I didn't believe there was such a thing as too much light until my last grow. Always had problems with Green Crack in my 5x5 with a 1000w HPS (air cooled). I blamed it on all kinds of things. Ph, peat moss being old, pots being too cold, humidity, wind, too much N, bla bla bla. Five grows, five times they looked stressed all through flowering. Even with the intake air at 70 and leaf temps (measured with a laser thermometer) at 75. The hood was at 36 inches from the tops.
Thank-you.
Only restrictions for me, is heat in the summer, and vertical height.
I hear ya. If your not maximising what you have there is no point spending extra money either.
Way I'm thinking too. Is if I get 12 ounces from my 600 in a 4X4. Then if I get 24 ounces in a 8X4, using 1200watts. Then it's probably better on average, than a 1kw, in a 4X4. I still wouldn't have to worry about A/C either. It's a win/win for my circumstances.
600s are the way if you are sticking with HPS, I am convinced. I totally agree with you. 1000 in a 4x4 works with a cooling hood and all that but I don’t think it is worth it.
I keep going back and forth on this myself. I am also considering dropping air cooled, and going with a DE 1000w setup, and then get an AC and just cool the whole tent. If needed even, my basement runs cold and the 600w cool tube warms it up nicely.
My solution was to just get a 1000w dimmable ballast (the Apollo Purple Reign) and see what works best in my 4x4. I recently swapped my cooltube for a sun system air cooled blazer hood, and it actually brought my temps up a bit. That also could be because I redid my venting, and reattached a carbon filter. I got some playing around to do this weekend.
Sun system uses glass were I think your cool tube may of been Perspex if its like mine. I think Glass holds and radiates heat more than Perspex does. Sun system Hood will put more light over the area though. I went from cool tube to sun system hood and the lighting over the area was visibly better.
I think you're dead on. I looked at my tube and it is for sure not the same glass, most likely Perspex. I agree, I have noticed that I am getting more light and better light from the sun system hood. I bought it used for 65 from my LHS and it came with a barely used 600w eyehortilux HPS bulb in it. I should really switch my MH bulb back in for veg, but I feel like the eye HPS is still better than the apollo MH.
Because of heat about half the year I run my 5 by 5 at 600 ( and this year I'm going from 12 hours to 10 hours of light to save on air conditioner usage too ) and the 4 by 4 at 400, in the winter 1000 and 600w respectively, well sometimes I leave 4×4 at 400w, depends if I'm trying to slow things down or speed them up
Honestly if not doing a long veg, I've found hps to be absolutely fine. Young plants prefer hps anyway. It emulates the beginning of a season quite well.
Damn, great advice, thanks! I knew that if you had to run a whole grow with a single bulb, go HPS. I am on the end of week three right now (today is day 21 actually). I think I will give it the MH in a few days. I'm growing Bodhi regs right now, so Im going to try and sex the pre flowers, then find a good male of each, kill off the other males, and isolate to harvest pollen. Then flower all of the females. Hoping for a 50/50 mix, which would leave me with 8 fems in a 4x4, so probably cull the weakest two, then do the last 6 in my 3 watering trays. gonna shoot for a 6 week veg with 4-8 tops.