Will HPS be okay for seedling/veg?

Trying to do my homework, and people are saying my HPS will be too strong for the veg stage, causing the plant to over-stretch?
Can anyone suggest what i should do to rectify?
Also is it worth potting my seedlings in smaller pots, or can i sow directly into the 20Ls to avoid doing this at another point?

Note;
- Adjustable light height
- Tall grow space
- 250w HPS over 3 plants

These 3 were veg'd and flowered with a 150w hps. Honestly HPS are fine for veg, the blue spectrum is just better.

start your seeds in small pots then move up. you can do a whole grow in hps from start to finish. just ajust the distance as the plants require more light. hps is great for vegging. it's a little on the red side but ppl do it anyway and the plants grow fine. i like to germ and veg for about a month in t5 floros. then move them to more intense light as they need it. remember 250w is not a lot. keep your canopy close to the sourse.

Ah okay, this is my first so i'm trying not to slip up on any little details, the ladies look lovely though and thanks for the advice

Also, can someone give me a rough height of how high the shade should be from the seedlings to begin with?
Even just an estimate as i literally dont know

lazykush said:

Ah okay, this is my first so i'm trying not to slip up on any little details, the ladies look lovely though and thanks for the advice

Also, can someone give me a rough height of how high the shade should be from the seedlings to begin with?
Even just an estimate as i literally dont know

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What do you mean the shade? If you mean the distance from canopy to light then have it kind of high until they pop out, once they're about 2-4 days from seeds get the HPS as close as you possibly can without heat issues. Closer the light the better, but when they're seedlings be really carefull about the heat

goodluck man

You don't want to put fresh seedlings under hps of course. For the first 3-5 days just put them under a flourescent light, it doesnt even have to be very strong. Just give them time to get some strength or the HPS will dry them out.

From my personal experiences, HPS in veg will give them fast, vigorous growth, but too fast. The spaces between nodes are longer than I prefer.

When you have the additional funds I would suggest purchasing a MH bulb that will work in your set up.

Could you recommend a specific bulb i could purchase? Perhaps an eBay example or from an online shop?
Appreciating everyones help so far Cant wait to start my log

lazykush said:

Could you recommend a specific bulb i could purchase? Perhaps an eBay example or from an online shop?
Appreciating everyones help so far Cant wait to start my log

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It depends on what type of ballast you have. Do you know if it is digital or magnetic? If magnetic you would need a MH conversion bulb, if you have a digital ballast then any MH bulb will work.

Is the ballast the actual power supply etc for the light? Just getting used to all the terms.
Would the bulb be used for the full veg stage?
Could probably purchase one before i would get started, price seems reasonable on eBay

Yes the ballast is the powersupply.

Couldnt find the information on it but i sent you a PM

Frisko said:

I vegged with a 400 watt Hps, it worked fine.

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Yes it will work without an issue. When you grow with MH veg and HPS in flowering you will see the difference.
MH keeps the plant more compact with less spacing between the nodes. You end up with denser, fatter, buds at the end.
You will end up with good buds with HPS the whole way, but you will see a difference using MH in veg.

Will this make a significant enough difference for me to ensure i do it in this first attempt?
I want the maximum from my work obviously but my budget is pretty stretched for this first attempt.

Personally I prefer a 400w dual arc, covers everything you need very well and the bulbs are like $15-16

lazykush said:

Will this make a significant enough difference for me to ensure i do it in this first attempt?
I want the maximum from my work obviously but my budget is pretty stretched for this first attempt.

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If you are on a tight budget, I would say skip the MH bulb for now. Just plan to add it in to your grows at some point in the future because it is worth it over all.

LordRalh3 said:

Personally I prefer a 400w dual arc, covers everything you need very well and the bulbs are like $15-16

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Yes, that is a good point. The bulb technology is going crazy lately and there are so many different bulbs with many different spectrums and we have barely even begun to scratch the surface on which really work the best.

I can't agree with any of you guys. I put my 1kw hps 4' above the medium, from the bulb. It stays there through out the entire grow. I do them in the cloning bin and as soon as they get a good set of single adult leaves they go in the bed at 12/12. This still allows me to code a snip for a mom. I mostly use clones unless I'm just starting out or checking out a new strain.

lazykush said:

Could you recommend a specific bulb i could purchase? Perhaps an eBay example or from an online shop?
Appreciating everyones help so far Cant wait to start my log

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www.bulkhydro.com Best prices on Hortilux HPS bulbs you will find with free shipping. They work fantastic start to finish.

And if you have a magnetic hps ballast a MH bulb will fire just fine with it. No need for a more costly, less light output conversion bulb.

If you're gonna by a bulb get a ceramic metal halide. It works on everything. Me? I'm still stuck in the bone age. 1kw hps for budding 12/12. Cool white flouros for clones, Daylight tubes 24hr supplemented with mercury vapour MH 18/6 for moms.