600w hps lights! Are they a waste of electric during veg?

[Mrjay]

Hey guys
So I’m running 4 600w hps lights but was thinking during veg does it make sense to keep them dimmed down to 250?
As they have a high red spectrum and low blue.
I will eventually make the transition to leds
But in the process of saving for them.
Any advice will help :)

 

[oldskol4evr]

get a MH bulb for veg,how big area are you using with all that light?i bet it hotter than hell in there,hps burn hotter than MH in my opnion,i never go past 50% in veg with my 400 watt,really doesnt need it again just my opinion,come flower i dont even go past 75%,im not a frosted flake kinda guy that thing 10 million watts is gonna grow better weed,im a cheap ass and my medicine is just fine with the 400 in a 2x4x5 tent

 

[goingtoguano]

Th problem with dimming HPS (from what I have read- I don't have a par meter) is that the spectrum shifts to more of what you don't need. You will get more red when dimming. That said, I still do it but the cost savings isn't really that much imo, A couple hundred $ (at most) isn't going to influence me much. The only reason I do it at all is I am trying to keep the plants in the best healthy-zone and they don't need as much light during veg.
For my next grow, I plan on using the distance from the plants more to buffer the intensity, mostly because trying to get the light at it's absolute highest position (in a tent) when it's full of tall plants is a major pita. I figure I might as well get the light in it's final position early on.

 

[Mass Meds]

We were told that dimming the bulbs negatively impacted output and longevity of the bulbs. And most web info is saying the light spectrum is greatly reduced when you dim the bulb. So we always run the 600w MH/HPS at 100%. Our plants in veg tend to grow quickly under these conditions. I don't know if they grow faster than at 50% or 75%. But we're okay with accepting electricity bills during veg for 600w @ 18hrs/day (typically 2-3 months).

IMHO - Dimming to 250w sounds like a serious reduction in light spectrum, and now you're vegging below half strength. You can't expect the plants to grow at the same rate they would under full 600w conditions.

 

[oldskol4evr]

We were told that dimming the bulbs negatively impacted output and longevity of the bulbs. And most web info is saying the light spectrum is greatly reduced when you dim the bulb. So we always run the 600w MH/HPS at 100%. Our plants in veg tend to grow quickly under these conditions. I don't know if they grow faster than at 50% or 75%. But we're okay with accepting electricity bills during veg for 600w @ 18hrs/day (typically 2-3 months).

IMHO - Dimming to 250w sounds like a serious reduction in light spectrum, and now you're vegging below half strength. You can't expect the plants to grow at the same rate they would under full 600w conditions.

funny you say that,i have bought 1 HPS bulb in 4 yrs,the MH is the original i got with the whole package 5 yrs ago,guess i need to replace them impacted bulbs hahahahah,science it every one savior,damn how did they ever figure out a wheel would roll in the day lmao,just joking every one has there opinion i guess ,science never feed me shit i will say experience has,just saying hahahah

 

[Mrjay]

Thanks for all the info guys ,appreciate everyone’s input .
Happy growing :)

 

[Mr.jiujitsu]

funny you say that,i have bought 1 HPS bulb in 4 yrs,the MH is the original i got with the whole package 5 yrs ago,guess i need to replace them impacted bulbs hahahahah,science it every one savior,damn how did they ever figure out a wheel would roll in the day lmao,just joking every one has there opinion i guess ,science never feed me shit i will say experience has,just saying hahahah

Wow I sounded like an a hole. Not meant just up too early and not enough sleep. Your opinion is respected but I think there is a lot of contrary data with strong scientific evidence that show it does effect spectrum and life.

 

[Ace9137]

As long as a plant has viable light it will grow, how it grows depends on intensity, penetration, even heat. There are many factors, personally I have been using a 400 watt for a 4X4 tent, I have no problems vegging or flowering with my lamp.

 

[Mass Meds]

@Mrjay One thing you could do. Since you're running a 4 x 600w system, is perform a controlled experiment. Just run 2 lights at the lower output (250w) and assess the plant growth and monthly electrical bill in real time. You likely have historical monthly bills running all 4 lights during past veg cycles.

My assumption would be that you could save money at the expense of plant growth in usual time you allow your plants to veg.

BTW what LED set-up are you considering flipping to?

 

[Mattyice]

MH during veg, and HPS for flowering is my rule of thumb

 

[oldskol4evr]

As long as a plant has viable light it will grow, how it grows depends on intensity, penetration, even heat. There are many factors, personally I have been using a 400 watt for a 4X4 tent, I have no problems vegging or flowering with my lamp.

thats more a less what i was saying,not every one has to have all the crystal and sqft rates all those sales gimmicks,my 400 has gave me medicine and that all i ask,if i wanted intense lighting a sales gimmick isnt my answer,the sun is and it free,i think 400 watts in a small tent does just fine and im not worried about blowing breakers and burning down my house,hey i bet my buzz and body numb does the same as all the high price tents out there,my only issue from the 70's to now is the lack of how long the buzz stays with you instead of how well it knock your dick in the dirt,im not one to sit still and just about all i have smoked in last 20 years will lay you in a chair and you sleep ,there no fun in that,sativa is my ticket i like to go on with life and have that twinge gone in the old bones and still see life go by,i aint got much more time hahaah crap i use to roll a doobie smoke it and 4 hrs later think about smoking another,buzz now last about 30 min to hour,even though it does the job i like it to last.
that might be because i dont have a zillon watts in a box,just might be ,aint fitna find out hahahahah,plan simple get me high take pain away and breath in life all i care for,yield all the other hell i dont care,i just grow more,thats what i do all plants give me a high money cant buy,every time a little speck of green pops dirt makes me smile,when they make fruit or flowers,ruins the whole plant hahahah,more of my veggie garden stuff go to my 45 deer rather than me,i just love to grow and not a competion thing if you dig

 

[oldskol4evr]

@Mrjay One thing you could do. Since you're running a 4 x 600w system, is perform a controlled experiment. Just run 2 lights at the lower output (250w) and assess the plant growth and monthly electrical bill in real time. You likely have historical monthly bills running all 4 lights during past veg cycles.

