lighting and other questions

[smoker4life]

Hey,

What types of lighting should I use on my plant? I just planted it 2 days ago...it is outside until I can buy a lamp from Home Depot. what type of lamp should I buy and what type of bulb (watt, etc) should I get?

How tall is my plant going to get? It is a white Russian plant.

How long will it take from the time I plant it until it is ready to be cut and dried?

How often should I water?

[llamaman666]

I have a HPS, but Metal Halides are cheaper, does anyone one know of an advantage of HPS lights over MH? I just got the HPS light insted of MH because either was free, and the more expensive, prbly better deal.

[tumbleweed]

uhhhh, no real dif. hps is more for flower due to more blue color spectrum. mh is more for veg cuz of more red light spectrum. or is it the other way round? i think MH has the advantage tho, cuz you can get converters that make it work just like a hps so you can use it all thru the grow, but whether to buy it and convert a MH to hps is cheaper then to buy a MH and hps for different stages is something i dont know. and know, if youll exsqueeze me, i need to unscramble my brain peice

you got that backwards blue is for veg red is flower
hps = red mH = blue at home depot
most hps and mH cost the same
you might also want to look into high output compact fluoros you can find these in most hydro shops and work just as well with less heat and color spectrum more balanced

[bonbon]

that a metal halide bulb will work in a hps ballast,if or when you want to switch bulbs,just disconnect the "x3" wire from the ignitor,put a wire nut or tape around it,and replace with the mh bulb,and reconnect to use the hps bulb,of course the the bulbs must be of the same wattage....bonbon

[jarheadmj12]

For just a few plants you cant go wrong with one 250 watt HPS.Overall they are better than a halide,especially for flowering.Just hang in there until you can get your light. You will see imediant results.Also,check your Ph.Keep it just a bit acidic,around 6.6 -6.7.Do not water every day,only wate when soil is dry.Too much water can can really mess your plants up.