Crazytrain420
Active Member
Hello! Anyways I was just wondering can one type of light/bulb be used for an entire grow from seed to harvest? If so what kind would do? Seems to be loads of different types out there I will be growing autos. Thanks
Can one type of light be used for an entire grow?
- Thread starter Crazytrain420
- Start date
Alexander Supertramp
Well-Known Member
HPS start to finish has worked for decades. I prefer Eye Hortilux myself. About a year in switching to DE Ushio HPS. Really liking it. PAR degradation so far is living up to what they advertise. And they use Eye Hortilux as a comparison. IMO two great bulbs.
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Lil green leaves
Well-Known Member
Same here
caherbgrower
Well-Known Member
Yes you can use most any grow light from start to finish. If this is your goal I would go with something that has a long lifespan. Metal halides and t5 fluorescent set ups will work for multiple grows without diminishing yield. Hps lamps tend to only put out max lumens for two flowering cycles. Although ive heard word of a new hps that has a double ignition system that won't loose pressure for long periods of time so you can use those longer. Hear they're pricey though.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
That's the DE or double ended type. Still, HPS clocks in at 22 CRI, meaning their spectrum is seriously deficient.
I suggest either 315W LEC or 860W CDM lamps, depending on the power output you seek. These provide excellent spectrum- CRI, or color rendering index of 93, are long lasting and are a good bridge between HID and other advanced lighting systems. Better still, they're cheap! Bulbs are $100 and in the case of 860W CDM, they run on cheap magnetic ballasts.
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Crazytrain420
Active Member
OK thanks man ill give them a try
VTMi'kmaq
Well-Known Member
lmao yeah ok buddy!
abe supercro
Well-Known Member
Incandescents are making a comeback!
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Nothing I said is in any way exaggerated our inaccurate. You can look up the specifications I quoted anywhere, including from the manufacturers themselves.
My point is that while HPS has power, it's not the only game in town. I actually use both HPS and CDM lamps and the plants are very clear in their preference; I get better quality with CDM and equivalent yield to HPS as long as I maintain equal watts per square foot... which means three 315W LEC lights per HPS thouie when converting, not two.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
This is my bloom room currently, although the ladies are telling me they're not happy with the HPS.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Well yeah, and the price of COBs are coming down every day. No doubt it's the future, but buying the future gets pretty expensive.
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
Ceramic lamps are the future - right now! Stikk is quite correct on them giving far superior spectral efficiency ! The closest to the sun by far!
Gavita pros next then standard HPS...
Take look here
http://boulderlamp.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CDL_HPS-Spectrum-Comparison.pdf
LED's,,,,well LEDs have a problem in spectral effectiveness......They grow plants but have other quirks that are in my book. Make them a "no" choice!
Doc
Nullis
Moderator
In general you can definitely use either HPS or Halide for an entire grow. If I'm running multiple fixtures I use both types. If I was to have to choose one or the other for a whole grow I would probably go for the MH. While halide bulbs appear to produce less lumens/watt, more of the light they do produce is photosynthetically active (capable of being used for photosynthesis). They also tend to produce plants with more compact growth, less stretch as compared to a standard HPS lamp.
So if you want to use an HPS for a whole grow be prepared for your plants to stretch more or less depending on the specifics of the bulb.
I've have yet to try a CDM bulb.
So if you want to use an HPS for a whole grow be prepared for your plants to stretch more or less depending on the specifics of the bulb.
I've have yet to try a CDM bulb.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
It was the old 'blurple' LED lights that had the spectrum deficiency problem. The new COB style LED is much more broad spectrum, while still attaining efficiency ratings well over fifty percent.
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
The 860W CDM bulb must be operated vertically- base up or down is okay- and must be powered by a thousand watt magnetic ballast on the MH setting. The bulbs can be had for about a Franklin, the vertical socket cordset for around thirty and magnetic ballast for seventy and you have yourself a first class vertical growing setup! That's CHEAP for such high performance lighting! Their only downfall is the magnetic sine wave operation of the ballast.
The 315W LEC lights now on the market outperform their bigger cousins in large part because of the digital square wave ballast they're designed to be run with. That square wave drives the lamp to create substantially more light per watt, making this the best CMD option if you can afford it.
COB style LED is better yet, but currently still substantially more expensive initially. The performance gains will pay for themselves over time, again, for those who can afford the up front investment.