Lighting difficulties

[jeffca]

ok i have a 60 watt light and heard that i need a 400 watt light. how much does it usually cost and where can i get a good one that i dont have to hang from the ceiling.

is it true i need a 400 watt light? i'm going to be growing 3-5 plants.

thanks guys

[tokemon]

This is what stalls most new growers. I myself am a brand new grower so I speak from experience here :D You can't skimp on the light. A 400 watt setup can cost anywhere from $120 to $500 depending on the namebrand and source. My advice if you really wanna grow your own herb is to bite the bullet and invest in a quality ballast that will fire MH and HPS bulbs, 400 watt is the size I have and it's good for me. Even if it costs you $500 then that's what your gonna pay for an ounce of kush so why not invest that money towards growing your own?

You'll never see buds with a 60 watt bulb.

Good luck with your grow.

[jeffca]

ok i have a 60 watt light and heard that i need a 400 watt light. how much does it usually cost and where can i get a good one that i dont have to hang from the ceiling.

is it true i need a 400 watt light? i'm going to be growing 3-5 plants.

thanks guys

thanks tokemon, do you know where i can get one though?

[tokemon]

I bought mine at the local hydro store these guys were posting links to some online stores earlier this week that had cheap lights. I felt more comfortable paying cash at my local store though. For one it keeps a local business strong, I got advice from seasoned growers before I spent my hard earned money and most of all I knew if I had warranty issues they would be addressed. You can look on ebay and craigslist too. I know it's a good chunk of money but if you do it you'll be much happier with your efforts.

[Melissa]

400hps are better than cfls hands down for flowering but there has been a lot of succesfull grows just using cfls
if you are in america try this link http://www.htgsupply.com/growlighttypes.asp?categoryID=1&subcategoryID=155

goodluck with your grow :peace:

[jeffca]

thanks, which one of these should i get though, i mean how much better is the one that $164, opposed to the $119 ones. like waht's the difference between the "high pressure sodium grow light"(the first one) and the "metal halid grow light"(the second one) and the HPS and MH one.

http://www.htgsupply.com/growlights.asp?categoryID=1&subcategoryID=155&typeID=55

the only thing is i heard they could get up to $500, would this mean they aren't that good since they are only a little more than $100?

[Melissa]

im not sure but i think the mh light spectrum is better for vegging rather than flowering
as for the prices idk that either as i use a 400hps security light and removed the ballest from the casing to keep the heat down
sorry i couldnt help more ,,hopefully somebody else will imput :48:

[billy_fyshe]

ok i have a 60 watt light and heard that i need a 400 watt light. how much does it usually cost and where can i get a good one that i dont have to hang from the ceiling.

is it true i need a 400 watt light? i'm going to be growing 3-5 plants.

thanks guys

it all depends on the type your growin
and the results you want
look at this grow diary
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9280
just cfls all the way through
and there are many more on here who have had excellent results with similar equipment
its a good and inexpensive way to start :D

with the hid lights, generally
mh for veg
hps for flowering
some people use hps for both
or cfl for veg them hps for flowering

gl whatever u decide :aok:

[jeffca]

it all depends on the type your growin
and the results you want
look at this grow diary
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9280
just cfls all the way through
and there are many more on here who have had excellent results with similar equipment
its a good and inexpensive way to start :D

with the hid lights, generally
mh for veg
hps for flowering
some people use hps for both
or cfl for veg them hps for flowering

gl whatever u decide :aok:

can you use mh and hps for veg and flowering? if i bought the one with mh and hps, for example is there a way to take the hps during veg so it is only mh for veg, and take the mh out for flowering so there's only hps for flowering?

come to think of it, what is mh and hps? and what is a ballest i heard it is the "heat" in the lamp, and if you have that are you supposed to have a fan to keep the plant cool?

thanks

[Hick]

can you use mh and hps for veg and flowering? if i bought the one with mh and hps, for example is there a way to take the hps during veg so it is only mh for veg, and take the mh out for flowering so there's only hps for flowering?

come to think of it, what is mh and hps? and what is a ballest i heard it is the "heat" in the lamp, and if you have that are you supposed to have a fan to keep the plant cool?

