Switching LIghts , need some advise

[MrOysterhead]

Saturday i order and 400watt HPS/MH switchable ballast and light / reflector system , ten 2 gallon pots , 60 litters of clay rocks to fill the pots with, and Fox Farm , 3 qrt pack Grow Big, Big Bloom an Tger Bloom.... , im using gordan 4x4x4 cubes right now , my 6 seedlings are in 24hrs of light , there under 2 4 foot fluro bulbs , ill use the MH for the rest or the Vegg stage , and the HPS when they flower... and tips or advise from there

 

[stunzeed]

I get great results with Flo's and HPS. Good luck.

Stunzeed..

 

[ZMAN]

way to go all out, i like that. must of ran around 400 buck or so huh?

 

[DrGreenThumb]

you gotta spend the money to get the results. ive veged my plants with a HPS and i am now flowering with my HPS.

 

[moneyme]

^ X2. I am vegging under a 400 watt HPS and will flower with it too. "Ask Ed" Rosenthol from Canabis Culture swears that HPS lights will result in a better yield when used through the whole plant's life, rather than using a Metal Halide for vegging then an HPS for flowering. My plants love the HPS.

 

[the_riz]

yeah you can really controll the size and strength with hps through veg.. e.g you keep the light as low as possible without burning the leaves for the first few weeks of veg and use a fan on low 24/7, then raise the light quite high in week 4 / 5 and your plants should grow strong stemmed and stubby when the light is low, after you raise it the strong stem remains but the plant shoots up.. hps for veg all the way

 

[MrOysterhead]

thnx for the tips everyone

 

[dev]

i always veg and flower under hps i have 2 400w and 2 600w in my grow room

 

[JadeMonkey]

Hi y'all,

I just switched from Flo's to HPS and switched from 16/8 to 12/12. How long after this switch should it take for flowers to start forming? its been 3 days or so and I haven't seen any improvement yet. I know it might be shock, but on average how long until these babies start to flower????

(can't wait, can't wait, can't wait.... you get the picture...!)

 

[the_riz]

you and me both my friend.. i started flowering 4 to 5 days ago and have only just started seeing signs of sex (still un-determined but i can see the start of what could turn out to be either bud sites or pollon sacks, hopefully the first)

on average it takes 10 days. give or take depending on conditions and strains..

you should start to see your plants shooting up quickly though, mine are really loveing the 12/12

 

[JadeMonkey]

thanks for the quick feedback Riz. much appreciated....

 

[stan]

Well I 'm nuts. I use flos for seedling then HPS to 'harden" and get some stem then veg under MH for a few and back to HPS for flower.
I devised this way because it seems to stop the stretching that I saw when plants went under the HID.The spectrum change can make my mind go a little loopy and cause me to not see the growth as it will change from leaf to stem back to leaf and then branching. I find that I start measuring everything.IT also seems to prove that I am doing alright.

 

[stan]

Oh and the lower temps with HPS are easier on the younguns.
Whats all the talk about 18 inches away from the HIDs I keep mine as close as ten with no problems.

 

[the_riz]

Its hard to keep an HPS close because of the ammount of heat they generate, but well worth monitoring regularly and keeping as close as possible without burning anything to promote a strong stumpy stem.. just my opinion, everyones got there own techniques..

Stan, arnt HID's car spot lamps?

 

[Growdude]

Its hard to keep an HPS close because of the ammount of heat they generate, but well worth monitoring regularly and keeping as close as possible without burning anything to promote a strong stumpy stem.. just my opinion, everyones got there own techniques..

Stan, arnt HID's car spot lamps?

Both MH and HPS are considered High intesity discharge lights

 

[the_riz]

Ah, High intensity discharge.. im with ya

 

[KADE]

Oh and the lower temps with HPS are easier on the younguns.
Whats all the talk about 18 inches away from the HIDs I keep mine as close as ten with no problems.

If the light is vertically mounted perhaps... but horizontally... a 1000w hps will fry a plant in hours.

 

[schlendrake]

True, Kade a 1000 watt will fry plants without the right ventilation. I use a 1000hps in my flowering room with an 8" vent off the top and it keeps the temp around 85f. My area is 8'x3'x7 1/2' with the light hanging about 6' from the plants.

 

[the_riz]

damn thats a serious grow lamp!

 

[schlendrake]

Serious plants need serious light. I thought that the range hood technique would work and by george it does.