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MH vs HPS in bloom

B

BasementGrower

i havent noticed any differences in potency using mh bulbs.. i actually think my hps yields more and is more potent..
 
B

BasementGrower

this is after 2 runs.. and smoking both same strains grown under mh and hps.. 2 diff grows.. and both times. i couldnt tell the difference in a blind test.. and the hps was wayyy better yielding.. i think its all strain dependent.
 
S

shokdee

MH & sativa - strains and temperatures

MH & sativa - strains and temperatures

Lots of background reading still to digest but the argument has been well presented, thank you to everyone who contributed so far.

The conclusion is clear - Metal Halides CAN successfully flower cannabis plants. Are they "better" then HPS? More "frosty" buds? Do they run "hotter" or use "more" electricity? Those are questions still to be answered. Why do MH bulbs work? Debatable, but largely a technical question to do with photosynthesis, PAR, PUR, and so on, as already detailed so eloquently. There is still a question around the "best" Kelvin (color temperature), rating to use, but 3k, 4k, 7k, 10k, and so on, all seem to work. This makes growing much more precise, as growers can learn to dial in various strains and work out the most suitable temperatures.

What was made clear from the beginning by DrShio and repeated by the gnome, and others, is that the plants >genetics< will always be the most important factor. Haps even said, "high end sativas are a different gal, they need the blue" and no one corrected him. Apparently, "high end" sativas do not like HPS, as it is too red. Recently Andyo recommended I use a MH 3k for growing and flowering sativas. At the moment I'm using the Sun (which works OK). I'm trying to grow cannabis near the equator which means the fabled "Red Sun of Fall" is meaningless, like talk of snow. My climate is: dry season/wet season.

Bowzer asked "Since one of the main factors in the plants growth is genetics, wouldn't it be cool if seed companies specified which light each strain was developed under? That would take alot of the unknowns out of it."

May I point out that Mandala seeds do this, check out their website "Heat resistance" or catalogue. Only HPS listed at the moment, hopefully in the future, MH too.

Enjoy your smoke.

Shokdee
 

hobb3s93

Member
recently did a mixed room of mh/hps. half of dwc under 600w mh conversions aswell as half coco under 600w mh conversions. mh side definetly didnt get as much stretch but didnt keep up with hps for yeild. not huge difference but definetly not better that hps for yeild IMO.prolly just go full hps next time althought i love being able to work under the blue lights makes yellowing leaves easier to see. im sure the results would have been a little more profound if i was working with a dialed environment. deffinetly worth a try tho.
 

Jhhnn

Active member
Veteran
For what it's worth, I've been very pleased with this 1000w dual arc lamp-

http://1000bulbs.com/product/88210/PX-LU1000MHDA.html

I'm just a hobby grower, but my plants thrive in soil under this light, both in veg & bloom. I might do slightly better switching bulbs, but I like the idea of not having to fuss with it, at all, and I like the idea of providing a balanced spectrum for happy low stress plants.

I've been away from it for a long time, but I learned that intensity is more important than spectrum 30 years ago with nice crops under what was available to me at the time, MH. A single 1000w bulb of either type provides that in a reflectorized 4'x4' space, keeping stretch to a minimum & bud formation strong. A balanced spectrum obviously won't hurt a thing, but I'll be damned if I'll cough up the cash for Hortilux bulbs when other really good choices are available...

Just sayin'...
 

the gnome

Active member
Veteran
$21 Mh bulb

$21 Mh bulb

here's a few pics of my latest all MH grow using a $21 1000w sylvania BT56 bulb

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the gnome

Active member
Veteran
ty shokdee

the bulb is a sylvania BT56 Mh rated @4000K
its a mosca strain--> tse fly
the nugs are as hard and dense as river rock.

how the plant performs under MH or HPS is strain related from my experience.
chems and their crosses really seem to do well under Mh
 
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the gnome

Active member
Veteran
this is in an unvented situation so can't tell in this gro.
in my vented grows i felt hps ran hotter then the Mh
 

Hash Zeppelin

Ski Bum Rodeo Clown
Premium user
ICMag Donor
Veteran
^I am still getting my most excellent results with 20 percent mh and 80 percent hps. I notice the haze strains get denser and more frost too. I am starting to think you are right about stains specific. For instance my lvpk prefers non direct light where as the l-w wants it as close as it can get. some coffee is grown in the shade too
 

the gnome

Active member
Veteran
I agree mixing hps with Mh is a sure bet hash and benefits a multi strain grow the best.