thanks
http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=24
read up on the stickies located at that link, will answer many of your questions..:)

[jeffca]

http://www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=24
read up on the stickies located at that link, will answer many of your questions..:)

that helps a lot, i'm finding all the sticky's now and reading them. one question that i couldn't quite figure out from the link was...

what is the difference between an H.I.D. light and a HPS/MH light?

and it says you have to have to match up your bulb has to match your ballist, if i buy a lamp will it come already matched up or do i have to do this seperately?

do i need a timer for the H.I.D. light or HPS/MH light? or is this recommended for the more experienced people?

it said H.I.D. light had mercury and other crazy stuff in it, is the HPS/MH less crazy with all that, like more of a normal 400 watt light without all the chemicals?

thanks :)

[Melissa]

ok mh is metal halide ,,hps, high pressure sodium
heres some info on ballasts i found on google

lighting ballast is a piece of equipment required to control the starting and operating voltages of electrical gas discharge lights. Examples of gas discharge light sources include fluorescent and neon lights and high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps. The term lighting ballast can refer to any component of the circuit intended to limit the flow of current through the light, from a single resistor to more complex devices.

A lighting ballast is necessary to operate discharge lights because they have negative resistance, meaning they are unable to regulate the amount of current that passes through them. A lighting ballast must be used to control current flow; otherwise the light could fail. Small light sources can use passive components, which require no additional power to operate, as ballasts. An example would be a series resistor that limits the flow of current across its terminals. For high-powered lights, however, a resistor would waste a large amount of electricity, so a more complex lighting ballast is required.

An electromagnetic lighting ballast uses electromagnetic induction to provide the starting and operating voltages of a gas discharge light. Inside each is a coil of wire and an electromagnetic field that together transform voltage. Some also include an igniter for high-power applications.

Electromagnetic ballasts limit the flow of current to the light but do not change the frequency of the input power. The lamp then illuminates on each half-cycle of the power source. This is why many fluorescent and neon lights visibly flicker. Since the light illuminates on half-cycles, the rate of flicker is twice the frequency of the power source, meaning the light will flicker at 100Hz or 120Hz. A lead-lag lighting ballast can minimize flicker when connected to two lamps by alternating the flow of current to them: one leading the frequency of the input power and the other lagging behind it.

A more modern type of lighting ballast is electronic instead of electromagnetic. An electronic lighting ballast uses solid state circuitry to transform voltage, but unlike electromagnetic ballasts, can also alter the frequency of power. This means that an electronic lighting ballast can greatly reduce or eliminate any flicker in the lamps. Because it uses solid-state circuitry instead of magnetic coils, it is also more efficient and therefore runs cooler.

Because of their greater efficiency and ability to reduce flicker, electronic ballasts are more popular than electromagnetic ballasts, and are often used to replace them. A few applications, however, require an electromagnetic lighting ballast, such as ballasts that must preheat or ballasts for extremely high output lamps.


and as for fans you are going to need one blowing on the plants
and a intake and outtake fans for removing heat and adding fresh air
i hope this helps
ps if i have got anything wrong ,sorry im still learning :peace:

[Melissa]

if you use a 400hps you will need to use a 400hps bulb
and when you buy a complete light the ballast and bulb will be matched up

[The Hemp Goddess]

that helps a lot, i'm finding all the sticky's now and reading them. one question that i couldn't quite figure out from the link was...

what is the difference between an H.I.D. light and a HPS/MH light?

and it says you have to have to match up your bulb has to match your ballist, if i buy a lamp will it come already matched up or do i have to do this seperately?

do i need a timer for the H.I.D. light or HPS/MH light? or is this recommended for the more experienced people?

it said H.I.D. light had mercury and other crazy stuff in it, is the HPS/MH less crazy with all that, like more of a normal 400 watt light without all the chemicals?

thanks :)

HID stands for high intensity discharge. Both MH and HPS are different types of HID lights.

You will need a timer when you get to the flowering phase.

You need to read a lot more. Go to the Resources section.

[ChatNoir]

You can try phillips, they have pretty good discount if you buy one box from them, their 400W MH lamps come in 6 to 12 in one package.