Los Muertos
Active Member
I have both, but only room for one. Seems logical that the 200cfl would be better, but I've always just used the hps. Any opinions?
150hps or 200cfl for flowering?
- Thread starter Los Muertos
- Start date
frogvsmonkey
Active Member
hps would be better, how about useing both!
Los Muertos
Active Member
lol I've tried every way possible to get 'em both in there and can't seem to make it work. It's
only like a 2'x2' space and I've got 2 plants in there. It can get cramped, but the girls don't
seem to mind.
xebeche
Well-Known Member
What color temp is the CFL? Usually folks use "warm" (or "soft") bulbs for flowering - 2700K or 3000K (more towards the red/orange end of the spectrum) - and "cool" bulbs for veg (6500K or 5000K; more blueish spectrum). For a 2 x 2 space, either would fit well, so I would use the hps UNLESS the CFL is a warm bulb...in which case it's really your call, either would work and might not be much difference between the two.
SirDankNug
Member
From buddies that have used both, they seem to prefer HPS. Easier to get those fatter, denser nugs. CFL can give you fluffy airy buds. But HPS you have to deal with the heat aspect and CFL you do not.
Plus from my limited knowledge I think the HPS is pumping out more lumens, so you getting more bang for your buck. Just my 2 cents.
Plus from my limited knowledge I think the HPS is pumping out more lumens, so you getting more bang for your buck. Just my 2 cents.
Los Muertos
Active Member
Cool, lots of great advice. +rep for everyone
It is the 2700k cfl, but I didn't know that when I bought it so I had to buy the hps to veg. Stupid, I know.
Since then I've just used the hps for both. I actually tried one more time and got them both in there. It looks kinda ghetto, but it's like a supernova in that little tent. The only way I could get the cfl in there is to stand it upright. Is that gonna make the side nugs wispy? Might be overkill at this point anyway, they're only 1st week flowering and about 8" tall. Think it'll hurt anything? There's no such thing as too much light, right? I've got good air flow so I don't think heat will be an issue. It pretty much stays ambient room temp.
It is the 2700k cfl, but I didn't know that when I bought it so I had to buy the hps to veg. Stupid, I know.
Since then I've just used the hps for both. I actually tried one more time and got them both in there. It looks kinda ghetto, but it's like a supernova in that little tent. The only way I could get the cfl in there is to stand it upright. Is that gonna make the side nugs wispy? Might be overkill at this point anyway, they're only 1st week flowering and about 8" tall. Think it'll hurt anything? There's no such thing as too much light, right? I've got good air flow so I don't think heat will be an issue. It pretty much stays ambient room temp.
xebeche
Well-Known Member
Sure, as long as heat doesn't become an issue, the extra lumens should help. I grew 4-5 foot plants my first time with a 150w hps + (low wattage) T12 fluorescents placed vertically i the corers of my closet garden. Not sure if the T12's really helped all that much, but the plants seemed happy in their growspace and I got just under 4 oz from three ladies. These days I'd probably do a scrog w/o any side lighting, but I do think the extra light helped in that particular case, although I'm really just guessing since I never repeated the same grow without the T12s.
I guess I'm not clear why you bought an hps for veg...the 2700K CFL should be comparable to the hps (although maybe fewer lumens). You could have vegged with the CFL as well. I used hps for veg in all of my past grows, seemed to work pretty well....but of course I didn't have an alternative 6500K lamp to compare with - dunno, maybe I could have done even better. Supposedly the spectrum emitted by "cooler" bulbs is better for vegetative growth, but "warmer" bulbs still do work for veg and flower.
If I had two lamps for flowering like you do, I'd probably find/make extra space and do twice as many plants (again, scrog-style). Then again, I ALWAYS wanna grow more plants, lol. A head-to-head comparison of the 150 hps and the 200w CFL (same strain, same medium, same nutes) would be informative, imo...either just during flowering or even through a whole grow cycle.
Anyways, best of luck with your modified setup...would be interested to see some pics of the "ghetto tent" in action
I guess I'm not clear why you bought an hps for veg...the 2700K CFL should be comparable to the hps (although maybe fewer lumens). You could have vegged with the CFL as well. I used hps for veg in all of my past grows, seemed to work pretty well....but of course I didn't have an alternative 6500K lamp to compare with - dunno, maybe I could have done even better. Supposedly the spectrum emitted by "cooler" bulbs is better for vegetative growth, but "warmer" bulbs still do work for veg and flower.
If I had two lamps for flowering like you do, I'd probably find/make extra space and do twice as many plants (again, scrog-style). Then again, I ALWAYS wanna grow more plants, lol. A head-to-head comparison of the 150 hps and the 200w CFL (same strain, same medium, same nutes) would be informative, imo...either just during flowering or even through a whole grow cycle.
Anyways, best of luck with your modified setup...would be interested to see some pics of the "ghetto tent" in action
the answer is simple. the hps gives out 16000 lumens and the cfl gives out only 10000. the hps gives you more light and uses less electricity. and cfls just suck overall, they dont give proper light penetration so you either have to keep your plants shorter or surround the plant with cfls. hps is the industry standard for a reason.