Single light vs multiple light source

[pip313]

I grow vertical so like jnugg I would suggest a 400w hps vertical no cool tube just a fan but I don't know of your room can do it. Running like that needs real good ventilation or ac if Ina small space.

What does intensity measure, give me a scientific unit of anything.

Inverse square assumes a infinate open space real life has reflection regular flat white is like 80% effecient and white paint and barium oxide gives you most of your light back. Or your reflector, however the room and plants are shaped.

Running flat and for max yield honestly either the 400w hps or 3 150w which ever is rated higher in lumens which I hate to say but lumens are closer to red than the average of the cmh if that makes any sence.

Or more simple you don't use chm of you want weight, it's decent but Cmh is more for great veg and great resin production but not flower weight. If you want to have the best smoke use the 2 hps and 1 cmh

I liked my cmh but I couldn't keep using it and upgrade my wattage so I went to the standard hps.

 

[GreenThumb14]

Thanks for the info pip... I was just going to ask you about mixing hps/cmh.

I'm not sure why CMH doesn't pack on flower weight... In the hps/cmh side by side spectral, the cmh had more power than the hps in it's own peaks (around 600nm) and the cmh went deeper in to the reds.

The max wattage I can really run is 400 + loss... So even if I did HPS I couldn't go above that.


A 250w Lumatek digital hps/mh goes for around $130... I could pair that up with a 150w cmh, one bulb on each end of a/c reflector... Run both from veg to harvest, should produce pretty well, ya?

 

[macncheese]

To the 400w vert guys, would two stacked 250w work better?

 

[pip313]

How's the plants shaped, mini trees or coliseum sea of green? Too many variables room size plant count veg time and more. If you can try verticalscrog and build flower and veg the same size and move lights not plants. That will make max use of veg and flower time. I can't tell if you plan on having a separate veg room or if your doing both in the same room.

Use the single 400. In veg make the scrog to fit a 400 not the real watts so when you put the 400 in your not burning.

Read jnuggs stuff. If I had a small space it would be similar just denser with a screen. I like veging so yea.

 

[foomar]

Have anecdotal evidence in flower , but some comparison data from various light combinations in a longstanding veg box , where lights are the only factor ever changed.

Two 85 watt CFL,s equally spaced produces slightly more overall growth than a sigle lamp of the same make rated at 200 watt , and its easier to keep clones the same height and not lopsided without constant moveing.

The difference is not huge but its easier to manage a space with a little more light in the usually darker corners , esp if raiseing clones for a style where uniform height and node are important later.


Suggest that more of the leaf surface is getting light at an incident angle closer to 90 deg , and efficiency falls rapidly at lower angles.

Possibly more direct light is hitting the leaves with multiple sources , as passing through a leaf absorbs 30% to 70% of par according to a licor.

Guess this is the thinking behind light movers , but have not played with them yet.

Local grower switched from a 1000w to a 600w and a 400w due to the high cost of the largest bulbs , he says its easier all round and yield a little more , plausible but purely anecdotal.

 

[pip313]

Seriously consider a single 400w Hps vertical like jnugg but powered by a 600w lumatek they can run at 400w and run the bulb fine with room to grow.

 

[GreenThumb14]

I can't really do vertical with my current setup. Thinking I am going to mix a 150w cmh with a 250w hps. Thoughts on this? I'd run both from veg to harvest.

 

[pip313]

Bad. One color light on one side the other on the other. 3 bulbs and cmh in middle wouldn't have that issue.

400w hps 600w dimmable ballast reflector. Simple effective and you can go from 360 400 600 and 660w at the turn of a dial. Besides super lumens do not run a bulb past rating 400w ran at 360 and 400 is 100% fine super lumens is for running a 600 at 660

60hz ballasts like magnetic cause lines in pictures if that matters to you. I had a buddy swap 3 1000w ballasts just to take good picture.

 

[GreenThumb14]

I could mount both bulbs in the center of the reflector

 

[pip313]

Sides would be front to back instead of left and right. Still 2 colors on 2 sides.

 

[GreenThumb14]

But the arc tubes would be side by side... Best chance to get a mixed spectrum.

 

[Jnugg]

400w Digital Lumatek ballast for $145 @ Amazon...look around,you may find better deals.

IMO multiple light sources (for even light spread) is best in bigger setups like say a 3x6 where I'd want 3x 600w HPS's for even light spread across the entire canopy vs just right in the center of the canopy...or in bigger vert setups using stacked bulbs to take advantage of any and all vertical growing space...or tree's Heath Robinson style.

 

[pip313]

Not gonna overlap correctly. Your over thinking it. 400w bulb 600w ballast capable of running at 400w. I guess to answer the title of the thread single bulb. Cheap simple effective and room to grow, I don't see a down side.

 

[GreenThumb14]

If I do a 400w lumatek then I'm not using CMH anymore, which was kinda the whole goal... I'd have to use a mag ballast.

 

[Jnugg]

If it's mixed spectrum you're looking for,buy a good bulb.I used to usr a 430w HPS back in the day which had 30% more blue in the spectrum over standard HPS bulbs,switched back to regular HPS bulbs after a few runs.

 

[GreenThumb14]

Since I already have a 250w cmh on the accendo ballast and another 150w cmh on eballast already ordered and shipped I think I am just going to mix bulbs in the hoods. One side of tent will use 250w cmh & 150w hps and the other side of tent will have a 250w hps and 150w cmh. I'm 2 weeks in to flowering on an AK47 auto strain and the resin production and health under the 250w cmh is really nice. I only have 1 outlet to plug in to so I'm kinda limited on my wattage. Running 400w in each side of the tent + fans, air pumps, puts me up to 1kw... Really don't want to go over that. If I owned a house I would definitely setup 240vac and do this up right.

 

[Jnugg]

If I do a 400w lumatek then I'm not using CMH anymore, which was kinda the whole goal... I'd have to use a mag ballast.

Alrighty then

http://www.discount-hydro.com/400-watt-c-a-p-h-p-s-valuline-system/

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdescc111.html?ic=HLBAHPS04SSX:03&eq=&Tp=

Just shop around...

 

[GreenThumb14]

Alrighty then

http://www.discount-hydro.com/400-watt-c-a-p-h-p-s-valuline-system/

http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemdescc111.html?ic=HLBAHPS04SSX%3A03&eq=&Tp=

Just shop around...

Don't really want to use it because of the waste. 65w of waste is a lot. In comparison I was looking at using 3x 150w cmh's on eballasts for a total use of 480w... So I get an extra 50w of light for only 15w more over the 400w mag ballast

Some people say flowering with CMH is awesome and yet others say it sucks... Once again

 

[rives]

I've been down the road of multiple sources/even distribution pretty thoroughly over last several years. I usually run a 30" x 30" scrog, and have used (6) 55w PL-L's over it, a variety of LED sources, and a combination of the two. I'm currently running a couple of 315w CDMs over two pretty good-sized bushes, and am getting ready to put one over my scrog. From what I've seen, the enhanced coverage from multiple sources cannot compete with the higher intensity. The jury is still out, but only because I'm pretty methodical and want to see exactly what the 315w will do in the same environment.

You always read that "lumens don't add". At least for me, this is so far from being intuitively obvious that proof is needed to grasp it adequately. Yes, there is a tremendous benefit from multiple sources, lack of shading, closer proximity to the light source, etc, etc, etc. It still doesn't compensate for the higher intensity.

 

[GreenThumb14]

Thanks for jumping in, Rives. What are your thoughts on me using a 150w cmh along with a 250w hps in the same reflector above a 3x3' scrog?