250w HPS Club And Help Guide

[Doobieus]

The HPS/MH bulbs at work still blind me and they've been hanging unchanged the elleven years I've been workin here. I know they diminish output over time but 1 or 2 grows.

It's still a HID, and it still has a high discharge of light/lumens. Plants like light/lumens our retinas not so much. Just because a light turns on, doesn't mean it is still putting out the same amount of lumens.

Also MH will go faster than a HPS, it does depend on brand mostly. Like SonAgro bulbs you want to change sooner than a standard say Phillips HPS.

Will the plants diminish in overall characteristics or does it just stay shorter or something like get airy buds?

You'll notice less production overall, as far as airy buds heat and lack of light or strain can cause that.

Thanks for that doobs what i will do is switch on my full spec bulb at the same time as my 250 hps for about 5 hours a day or should i keep it on through out i dont think i have room for t5s i wouldnt mind less heat and cost less to run lol./

I'm kind of confused as to what your setup includes. Are you running separate cabs/tents for this or is this all just one cab? If it's just one cab then use both hps and full spectrum together (IF you can handle that heat), that will give you best results.

I am pretty sure the dual grow journal I have going will soon be a trio. One running 400 hps soil, me running 250 soil, and a T5 S.o.G. DWC I believe. I will let you all know when the T5 comes in, if it does. So you guys can see comparisons between the 3 different lights and grows.

Uh-oh .. Looks like I started something.Should be interesting.

Grazz

Lol lots of responses, it's a good thing =P.

 

[Doobieus]

Also on another note, these are general rules of thumb. However with that said if you want to know what your specific lifetime on your bulb is, it will say how many hours on the box the bulb came in. It's good practice, don't cheat yourselves out of more yield or nicer buds.

 

[ForbidenHaze]

yeh sorry its in a tent 1 metre x2 and the bulbs will fit on 1 reflector one side hps the other full spec, sure let me know regarding the experiment that will be interesting to find out the results.

 

[Doobieus]

yeh sorry its in a tent 1 metre x2 and the bulbs will fit on 1 reflector one side hps the other full spec, sure let me know regarding the experiment that will be interesting to find out the results.

Cool, do you have a good ventilation setup as well? Like I said if you can handle the heat, by all means use both together. I was under the impression you could only use one or the other in your hood. Since you have 2 mogul connections for both lights, go for it. I will let you know when my old journal partner joins in with my current journal partner and I for sure.

 

[7cotton7]

I was thinking about adding a second 250 to my box instead of upgrading to a 400 and was curious if anyone has pics or an experience with doing this

 

[ForbidenHaze]

yeh sure with the 2 250 you have a better spread of light but cost more to run and has more heat , however the 400 penerates the conopy better, less heat then the 2 250, cost less to run then the 250 watt and only need to worry about one ballast and one bulb hehe. and yeh im switching to my 400 give that end boost

 

[ForbidenHaze]

Cool, do you have a good ventilation setup as well? Like I said if you can handle the heat, by all means use both together. I was under the impression you could only use one or the other in your hood. Since you have 2 mogul connections for both lights, go for it. I will let you know when my old journal partner joins in with my current journal partner and I for sure.

yeh the ventalation is good it depends on the weather lol, now its cold season and i have had both on and the temp was around 28-29 when very cold i struggle to get it to 25 thats just the one on . thanks doobs i will be looking forward to it

 

[Doobieus]

yeh the ventalation is good it depends on the weather lol, now its cold season and i have had both on and the temp was around 28-29 when very cold i struggle to get it to 25 thats just the one on . thanks doobs i will be looking forward to it

Ah yeah you're in the low 80's F at 28-29C. Proper CFM's for your space does help with heat, but running two HID lights in that small of a space.... You might want to look into an AC and seeing if you can get a dual cool hood. I mean if you're struggling to keep 25C/77F with just one light, it's really going to be rough to run both those bulbs or even a 400. I think you should tackle the heat first before even trying to choose whether or not to go with both bulbs. It'll be less stress to worry about.

Also no prob Fhaze.

