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HPS vs HPS and MH in Flower Room

HPS vs HPS and MH in Flower Room

  • HPS

    Votes: 14 38.9%
  • HPS and MH

    Votes: 22 61.1%

  • Total voters
    36

kiwiboy

Member
Just wondering what people preferred if given a choice.

Either having only HPS in the flower room or having a mix of HPS and MH lights in a flower room.
 

kiwiboy

Member
MH for flowering is waste of money mate.

Thanks for that. When I first started researching for growiing, there was documention stating the HPS and MH was best.
But after talking to actual growers on the forum like you suggest that a mix is a waste of money. I'll put my trust into actual growers like you.
 
Thanks for that. When I first started researching for growiing, there was documention stating the HPS and MH was best.
But after talking to actual growers on the forum like you suggest that a mix is a waste of money. I'll put my trust into actual growers like you.

Interesting to say that too kiwiboy, because before I came on here (and before I saw a friend try it) I only heard bad things about trying grows with non-HID.

Especially CFL, played completely down by commercial sources as "fluorescents may work fine for seedlings but lack enough lumens to use during flowering or vegetative growth".. but after seeing countless AMAZING cfl grows here I'm going that route.

good to see you have an open mind
 

kiwiboy

Member
Always pays to have an open mind.

There is more than one way to skin a cat. And I like to know about every way there is.
 
P

purpledomgoddes

in this imaginary garden, the following lighting regime has been rewarding:

- 1k sunmaster warm deluxe mh [box states 345 par watts]
- 1k hortilux eye conversion hps
- 40 w uvb bulb+40 w daylight florescent tubes in dual tube fixtures
- red party lights
- purple party lights

sunlight is 450 par watts of full spectrum electromagnetic energy. the best that can be achieved indoors is ~250 par watts, w/ a mix of the wavelengths that plants assimilate in their photosynthetically responsive range.

a 1k hid @~ 1ft will provide ~5,000 lumens, which is ~ the same as 50,000 lux, or ~150-250 par watts.

leaves saturate @~ 300 par watts, and more light after that point is not processed in the conversion of light to usable energy.

the sun is emanating 2,000 umol/sq.m./sec. plant sees this as 12,040,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 photons per second; or 5,000 lumens/50,000 lux.

a plant needs ~ 20 photons to make 1 molecule of sugar, and store it.

nature has provided the road map for what plants expect during the season. the indoor garden just has to look closely.

red light signals flowering/fruiting, but blue light influences chemical reactions in plant too. purple light mimics aurora borealis [sunset]. uvb lights mimic intense heat of mid-season. daylight floros contrast the above w/ balanced light.

mixed spectrum, in this gardener's view, is vital if overall structure, terrior, aroma, and flavor are of primary concern. would not use single source/spectrum of light in garden, unless limited by other factors.

however, if had to only select ONE light, it would be SUNMASTER WARM DELUXE, METAL HALIDE.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=108993
lighting conversion data

*from ^ thread
blue light:350-500nm
chlorophyll a catalyst
auxin catalyst
cell activity
split of water atom
influence on movement of plant

green/yellow500-650nm
limited to no response. plants reflect green light and so seem green to human eye. why green lights can be used @ dark w/out interrupting dark for plants. party lights are effective cheap option.

red light600-700
sugar production catalyst
chlorophyl b production catalyst/engine
seed germ signal
chloroplast adjustments to light
siganl light/dark times
chromosome catalyst/engine
soil composting enzyme catalyst

far red 700-780nm
signal seed dormancy
signals internode stretch

hope this helps. enjoy your garden!
 

kiwiboy

Member
Very scientific approach there Purpledomgoddes. I like and understand your theory.

The poll is show an even 50/50 split in votes. No clear winners as of yet.
 

jm420

Active member
Veteran
Its a proven fact both is better if you can afford it andnot just for flower its also benneficial for veg
 

calaman

New member
I use both and always have so I wouldnt know any better. Funny how everyone says.. when I was starting out I heard u needed both....
 

dotblunt

Member
I'll be doing 1000W(x2) of both. The only thing I don't like so far is trying to get a MH bulb that has a slim jacket...sure they are out there but $200 ain't my idea of a deal. I have 6" kool tubes and the best I can find in the 1k size in BU-37 which is 4.5" in diameter. ED-28 are 3.5" but don't come in 1k sizes.

