why does red spectrum ligh..

[Mctuffet]

right now i'm growing lowryder. it's and auto flower strain and it just started it's 3rd week from germ. it has started to flower already and to my understanding the red spectrum is suppose to be the best for flower.

do you think that since it's an auto flower strain and doesn't nead a 12/12 light regament* to flower that using my mh would be a good idea?

[cnd411]

Switching your lights back and forth will shock your plants. Lowryder is very sensitive to light and due to the autoflowering characteractic, lights should be left on for 18 or 24 hours a day, while a 12/12 cycle only diminishes growth and yields.

[Mctuffet]

i know that it should be on 24 hours. what i was curious about was should i be using mh or hps?

thanks for the input

[mand]

hello mand, i will switch over tomorrow, going to take your advice. its sad to see them looking so down. are you using 400w mh? for your veg.

Hello Mobay Yes I use a 400 watt MH for the vegitive growth, on a 18/6 cycle The MH provides blue light which is the best for vegitive growth.

The 400 watt HPS I use to induce flowering on the 12/12 cycle. The HPS is best for this job as it provides red light.

You see light produces a full spectrum of colours, but we can't see them .............humans can only see white light


In all my grows this is the way I have used the lights, I did once have a crop fail due to the bulbs being worn out, but they were six years old

This present crop is the only one I have had were I have had to mess around with the lights.......................I don't know what it was but something cauesd the plants to react badly by drooping when under the HPS. However it seems to righted itself now as the plants seem quite happy under the HPS.


One thing the problems have learned me though is that plants will flower under a MH bulb. I once read that flowering under MH will reduce the yeild by 10% to that of a plant/crop flowered under an HPS light ...............how true that statement is, I don't know


love mand xxx

[J DOG 6000]

I think the plants just wern't used to the red light and just need to adapt.

[cnd411]

i know that it should be on 24 hours. what i was curious about was should i be using mh or hps?

thanks for the input

I knew someone using HPS on Lowryder from start to harvest with good results. Lowryder's life cycle is short, do not shock her then you will be happy with good results.

[digitaldog]

well i think it`s common knowledge that MH is for veg and HPS is for flowering!! :rasta:
But just to confuse the issue!!!! ..........
There are quite a few different HPS bulbs on the market and some can be used throughout the entire grow - both veg and flower!!
I personally have a sylvania growlux 400W bulb which by all accounts delivers the entire spectrum of light so is good for both veg and flower.
It does deliver far more of the red end of the spectrum than the blue so u`d be far better off using a MH for veg and then switching over to say a ` son t` hps bulb for flower but it does show that ... depending on the bulb ur using ....... u can use just HPS for the entire grow
Did that just confuse everyone or help???
I dunno
Digi

[Mctuffet]

i'ts good info but doesn't realy solve the question of why does the plant droop when switched to hps from mh. this happend to me and it has been under 24 hours of light in both circumstances.