 

[Doobieus]

yeh sure with the 2 250 you have a better spread of light but cost more to run and has more heat , however the 400 penerates the conopy better, less heat then the 2 250, cost less to run then the 250 watt and only need to worry about one ballast and one bulb hehe. and yeh im switching to my 400 hehe give that end boost hehe

Pretty much how I would've answered Cotton lol.

 

[ForbidenHaze]

Ah yeah you're in the low 80's F at 28-29C. Proper CFM's for your space does help with heat, but running two HID lights in that small of a space.... You might want to look into an AC and seeing if you can get a dual cool hood. I mean if you're struggling to keep 25C/77F with just one light, it's really going to be rough to run both those bulbs or even a 400. I think you should tackle the heat first before even trying to choose whether or not to go with both bulbs. It'll be less stress to worry about.

Also no prob Fhaze.

yeh sure i give that i go Doobs thanks. I just got the temp down to 27.5 will that be fine? finally got some fresh air in at the room , im using the 250 with lumen boost give that extra 10% boost and regarding the second bulb i will put it on for about 4 hours with the hps on full 12hr aday just so it gets some full spectrum

 

[Doobieus]

yeh sure i give that i go Doobs thanks. I just got the temp down to 27.5 will that be fine? finally got some fresh air in at the room , im using the 250 with lumen boost give that extra 10% boost and regarding the second bulb i will put it on for about 4 hours with the hps on full 12hr aday just so it gets some full spectrum

81.5F is a little high in my opinion, don't get me wrong a plant can handle a lot and will still grow at that temp. However the growth might not be as good as it should, where are you getting your temp measurement from? Couple inches below the light or top or bottom or what? Take a temp measurement from 4-8 inches under the light. It is usually 4-6 but an extra 2 inches will give you more cushion to work with.

Cool Fhaze keep us updated.

 

[AWnox]

81.5F is a little high in my opinion, don't get me wrong a plant can handle a lot and will still grow at that temp. However the growth might not be as good as it should, where are you getting your temp measurement from? Couple inches below the light or top or bottom or what? Take a temp measurement from 4-8 inches under the light. It is usually 4-6 but an extra 2 inches will give you more cushion to work with.

Cool Fhaze keep us updated.

Wouldn't it also have to do with the strain your working with though? I am currently growing Kalashnikova and she likes it to be a bit over 81 around 83-85 and humid about 70-80%RH; other strain I've had before do better with a day temp at 75-80 but this Kalashnikova grows faster at higher temps. I have my 250W at around 12-13 inches and everyday she's growing lose to an inch so everyday I have to raise the lights an inch or so. She's on day 21 today, nutes at 550ppm and boy does she love the light. Every morning she wakes up with me and her lights come on as my alarm sounds and she's always with her arms raised sort of praising the light then at night right before bedtime she get's droopy and tired. It's really cool to have that connection with your grow; wish my 6 hours of sleep would do me better than her though, haven't slept more than 6 hours in years. Any who those are my 2 cents. Hope it helps....somehow.

Oh and I have a digital thermometer at the same level of the canopy so as she grows the thermometer is raised too; placed really close to the waterfall hanging.

 

[ForbidenHaze]

81.5F is a little high in my opinion, don't get me wrong a plant can handle a lot and will still grow at that temp. However the growth might not be as good as it should, where are you getting your temp measurement from? Couple inches below the light or top or bottom or what? Take a temp measurement from 4-8 inches under the light. It is usually 4-6 but an extra 2 inches will give you more cushion to work with.

Cool Fhaze keep us updated.

thanks for that info i have now got it down to around 24 the temp is measured 6 inches below the side of the reflector and the tops are 8-9 inches below the reflector, im getting the cool air from outside hopefully it should stay ive changed to a 5 inch extractor it has made a difference

 

[ForbidenHaze]

Wouldn't it also have to do with the strain your working with though? I am currently growing Kalashnikova and she likes it to be a bit over 81 around 83-85 and humid about 70-80%RH; other strain I've had before do better with a day temp at 75-80 but this Kalashnikova grows faster at higher temps. I have my 250W at around 12-13 inches and everyday she's growing lose to an inch so everyday I have to raise the lights an inch or so. She's on day 21 today, nutes at 550ppm and boy does she love the light. Every morning she wakes up with me and her lights come on as my alarm sounds and she's always with her arms raised sort of praising the light then at night right before bedtime she get's droopy and tired. It's really cool to have that connection with your grow; wish my 6 hours of sleep would do me better than her though, haven't slept more than 6 hours in years. Any who those are my 2 cents. Hope it helps....somehow.

