CFL's or 400w MH for seedlings

[curious101]

Hey all, i'm currently using a 400hps with an mh converion bulb, many have been telling me that cfl's are all you need for growth until flowering...how can this be, all the books i read say mh is the way to go to get real compact growth indoors, should i switch back to cfl's for seedlings or keep the mh on em about 24in. above the seedlings as i currently have it...i started w/ cfl's and was pleased w/ the initial results but decided to buy an hps and grabbed the mh conversion bulb...i'm lost pleez help guide me

curious101 Reviewed by curious101 on 04-05-2007. CFL's or 400w MH for seedlings Hey all, i'm currently using a 400hps with an mh converion bulb, many have been telling me that cfl's are all you need for growth until flowering...how can this be, all the books i read say mh is the way to go to get real compact growth indoors, should i switch back to cfl's for seedlings or keep the mh on em about 24in. above the seedlings as i currently have it...i started w/ cfl's and was pleased w/ the initial results but decided to buy an hps and grabbed the mh conversion bulb...i'm lost Rating: 5

[curious101]

the reason i ask is b/c the seedlings under the mh seem to be taking a little long to get their initial growth, which i didn't experience under the cfl's, but i must say that the seedlings that went from the cfl's to the mh light have really begun to go great...cfl's or 400mh for seedlings...what do/would you use?

[socialistpete]

I just made the switch from MH to CFL for my veg for one reason, the savings on my electric bill. From what I've read it shouldn't make that big a difference. One question why do you have your light so far away? With CFLs you should have it right on top of them.

[curious101]

i meant that i'm currently using a 400w HPS with a metal halide converter, resulting in the 24in. difference, i have 4 42watt cfl's i could use. but the mh i'm currently using is giving off 38,000 lumens while the 4cfl's would give about 1200 lumens...won't this make an enormous difference?

[Abunai]

I'd think so because the MH light is way more intense and has better light concentration. The only thing is, the CFLs you can place hella close to without having much heat worries. I'd stay with the MH and put the CFLs around the sides or so !

[uzybear]

switching to cfl saved electricity? even with the same lumen output? my understanding is that a MH would be more efficient than flouro. or did you drop to a lot less lumen output?

[uzybear]

good point with the placing things close, i hear good things about certain flouro tubes being cool to the touch

[uzybear]

flouro is becoming more and more common for veg; mainly because of ease of use, low intro costs, and most of all: low heat; i think the point of putting lights right on top of plants, especially seedlings, is a very good point to make

[stinkyattic]

For seedlings, if you can fork over $150 for a new wave T5 24" or something similar, DO IT, I absolutely believe it is the best light on the market for the first 1-2 weeks of a plant's life.
Once it's got the 5 nodes and is ready to be repotted and fed, yeah, a metal halide is very nice for veg.

[bejay]

the mh will work fine, really the only reason to use flouros would be to reduce electricity cost, and even then they only work good for the first 2-3 weeks of the plants life.