Need help on Bulb Choice

Hi All,

I have been vegging from seed for a little over 3 weeks now. I started with some shitty CFLS but have now put them under a 400W MH and they are beginning to take off.

I spent a little extra and got a Hortilux 400W EYE (Enhanced Spectrum) Bulb for flowering (8 weeks). I currently have the plants under a budget EiKO 400W 4000K MH BULB. I plan on vegging for a few more weeks and then hit flower.

Here is my question.. the EiKO bulb is 4000K.. all charts I have seen show that the plant has the LEAST absorption rate at this level. Should I just trash this bulb and use the Hortilux? Or, should I veg under the MH for a few more weeks and then switch. All I want is to maximize available energy for the plant.

Thanks!

INF

any ideas? =D bump..

infdjedi said:

any ideas? =D bump..

Click to expand...

I would try your MH lamp for a bit, even only for a few days if time is worrying you - and see how it does. If they don't respond the way you want, then try the other lamp, and see if it does better. Trying it this way you should know within a week, which one will work best for you.

infdjedi said:

Hi All,

I have been vegging from seed for a little over 3 weeks now. I started with some shitty CFLS but have now put them under a 400W MH and they are beginning to take off.

I spent a little extra and got a Hortilux 400W EYE (Enhanced Spectrum) Bulb for flowering (8 weeks). I currently have the plants under a budget EiKO 400W 4000K MH BULB. I plan on vegging for a few more weeks and then hit flower.

Here is my question.. the EiKO bulb is 4000K.. all charts I have seen show that the plant has the LEAST absorption rate at this level. Should I just trash this bulb and use the Hortilux? Or, should I veg under the MH for a few more weeks and then switch. All I want is to maximize available energy for the plant.

Thanks!

INF

Click to expand...

yeah i would keep them under the mh bulb for a little bit longer and then maybe switch to the other bulb.

what is the kelvin rating for the new bulb you just got?

The man said hortilux enhanced spectrum. He's definitely good. 4000k isn't very usable to a plant. My suggestion would be to order a new 400watt MH while your plants struggle under this one. You're putting enough time into this project and likely enough risk. You should get a product to be proud of. You can veg for awhile under the HPS while your bulb is on order no sweat.

I have never experienced 4000k problems but I have read about it, this is not something I have CONFIRMED but it makes sense so take it as you will.

Basically their explanation of what happens is the plant seems fine for 1-3 weeks then starts drooping and will not come back. They reason that given the bulb is providing light but the wrong spectrum, the plant can generate some photosynthesis but not enough to sustain itself. The plant begins to droop and doesn't revitalize because it has exhausted its energies from the leaves and root systems with an insufficient way to replenish it. Plant starves, but slowly.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Thanks so much for the info guys.

Eagle: Its a 400WATT EiKO 4000K

Grizzly: I have read the same thing. However, check this out. Grabbed it from Hortilux's EYE MH 400WATT Bulb INFO SHEET: Correlated color temperature 4200 K

Why would Hortilux, a company that makes bulbs specifically for horticulture, sell a product that would be bad for your plants? Not saying YOU are wrong.. just questioning things we both have read.

infdjedi said:

Thanks so much for the info guys.

Eagle: Its a 400WATT EiKO 4000K

Grizzly: I have read the same thing. However, check this out. Grabbed it from Hortilux's EYE MH 400WATT Bulb INFO SHEET: Correlated color temperature 4200 K

Why would Hortilux, a company that makes bulbs specifically for horticulture, sell a product that would be bad for your plants? Not saying YOU are wrong.. just questioning things we both have read.

Click to expand...

i agree with grizzly. 4000K is sorta right in the middle of the color spectrum. i dont know why a horticulture company would do that. its neither a veg bulb or a flower bulb, strange. good luck.

You can grow under the regular MH/HPS bulbs just fine; In my experience only the yeild is effected.

I used standard 400 MH/HPS bulbs for my entire first grow... 7 Plants, just under 6 ounces vegged to about 12 inches tall (2 1/2 feet at chop time).

I didn't notice any deficiencies or issues with my plants that were not caused by myself (I had nute burned them and battled spidermites for a good chunk of time) that I couldn't fix myself and in all of my research I have found that most resources say the regular bulbs are fine its just that the more expensive ones are better overall (Hortilux, etc).

Thanks for the info. I will just use what I have no as the plants seem to be growing and get the good 6500K bulb when I have some extra cash. Thanks,