HPS...worth it?

[turbo420]

Ok i have three plant that are in flowering and i want to get a hps for them. I found a nice hps 250watt but they are expensive. Is a hps really worth it? How much more bud will it give me if any? Would i be stunting my bud growth by sticking with cfls?

[partcleguy]

Would i be stunting my bud growth by sticking with cfls?

That depends on how many CFLs you have and their wattage... CFLs are more efficient but don't put out as many lumens. An HPS will give you denser buds and a bigger yield (again depending on the wattage and area to be covered).

A 250-watt HPS covers about 2'x2'. Here's the cheapest ballast/light that I currently use: http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=32621 and http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=25.

First grow I yielded 2 ounces from 5 plants (3 were autoflowering and were rather small). I hope to yield at least twice that after correcting for mistakes!
Good luck! :jointsmile:

[smokinbomb]

go with the hps you will like what you see i did and my yeilds doubled

good luck-bomb

[Dutch Pimp]

....speed costs money...how fast do you want to go..?..

[kindprincess]

it's worth it, go with hps...

[Shovelhandle]

CFL is not more efficient.
CFL = aprox 65 LPW (lumens per watt)
HPS = aprox 100+ LPW

The pro of the CFLis that you can easily focus all the light onto the plants by placing them within 1"-2".

Shov

[babystarbud]

i full recomend HPS, after a couple of half-assed attempts with CFL that didnt really work.

the one thing with HPS is the inital outlay of cash, to some, me included....it costs more than pocket change to set up....you should assume that youll need some form of active cooling, usually in the form of an inline fan and duct kit, again, more expence.
my set up cost about £400...thats a 400watt bulb, hood, balast, fan and duct, ferts, a fert measure (pipette) soil , pots, about 800 dollars? but i didnt buy the cheapest kit available.

but the benefits really do speak for themselves, my first crop paid for all my equipment outright, and gave me a good bit of personal smoke. and thats with begginers mistakes etc. and i only grew 6 plants.

to get the same results with CFL, i would have to buy specialist cfls, all the wires etc, by the time you add it up, youve spent pretty much the same, but youve had much more hastle.

With a wide spectum HPS such as the sylvania grolux, you just plug it into a timer and forget about it. job done. it lets you concentrate on other variables like fert and soil....you just dont need to worry about light anymore.

one thing i will say though, is i wouldnt go for anything less than a 400 watter, the price of HPS "kits" dosent vary much between say a 400watt kit and a 600 watt kit.
by "kit" i mean bulb, ballast, reflector and all nessesary wires.

for example a state of the art 400 watt kit costs the same as a regular 600 watt kit etc....


go HPS "enhanced", go at least 400watts, you wont look back, i promise you.

[orangeman]

Yes it's really worth it. Don't ask questions, just get one! :stoned: And honestly I don't see how people think some Cannabis growing equip is too much. If some one can spend $500 on their wife or something like that I don't see how $300 would be too much for something like a 400w HPS lol.

[justaseed]

it's not really expensive at all if you consider you can make your money back x10 in 3 months or less!!!!!

[Bree1978]

i full recomend HPS, after a couple of half-assed attempts with CFL that didnt really work.

the one thing with HPS is the inital outlay of cash, to some, me included....it costs more than pocket change to set up....you should assume that youll need some form of active cooling, usually in the form of an inline fan and duct kit, again, more expence.my set up cost about £400...thats a 400watt bulb, hood, balast, fan and duct, ferts, a fert measure (pipette) soil , pots, about 800 dollars? but i didnt buy the cheapest kit available.

but the benefits really do speak for themselves, my first crop paid for all my equipment outright, and gave me a good bit of personal smoke. and thats with begginers mistakes etc. and i only grew 6 plants.

to get the same results with CFL, i would have to buy specialist cfls, all the wires etc, by the time you add it up, youve spent pretty much the same, but youve had much more hastle.

With a wide spectum HPS such as the sylvania grolux, you just plug it into a timer and forget about it. job done. it lets you concentrate on other variables like fert and soil....you just dont need to worry about light anymore.

one thing i will say though, is i wouldnt go for anything less than a 400 watter, the price of HPS "kits" dosent vary much between say a 400watt kit and a 600 watt kit.
by "kit" i mean bulb, ballast, reflector and all nessesary wires.

for example a state of the art 400 watt kit costs the same as a regular 600 watt kit etc....


go HPS "enhanced", go at least 400watts, you wont look back, i promise you.

