Need help quick!

Hi, I'm about to purchase two 400watt MH lights. Im going to have four plants in a 4x4 area. Is this too much light for the plants?
 

darkdestruction420

Well-Known Member
are you getting some sort of special deal on them? if not i'd suggest you get 2 hps ballasts instead. MH bulbs can be run in almost all hps ballasts just fine so if you wanted to use a mh bulb for veg in it it would work.On a similar topic- I prefer a hps bulb with added blue spectrum for veg over mh, i get better results with it. Cannabis has 2 type of chloroplasts, one that interacts with red wavelengths and one with blue wavelengths so only using one side of the spectrum wastes some of your plants potential to make energy.
 

tnelsonfla

Active Member
NO!..Almost perfect for your Vegging cycle. Remember to switch to HPS for flowering. It might be a good idea to add some T5 HO or CFL's now and do a 80/20 mix of 6500/2700K now ... and a mix of 90/10.. 2700K & 5000Kor 6500K for your flower cycle...for the future.
 
are you getting some sort of special deal on them? if not i'd suggest you get 2 hps ballasts instead. MH bulbs can be run in almost all hps ballasts just fine so if you wanted to use a mh bulb for veg in it it would work.On a similar topic- I prefer a hps bulb with added blue spectrum for veg over mh, i get better results with it. Cannabis has 2 type of chloroplasts, one that interacts with red wavelengths and one with blue wavelengths so only using one side of the spectrum wastes some of your plants potential to make energy.​
Yeah im buying them off craigslist. For now im just getting MH, and then when it comes time to flower, i will buy hps.

NO!..Almost perfect for your Vegging cycle. Remember to switch to HPS for flowering. It might be a good idea to add some T5 HO or CFL's now and do a 80/20 mix of 6500/2700K now ... and a mix of 90/10.. 2700K & 5000Kor 6500K for your flower cycle...for the future.​
So your saying i should have two MH, and add some cfls? can you explain the 80/20 mix a little more?
 
are you getting some sort of special deal on them? if not i'd suggest you get 2 hps ballasts instead. MH bulbs can be run in almost all hps ballasts just fine so if you wanted to use a mh bulb for veg in it it would work.On a similar topic- I prefer a hps bulb with added blue spectrum for veg over mh, i get better results with it. Cannabis has 2 type of chloroplasts, one that interacts with red wavelengths and one with blue wavelengths so only using one side of the spectrum wastes some of your plants potential to make energy.​
I just found out that the lights im buying work with mh and hps. so im good there
 

grannybonger

Active Member
that's right, there's the conversion bulb red spectrum hps. the hydro store has them. im not totally convincer that my mh 400w is better than t12 flouresents.

the 6500k 2700k what they're talking about is the temps. doesn't apply to the mh as much as cfl's. I just got the reg bulb and i don't think it's got a temp/k rating. the added red(2700k) cfl's will enhance the mh/blue. you know that might be an idea. the mh by itself is ok but no spectacular growth.
 
the 6500k 2700k what they're talking about is the temps. doesn't apply to the mh as much as cfl's. I just got the reg bulb and i don't think it's got a temp/k rating. the added red(2700k) cfl's will enhance the mh/blue. you know that might be an idea. the mh by itself is ok but no spectacular growth
I know what kelvins are and everything. i just dont understand the whole 80/20 thing? is that like for every 4 6500k bulbs, i should have 1 2700k?
 

grannybonger

Active Member
yup, red=2700K blue=6500k it's backwards to me. i associate red with more. stuff can get downright confusing.

so i don't know why they threw you that curve. 80/20 i assume would be three red/2700k to one blue/6500k cfl's. remember these are add-ons to the two mh.
 

Jamblay

Member
in a 4x4 I do 1 400 mh and switch to 1 600 hps to flower. it fills the room wall to wall to ceiling like a jungle. I couldn't imagine using two in there. There's a good chance it will be 500 degrees in there! Use mylar on your walls too btw.

You're gonna need some serious ventilation.
 

grannybonger

Active Member
yup, i guess it depends on the reflector. mine is the kind you see in warehouses. they should be close too, for a big bulb, like 9-12". what heat? helps if you remove the ballast from the room. yep, your still gonna need a fan and a hole in the wall.
 

darkdestruction420

Well-Known Member
I know what kelvins are and everything. i just dont understand the whole 80/20 thing? is that like for every 4 6500k bulbs, i should have 1 2700k?
heres an example, for the 80/20 the other guy said lets assume you have 10 bulbs, for veg you'd want 8 blue spectrum and 2 red spectrum, for flower 8 red spectrums and 2 blue spectrum. for my 60/40 it would be 6 blue and 4 red for veg and 6 red and 4 blue for flower. So yeah, youve got it right as to how the ratios we said work.
 
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