Metal Halide for 1st week of 12/12?

[iagainsti]

right right right! i do it kinda like bc here.theyll eat as much of it as you can throw at em.

 

[jadins_journey]

ProGroWannabe, yep it runs on a HPS ballast. I saw one person mention that there is a MH bulb that runs in a HPS ballast, for what it's worth ANY mh bulb will fire in a HPS ballast the conversion bulbs are not necessary unless you are firing a hps from a mh ballast. I bought 2 switchable ballast before I learned this, heck I even tried it and it works just fine.

jj

 

[ProGroWannabe]

Cool JJ! Thanks for spreading the info man.

Are you planning on doing a log with the new bulbs so we can get your thoughts on them as you go along? I for one, would really like to know if you find a great difference with them.

 

[jadins_journey]

ProGroWannabe, glad I could spread a little info. Isn't that the reason we are all here, to learn and share what we have learned.

I run one of those dual arc bulbs for the first 30 days of a 60 day cycle then switch it out with a HPS bulb for the remainder of flower. Switching it out is more like swapping one bulb from one reflector to the other, I run dual gardens of SoG harvesting every 30 days. Will not jack this thread with pics of green but maybe this pic of my basic layout will help ya understand how I grow with this particular bulb.

The primary difference I see 1) shorter stretch with the dual arc 2) The HPS bulb has a 30% greater output based on my digital light meter. There's a concept some folks might miss here, there is a difference between spectrum and intensity. Each bulb has it's place in my garden.

 

[jadins_journey]

In the second pic above it is REALLY obvious to me which bulb is which, one is a dual arc, the other is the HPS. Both are 1k systems from Sunleaves. Dual arc is on the right.

jj

 

[ProGroWannabe]

JJ-->K+

And ....I didn't intend to promote the jacking of your thread FF. I'm sorry.

 

[FastForward]

JJ-->K+

And ....I didn't intend to promote the jacking of your thread FF. I'm sorry.

Don't be silly - it's all good - and interesting. I'm glad that my little question thread actually provoked some interesting discussion and some cool new tech.... :clapping

 

[kid606]

ProGroWannabe, yep it runs on a HPS ballast. I saw one person mention that there is a MH bulb that runs in a HPS ballast, for what it's worth ANY mh bulb will fire in a HPS ballast the conversion bulbs are not necessary unless you are firing a hps from a mh ballast. I bought 2 switchable ballast before I learned this, heck I even tried it and it works just fine.

jj

thanks for the info..great..:yes

 

[iagainsti]

didnt know that about mh bulbs! good to know! are you shure its not gonna blow my ballasts to smithereens?

 

[cell]

How many plants do you want/need to run in the tent? If you don't have to run lots of plants in a Sea of Green-type fashion, then you might try running a bare bulb with no reflector. You can loop the lampcord over something at the top of the tent and simply let it hang down in the very center. Then the plants will be placed around the bulb so that they encircle it. With a style like this, the plants are encouraged to bush out toward the bulb horizontally instead of shooting straight up. Then all you have to do is turn them once or twice a day during lights-on to keep everything even. Am I making any sense?

PGW, I currently have a 400w hps bulb w/o reflector that I am not using yet, I'd like to try your method while I currently have a 400w mh centrally positioned above the plants. Since I was going to add the wattage anyway for bloom to make 800w (w both hps and mh combined), that is until a bought a reflector, with your method perhaps I won't need to.

I apologize to FF in advance, I'm not hijacking his thread.

 

[ProGroWannabe]

Your absolutely right in that thinking, cell. You DO NOT need a reflector at all with the style I was describing. One less thing to pay the hydro store for--that's always a good thing in my mind...lol.

Anyhow, try it, you'll like it!

 

[The Kind Man]

Plant internodal length is directly related to the difference between night and day temperatures. The hotter your day cycle is as compared to
your night cycle, there will be a greater distance between the internodes. The closer your temperatures are during the day and night cycles (a 7 – 10 degree drop for simulating night during lights off is optimum) the closer your internodes will be. Also using Metal Halide bulbs during vegetative phase and the first two weeks of flowering will help discourage stretch. The blue - white spectrum in the Metal Halide encourages bushy growth while discouraging upward growth. Optimum would be using a 3:1 ratio of High Pressure Sodium (3) and Metal Halide (1) to achieve the full spectrum. Hope this helps.
|The Kind Man|
|Scientia Ipsum Est Vox|

 

[The Kind Man]

I agree and disagree with thcnology with cutting the days back in the final growing phase and changing the color spectrum. Yes it does mimic the natural outdoor light and spectrum patterns, but you cannot have the lumens of the sun recreated indoors without a HUGE electric bill. What I do is after the initial stretch phase I switch to either 13/11 or even 14/10 day/night cycles. Of course this is strain dependent on how far you can extend the light period because it might revert back to the vegetative phase quicker, which we do not want at all. What we’re trying to do here is push the maximum amount of light for flowering without reversing it back into vegetative state. And if done properly, this does not have any side effects other than bigger more potent crops! Since we cannot recreate the amount of lumens the sun puts out, we can/should efficiently use what we have to get better results. More light = more photosynthesis = bigger, healthy and happier plants = better final result. Try it out, you wont be disappointed :rock
|The Kind Man|
|Scientia Ipsum Est Vox|

p.s. If you’re looking to increase yields you can use T5 or Metal Halides as supplemental lighting on the sides of the plants. This works great!

 

[FastForward]

That's awesome info Kind Man.... sooo much goodness in there to digest. +1 rep for sure.

Cheers

FF

 

[BombBP]

More light = more photosynthesis = bigger, healthy and happier plants = better final result.

So, why not add extra lumens rather than extra hours at the end of flowering?

 

[sam_i_am]

i have had very very good results with using mh lighting in flower strictly i have used both and can say the yield is almost the same the only real differance i notice is with mh you get lighter green buds like the neon skunk color and longer fluffier buds but all in all the same weight..the nodes stay closer with hps but this can also be achived by closer lighting with mh lights ....just an oppinion though and i am amature so it dont count for much i guess!

 

[The Kind Man]

So, why not add extra lumens rather than extra hours at the end of flowering?

First, start using the the 13/11 or 14/10 light schedule after the initial stretch phase (usually 2 weeks) until the end of flowering, not just in the final weeks. And with the way electricity prices are and with trying to keep a low profile, why not get the extra efficiency out of lamps instead of buying another costly lighting system and adding unnecessary heat in the room? I understand your reasoning, but why not get the extra lumens out of the lamp you already have now? Especially with an air cooled system you're able to lower the height of the light source by at least 8 inches. Then add the extra hour or two the plants are able to photosynthesize, and you got yourself some nice heady nugs without a big dent in the pocket or a lot of frustration :D

 

[BombBP]

I see what you're saying too and I have grown on 13/11 before. Imho, all this adding extra this and changing this and that doesn't produce much, if any, difference in yield or quality than if you just left them alone. No offense meant at all to anyone, to each his(or her:)) own, but seems like i'd get more frustrated changing and switching stuff than just letting them be:).

 

[The Kind Man]

I see what you're saying too and I have grown on 13/11 before. Imho, all this adding extra this and changing this and that doesn't produce much, if any, difference in yield or quality than if you just left them alone. No offense meant at all to anyone, to each his(or her:)) own, but seems like i'd get more frustrated changing and switching stuff than just letting them be:).

touche BombBP :)