Calling all metal halide users plz help color spectrum

[bobman]

All right whats the deal with metal halide. I have done the research and everyone says how great it is for vegging but everything is so vague. So I have a switchable 1000 ballast and thought I would take the plunge. But I have noticed any bulb under 120 dollars is between 3000 and 4200 color temp. After vegging with hps at 2100k and not being overly impressed and vegging with t12 flouros at 6500k and being very impressed so far (started 2 days ago) i was curious whats the best route for metal halide. I am not afraid to spend the money for a bulb if the results match but i am so sick of bullshit marketing. I also vegged under a t5 4200k or 3700k for a little while and was not impressed.

Help very much appreciated this is driving me crazy. I am seriously considering t8s or t5 6500 k but I am worried about light penetration.

 

[*mistress*]

sunmaster warm deluxe. 3k kelvin. red, blue, uvb...
excellent bulb for veg & flower...

though any standard cheapo 4k mh (neutral light good for both veg & flower) will provide denser nodal spacing than hps bulbs alone, which will tend to elongate, rather than zig-zag.

this may be helpful:
lighting conversion data
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=108993

metal halide GROW LIGHTS for FLOWERING CYCLE
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=139431&highlight=metal+halide

MH Lighting For Entire Grow?
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=132224

enjoy your garden!

 

[bobman]

Thanks but i guess my my main question is optimal veg. I have always vegged under 1000 watt hps and my plants just have not been responding like I want(maybe the bulb is too old). I just tried a couple of racks of t12 6500k tubes and the plants r really loving it. I just started a new strain and I want them to get going because of timing issues. I was hoping mh in the long run would be a good vegging option because of penetration issues of flouros. I dont know I am so confused. I will still flower under hps.

 

[!!!]

A MH for vegging would be good. Might wanna look into CMH too.

 

[bobman]

Again thanks. The cmh looks good but its only available in 400watts. I am looking for a 1000. May still go that route.

 

[whodi]

how old is your hps.. get a new hortilux bulb

 

[Lazyman]

I used Hortilux Eye daylight blue MH bulbs, they are wonderful, huge blues, (huge reds too,more than their Super HPS!) but they hate digital ballasts. If I used analog ballasts I'd probably run nothing but the daylights.

 

[JackTheGrower]

It just costs too much no mater what we do..


I had good luck with mixed spectrum

If I bought a new 1k bulb i would try out the mix spectrum Hortilux one.. a 600w hps and 400 watt MH together in one unit.

However even plain HPS and plain MH work fine!

I did get great response from bare plain 1k HPS ( street light type) bulb when i first started out but went with air cooled light units so switched to what promised improved output because of the need for the light to travel through glass.

Now here is where i need help.. I read once years ago that there are two processes that light assists in plants, one is Photosynthesis and the other is another synthesis but I forget the name.. Please help.. It's why red and blue spectrum are needed I believe..

 

[Lazyman]

Hey Jack, check the lumen output (and price) of those bulbs, they pretty much suck.

I believe both red and blue light induce photosynthetic responses, but the different wavelengths make the plants respond differently. We're trying to replicate daylight, which has lots of everything.

 

[*mistress*]

Now here is where i need help.. I read once years ago that there are two processes that light assists in plants, one is Photosynthesis and the other is another synthesis but I forget the name.. Please help.. It's why red and blue spectrum are needed I believe..

read the links ^... in post 2 of this thread... a lot of data already there...
this may also be helpful:

This is a gold mine of cannabis growing laboratory research

enjoy your garden!

 

[JackTheGrower]

Hey Jack, check the lumen output (and price) of those bulbs, they pretty much suck.

I believe both red and blue light induce photosynthetic responses, but the different wavelengths make the plants respond differently. We're trying to replicate daylight, which has lots of everything.

Actually it's an ideal solution here since I assume the output will be "Gentler"
That 1k is actually a little too much in the tri-cooltube setup here.
LOL!

Ill look at mistress's link.. I'm missing details in the posts the past few days for some reason? Post-toesis?


Hey here is a related Power Point presentation.. It has some nice graphics. It's a download
http://www.eng.uc.edu/STEP/training/conferences/NSTA/NSTA2004/photosynthesis_7.ppt

 

[whodi]

the eye blue 400 watt has 29,000 lumens.. wouldn't a hortilux super hps 400 be better.. it's got 55,000 lumens

 

[*mistress*]

the eye blue 400 watt has 29,000 lumens.. wouldn't a hortilux super hps 400 be better.. it's got 55,000 lumens

while the lumen output is more from the hps, they will grow differently under predominantly blue vs. predominantly red spectrums...
plants absorb light based on photosynthetically active radiation (par). lumens are a measure of light output, not the rec'd/assimilated wavelengths of the plant.
far more stretch (elongation between nodes) w/ a hps, than a mh.
closer nodal spacing w/ mh during veg.
this may be helpful:
lighting conversion data

enjoy your garden!

 

[whodi]

i've heard using MH bulbs is old way of doing things and a way for companies to make mroe money.. sup with that mistress?

 

[*mistress*]

could be...
but 1k 4000 kelvin mh bulbs (basically a sunmaster neutral deluxe) can be found for ~50 coins.
not about old vs. new...
the plants just grow differently under different light. @ least in ficitious garden.
have vegged under floros, hps, mh... yes, hps will will consitently grow larger plants. but upon close inspection, the nodal spacing is spaced further apart & there will be more stem than growing tips @ zig-zag intersects on stem.
the mh will get more density during veg & when used thru flower, rock-hard tomatoes. the plants may not look as 'big', but they will be stout, stocky & have more solid fruit.
mixing the 2 seems give best results...

cost is not prohibition. include mh because they positively affect/enhance overall quality of fruit.
plants need blue light thru out their life...

enjoy your garden!

 

[NEARTHEBEACHBOY]

i use a 4200k MH for veg.i think i bought it from htg supplies.it works pretty good i think.

 

[NBtrichgrower]

im adding a regular MH 400 to my 1k tent for the las t 4 weeks of flowering ,

 

[bobman]

Update: turns out my ballast is not switchable. So I went ahead today and ordered a 1000 watt Ushio Opti Blue MH Conversion Bulb. Supposed to work on a hps ballast with a 7200k. I will try to remember to update.

 

[bobman]

Also anybody veg with mh 5000k+. Mistress I know u said u vegged with a mh but was the spectrum in the 6500k range. I vegged under t5 with 4200k and it just did not do anything. Most cheaper mh are in the 4000k range. I am hoping with the more blue spectrum it will beat hps.

 

[BudZad7]

Hortilux 1000 MH Blue!!!

Hortilux 1000 MH Blue!!!

Hi All! Tried all types of bulbs with good success!!,,,But, the new 1000w blue 5500Kelvin
bulb is the SHIT for now! Here's a strain that is doing GREAT! under this new bulb....Afghan Heaven!!! this is day 6 of flowering....Peace!! Try it and See!!