Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium question

[d00d557]

I need to buy a 70w metal halide ballast for an inside grow i'd like to start. I can't even find one right now but if I do and would it be bad to use a high pressure sodium lightbulb during the flowering stages on a metal halide ballast? I'm not sure if they're set up the same, just wondering to save some money.

[bejay]

you cant use a hps bulb in a ballast designed for a metal halide.
and think you are making to big of a deal out of the hps/ mh issue, either one can be used in both veg and flower cycle so you do not neceassarly have to have both types.
and not sure I would even bother getting a 70 watt at around 6000 lumens you would probably be better off with 3 40 watt cfls or it would atleast give your plants more lumens.
a hps or mh is a better light but dont think I would even bother buying a smaller than 250 wattage in hps or mh.

[d00d557]

yeah I was thinking about it that it might be too much of a pain in the ass to set it up, so even with cfls i can get pretty good bud potency during the flowering stage?

[bejay]

you wont get a very good yield but potency should be fine, you would get better results if you used 50 watts per sq ft of hid lighting or more but if your grow space is so small that you cant use atleast a 250 watt hid then I would suggest just using flouros.

[ismokealldaylong420]

if i were you i wouldnt do that you could get electricuted or it could start a fire and you dont want that to happen i only use hps lights for both flower and veg and the internodes on most of the plants i grow are 1/4 to 2/4 inches and thats good enough for me but you should try and buy a complete system from ebay