What ballast does that 860 CDM lamp use
If you really feel that's the case @grease then try those dual spectrum lamps out? I have tried them but didn't see a discernible difference in yield or potency on my Cheese last time.
the key is to get the MH as an
addition to whatever setup you already have. that's when you notice it, sure I understand that adding lumens to any grow will change the product, but you can see a clear difference, granted it's not as efficient, and puts out more heat, but the added spectrums in both the blue area as well as the uv is what makes the difference.
Besides with both it's the closest thing you can get to the actual sun.
Even with an even 1/1 watt of hps and MH will get you a different product at the end, I have found that when I use a MH the buds are noticeably different in both appearance and in the high.
Important to note that this is achieved only when the plant is receiving enough light overall, meaning if you have lower lumens, it won't show it as well.
With JUST a MH you can flower , it'll just be less, and not as dense.
That being said, right now i'm running just two 600w hps, so if I had to choose between HPS and a MH i'd choose the HPS, but in a perfect world, i'd have 1200w of hps and 1000w of MH.
that's a hefty electricity bill though.