My assumption would be that you could save money at the expense of plant growth in usual time you allow your plants to veg.

BTW what LED set-up are you considering flipping to?

i will say this,like i mentioned above,i run 50 and 75%,i have tested those numbers,ive also tested the gas lantern method,right there you will see progress at i guess my low wattage,try it,be warned it works very very well only kick is you cannot run perpetuial unless you have about 4 tents,once you light them up forget about just shoving more plants in half way or ready for flower stage ,that was the only down fall,i worked them girls down to 9 hrs of light and they finished about 3 weeks earlier than the second tent doing it the old way i do ,it works and dont have much to do about beaming lights,lmao

 

[Mattyice]

thats more a less what i was saying,not every one has to have all the crystal and sqft rates all those sales gimmicks,my 400 has gave me medicine and that all i ask,if i wanted intense lighting a sales gimmick isnt my answer,the sun is and it free,i think 400 watts in a small tent does just fine and im not worried about blowing breakers and burning down my house,hey i bet my buzz and body numb does the same as all the high price tents out there,my only issue from the 70's to now is the lack of how long the buzz stays with you instead of how well it knock your dick in the dirt,im not one to sit still and just about all i have smoked in last 20 years will lay you in a chair and you sleep ,there no fun in that,sativa is my ticket i like to go on with life and have that twinge gone in the old bones and still see life go by,i aint got much more time hahaah crap i use to roll a doobie smoke it and 4 hrs later think about smoking another,buzz now last about 30 min to hour,even though it does the job i like it to last.
that might be because i dont have a zillon watts in a box,just might be ,aint fitna find out hahahahah,plan simple get me high take pain away and breath in life all i care for,yield all the other hell i dont care,i just grow more,thats what i do all plants give me a high money cant buy,every time a little speck of green pops dirt makes me smile,when they make fruit or flowers,ruins the whole plant hahahah,more of my veggie garden stuff go to my 45 deer rather than me,i just love to grow and not a competion thing if you dig

We’ll said I’m the same, old school MH and HPS lights, regular good soil, and NO chemicals at all. My cannabis has always given me great if not awesome medicine

 

[cemchris]

I ran 1000's turned down to 600's for a long time (still have 1 or 2 going in veg this way). I don't think I would go any less then that unless using something like 315's. Also has a lot to do with how much you are blasting them in flower. I hate having to turn down flower rooms for the first week from lumen shock. I mean if you are running more then a 600 per 4x4 that is a little overkill for veg.

 

[Dirtbag]

I like to ramp up to using as much light as possible in veg, as long as the plants are mature enough to handle it. I start cuttings first under T5 for a bit until they are happily rooted and growing, then I transplant and veg for a week under a 1k MH, then the 1K plus a 400w bulb, and when the plants finally get big enough to spread out and fill the whole room I run with 2x1k MH for another week before flowering under 2x1k HPS.

The plants get bigger faster and have thicker, stronger branches going into flower that way I find. Extra cost for electricity is a small price to pay for large healthy plants.

 

[Mass Meds]

I agree as seedlings and very early in the veg cycle a 600w system may be overkill. flash forward a couple weeks and the plants will have transitioned into hearty, light loving monsters. I don't see a whole lot of value gained or money saved by ramping up the lighting in veg. But to each their own.

 

[oldskol4evr]

I ran 1000's turned down to 600's for a long time (still have 1 or 2 going in veg this way). I don't think I would go any less then that unless using something like 315's. Also has a lot to do with how much you are blasting them in flower. I hate having to turn down flower rooms for the first week from lumen shock. I mean if you are running more then a 600 per 4x4 that is a little overkill for veg.

i completly agree,when and if i ever do upgrade it be a 600,most my buddies swear 1k is way to much and the sweet spot is 600 for them,i still got the same 2 ballast i got with the lights fan filter combo's,ballast goes out 600 be the ticket

 

[StinkyGr33n]

I like a 600w HPS overhead with 6500K T5 vertical side rigs, from seed to chop. All I change is the timer from18/6 to 12/12. I find the mixed spectrum lighting makes the girls happy. Very happy.

 

[cemchris]

i completly agree,when and if i ever do upgrade it be a 600,most my buddies swear 1k is way to much and the sweet spot is 600 for them,i still got the same 2 ballast i got with the lights fan filter combo's,ballast goes out 600 be the ticket

I turn them down just basically for the power saving. Saw no real difference between the 2 honestly. If I was growing bigger plants in veg I would prob stick with 1ks or if they were going into a 4k room plus def 1k's.

 

[Beachwalker]

I usually run 600w mh at 400. 250 stretches plants too much, 600 will speed up veg, but bloom is always backed up so don't need to speed it up