soo i currently have 2 5000k 23w cfl and 2 42w 6500k cfl.....i was thinking of upgrading to a MH 175...my question is how does it work as far as lumens and cri and kelvins....its a 175w 4k 9000lumens cri-91 mh...is it better to have the MH setup or the CFL i have currently...(2 plants max) and does the kelvin have to be over 4k for veg with MH??
I'd go for the 250w Mh, it does depend on you grow area, sq ft/meters, although you may have 2 plants now, soon like us ..will be a plantation, keep a fan in there, consider venting out that heat,... forget cri, forget kelvin, and watts,...baby, it's all in the lumens peace "V" 6500 = blue ..veg 4100 = red ..bud, ideal but not totally necessary
soo the mh flood i have is a 4000k and some were in the 9000lumen range...ill be ok with this over the cfls?
CFLs can make a decent grow but just about any light is better then a CFL. CFL grow spectrum only extends 2-4 inches from the bulb once you get past 4 or so it drops off dramatically. A HID system...MH/HPS even a 250w one will give you superior light intensity and light penetration...2 things a plant needs. The intensity helps the plant develop and light penetration saturates the entire plant rather then localized areas. In fact for the most part HID light systems are the defacto standard for grows since there readily available and inexpensive. Its what all lights are compared to just about. For most CFL grows you end up having to add more as time goes on and adjusting them. MH/HPS lamp just raise it. The draw back is they generate a tons more heat so you have to have a proper vent system in your grow area to accommodate it. A rule of thumb on HID is you can veg with MH flower with HPS but you can also start to finish just have the HPS bulb in. MH bulb start to finish though is not proper. I used to use HID but have migrated to all LED now.
I am currently doing 2 plants under a 250w HPS the entire grow. With the CFL's you will have to buy different bulbs to flower and the MH you will also have to switch to a HPS during flower. To save time and money I have gone with just HPS the whole grow and have done it in past grows and recommend doing this if you don't want to be buying different bulbs and shit during the grow. I have not had any problems with doing this either.
Agreed. When I first started off I did that. After one grow with multiple plants I knew there had to be a better way which led me to MH/HPS lamps.
yeah the config i have is basically a giant GE flood light (the ones they use for outdoor lighting tennis courts etc) it has everything built into it but runnss suppppper hott i feel like compared to the cfls i got....im NOT expanding my grow to more then 2 plants...just a space issue....anyone ever use something like this...is it a bad idea lol??
Are you talking about that GE light that they sell at Home Depot with the blue bottom? If so they sell that as a grow light but if you read closely all it does is make your plants look visually better indoors from the coating shining colored light on it. That thing sucks.
Nice light lol. Same as as HPS just different enclosure. Yes HID lights do run hot. There igniting Sodium gas in the bulb. Anything will run hotter then a CFL just about.
okay so the next step would to build a good enough growbox!! that enclosure has a max of 175w so for one or 2 plants would it be good as far as lights go....this is what ive made for my cfls thats housing my babes currently http://forum.grasscity.com/micro-grows/1076452-mini-fridge-microbator.html ...i came across that lighting system brand new int he box for almost nothing just wondering if its worth switching over to??