Good Points babystarbud-
and to add referring to quote in bold
This is the ONLY reason that is inhibiting me (not so much cost but more as in where grow is located and possiblity, not just feasiblitly (is that a word??) of cooling), I don't know if I can cool sufficiently....it you can keep that under control the lumens are SOO worth it. If you do the research you will see....GL B

[Garden Knowm]

Hello LEPPY LE PEW

If you are going to go HPS... don't waste your time with anything less than 400watts... and recognize that HID lighting is only effective if you can manage the heat..

meaning----- draw the heat away from your plants so that you can keep the light close to your ladies.. (no further than 10-18 inches)...

it is easy to manage the heat if the plants are in an open space.. you can simply use a regular house fan and point it upward towards your light and blow the heat up and away from your plants...

But if you are growing in a confined space you will need an exhuast fan..

and NOW you KNOWM

iloveyou

[Bree1978]

Garden Knowm- Exactly what I was saying, and now you have an expert op from him, and now you knowm....ok i'm enhibreated....and smoked....lol...can't spelllllllllllllllllll....and my opinion wasn't nesssssecccary lol...... Gl B

[babystarbud]

one thing i will add, this might be relevant to you, bree...

if i was to spend the money again, i would have spent a bit extra on a cool tube type hood, coupled with a good inline fan im sure i could have upped my bulb to a 600watt job, even in my confined space.

as i stand, its perfect in winter, but in summer i still stuggle with heat.

[Bree1978]

Please let me know babystarbud...I'm set up in my furnace room...watercloset as well, can't remember where r are from....got a lot of heat at ground zero so to speak....so will an hps be any way doable? I am in a 5X7 closet...but my water heater and furnace is in there (also very difficult to duct to outside, possible duct to bathroom in flowerroom), ...propane so bahhhhhd mojo with the carbon minoxide.....my flower room is in my other house (10X5.5) also in the same set up but with MUCH more room....my first room runs with 84F....just beginning with my flower but I am thinking it is going to be slightly higher like five deg..........so you have any thoughts...I'd like to have an HPS...but I'm battling heat! Please advidse...Hope you can make sense of the hoopla, B

[babystarbud]

furnace room? that sounds ominous, lol

whats the ambient temp in there?

[kindprincess]

bree, everyone shooting the right idea; use a cool tube, or make one... i saw a realy good post here a few months back concerning a diy cooltube with only 20$ invested, or somewhere around there... but that seems like the best bet.

turbo, get a hps if you can, you won't regret it:)

love, kp:p

[Bree1978]

I don't know how to multiple quote...so my ambiant temp in first room which is veg is 84...don't know about my flower which I believe is five deg F higher at least(guesstimate at this point)...so ninety...this is still doable with a cool tube you say kindprincess? let me know...I don't want to make the investment if it is moot...and so sorry if I took attention from your original q, turbo420, B

[kindprincess]

is it possible for you to make an intake from outside? seems then you could run the lights at night, using the cold night air to cool the room and the bulb. as for daytime, that may help that as well... hmmm is there anyway you can give some detail as to where you can and can't vent? maybe we can mcguiver something;)

love, kp:p

[Bree1978]

I could possibly vent into the crawlspace.......you gave me an IDEA YEAH! outside is not an option....crawlspace can that be done?

[babystarbud]

absolutly yeh, and vent into a wall cavity if you have that kind of wall, anything that provides a solid barrier between the spaces :)

[moob]

55000 lumens - 2000K gooooood for a 400W hps?

[Garden Knowm]

if i was to spend the money again, i would have spent a bit extra on a cool tube type hood, coupled with a good inline fan im sure i could have upped my bulb to a 600watt job, even in my confined space.

.

i AGREE 100%

:)
lovelovelove

[kindprincess]

i'm in the process of figuring out how to cool a 1000w... has a hood with vents and a glass sheild, but no place for a duct... time for miss mcguiver...

love, kp:p

[Garden Knowm]

i have the duct converters for that hood.. I think???.. I i wll check tomorrow...


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