Noob Lighting Questions

[David762]

Greetings all. I am an absolute noob -- no kidding. I figure on building 2 stealthy and secure grow cabinets about 2-1/2 foot by 5-1/2 feet inside dimensions -- keeping in mind CA new 2010 referendum for size limitations. One for seedlings / clones / veg state using 2x4 fluorescent tubes, and the other for veg state and flowering using MH. All will be grown organic, in soil. The question is "What kind of MH?" HPS lighting is currently out of the question.

I bought 3 x 250 watt pulse magnetic ballasts, which I can use with either regular MH or with Hg2Vapor bulbs -- I have both types. What I like is that these bulbs are readily available in local HomeDepot / Lowes stores. But I was reading somewhere that the cannabis trichromes grow as a defensive response to protect the plant from UV light. Kind of makes sense, since some of the best sativa cultivars are mountain grown (closer to the UV). I managed to happen upon a number of seeds from a dozen different cultivars, so the experimentation should be fun.

So, do I use the Hg2Vapor bulbs or the MH bulbs for flowering?

 

[lilnick]

as far as flowering goes you doint want to use MH because you want for of the red and orage spectrums for flowering i only veg with mh's i would say get new bulbsfor hps qnd you will be so much happier use one of your 250's mh for veg you floursent for clones and such and use hps to flower hope this helped

 

[David762]

as far as flowering goes you doint want to use MH because you want for of the red and orage spectrums for flowering i only veg with mh's i would say get new bulbsfor hps qnd you will be so much happier use one of your 250's mh for veg you floursent for clones and such and use hps to flower hope this helped

Thanks for the help. Guess I'll need to find some multiple 250W HPS lighting (ouch).

When I was looking at spectral response of cannabis, it looked like it favored UV through Red, minus a chunk of the Green, but that Red caused too much "stretching".

My fluorescent lighting is a bank of 4 48" plant/grow tubes with mirror-like reflective insert, set up on a pulley system to keep them about 4 - 6" above the plants. My 250W MH/Hg2Vapor setup is separately air-cooled, and also on a pulley system. Note: I selected multiple 250W lamp setup to avoid LEO FLIR detection, as well as better "closet" coverage.

Eventually, I hope to automate the lighting height above the plants, as well as Temp/RH with electronic chillers, and CO2 generation using CaC/H20 with electronic ignition/valve control. I will consider the automation process successful only when I can leave for a week or two without disrupting the grow operations.

 

[FreezerBoy]

There are many who use MH from start to finish and wouldn't dream of using anything else. If MH is what you have, use it with confidence. Grow baby grow.

Hg2? Never heard of it.

 

[coconaut]

Hg2 may be refering to a Mercury Vapour lamp.
In which case, I wouldn't even bother plugging that sucker in.
Interestingly, MV lamps were originally designed with horticulture in mind, but unfortunately the spectrum they emit has far too much green and not enough of anything useful.
They were the first HID lamps.

 

[David762]

Hg2 may be refering to a Mercury Vapour lamp.
In which case, I wouldn't even bother plugging that sucker in.
Interestingly, MV lamps were originally designed with horticulture in mind, but unfortunately the spectrum they emit has far too much green and not enough of anything useful.
They were the first HID lamps.

They are indeed Mercury Vapor bulbs. Since they emit far more UV than standard MH lamps these days, I thought that they might be a good way to have my plants finish with a bit more THC. Supposedly, cannabis trichromes generate more THC as a protective response to UV. (That's book learning versus en vivo empirical experience -- like I said, I'm a noobie.) They don't have the same spectrum as MH -- in fact they are not good for either unprotected eyesight or bare skin. They are less efficient lumens-wise and have fewer hours of operational life, but they're cheap -- around $18 each.

I intend to document all the variables for each of the cultivars I will grow, including that all-important finished product. It'll be a while though -- I haven't even built the grow-boxes yet, let alone moved to California. Eventually, I'll even need to find a J-O-B. I've got a lot to do, and a limited time to do it in.

 

[David762]

There are many who use MH from start to finish and wouldn't dream of using anything else. If MH is what you have, use it with confidence. Grow baby grow.

Hg2? Never heard of it.

That's Mercury Vapor lamps -- I guess I should have spelled it out originally.

I'm a dirty old ex-hippie that's been "on the wagon" for far too long. I decided to say "frack it all" and jump back in -- no J-O-B, no longer have a house, and no "significant other" to tie me to this area.

 

[justanotherbozo]

since i made the same mistake as i noob i thought
i'd join with coconaut in saying that the MV lights
are total crap

do as FreezerBoy suggests and just use your MH,
after you get a grow or 2 under your belt you will
be much better qualified to pick an upgrade.

 

[David762]

since i made the same mistake as i noob i thought
i'd join with coconaut in saying that the MV lights
are total crap

do as FreezerBoy suggests and just use your MH,
after you get a grow or 2 under your belt you will
be much better qualified to pick an upgrade.

Thanks, I've got the picture -- MV sucks (good thing they were really cheap).

The 250W pulse magnetic ballasts will be good for the MH bulbs I bought -- but will they properly drive HPS bulbs, or will I need to buy different ballasts? ~~~ And there is a
huge variety of HPS bulbs out there, which might be best for a small grow ?

If I spring for HPS lighting, I wouldn't mind using the MH as well. Seems like that might broaden the available spectrum for my plants. Since it's likely to be grow cabinets instead of a closet I'd be using, I will have to mind the head room.