Oh and I have a digital thermometer at the same level of the canopy so as she grows the thermometer is raised too; placed really close to the waterfall hanging.

that sounds awesome, have you put any pics up of your grow

 

[AWnox]

that sounds awesome, have you put any pics up of your grow

Na not yet. I'm somewhat hesitant about it to be honest. Although I have taken pics since she was a little baby with it's shell in the WF I have yet to upload any. I really want to show her off, specially since everyone apparently has this bad idea about Kalashnikova but let me tell you man, she is a beast; the main stem is about the size of a crayola markers you know, she has like 9 or 10 nodes already and everyday I seem to see a new one since the past few days, I'm not sure if it's her genetics only but I know that the WF also works great for every strain. Since the day she was placed in the WF I have her under the 250W MH and she LOVES it, always keeping the lights from 10 to 13 inches with a 6 inch fan blowing into the light but not with a cool tube because that reduces the luminous output, just straight into the open light, no Mylar no special effects or nothing, just GH Nova Bloom and a bit of Micro to elevate the N a bit more during the veg period and lastly the Waterfarm with a extra duo spiraled tube air-stone connected to a 30 gl air pump and the custom pump that comes with the WF.

 

[Doobieus]

Wouldn't it also have to do with the strain your working with though? I am currently growing Kalashnikova and she likes it to be a bit over 81 around 83-85 and humid about 70-80%RH; other strain I've had before do better with a day temp at 75-80 but this Kalashnikova grows faster at higher temps. I have my 250W at around 12-13 inches and everyday she's growing lose to an inch so everyday I have to raise the lights an inch or so. She's on day 21 today, nutes at 550ppm and boy does she love the light. Every morning she wakes up with me and her lights come on as my alarm sounds and she's always with her arms raised sort of praising the light then at night right before bedtime she get's droopy and tired. It's really cool to have that connection with your grow; wish my 6 hours of sleep would do me better than her though, haven't slept more than 6 hours in years. Any who those are my 2 cents. Hope it helps....somehow.

Oh and I have a digital thermometer at the same level of the canopy so as she grows the thermometer is raised too; placed really close to the waterfall hanging.

That's why I put in the keyword "might", anyhow I'd imagine it would. Considering different strains come from different regions. I'd imagine some have higher thresholds for heat and may even perform better in higher temps. Like if a strain is from an African region it's more than likely going to have a lot higher heat threshold than say a strain from an Asian region and may even perform better.

However with that said in my experience high heat has always hurt my grow, this is why I have my ventilation tuned in. I have 2 different temp probes I am using, one stays on the coolable hood (not tube) around 4 inches from the tops of the plants. As my plants grow I will raise the light and the probe goes with it so I don't have to consistently adjust the temp probe. The other probe is down on soil, to make sure the soil isn't getting too cold to screw my root performance up.

I think grow advice is very much based on experience which is really awesome, because you can get so much input from so many different people =].

Na not yet. I'm somewhat hesitant about it to be honest. Although I have taken pics since she was a little baby with it's shell in the WF I have yet to upload any. I really want to show her off, specially since everyone apparently has this bad idea about Kalashnikova but let me tell you man, she is a beast; the main stem is about the size of a crayola markers you know, she has like 9 or 10 nodes already and everyday I seem to see a new one since the past few days, I'm not sure if it's her genetics only but I know that the WF also works great for every strain. Since the day she was placed in the WF I have her under the 250W MH and she LOVES it, always keeping the lights from 10 to 13 inches with a 6 inch fan blowing into the light but not with a cool tube because that reduces the luminous output, just straight into the open light, no Mylar no special effects or nothing, just GH Nova Bloom and a bit of Micro to elevate the N a bit more during the veg period and lastly the Waterfarm with a extra duo spiraled tube air-stone connected to a 30 gl air pump and the custom pump that comes with the WF.

