a budding plant?

[smokeybro]

how long will a plant bud for? and has anyone tried to grow with only mh lights?
my buds are starting to swell the hairs are turning rust.still after about 4 months i would think more by now. i use 175watt light hid. i know sodium lights are superior for budding stage but need some imput.

 

[GanjaGuru]

How long will a plant bud for?
That's strain-dependent.
Some indica's take as little as 6 weeks from the onset of flowering until they're at peak THC, some sativa's (like some I grew last year) took 17 weeks.
Most take 8--9 weeks from onset of flowering to fully ripe.

Yield under MH will be considerably less that using HPS.
You might want to call a grow shop and ask if there is an enhanced-spectrum bulb available for the ballast your using.