Dual arc bulbs vs hps

[Billz401]

Has anybody ran these dual arc bulbs & found them to be better then the hps in flowering?? I understand you will give up some yield running the dual arc because of the lumen output but will it be a huge decrease in yield? I'll sacrifice some yield for quality any day! I don't want opinions from people who have never used these bulbs just growers who have please...thanks.

 

[Steel Erection]

I've been runnin the Hortilux Dual arc 1000's have 4-5 runs over 2 different tables with them. I ran the Horti HPS 1000's before. I didn't notice any difference with the yield. I definetly think the daullies made a difference in trichrome production. What I harvested from under the duals definetly looks better imho. However when it's time for me to swap out bulbs I'm going to try the Ushio dual arcs. Quite a bit cheaper and I believe they put out more lumens then the Horti's. - SE

 

[Billz401]

Thanx for the reply SE..i would think if theres no difference in yield the dual arc would be the way to go. Especially if the final product is better looking & more potent. A lot of people out there believe u will give up to much yield running duals tho. I'm gonna check out ushios eventually myself although I'm not gonna lie I wanna try the horti first lol

 

[Unit541]

I ran dual arcs for a while, and did see some benefits in terms of overall quality. Now however, I run individual 1000w HPS and MH. I get the same benefits in quality, and a small but measurable increase in yield and density. The DA bulb provides a good mixed spectrum, but a 600w MH+ 400w MH does not equal the same intensity as 1000w of either one. For me at least, it's individual thouies for the win.

 

[Billz401]

Anybody else out there got any input on this subject

 

[deacon1503]

I've run EYE and ushio duals. both are good bulbs, with the ushios definitely cheaper. its a tough call bc u only get a 400w MH + a 600w HPS. Im trying a mixed batch of 1k mh + 1k ups this time as an experiement.

 

[Billz401]

So deacon have u experienced less yield running the duals over all hps?? I mixed a couple of 600 watt mh with my hps bulbs one grow but I don't think it was enuff blue only having 2 600's in there..

 

[deacon1503]

Well I don't believe just changing the temperature (color) of the bulb really has that much of an impact on yield. Wattage has impact on yield for sure and i don think plants care about lumens either, more PAR than anything. I have heard that the HPS is good for developing stout plant structure while the higher temp of the MH , and the nature of the MH bulb itself, provide an amount of UV that aids in essential oil production. I believe there are only benefits to be had when both spectrums are utilized.

 

[Billz401]

How often do you replace the duals??

 

[BCrocker]

Tried a dual-arc bulb out recently... The room was 14x1000 hortilux eye hps, and 1x1000 dual-arc (I think LE)... It appeared the buds under the dual-arc had more trichs, but were smaller buds as well. That being said, I like a consistant garden. I now use this bulb in a veg room.

 

[jsclimb]

dual arc are great for weeks 1-4 at most, once your in flower the plant really wants that 1000w bulb. That hard red spectrum. I like to use an hps during transition and until week 2, switch to superblue 1000w's (dualarc) after week 4 switch back to the hps bulbs. If you can i would advise just straight hanging a dualarc bulb in the room next to your 1000w bulbs. Hanging a free bulb adds to your temp by at least 4 degrees F. I have a king 6 clip next to the bulb at all times. Move the bulb every 3 days or so to different spots in the room. Dont even think about moving the bulb around while its on, you will burn yourself or even start a fire.

 

[ttystikk]

I've run dual-arc bulbs and seen others who did. While there *may* have been a slight improvement in trichomes over HPS, it did reduce yields slightly- about 10%. In other words, there are many other things a grower can do that will increase both yields and quality more than using this bulb will. Only when all of those other avenues have been optimized will altering the light spectrum make much sense.

When growers talk about utilizing spectrum changes to enhance characteristics like trich. production, I rarely see anyone discuss studies or research done on the subject. It's out there, and most of it points to a very different spectrum for increasing trich production; UVB. MH bulbs make a bit of UVA, but that hasn't been shown to increase trich production much, if at all. On the other hand, I've seen growers here on the Farm get pretty excited about the results they've gotten from UVB, and this is supported by research as well.

