Should I get a MH for veg?

nomoresnow

nomoresnow

Well-Known Member
I have a 600w hortilux super hps on a quantum dimmable ballast that I was planning on using all the way through my grow in a 4x5x8 box but the more time I spend thinking and reading instead of planting I can't help but wonder if maybe I should get a MH bulb for the veg. Or, seen as how this is my first go around maybe I shouldn't over think it and just plant my seeds already.

Opinions please.
 
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qwizoking

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
I was gonna say that
Ive run mh all the way through and just in veg, ive done hps all the way through...
I continue to run hps all the way through
 
Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
Hps allwAys seems to give me thicker stems during veg. Don't know if there's any theory behind that it's just my experience. Mh tightens the spacing between nodes which is usually a good thing. My personal best results have come from using a combination of different lights, I use a dual arc bulb for the start of the flowering phase then switch back to super hps for the last 6 weeks. Get ur first girls through their life cycle then start tinkering with things. Only then will you truly know what if anything makes a difference. Hope this helps
 
ISK

ISK

Well-Known Member
I would buy a MH bulb if I had money to burn, but I don't so I use CFL bulbs to get them established, then a 600 watt HPS to finish
 
nomoresnow

nomoresnow

Well-Known Member
ISK said:
I would buy a MH bulb if I had money to burn, but I don't so I use CFL bulbs to get them established, then a 600 watt HPS to finish
Click to expand...
So you're thinking is that the cfl's give a better result for veg than the hps in your experience?
 
Semper.Fi

Semper.Fi

Well-Known Member
Philips Retro White ARGO CMH . . . .from seedling to harvest . . . . . but needs a mag ballast!

A beautiful powerful spectrum y'all

Only in 250w and 400w and probably only 2000 left on the planet . . . .

about 20 of them are at mine :)


~_
 
innerG

innerG

Well-Known Member
What about some supplemental cool lights? You can use them during flooring too

ISK said:
no...I use CFL for the first 2 or 3 weeks because that's all they really need, 600 watts of anything is overkill for a young seedling
Click to expand...
Some of us start from clones
 
nomoresnow

nomoresnow

Well-Known Member
ISK said:
no...I use CFL for the first 2 or 3 weeks because that's all they really need, 600 watts of anything is overkill for a young seedling
Click to expand...
Gotcha, I too will be using a couple cfl's to get my seedlings going and once I transplant them I will turn on the hps.
 
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Semper.Fi

Semper.Fi

Well-Known Member
Not really true . . . . if all you have is a 600w what ever . . . . .raise it so the PAR / heat levels are sufficient, but strong enough to promote growth . . . .

Just my million $s worth guys :)



ISK said:
no...I use CFL for the first 2 or 3 weeks because that's all they really need, 600 watts of anything is overkill for a young seedling
Click to expand...
 
innerG

innerG

Well-Known Member
Semper.Fi said:
Not really true . . . . if all you have is a 600w what ever . . . . .raise it so the PAR / heat levels are sufficient, but strong enough to promote growth . . . .

Just my million $s worth guys :)
Click to expand...
Yep - if you have a dimmable ballast you can crank it down to 25 or 50% too
 
Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
You're getting some good answers here bud. I use a 125w dual spectrum cfl for getting seedlings to their first true leaves. I bought. Lightwave t5 unit a while back to replace the cfl but I've just changed back, I find I get better vigor with the cfl and it runs abit hotter which allows me to control my environment abit more. That's another thing to consider, if you're not giving ur plants the right environment then irrespective of the type of light you will be losing out in some way.
 
Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
,
Semper.Fi said:
Philips Retro White ARGO CMH . . . .from seedling to harvest . . . . . but needs a mag ballast!

A beautiful powerful spectrum y'all

Only in 250w and 400w and probably only 2000 left on the planet . . . .

about 20 of them are at mine :)


~_
Click to expand...
I have to agree that the spectrum off these things is sublime.

I planned a switch myself a while back but opted for a multi bulb set up instead cos I learned that the uv-b Rays wouldnt pass through my cooltubes, u need to use a Quartz cooltube to benefit from the added uv-b spectrum. In the end it just meant changing to much so I put the idea on the back burner until I find myself enough time to run a small organic grow for special occasions. I like the dimlux expert cdm, looks every bit an exceptional product.
 
Blue brother

Blue brother

Well-Known Member
I know some very knowledgeable growers who will only use hid lighting, even for seedlings. Like samperfi said u just move the bulb away or dim it. Or buy urself one of those small hps/mh kits. I would probably run a 150w dual spec hps for seedlings and plants Upto 6". Because the established plants are taller they'll benefit from more intensity and the smaller plants will benefit from less intensity cos they're further away from the bulb. But i grow in cupboards so I have to make do with my small propagation cupboard.
 
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