how much will they suffer

[Afrikaaner]

so i never realized that there was so much negative literature online against using metal halide lights for flowering. i was wondering how much of a deal this actually was. if i was getting one light, should i get a mh or hps (no conversion bulbs) for lowryders? does it matter much if they're autoflowering, since they're kinda always in veg stage? so many variables, so many questions, any answers/advice are welcome as this project needs to get underway asap.

 

[Joseph James]

You want to use a HPS for your lowryder grow. the veg period is very short so you wont be needing a MH.

 

[Joseph James]

some people in here use a HPS for the entire period with regular strains, though I'm a bit of a stickler and prefer the right light for both phases.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

Heres what i've read. Flower with hps you get a bigger yield(more lumens per watt) that finishes faster. Flower with an mh and you'll have more potent buds(more uvb) and tighter internodes. I've only flowered with hps so I don't know how true this is.

 

[smokybear]

I would also go with the hps system. Better yields in the end. MH is good for veg and hps good for flower. I use hps all the way through and my results are great so far. Just my thoughts. Good luck and take care. Be safe.

 

[bombbudpuffa]

On another note. I'm flowering 5 plants under a 400 and 70w hps along with a 175w mh(first time using mh with hps in flower but have used 6500k fluoros with good results). My grow space is 5x2 1/2 ft. My temps stay at around 75-80. Hoping for some monster buds.

 

[Growdude]

Ive used a 1000 watt MH for my hole grows in the past, works fine, had nice big buds.

either will work but HPS will fatten them up a bit more.

 

[Afrikaaner]

ok, well thanks to all so far, but now if i get that metal halide light, and use it in conjunction with a 150 watt hps (its tied up at a friends house right now but its almost harvest time) either all during the grow or adding it after a couple of weeks on just mh, do you think this would help significantly? again, im really wondering how much of an impact using one type of light over another will really have on yield. no one seems to have done a side by side comparison...

 

[Afrikaaner]

the main reason i started this thread was because there are awesomely cheap mh lights on ebay, and not so much hps lights for really cheap. 400 watts fr 90 bucks, no shipping or tax. wayy cheaper than getting even a generic hps rated at almost half the wattage.

 

[Growdude]

the main reason i started this thread was because there are awesomely cheap mh lights on ebay, and not so much hps lights for really cheap. 400 watts fr 90 bucks, no shipping or tax. wayy cheaper than getting even a generic hps rated at almost half the wattage.

You might want to look into a ballast kit there cheap and its not hard at all to wire up.

But if given a choice because of funds I would rather have a 400 MH than a 150 OR A 250 HPS.
Here is the lumen breakdown
1000 watt HPS = 130,000 LUMENS
1000 WATT MH = 100,000 LUMENS

400 WATT HPS = 50,000 LUMENS
400 WATT MH = 36,000 LUMENS

250 WATT HPS = 29,000 LUMENS
250 WATT MH = 22,000 LUMENS

150 WATT HPS = 16,000 LUMENS
150 WATT MH = 12,5000 LUMENS

 

[naturalhi]

In case anyone is is interested in why one shouldn't use MH for flowering I'll show a chart, as per the chart Mh shines in the blue range like the springtime sun, whereas HPS shines in the red zone as per autumn sun therefore giving plants what they need when they need it. Although I also use HPS for entire grow, This could be why HPS is more expensive (supply and demand):>)

 

[The Effen Gee]

It really does makes a difference to use proper light at proper times.

I use three:

Flouros for seed/clones, Blue and Daylight Marine bulbs

MH 400 for Vegitation cycle

HPS 600 for Flowering

...and a bunch of fans cause these babys get HOT!

I also use the wing type reflectors...

 

[Firepower]

why not use both from start to finish, wouldnt that make more sense? :aok:

 

[The Effen Gee]

Well...to be fair I do use both from start to finish in the HID stages.

But this is expensive and HOT...I have great ventilation, and even better results.