ms4ms,
I know what kind of ballast you are referring to and some of the electronics ballast are "autosensing" -- they sense what kind of bulb you put inb and AUTOmatically switch the balast to the correct setting -- and some of them you have to manually switch to the correct type.
What I'm speaking about is a bulb that supposedly has the auto sensing/switching built into the bulb itself. That woould enable those of us who are still using magnetc (old style ocmmercial) ballasts to use the bulb with either a MH or HPS ballast. Does any one know any thing aobut that?
I'm beginning to think I'm hearing people who aren't knowledgeable on the subject talk about the Argrosun sodium halide bulb that supposedly puts out the same high rec/orange/yellow spectrum and a HPS but in a MH bulb that also has the traditional MH spedctrum. As near as I can tell, these bulbs can only be used with a MH ballast but the package doesn't address that issue. It just says it is a MH bulb with the additional HPS spectrum added to it for a more balanced full spectrum light. However, that seem slike it is a compromise that lessens the effecivenss of the MH for vegging without increasing the effectivenss for budding to the HPS level because because then there is too much blue. However, if one was stuck with having to use one bulb all the way through the life of the plant, this sodium halide would probably give better results than using just a MH bulb. However, at least here in Spokane, WA, you can buy the MH bulbs commercially (hopefully it already came with the fixture) and then buy a "conversion" bulb that is a special HPS bulb that will work with a MH vballast cheaper than buying the one sodium halide Agrosun. Thbat is my intent -- continue to use the MH for vegging, then change to the HPS "conversion" bulb for budding until I can obtain either HPS ballasts, or T5s with the 2400k reddish tubes for budding
I know that is the situation that my friends that use T5s are in. If they alternate the cool light tubes with the 2400K redish tubes, they don't get as good of results as if they use the standard cool whites for vegging and then change over to the reddish 2400k tubes for budding.
I would still like ot know if any one knows anythign about these so called combination bulbs, rather than switchable ballasts, that can be used with either a MH or HPS non-switchable ballast.
thnak you.
Don Jones
for your grow
