should i just go with 150watt Metal Halide?

Pulang Kamatis

Pulang Kamatis

Member
good day to all,

first time grower here for about 32 days now. for now my setup relies on a 1'x1' area with 2x 24 watt cfl and 1x 42watt cfl, all are daylight temps. 18/6 with 4 plants and starting out 3 other miscellaneous plants(basil, rosemary and a chili.

plants are gaining size and getting harder to position the lights for optimum strength. plus I've read that for flower i would need about 65watts per foot of grow space which would likely be hard to achieve with my current financial constraints.

i managed to find a store selling 150watt metal halide bulbs about equal the price of my 42watt cfl. with the same e27 socket that can go into my current socket extension.

my question is this:
does the metal halide require some kind specific pricey fixture? or can i just attach it to my socket extension and rock it?:confused::confused::confused::confused:

if it doesn't then im off to buying it.
 
It will require a ballast. You cannot simply plug it into the wall so to speak. It will end up a lot more than a cfl once you buy a ballast as well. For instance you can buy a 150w bulb for £15 (these are first prices i found) but to use that bulb, you have to spend an extra £40 on the ballast.
 
Plus I wouldn't think you would want to flower with a MH light, being a new grower and all.

HTG Supply ( on the web ) has 150W HPS lights that require no ballast. Reasonably priced.
 
Yup you gonna need a Ballast of some kind for that I think(could be Wrong), Canna you stretch to £30 for a 200w 2700K for Flowering..kicks out about 10,000L would be a bit of a Squeeze though...
Depending on where You @ but Ya can get 30w(True not equivalent) 2700K for about....
£3.15 - £ 3.75.

Even though CFL give off very little heat, they do still give off some Heat, and Multiply Bulbs does mean more Heat.

Hope You sort.
 
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greenlikemoney said:
Plus I wouldn't think you would want to flower with a MH light, being a new grower and all.

HTG Supply ( on the web ) has 150W HPS lights that require no ballast. Reasonably priced.
Click to expand...

They most certainly require a ballast. The difference is that with these smaller lights, they can get away with building them into the hood.
 
by the way thanks for the replies, but i think its not looking pretty good for me. but here in my country, the price for the fixture itself that i think you are suggesting is 5 times the cost of the bulb itself. fml
 
Pulang Kamatis said:
this is the link to the product,
http://www.fireflyelectric.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=753

no actual description whether it requires a fixture or something. just says e27 socket, which i definitely have on hand. i would connect it also to an avr for surge protection and then to my timer for control. if it requires a fixture that probably triple its price then i would abort this option.
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That's just a bulb. It requires a ballast. It's not a fixture you're paying for, it's a big ass chunk of metal and electronics that weighs a tonne :D It doesn't sound like it's feasible at present (and to be honest, i've heard many things about 150w hps, and how you might as well just stick with CFL instead). get a job, save up some cash, and get yourself a nice 400w hps :)
 
tip top toker said:
That's just a bulb. It requires a ballast. It's not a fixture you're paying for, it's a big ass chunk of metal and electronics that weighs a tonne :D It doesn't sound like it's feasible at present (and to be honest, i've heard many things about 150w hps, and how you might as well just stick with CFL instead). get a job, save up some cash, and get yourself a nice 400w hps :)
Click to expand...
thanks good sir. guess i will just have to grit my teeth and stick with the cfl for my first grow. maybe the 400w mh would come on christmas time. sad news but thanks for the clarification
 
Yup.best to wait. And btw, it's nothing to do with your country, that just how it is. Same reason a car costs so much more than a headlight. Costs a hell of a lot more to build a ballast than to build a bulb.
 
tip top toker said:
They most certainly require a ballast. The difference is that with these smaller lights, they can get away with building them into the hood.
Click to expand...

Correct, the ballast is included in that product, it's just built-in, so all-in-one. A good choice for a new grower. They do make 75W HPS that actually have no ballast at all, just plug and grow.
 
greenlikemoney said:
Correct, the ballast is included in that product, it's just built-in, so all-in-one. A good choice for a new grower. They do make 75W HPS that actually have no ballast at all, just plug and grow.
Click to expand...

i would like to find that and buy about 2 just to reach the minimum of 65watts per square foot.
 
Pulang Kamatis said:
good day to all,

first time grower here for about 32 days now. for now my setup relies on a 1'x1' area with 2x 24 watt cfl and 1x 42watt cfl, all are daylight temps. 18/6 with 4 plants and starting out 3 other miscellaneous plants(basil, rosemary and a chili.

plants are gaining size and getting harder to position the lights for optimum strength. plus I've read that for flower i would need about 65watts per foot of grow space which would likely be hard to achieve with my current financial constraints.

i managed to find a store selling 150watt metal halide bulbs about equal the price of my 42watt cfl. with the same e27 socket that can go into my current socket extension.

my question is this:
does the metal halide require some kind specific pricey fixture? or can i just attach it to my socket extension and rock it?:confused::confused::confused::confused:

if it doesn't then im off to buying it.
Click to expand...
You need a ballast, which is where the real cost comes in. I got my 400w HPS digital, dimmable system on Amazon for under $150-. GET THE HIGHEST WATTAGE YOU CAN USE. 100w/sf.ft is optimal. You can find lower wattage systems there also. Peace-
 
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