I need lighting advice, and I'm a fifteen year grower/journeyman electrician!

I am growing 6 big, bushy females, all of different genetics, and all doing incredably well. I have my main grow room in a 4'X2'X8' tall closet, with the "actual" growing/lighting space being in an area of 4'X2'X5'. I have one 400 W MH and three 250 W HPS's. I have grown them under full spectrum, and full wattage, since they got sexed and moved from my seedling/grow chamber, which is a tricked-out Phototron. But, my big debate is should I leave them on full-spectrum when I begin flowering in one week, or should I take the MH outta the loop alltogether? Which would be better in anyone's opinion?

I think the 3x250 hps is enoghe for 6 plants, leaving the mh one is a waste...

lots of people will add mh lights to their flowering rooms to get a broader spectrum and some claim you get better resin production with mixed lights but i do just fine with only hps ....ive read that plants can use up to 100 watts per sq foot of garden but after 50 watts you start to get diminishing returns on your gram per watt... so with the 3-250's your getting 93 watts per sq foot which is real good and about 143 with the 400... so taking out the 400 really wont hurt your yield as the plants have plenty of light to work with... but the bigger light will give you a little better penetration to the lower branches so if i were you id either take out the middle 250 and use the 400 or just run the 250's... either way youll do good

fat sam said:

lots of people will add mh lights to their flowering rooms to get a broader spectrum and some claim you get better resin production with mixed lights but i do just fine with only hps ....ive read that plants can use up to 100 watts per sq foot of garden but after 50 watts you start to get diminishing returns on your gram per watt... so with the 3-250's your getting 93 watts per sq foot which is real good and about 143 with the 400... so taking out the 400 really wont hurt your yield as the plants have plenty of light to work with... but the bigger light will give you a little better penetration to the lower branches so if i were you id either take out the middle 250 and use the 400 or just run the 250's... either way youll do good

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Hey guys, thanks for the ideas. I do have a whole bunch of bushy undergrowth that needs extra penetration, huh huh, so, leaving in the mh sounds good. I'll haveta get all up in my clusterfuck of wiring to take out the middle 250, but that sounds most plausible to me. But, I am also fond of doing like, an every other day kinda schedule with the mh and go from full-spectrum to hps only, just to see what happens. I'd say as long as the ladies don't mind, I'm gonna fuck with 'em a little...Good life advice as well! J/k, but seriously...-But, since heat and temp aren't factors in the current set-up, I may just leave it all alone and let it do it's thing. I will definately be posting pics as soon as I have some forum-worthy "show-off" shots to post.