Good topic, I always thought my plants could do better than hps alone and now having tested my small box with 2-400s lumateks and a bulb of each I know my gurls love the kindness of a full spectrum on the cheap. Mighty Amstel Freezes by JaySprout, looking lean, mean and happy under the mix.

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M

milehighmedical

A cash-cropper I've talked to has told me they all tried dual-arc 1k's when they came out from hortilux and sure, they plants responded well and grew happily but at the end of the day... same 4x8 tables, same genetics and a lower yield from the dual-spectrum than a regular 1k hortilux. Can't argue with numbers. Although on the flip-side every small-time hobby grower I've talked to loooves them, but have no numbers to back them up... just "they look great man!".
 

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
HPS light puts out more lumens per watt than MH lights, but plants that receive both types of light tend to yield the best. I am currently using 4 1KW Super HPS and 4 1KW Daylight blue MH, and the plants under each kind of light look very comparable in flower set and overall size. I chose the Saylight BLue (Eye Hortliux) because it actually puts out more PAR watts in both the blue AND red spectrum than the HPS, according to their literature, but yes they put out about 10% fewer overall lumens. My last run I did something similar, and my MH flowered plants were much more frosty than the HPS buds, but I didn't weight them individually so I can't give you hard data on yield. I know that the plants that were in between the two kinds of light were the biggest healthiest plants in the garden though.
 
M

masterKahn

MH and HPS for flower is better then HPS alone. The sun is better mimiced with a mixture of spectrums. UVB forces cannabis to produce more THC and THC glands to protect against the "sun". MH produces small amounts of UVB, reptile bulbs made for UVB work well but are all low lumen tubes and might not translate well to large HID grows.
 

Bi0hazard

Active member
Veteran
Don't forget about the new EYE Hortilux Super Blue's. They have a 600 HPS and 400 MH built into the same bulb. Its good if you are doing a perpetual harvest and have two areas for flowering. One area for the 1-6 weeks of flowering with the Super Blue (MH/HPS single bulb) and a second room to finish up with just a Hortilux HPS.

Helps create some extra branching and growth before the final 7 weeks on flowering room that only has Hortilux HPS.

Bi0hazard
 

Lazyman

Overkill is under-rated.
Veteran
Don't forget about the new EYE Hortilux Super Blue's. They have a 600 HPS and 400 MH built into the same bulb. Its good if you are doing a perpetual harvest and have two areas for flowering. One area for the 1-6 weeks of flowering with the Super Blue (MH/HPS single bulb) and a second room to finish up with just a Hortilux HPS.

Helps create some extra branching and growth before the final 7 weeks on flowering room that only has Hortilux HPS.

Bi0hazard

Except those bulbs put out way less light than a regular 1000W bulb, and cost over $200 a piece! Not worth it for either reason IMHO, but if you can only get one bulb than I guess ya do what ya gotta do.
 

Haps

stone fool
Veteran
I run one room each way, only because one room is a one light grow. Best quality goes to blue and yellow. Best weight goes to all yellow. The yellow light is insufficient, so the leaves grow more to catch enough light, that is why they yield more weight. Been watching results for seven years, but I only know what is true here.
H
 
For my :2cents:, it depends on how many bulbs you're running. In my experience, the addition of MH in flowering makes for a more colorful product, and produces a somewhat stockier plant (both highly depending upon genetics), but does not yield as well as HPS. As far as an increase in potency, I can't tell the difference, but a few growers/breeders that I respect feel that UV enhances potency, so I'm not going to say it doesn't. If you are running several bulbs, the benefits realized (color and/or growing habit-wise) may make the addition of MH (I'd use at least 3:1 or 4:1, HPS:MH) a good idea, but for a grow involving only a few bulbs, I don't think it is worth the loss in yield.
 
M

milehighmedical

I would only consider running both if I had them on a light mover. I wouldn't want inconsistent growth across a giant canopy. And definitely in a 3:1 or even less ratio. It might increase yield in a certain ratio. Will take some experimentation to find out at what point adding more MH in flowering is a waste of wattage.
 

machinist86

New member
sunpluse has an interesting selection of lights i've never used any off them but i'm very intrigued by them it use six different wattage,spectrum, and kelvins of light over the entire grow but like i said i have never used them so can't state any results
 
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