Lighting Question For Experts.

Sunbiz1

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
Hi all!

I need to make a lighting decision fairly soon. Currently I am using 1,000 or so actual watts of mixed CFL's...spread out over 24 bulbs. For 9 months out of the year, plants are also supplemented with actual sunlight(yes, I am married to plants and move them daily)through NON-UV/UVB block glass. However, during the months of Nov-Jan my neighbors house blocks my south facing windows...plus sunlight is weak anyways during winter solstice period.

For these 3 months, I am going to either:

A. Replace 600 watts of 2700K CFL's with an equivalent 600 HPS.
B. Add 2 of these instead, which would only run 6 hours daily for these 3 months:
http://www.thatpetplace.com/exo-terra-solar-glo-self-ballasted-mercury-vapor-lamp-160w?gdftrk=gdfV2226_a_7c268_a_7c6967_a_7c260597&ne_ppc_id=1463&ne_key_id=26469023&gclid=CIeClJLxnbkCFdAWMgodmHMAgA

Thoughts?.
 
C

CommanderInKief

Member
First, you'd be better off having all HPS in your flower room. CFL's are most appropriate for smaller plants during the veg phase. Second, the pet lighting you propose has no specs as far as color spectrum. AVOID. Stick with real grow lights (HPS) and you'll be much happier in the end. Good luck!
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I agree. I still run my cfl grow, 24 23 watt cfls and some 42s for side lighting... but my 600 watt cool tube puts out so much more light for less wattage... I would do that plus the temp difference isn't too much different with a small 6 inch fan and ducting....
 
Sunbiz1

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
Temps are of no concern, so HPS it is then.

Hmm, now I'll be tempted to run it along side 24 42 watt CFL's...I can put the CFL's along the walls for side lighting and the HPS dead center overhead.

For a grand total of 1,600 actual watts over 25 square feet...overkill?.
 
qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I definitely notice healthier and all around better plants in the path of the cfls, I don't know if its some extra blue (i use "flowering spectrum" cfls) or small amounts of uv..but a hps will cover a 3x3 wonderfully a 4x4 with some side lighting so if you have 25 sqft I assume 5x5.. average hps puts out 90,000 lumens or so. You want to get as close to 7,000 lumens per sqft as possible, that's what the sun throws on average...buy instead of doing 1600 with cfl I would get 2 600s with ballasts that equals pretty close to 1600 and maxes a breaker, if that's a concern. But will give you a lot more light and really thicken up your bud (not saying you don't grow dense dank nuggetry)

hope that helps
 
Sunbiz1

Sunbiz1

Well-Known Member
qwizoking said:
I definitely notice healthier and all around better plants in the path of the cfls, I don't know if its some extra blue (i use "flowering spectrum" cfls) or small amounts of uv..but a hps will cover a 3x3 wonderfully a 4x4 with some side lighting so if you have 25 sqft I assume 5x5.. average hps puts out 90,000 lumens or so. You want to get as close to 7,000 lumens per sqft as possible, that's what the sun throws on average...buy instead of doing 1600 with cfl I would get 2 600s with ballasts that equals pretty close to 1600 and maxes a breaker, if that's a concern. But will give you a lot more light and really thicken up your bud (not saying you don't grow dense dank nuggetry)

hope that helps
Click to expand...
I actually just ruined 2 bubba kush plants with that CFL rig. I kept adding and adding without raising the height...and burned them(took only 3 hours)so severely they had to be trashed. Poor ladies looked like they had been microwaved, even the trichs were melted.

TY for the advice!
 
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