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Just out of curiousity what would be the drawbacks of using a MH bulb through the flowering stage. If someone was dumb and bought a metal halide ballast and bulb and has that laying idle. It could be used throughout the whole process right? Interested in the cons of that.
Last time I answered this question I pissed off the thread starter. :D
HPS lack blue light. Blue light is used by Chloraphyl A. This is what the plant like to grow on (get bushy).
MH lack RED light. Red light is used by Chloraphyl B. This is what produces the hormones and sugars used to produce flowers.
Thus the short answer is:
If you use a MH for the entire grow you'll have strong healthy bushes with tiny buds.
If you use HPS for the entire grow you'll see some streching, the plants will have fewer leaves and branches and thus fewer bud sites. However the buds will be big and healthy.
If you use both the entire time you'll have more leaves, more branches, more bud sites and bigger buds.
Don't believe me? Read the lighting section.:thumbsup:
Good luck. :D
Vance hit it dead on. Work within your means and add to your gear as time goes on, and things will turn green at your command! If you had a 1k lamp setup and have some extra bling look into dual arc bulbs, or they make hps conversion bulbs that will work in MH setups. Short life but best of both worlds.
Rather than give you what I read, I'll give you an example of what I did. I used a MH on a batch of clones from a previous crop, and used it straight through to harvest.
The weight was about 25% less give or take than under the HPS, however the flavor and smell were a little more intense. To say that you will get a bush with "tiny" buds is a little dramatic, but you won't get the yield of HPS with it.
That all being said, if someone had one laying around doing nothing and had plants begging to flower, I would use it. It isn't doing a whole lot for you in the box, and 75% of something is better than nothing IMHO.
Here's a couple pics from the MH crop.