Quote Originally Posted by gus738
im not much into l.e.d and its a route i probably wont consider for the time being, thanks though but if anything it might be supimental or as a side thing but otherwise i plan on veg with mh and hps to get as much speactrum as possible. but im looking for something that so yes im starting from scratch
You do not want as much spectrum as possible. Green and yellow wavelengths act as growth inhibitors (that's the only effect green has, BTW, on cannabis, besides maintaining a baseline photosynthetic rate which is better achieved with targeted-spectrum lighting) and the majority of wavelengths are still not at peak efficiency. If you want 'full spectrum' go with trace amounts of everything with reds and blues being most dominant and the rest being about 2-3% of the total output. The majority of biological processes are controlled by red and blue. Some green and yellow might be used - this can be determined almost primarily by the leaf color - light it won't use will generally be reflected or allowed to pass through completely without being absorbed (depending upon quantum efficiencies and whether or not the plant has structures made to handle particular wavelengths of light.)


That aside, you could do what you're looking for with vertical MH/HPS lighting and vertical/coliseum style growing, but it will take quite a bit of space to get done, and overall, if you intend to keep on with your setup, you'll be spending quite a bit more on cooling and lighting over time than you would going LED. I've got MASSIVE plants with LED versus my T5HO in veg in equal time rates, and my T5HO knocked the crap out of my HPS bulb veg-wise. I think the MH would've beaten the T5HO, though, given proper color temperature. For flowering, I'm still testing with LED but I'm easily nailing what I couldn't hit with HID bulbs or T5HO bulbs normally.

Not many will say go LED but a few of us know what we're doing (I'm an official Dutch gov't genetics preservation specialist,) and we can point you out in the right direction. Stra8outtaweed has units that I wish I had, given my particular growing space dimensions. If you had a large area to go with, I'd be asking him about what he has, as it's likely more suited to your needs so he can tell you where to look for them.

Just as a heads-up, My Hindu Skunk is rated 15-20% THC content amongst other cannabinoids. I most certainly get that under T5HO to HPS lighting, no problem, the issue is yield for me unless I do vertical. Under LED, same genetics from same mother and same technique/timing/nute regimen, I'm pushing almost 30% THC content amongst other cannabinoids plus I have the yield I need to make sure my leg doesn't bug me (3/4 ton pickup truck head-on while riding a 10-speed, bro.) Better quality and better quantity for less work and less cash. Put it like this, assuming all goes according to plan, 70+ grams from 70-77 days from clone rooting (2 weeks veg 8-9 weeks flower) using a 50w panel on 18/6 veg and 12/12 flower puts me at 50.4 kWh for the entire grow (not including air pump, which about doubles that) and about $10 in nutes. So for say 77 days of my time, I get about as many grams of bud for maybe 15-20 bucks. See how quickly you can scale that tiny operation up? I'm doing this in a PC case. Yes, initial setup cost is expensive, but it'd be WELL worth your time, as you'd probably dose less with far more potent medicine. You'd also save far more money on cooling and ventilation costs, plus bulb and ballast replacement costs.

Actually, after a quick bit of math (and making sure it was right at least according to my power company and to one of the cheapest suppliers of lighting I can find) it seems LED is just now starting to become a short-term cost-efficient solution, as well, depending upon your precise needs. I see some 1.5w diodes going for about 2 bucks, and even at 120 degree emission that's enough penetration for deep ScroG grows up to 18 inches.

Lots to think about, but assuming you've got the space and initial cash, go with Stra8's suggestion, you'll love yourself for it rather quickly once you see the power savings and quality/quantity increase.