Well now....

Why are you so reluctant if you don't mind me asking? We all share pics of our grows, mine are in my journal and I will probably start posting when I get into bloom. Feel free to post your pics, I have been on this site for quite some time and have never had an issue. Not just myself but others as well, they haven't had issues or ill will. Now I'm not saying post pics with your face all hey what's up style with your plants. However sharing can't be THAT bad, and we'd all like to see what your gals look like.

 

[AWnox]

That's why I put in the keyword "might", anyhow I'd imagine it would. Considering different strains come from different regions. I'd imagine some have higher thresholds for heat and may even perform better in higher temps. Like if a strain is from an African region it's more than likely going to have a lot higher heat threshold than say a strain from an Asian region and may even perform better.

However with that said in my experience high heat has always hurt my grow, this is why I have my ventilation tuned in. I have 2 different temp probes I am using, one stays on the coolable hood (not tube) around 4 inches from the tops of the plants. As my plants grow I will raise the light and the probe goes with it so I don't have to consistently adjust the temp probe. The other probe is down on soil, to make sure the soil isn't getting too cold to screw my root performance up.

I think grow advice is very much based on experience which is really awesome, because you can get so much input from so many different people =].


Well now....

Why are you so reluctant if you don't mind me asking? We all share pics of our grows, mine are in my journal and I will probably start posting when I get into bloom. Feel free to post your pics, I have been on this site for quite some time and have never had an issue. Not just myself but others as well, they haven't had issues or ill will. Now I'm not saying post pics with your face all hey what's up style with your plants. However sharing can't be THAT bad, and we'd all like to see what your gals look like.

Very good point friend. I don't know exactly why just paranoid I suppose. Never really had a journal of any grow so I feel shy too in a way xD. After you say that it makes me feel more comfortable about sharing, and yes you are absolutely right sharing is def caring. I'll keep this thread posted when I start the journal. I'll make you guys (250W club) proud.

 

[Doobieus]

Very good point friend. I don't know exactly why just paranoid I suppose. Never really had a journal of any grow so I feel shy too in a way xD. After you say that it makes me feel more comfortable about sharing, and yes you are absolutely right sharing is def caring. I'll keep this thread posted when I start the journal. I'll make you guys (250W club) proud.

Lol it's okay, almost everyone was probably paranoid. I know I was reluctant for some time to even join a site like this, let alone post pictures. It was a very good friend of mine who I've known for awhile that put my paranoia at rest. Since then well.... you know the rest lol.

Make yourself proud and surely everyone else will be proud as well. We are our own worst critics lol.

Keep us updated on the grow/pics.

 

[Joos Springsteen]

LST seems to be going well enough. I cracked a branch, but put it right back in place and I expect it to heal (and form a nice knuckle) within a few days.


I've considered another change to my grow box. Now that I have two fans installed, it has crossed my mind that I could upgrade to a higher wattage bulb if I connect my four inch fan to my hood, which has been designed to receive a four inch flange on any face.

This would leave my more than capable six inch fan to circulate air while the 4 inch fan is pulling directly from the hood.

One thing I wonder, however, is whether my space is too small to justify a larger light, be it a 400w or 600w. Will a more powerful bulb produce a sufficiently positive marginal rate of return relative to the increased cost of purchasing and operating that bulb?

Put another way, given my small cabinet size, will buying a larger bulb make the price I pay per unit for marijuana go up?

 

[Grazzmon]

Just figured I'd add a link to my Journal here.. first Journal attempt. This is my 4th Grow and I have 2 plants in the Journal. One is a Nirvana Blue Mystic (fem) and the other I am calling Mystical Mutant is from my last grow of Blue Mystic that I took to seed.
I think I know now why the last grow went to seed, I had a huge heat problem and didn't know any better.. I let the cab get into the mid to upper 90's when I was 6 weeks into flower. This will not happen again..

Grazz

Here is where I am keeping the Journal: Grazzmon Grow 4