Adding HPS light to a T5 grow

[dieselskunk]

My grow is starting to put out the white hairs now and forming buds on top. My light is a 4' ,4 bulb Ho T5 with 2 agrabrite grow and 2 agrabrite bloom. I have a 250W hps I can add. Will this help produce more tighter growth buds and more weight? I am thinking of hanging it 90 degrees to help the lower growth. I am growing on a 12/12 now and thinking of 6 or 8 hours of HPS to keep the electric bill lower. I am growing skunk#1 regular seed in soil, dyna grow bloom for nutes.

I saw the lighting forum to late, should have posted this over there.

 

[Scientific]

As an engineer I used to work for used to say, "I guess we're going to have to take some measurements." You can get a cheap but adequate light meter at Amazon for about $15 that can really help with a questions like this. I have used mine a lot. Just a thought.

(I think as a rule the answer to the question, "Will adding more light give me better results?" is "Yes.")

 

[popojijo4]

Yes I add 1000w hps to my grow and my results are amazing compared to leaving em under led for flower as well

 

[TheFertilizer]

I think it will help out a lot, 4' 4 tube T5 is only like 20,000 lumens. Plants want 40,000-50,000 to flower well, and so if you add your 250 W HPS that will probably be 20,000 more lumens, and you'll be right in the ballpark you want.

If you don't mind me asking though, is there a reason why you would rather not get a 400-600 W HPS? You'd have about the same power consumption, but more light since HPS is more efficient than fluorescent. I don't mean to sound critical, but I think at this point you should worry more about light output than the color spectrum.

 

[dieselskunk]

As an engineer I used to work for used to say, "I guess we're going to have to take some measurements." You can get a cheap but adequate light meter at Amazon for about $15 that can really help with a questions like this. I have used mine a lot. Just a thought.

(I think as a rule the answer to the question, "Will adding more light give me better results?" is "Yes.")

Thats sounds cheap for a meter and a will add to my list. knowing now my light may be low I'll add the HPS for 12 hours to up the light to what's needed.

I think it will help out a lot, 4' 4 tube T5 is only like 20,000 lumens. Plants want 40,000-50,000 to flower well, and so if you add your 250 W HPS that will probably be 20,000 more lumens, and you'll be right in the ballpark you want
If you don't mind me asking though, is there a reason why you would rather not get a 400-600 W HPS? You'd have about the same power consumption, but more light since HPS is more efficient than fluorescent. I don't mean to sound critical, but I think at this point you should worry more about light output than the color spectrum.

I don't mind you asking at all, I am here to learn from others. I got the T5 instead of buying a Led from Amazon, I don't have the money to get a real LED right now and I didn't trust Amazon's Led lights, they get mixed reviews and I just don't trust them yet. I already had the 250W HPS so I didn't want a second. As far as power consumption It will cost less to veg under a T5 and add the HPS to flower.

My only other problem is I have all female plants. Yes this is going to sound strange knowing that seeds take away from the buds strength, I was hoping to get some seeds so I don't have to buy them and have a stable stock.

 

[Scientific]

Thats sounds cheap for a meter and a will add to my list.

Just FYI, mine is the Leaton Digital Luxmeter / Digital Illuminance Light Meter lux meter with LCD Display(Range: 0.1~200,000 Lux). It's $17 at Amazon. Does the job (doesn't work for LEDs though).

 

[TheFertilizer]

Thats sounds cheap for a meter and a will add to my list. knowing now my light may be low I'll add the HPS for 12 hours to up the light to what's needed.



I don't mind you asking at all, I am here to learn from others. I got the T5 instead of buying a Led from Amazon, I don't have the money to get a real LED right now and I didn't trust Amazon's Led lights, they get mixed reviews and I just don't trust them yet. I already had the 250W HPS so I didn't want a second. As far as power consumption It will cost less to veg under a T5 and add the HPS to flower.

My only other problem is I have all female plants. Yes this is going to sound strange knowing that seeds take away from the buds strength, I was hoping to get some seeds so I don't have to buy them and have a stable stock.

You can spray them with colloidal silver to make them produce male flowers, and then you can take that pollen and make seeds. Nice side benefit, all the seeds you make this way will come out female.

 

[dieselskunk]

You can spray them with colloidal silver to make them produce male flowers, and then you can take that pollen and make seeds. Nice side benefit, all the seeds you make this way will come out female.

Yea I read something on the colloidal silver, could not find it locally so I will get some on amazon. I read that you should not smoke any plant you spray. Is that the whole plant or just what you spray? Would not want to toss out any buds on the other part of the plant unless I had to. Female seeds would be a dream come true.

 

[popojijo4]

You can spray them with colloidal silver to make them produce male flowers, and then you can take that pollen and make seeds. Nice side benefit, all the seeds you make this way will come out female.

You are correct good sir

 

[dieselskunk]

So I am getting 120 ppm colloidal silver, but the article in another forum mentioned 30 ppm. Is 120 to strong? Thinking of watering down with distilled water to 60 ppm. The 250 HPS hung vertically added allot to the grow, foam insulation on the walls with foil is bouncing light to the back side of the plants.

 

[TheFertilizer]

Oh I would be careful running the HPS vertically, not all lamps are rated to be run vertical, some only horizontal. It would probably be best to have that one shining down on them and the flourescent providing the auxiliary side lighting.

I don't know if 120 ppm is too strong, I haven't really hard of anyone making it too strong yet. electro gypsy seems pretty experienced with it, there's a DocBud thread about making fem seeds I'm subscribed to, trying it for the first time myself. I got some 240 ppm stuff and diluted it down to 60, or at least I thought it would be 60 by the volume I diluted it at. When I tested with an actual TDS meter I found I had been running it closer to 40. Anyway, I seem to hear most success with 40 or above, but I also ready an article suggesting at least 30 I may be wrong but I think I saw someone saying that they ran at 80 ppm and the plants tolerated it.

So I think the 60 ppm range is a good one to aim for

OH and I read that about smoking any plant sprayed with it as well, and I'm not sure if that means the whole plant or just the parts sprayed, but I DO know that people use this stuff as a dietary suppliment so you could probably at least salvage the bud for edibles. I think the concern with smoking it is that silver gives off poisonous fumes when evaporated.

EDIT

You know, I gotta eat crow, I just did a quick google.

Silver FAQ - Dartmouth Toxic Metals Superfund Research Program

Now, I don't think Dartmouth university is going to be a shill for the dietary suppliment companies either, so I think you can trust that.

 

[dieselskunk]

Thanks for the Dartmouth link, lots of info there. Just got the C.S. in the mail so I'll spray the plant starting today. I'll cut the 120 ppm to 60 using distilled water.
I have some crow to eat as well. I read more and it turns out only the spots you spray C.S. are not safe to smoke, the rest is fine.
When I see changes in the plant I can post pics and update. Got to say this sounds like fun.