whether the HPS or LED or anything else.
These days just about all the lighting systems are LED fixtures for several reasons. The LED is more efficient so it costs less to operate They operate at cooler temperatures so less concern about burning the tops of the plants. And, since they run cooler there is less need to add in strong ventilation systems that will pull the hot air from around the light and push it into another area of the house or even to the outside.
It is easier for the companies to build LEDs that will match a specific color spectrum. Some growers will have LED bulbs for vegetative growth and then switch over to LED bulbs that match the color spectrum many like for the flowering stage.
HPS and some of the other older style bulbs tend to wear out after a year or so and have to be replaced. They still come on and produce light but it is much weaker and will still cost a small fortune to run.
If you are going to look into using LED for growing then do a bit of research. Buy LED lights that are meant for growing since the LEDs used in the house or garage are not as strong. Avoid the ones found in the gardening section at a superstore or home improvement store since most of those are not going to be strong enough for growing a Marijuana plant past the seedling stage.
A way to look at it is that the LED lights should provide 35 to 50 watts of power per square foot of growing area. That is the amount of electricity as measured by how much is pulled at the outlet in the wall and not just the measurement mentioned on the bulb or packaging.
On an indoor grow the light system is the most expensive component. I cannot think of a way around that. Try to skimp on the lighting and it will cost more down the road because of smaller plants, smaller buds, fewer buds and weaker buds. Plus poor lighting and the plant will be smaller and weaker. Read up and understand the lighting systems you are thinking about, whether the HPS or LED or anything else.
Yes, you can grow good weed with HPS, they were the standard for a long time. Most growers have switched to LED's due to the longer lifespan, reduced power costs, and less heat produced, but if you have access to HPS, they'll work fine.
Chuckeye
Well-Known Member
The up front costs of LED are almost three times the cost of a HID system.
And the traditional way to grow is veg with Metal Halide and flower with High Pressure Sodium.
A 600w system with both bulbs and parabolic reflector is $250 Cdn !
My current grow....
Cheers
And the traditional way to grow is veg with Metal Halide and flower with High Pressure Sodium.
A 600w system with both bulbs and parabolic reflector is $250 Cdn !
My current grow....
Cheers
Thank you for this information. It is more than I knew before I read it.
- Thread starter
- #6
Is this grown with HPS?The up front costs of LED are almost three times the cost of a HID system.
And the traditional way to grow is veg with Metal Halide and flower with High Pressure Sodium.
A 600w system with both bulbs and parabolic reflector is $250 Cdn !
My current grow....
Cheers
- Thread starter
- #7
Thankyou for all your replies and like Chuckeye said the upfront cost for a LED us where I'm struggling because they are so expensive but have access to 6 Hps lights with ballasts and have a good intake and outtake but it was the seedling and veg stage I didn't want to set it up for it to not be worth it
Chuckeye
Well-Known Member
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
You could make the calculations if you want.. what's the grow area you want to fill? price it out for led and running costs, and check the running costs with HPS, also the HPS bulbs you'd need to freshen up after a couple of grows if not already.
HPS can still grow great tasting weed and you'll find many who still swear by it.. it's just a bit wasteful as there's a lot of energy that isn't efficiently used.
You're also dealing with a lot of heat that you need to be able to manage.
Is it for a grow room you want to be using for the foreseeable future... then you have to price out multiple runs, and probably LED costs will outweigh the running and bulb costs from the HPS over multiple grows.
- Thread starter
- #10
It's actually for a loft that I want to fill so ventilation and heat will be a issue I will have to monitor but I was kinda hoping to do my first run with the hps I already have and then when it's saved some money from the first run I can then afford to go out and buy a better and more efficient LED
you can run HPS for veg. i did it for years. while HPS is typically a flower light, you can get bulbs more matched up for veg. as mentioned the old way of doing things was veg under MH and flower under HPS.
there are trade offs. vegging under HPS builds a different kind of plant. it can be stretchier, nodal development won't be as tight, and it can take more time to mature.
the biggest question will be how stealth you have to be. it's a lot harder to fly under the radar running hid gear. ongoing expense is the other problem.
running an HID grow will not only cost more to run the light, keeping the environment in check also will cost more. you'll have to move more air to keep things cool, you may be forced into cooling or AC, the RH% may need to be brought down or raised, all of which takes gear and the power to run it.
many of those things may be needed with LED as well, but it will not be run as hard or have to deal with the extremes that HID can bring, and you won't be drawing as much power. LED is a larger up front cost, normally it's recovered in reduced power cost within the first grow.
there are trade offs. vegging under HPS builds a different kind of plant. it can be stretchier, nodal development won't be as tight, and it can take more time to mature.
the biggest question will be how stealth you have to be. it's a lot harder to fly under the radar running hid gear. ongoing expense is the other problem.
running an HID grow will not only cost more to run the light, keeping the environment in check also will cost more. you'll have to move more air to keep things cool, you may be forced into cooling or AC, the RH% may need to be brought down or raised, all of which takes gear and the power to run it.
many of those things may be needed with LED as well, but it will not be run as hard or have to deal with the extremes that HID can bring, and you won't be drawing as much power. LED is a larger up front cost, normally it's recovered in reduced power cost within the first grow.
