1 large watt vs 2 smaller watt lights

[Stockton]

Ok so say you wanted to use 1200w of light.

Would it better lighting to use 2x600w lamps or 1x1000w lamp?

How about heat? Would 1 light be cooler because it has the entire grow area's volume of air to use to cool itself where as 2 bulbs would be radiating heat off each other and keep the air hotter? Or would it just not make a difference?

This is also under the factors that cost would be equal for either set up.

Also can you use HPS for veg and flower or is Mh really that important for veg?

 

[dequelo]

I have a grow box I use from time to time that is 4 foot x 8 foot x 8 foot tall

I use 3 - 400 watt HID in it as long as I keep my plants around 34 inches from the top of the soilless life is good

with the 2 600s you can run one MH and one HPS for a mixed spectrum and not worry about changing bulbs

I know my older iron core 1000 watt ballast kick out loads of heat, but I always run them when I need the heat in my grow so it works out good

I find that all and all I get about the same GPW with the different watt light

it just what makes the grow ezer for me

I also like 400s because the cost for me is dirt cheap for ballast and bulbs

all the best in your grow and be safe

Dequelo

 

[KushMaster707]

if you have the room i would do the 2x600w for the different spectrums it may be a bit hotter though

 

[Rolln J]

if you want big buds go with 1000 watts - I just harvested my medical grow, first one in a long time I used MH throughout and these are the greasiest, most resin covered stinky nugs I have seen in my garden in a long while! I used Sunmaster warm spectrum and I have to say that bulb is magic with the sour grapes (purple elephant x sour d)

 

[Stockton]

So if it were to just be one light the whole time Mh is better then HPS?

I thought HPS was better cause it was better for flowering.

Mh is cheaper though so that's good.

 

[Rolln J]

hps is more lumens then MH and for some straight sativa strains it may be better - but the 2 runs I did prior to this one I used mh and hps and all the buds on the MH side were bigger, frostier, had more resin and bigger trichs... and yes they weighed more too.

when I was harvesting last night I didnt wear gloves when I was chopping down the first few and I could actually feel the crystals like tiny grains of sand between my fingertips.

 

[Budhog]

I use straight mh for 1st 2 weeks of flower. Seems to make for more compact plants with closer nodes. I then switch over to hps for the rest of the show.

 

[Stockton]

Awesome great info.

What spectrum range Mh are you using?

I see I can get ranges from 3k-6500. Should I change bulbs. Say use a standard 4200 for veg and switch to a 3k for flower or can I just run 3k the whole time?

Sorry for all the questions never used lights before, only the sun.

 

[Rolln J]

if your gonna go MH you can run the warm spectrum the whole way - you could get fancy and buy different bulbs, but not really necessary...

 

[GroHi]

RJ~ that's some pretty cool shit.

Was everything apples to apples? Did you run the mh closer vs the hps?

Been thinking hard about switching bulbs during the last 3 weeks of flower... from an hps to the mh...

Peace.

 

[Rolln J]

yep same distance - same feeding sched...

I been doing some reading about the subject lately and finding Im not the only one. I been growing indoor since before you could get hps at your local grow shop and I never ran full hps until I bought a couple digi ballasts, I did one run and one of my hps bulbs died so I threw in a sunmaster I had laying around that had prolly 6 months on it and I couldnt believe the difference.

I recently read an article somewhere (was a magazine while waiting at a dispensary) the growers take on it was most of todays hybrids seem to do better with warm MH which is more full spectrum.

I still think that old skool strains and especially sativas might benefit more from HPS. Sativas are from a region where the hours of light dont change much. During the fall more red light is present because the earth tilts on its axis and that helps trigger the flowering response, sativa doms and pure sativas might need this more...

 

[homebrew420]

multiple studies have shown that an HPS will yeild more weight, however there is feirce debate as far as which will give you a "better" crop. It is believed, with a few studies backing it that the spectrum provided by a MH will give you a better/more complete or dynamic cannabinoid and terpene profile. Which in turn give better smelling herb and better high overall. I am from the school of thought that loves the sun. getting as close as you can will ensure the best, imo. Good luck with all you do

 

[TheIrieOne]

hey will 3 six hundred watts equal 1800 watts or is it still 600 hundred watts?

Irie

 

[homebrew420]

with more lights you get more coverage, at the specified lumens. Penetration into the canopy will obviously not be more intense, but should provide better coverage. Also pectrum is very important. for example; I have been using CMH, or ceramic metal halides. These lamps are F'ing AMAZING!! Here is a link to some infohttp://advancedtechlighting.com/cmhfact3.htm. I will never look back. These are by far the best thing going, imo. Many believe 2 400w cmh will outperform a 1000w hps. I would agree.

 

[swisscheese]

I thought I had stuff figured out before I came on this website and then I start reading threads like this.

 

[burnalot420]

i think that if you are using the same amount of watts you will be getting pretty close to the same yield..with two lights there is better light distribution...as far as using only mh..i would look into it..all that i have ever done and read stresses the importance of the reds found in the spectrum of the hps..if ya were going to only use a mh definitely use a warm bulb..but a couple of grows ago..i had a 400w mh conversion with a 400w hps..the conversion was a mix of mh/hps leaning more towards the blues..the plants on the side with the hps did way better than the mh side..but during veg they loved the h mixture and did better than under the hps..give it a try man whatever works i guess :)

 

[Rolln J]

400 hps is more lumens then a 400 mh and when you use a conversion bulb they are less initial lumens then a normal mh of the same wattage...

also right now in my side by side warm mh v hps grow the mh side appears to be kicking ass - lots of time left though...

edit: the preceding post was a good example of PWH (Posting While High)

 

[drfarm]

dang it!!! alright then ..with 2 @ 400 mh and 1 360w hps conversion. the halides are way more, way more impressive. Need to mix it up some because my observation isnt fair. all haze dom under the hps, indica doms under halides. rearranging some to see what happens from day 45 to finish

RJ, is your hps a conversion? thnx :cool0041: thread

 

[Rolln J]

no 600's only come in hps for some reason - nobody makes a true mh 600 - only conversion bulbs...

 

[webeblzr]

All my stuff I made myself, lights, hoods, boxes, rooms. I've been in it since 2001, well since I found OverGrow. I love a blend of light myself. I almost always combine hps, about 2/3's and mh about 1/3. In my small boxes, I run a 150 hps, and a 70 mh, a perfect blend for my gardens.

HOWEVER, I'm rebuilding everything, all new ballasts, bulbs, maybe even room control, but the bulbs will be the CMH's by philips. The research, shows they are the way for now, IMHO.

I'll be running in place of my 1k's 2-400's and a 250.

But the last 9 years, I've seen way nicer buds with a combo of hps/mh. Just my $.02.