^ I am starting to think you are right about stains specific.

I am convinced it is,
so is vapedg13 who has used MH for the last 20+years and many others who have found/grown strains that excel under MH.
i am relatively a new comer to this.
vape and others have been doing this with MH for a couple decades and having success and results as good
as prime dank from HPS. I am getting a taste of what Mh can do with the right strains and i like it a lot.
$21 bulbs for starters, i can replace a 5000w grow every 60 days for the nearly cost of 1 super horti eye.
not have to change bulbs, deal with stretch etc etc

hps lore is so ingrained into people that its the only bulb to use in bloom.
I was too... until i started seeing things using Mh in bloom that went directly against what the *norm* should be.
and what i saw was a 60% increase in weight from 1 of my good hps strains i was perfectly happy with that bloomed under mh.

now, i believe more plants do better with hps, because imo thats what they have been bred under for the last 30 years. but the genetics of the plant are still there.
I wonder how many grows it would take a plant that prefers HPS, grown using MH to start to prefer MH, if at all?
i think about all the plants Ive bloomed under HPS that just didn't make the grade and were tossed, but if they were under MH they may have been keepers?

there is lots of misinformation about MH...
your buds will be light and airy
your buds will have lots more leaf
this is pure and plain BS, i have personally seen and vape has too that its just not true.
pics are here that disprove it.

3 out of 4 tse fly in my pic have buds that are rock hard,
the densest ive had to date.
2 were leafy and 2 are very easy trims

there is one thing i do see with Mh is a lot less stretch
and tighter nodes.
that can and should be a good thing unless you have a plants that stretches but then fills in that gaps, thinking on it that way HPS might be better for those types of strains?
another thing i see to a point is I saw some of my strains finishing faster under hps.
so when i get my newer Mh strains down pat and dialed in I want to use HPS in the last 2-3 weeks and see what shakes out.
there is still a lot of things to be learned about hps and mh and the strain that prefer them but no one is really out there doing it..... yet.
and it won't be me leading the way lol,
i just want to get a nice harem of Mh ladies and grow the best i can like everyone else :smoke:
 
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Jbomber79

Active member
Veteran
Thank you for the perspective Gnome..this is very interesting and should be followed closely. thanks for posting.
 

the gnome

Active member
Veteran
ty you JB,
and for keeping an open mind in this thread.
it is *very* interesting to me and good things can be learned to help all of us to grow plants that can achieve their best.

lol.. since ive realized that HPS isn't the be all bloom bulb i have many more Qs than before
 

psyphish

Well-known member
Veteran
I've never tried a regular MH, but the CMHs I've used have always done a lot better than the HPS. HPS basically just rapes your plants ready and I've always noticed the health of plants degrading when I change the CMH into a HPS. HPS also produces boring weed, but then again what can you expect from a lacking spectrum of a street light.
 

Jbomber79

Active member
Veteran
Gnome- hey i got a 600HPS that I have been pondering replacing
with a 600MH, girls are about half way done with flower should I replace it with the MH or start from the beginning "onslaught" of flower instead of half way through? Would appreciat your input on this.

Thanks!:tiphat:


ty you JB,
and for keeping an open mind in this thread.
it is *very* interesting to me and good things can be learned to help all of us to grow plants that can achieve their best.

lol.. since ive realized that HPS isn't the be all bloom bulb i have many more Qs than before
 

the gnome

Active member
Veteran
the idea has been floated around for sometime that using Mh would increase resin.
i started using Mh in the last few weeks bloom,
i didn't see anything different.

so next round i did side x side Mh/HPS to see if i could get results using Mh at the onset of bloom.
Ive never really gotten anything conclusive along those lines.
but when i did the side x side with both spectrums is when i saw other things going on, particularly on the Mh side.

as far as what your asking me.. what would you be looking to do going to Mh in mid bloom?
if your looking for strains that prefer Mh i would start at the start of bloom.
are you working with a strain(s) you know well? or from seed?

if you want to go down the Mh road I would start with strain I am familiar with and run hps and Mh together and see how they perform under the Mh side furthest away from the hps bulb.
if your depending on $$ from your crop this is the beat way to do it.

personally i would finish out with hps
 

Jbomber79

Active member
Veteran
I'm currently culling through several different strains mostly cuttings but a few seeds. I have this 600wMH bulb just sitting there and have been looking to test it.. Your not the only one who suggested to finish with the HPS. thanks Gnome I appreciate the reply. Next round I'm doing both as you suggested see what comes of it!
 

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