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
Good point, the fans will have to do a lot more work, now with LED my fans run intermittently, with HPS I'd have to exhaust the heat constantly..
and 6 of them that will add up.
and 6 of them that will add up.
led can not only reduce power draw for the light, it can also reduce power draw for everything else by 1/3 to 2/3 depending on your environment.
edit : this is the reason to go led over hps in an english loft grow ...
if you run hps you have to seriously upgrade your roof insulation. $$$$$.
Wow what a dead give away.led can not only reduce power draw for the light, it can also reduce power draw for everything else by 1/3 to 2/3 depending on your environment.
edit : this is the reason to go led over hps in an english loft grow ...
if you run hps you have to seriously upgrade your roof insulation. $$$$$.
Chuckeye
Well-Known Member
PS > The modern digital ballasts allow you to run both types of bulbs.
If your lights are from a warehouse, etc. you are stuck with HPS.
Cheers
If your lights are from a warehouse, etc. you are stuck with HPS.
Cheers
AgedMaster
Well-Known Member
ive always grown with a hps just buy dual spectrum bulbs no need to change bulbs before flower then. If its coming up to summer heat will be your problem especially with multiple bulbs in a loft with heat beaming on roof be careful it dont catch on fire i think led would be much safer in a loft but u can grow nice bud with hps but a 400w hps is the as a 250w led led is much better heres a auto i grew with a 400w hps it ended up 7ft i got 5 1/2 ounce
Fenderbender
Well-Known Member
Yeah I used to get the Lumatek Dual Spectrum ones, but I think he mainly wants to use what he got, if he has to buy 6 new bulbs...I'd go with a LED and start small and expand.
Also if the OP is planning a 6 bulb HPS room.. that's a lot of power and a lot of heat.. and if you want to be better safe than sorry you kinda have to rig it up properly, for HPS I had a nice fusebox with a proper relay and timer and everything clean and properly wired up. And preferably fresh sockets & bulbs & digital ballasts.
And you have to manage all the heat which changes the exhaust and fan situation.
Most likely one is still going to spend some money to arrange everything for the HPS grow.
I think it's less headache and sounder sleep and less drain on the finances and more stealthy to use LED.
Just get one of the type you'd like to fill the room with grow one big or several plants under it and expand from there.. you'll quickly have the whole room finished what's the size flowering space you want to end up with?
Also if the OP is planning a 6 bulb HPS room.. that's a lot of power and a lot of heat.. and if you want to be better safe than sorry you kinda have to rig it up properly, for HPS I had a nice fusebox with a proper relay and timer and everything clean and properly wired up. And preferably fresh sockets & bulbs & digital ballasts.
And you have to manage all the heat which changes the exhaust and fan situation.
Most likely one is still going to spend some money to arrange everything for the HPS grow.
I think it's less headache and sounder sleep and less drain on the finances and more stealthy to use LED.
Just get one of the type you'd like to fill the room with grow one big or several plants under it and expand from there.. you'll quickly have the whole room finished what's the size flowering space you want to end up with?
One other thing to consider adding to the cost is running the air exchange duct-work. That situation means having enough duct-work to get from the source of the heat to whereever it is safe to move the hot air to. If you are growing in a loft it is possible that the only place to push the hot air to is outside. That might mean cutting holes in the ceiling or roof or wall. Then the fans to move the hot air out of the grow area in large enough amounts to keep the area at the right temperature.
Run the numbers. There might not be enough, or even any, saved money from the first run with the HPS that could be used to go towards buying a better lighting system.
- Thread starter
- #20
I have 6 hps lamps bulbs and ballasts available but won't necessarily use them all due to heat and safety reasons but if I use 3 I should get a decent sized 6plants... I do have a 250w LED that I have at my mates which I was thinking to replace 1 of the hps with this? And use the LED through veg but you know how it is when your gear is at your mates, they coincidentally are never home when you want to pop round and I need to get this started sooner rather than later
