HPS for veg?

Yes, the 600 hps will do you throughout your grow. If i were you i'd use flouresents for the seedling/clones. Seedlings/clones dont need intense light for the first few weeks. You will also need plenty of ventilation in that small space for a 600watter. A cooltube could be the ticket. Just a thought.

 

You will experience "stretching" with a HPS light. Use fluorescent cool (6500K) lighting for a few weeks then add the HPS lighting. MH are more for vegative & HPS for fowering.

With the HPS for veg. most experience stretching with heat issues.

 

I wish I stressed this earlier... if you got the cash get a MH bulb. See, you dont need as much wattage for veg as you would like for flowering. I use T5 HO bulbs for veg and HPS (400W) for flowering. There is a lumens difference beteen veg and flowering, but it really doesn't matter. Most of my grows are Scrogs so I only have to veg for 5 weeks, then flower with the HPS and I get huge colaS!

 

I believe in Freedom4Ever's first grow she used a HPS all the way through, and her plants looked fantastic with I think only minor stretching?

But yes, generally MH for Veg and HPS for Flower.

-JC

 

Do not put a HID light on young seedlings/clones. After 2 weeks, yes. You could use a HID after that.

It's very rare nowadays for HPS ballast not to be compatible with a Metal Halide lamp, as the MH lamp doesnt use a ignitor. With the older HPS ballast, you could still use a MH lamp but the HPS ballast would continually fire burning out the MH bulb. You can't use a HPS with a ballast which was designed for a Metal Halide lamp, it just wouldn't fire.
So i presume you could use a MH with your ballast.

 

*curtsies* Thanks man! I did get good results and I'd do it again in an instant I tell you! Bwa ha ha!

Actually, I am using cfl's to start this time just to try and save the electricity, but if my results aren't as good as this then I'm switching back again!!



Oh and any stretching was due to me being a twat and planting my seeds too low in the pot to start with. With good ventilation you can have a 400w hps pretty close to the canopy.

 

including myself, ive known people who have grown 1000s of lbs of chronic and all used HPS for the full cycle, including veg. rest assured, HPS is fine . that is 1000% for certain.
if youre doing some little closet set up, then it probably doesnt matter either way anyway

 

i started my baby's under my 1000w HID and didn't have any problems,i had minor stretching but it wasn't bad at all,i kept my light about 4 ft above the plants and kept the temp below 80, they are in the second week of veg and they are on there 4th node going on 5th and are about 5-6 inches tall,to me i i think it is more about temp than brightness of the light .

 

Yes, the stretching was probably due to the heat from the 1000watter.
Using a 1000w HID for seedling/clones under 2 weeks old doesnt make any sense. For starters the amount of electricity used in those 2 weeks would buy you a CFL.
Secondly, the CFLs only need to be an inch or 2 from the top canopy, and temperatures would be kept to a minimum.
Thirdly, young seedlings/clones dont need to be bombarded with high intensity light.
By all means, if you think you are accomplishing something, go right ahead.