Think reptile bulbs; there are both mini HID and CFL types out there. Beware, from the limited research I've done, these can increase trichomes, but they're hell on your eyes (retinal damage and macular degeneration) and they can burn your plants if it's too intense. Do NOT go into a room with UVB running, even with eye protection; they'll give you a nasty sunburn in nothing flat, and those who are well tanned or dark skinned will not be protected.

 

[jsclimb]

The science behind led or mostly plasmas is thats it's the closest arrificial spectrum to the to the sun. What this does for our type of plant, is that it basically tricks the internal temperature of the plant. All the different spectrums of light and uv rays are tricking the plant. This makes the plant try and protect itself. Thus secreting oils, resins and (crystals) , as a defense to try and protect itself from thatsort of light spectrum. Look into the gavita 300w plasma, we have done tests and it does work

 

[jsclimb]

Sorry mobile uploads suck, can't type for shit

 

[Billz401]

Thanks for all the input fellas. I'm not gonna run the dual arc after finding out they only run optimal on a magnetic ballist & I have all digitals. I know people who run them on digital & they say it's fine but after talking with hortilux & reading the responses on here I will stick with the hps. A friend of mine told me about reptile lights & I was gonna look into it but my eye sight is more important then a little potency.

 

[sedate]

I've run dual-arc bulbs and seen others who did. While there *may* have been a slight improvement in trichomes over HPS, it did reduce yields slightly- about 10%. In other words, there are many other things a grower can do that will increase both yields and quality more than using this bulb will. Only when all of those other avenues have been optimized will altering the light spectrum make much sense.

^^^ I agree with all of that.

I ran dual-arcs for awhile - I made a point to run a couple of plants sandwiched between dual-arcs and another couple between straight HPS bulbs - vertically hung bulbs - all the same size/strain out of veg - and I really didn't not notice any difference between the finished plants. I didn't take a hit on yield at all - but I didn't get any differences in trich production either. They performed just like a standard 1000w HPS - as far as a 6 plant compare/contrast went.

The one difference I did notice was the heat-output. Dual-Arcs are noticeably hotter - a major downside to me (and most people obviously care about heat-print) since I run bare-bulbs and an open room.

They do look really cool when they are fired though.

 

[ttystikk]

Thanks for all the input fellas. I'm not gonna run the dual arc after finding out they only run optimal on a magnetic ballist & I have all digitals. I know people who run them on digital & they say it's fine but after talking with hortilux & reading the responses on here I will stick with the hps. A friend of mine told me about reptile lights & I was gonna look into it but my eye sight is more important then a little potency.

Running UVB needn't be dangerous; just set it up with a killswitch on the door you use to go into the growroom. Set the circuit up with a delay timer if the source you get is HID... This way, the light is off when the door is open, and you needn't worry about it screwing up the plants' light timing.

 

[ri420patient]

Running UVB needn't be dangerous; just set it up with a killswitch on the door you use to go into the growroom. Set the circuit up with a delay timer if the source you get is HID... This way, the light is off when the door is open, and you needn't worry about it screwing up the plants' light timing.

ive been wondering about running a dual arc powertrip bulb on a magnetic ballast will this be ok thanks im setting my room up now and am almost done and been hearing i can only use those bulbs on a digital ballast i will be running 4 vertical 600 dual arcs and 3 1000 watt hps hoods

 

[ttystikk]

ive been wondering about running a dual arc powertrip bulb on a magnetic ballast will this be ok thanks im setting my room up now and am almost done and been hearing i can only use those bulbs on a digital ballast i will be running 4 vertical 600 dual arcs and 3 1000 watt hps hoods

While running dual arc bulbs for additional spectrum coverage is a good idea, neither those or straight MH bulbs provide UVB output. That said, I know people get good results from these bulbs!

After a bit more research, I have found that some UVB lamp (aka reptile bulb) manufacturers are going back to an old technology; mercury vapor. Exactly how they're different I'm not sure, but it is funny how what's old is new again...