Can only afford one which should it be to use throughout the whole grow? An MH or hps? My last grow I used an mh the whole time so recommendations please
Go with the hps and get some cheap cfl for veg. You could get a nice light bank for like 50 bucks. Well worth it.
Most growers who pick one or the other, rather than both, prefer to go with HPS because of their higher lumen output watt-for-watt, compared to MH, and because they produce the most useful spectrum for flowering. Generally, growers who have their rooms and grows dialed in veg only three or four weeks (when I veg any longer for instance, my plants surpass 8ft during bloom and get in the way of my lights), then bloom for 6 weeks, up to even 12 weeks or longer, depending on the nature of the strain..... so you get more lumens per watt, and you're usually blooming two to four times longer than you'd veg, so it's a good idea to favor the lengthier stage, that produces the flowers. Ideally, just be sure that you grab a horti bulb, and it will add a hint of the blue spectrum. I've never had a problem using HPS from start to finish, I've been growing that way since the 90's. 150w incandescent = 2,550 lumens or only 17 lumens per watt 150w halogen = 3000 lumens or 20 lumens per watt 150w Fluorescents = 9,000 lumens or 60 lumens per watt 150w Compact Fluorescents = 10,500 lumens or 70 lumens per watt 150w Metal Halide = 13,500 lumens or 90 lumens per watt 150w High Pressure Sodium = 16,000 lumens or 107 lumens per watt (Keep in mind this chart is a few years old, for instance today some horti-HPS bulbs begin their lives closer to 130 - 140 lumens per watt.)
You can only afford one? When you buy a lot of light setups that are out there (HID), a lot of them come with both MH and HPS bulbs. Even if they do not, a lot of systems are still capable of running both bulbs. Are you saying that you can't afford another $30 to buy a cheap bulb? If thats the case I might advise that you get out of this hobby now before you spend too much money.
HPS will work for for flow and veg,but MH is best for veg.MH sucks for flow,anyway if u have already the MH bulb,u can buy HPS and change it later.Balast should work for both.
Thats alittle rude if you ask me. Not everyone has alot of start up cash. And pot is expensive now day so paying 20$ a gram or spending 200 on a small set up is cost efficient some just dont have the ability to buy 500+ dollars worth of stuff initially. Dont pay attention to some people friend get your hps light build your system and start your grow. Best of luck to you and we are here if you run into trouble or just need advice.
Btw total misconception about mh is flower. This is a tale thats been going around for some time now mostly exaggerated by the industries to sale more products. Ive done grows using mh in veg hps is flower hps in flower and veg mh is flower and veg. Ive some then side by side same res tank that split the two rooms off and the diffrence was about 16 grams out of about 850. The thing is your going to have tighter nodes and a better veg period which is linked directly to a higher yield with mh but your flower is not as intense and you lose some yield but the trade off is about the same cause the hps doesnt produce the tight nodes and faster growth in veg but a better product in flower. So like i said if you can get one it doesnt matter most prefer hps cause you can run mh bulb in them. It shortens the life span of the bulb but still worth it.
I see it as plain advice. Light bulbs these days only cost $30 to $40 for some of the cheaper ones on ebay. Its not like you have to be rich or work at a really good job to be able to afford that. You can easily find a 600 watt HID setup on ebay for $250 which will do both. And pot is expensive, thats why spending a little bit of money on some good growing equipment will go a long ways with growing some weed. Its not like he has to invest a lot, but I'm pretty sure he can invest $30 to buy a light bulb.