HPSvsFlorrecentvsEnvirolite

Ok im trying to deside what lighting to use in a three stage setup, i already have a 400w hps and a crap load of florecent 2ft lights i got at walmart. And i have 2, 4ft florreccent lights.My closet is about 7x4. The 400w hps get the room hot enogh already so i dont want to add another. So i was looking at the h/o floreccents from HTGsupply and Envirolite. I dont really no much about the Envirolite, like How far down dose it penatrate, and what size do i need for 6 plants. Is it better to use the hps for floowering and florrecent for veg or should i switch it? any tips or advice would be great! thanks

Most people us MH for vegging and HPS for Flowers. But Some people use the HPS for both. Myself, I use a T-5 and (6) 43 watt CFLs for vegging, and then my 400 watt HPS and (6) 43 watt CFLS for side lighting, to give those bud sites on the sides some like. This seems to work out very nice for me. I was thinking about useing the 400 watter for my vegg cycle, but I thought.. WHY?? It will just cost me more money, and they grow big and bushy the way i have them. I do think I will use the 400 watter for vegging this winter time though. It will not cost anymore at all, seeing as the light will put out 100% effectient heat. So that will be nice. During the summer, I have to pay to cool things down with AC. But during the winter, I can let the HPS light help heat the house. Anyway, Good luck on the Grow.

Thanks for the advise,Im debating on buying ethier the t-5, the CFL, or just staying with what i got. I want to be able to have a constant cycle with one side of the room in veg and the other in flowering. My goal is to harvest about evry month. Is thier a significant difrence in the t-5 vs the florecents from walmart? I was looking at the 125w Envirolite but im not really sure how well the will produse. Has anyone had any experice with them? if so let me now how u like them.

look into leds (light emitting diodes)!!!!!!!

there worth it

Thanxs, what would u recomend for a 3x3 grow area?

if your talking feet (3x3) you will need about 200-300 in a series i currently run 500 in my veg box and its 5x6 foot...
and they all run off 12 volt at 800mA witch is about the same as any old nokia phone chager

Go t5ho

I will be honest with you, haven't started my grow just yet, but all my friends with years of experience growing have looked at the setup that I have put together and nearly dropped their jaw saying that I was going all out for a first time grow. Oh btw, I initially had planned to go flood and drain for flowering but changed my mind to an all aero grow. If you wish I can show you how I converted my diy flood & drain to a diy aeroponic system of my own design(Got the conceptual ideas mainly from FilthyFletch but other inspirations as well).

I found a gem for you that I myself purchased and you can change the bulbs to suit 6500k exactly but 10000k at 4x 2000 lumens is beautiful as is. Look at the link below
New T5ho t5-ho 2ft / 4LAMP Aquarium REEF lighting - (eBay item 120154612281 end time Sep-02-07 22:19:56 PDT)


at $60 for a t5ho 4 lamp 2 foot fixture +lamps that is a steal. Based on other's grows using similar systems I might be optimistic but genuinely believe I can shave ATLEAST one or two weeks off the whole process yet still have a great yield.


-pot

Dude that Aquarium lighting temp is way off. you'd be better of with 6400k lights.

the other thing I read was that the usable lumens on those t5ho lamps way surpass that of any other fluorescent light out there and at similar lumen counts rival hps lamps if you wished to go that route for flowering at ~ 2700k.

Major benefit is you can almost touch your plants with them as they do not generate hardly any heat, I would still advise a 2-4 inches away. At 3x3 you might want to buy 2-3 of those to put you closer to optimal lumen count for vegging(you need to be over 2000 psf closer to 3000psf is better for vegging). 3 of those t5ho I mentioned in the last post would put you at 2667 lumens per square foot which should promote RAPID growth in vegetation.

I know I have no practical grow experience minus helping my friends several times, but I hope what I have learned is useful to you.

unemployment: I did mention the possibility of switching the lights to 6400/6500k in that post also. That fixture in itself is a bargain


-pot

I was looking at some lights on ebay for leds if anyone can take a look and tell me what u think. 900 LED Grow Light panels R/B FULL growing lights 4 Pk. - (eBay item 290144361987 end time Aug-25-07 22:30:00 PDT)

perfect the same as mine but i have more blue lights...
if you can you should try to get hold of one that comes with a controller that you can switch through the color spectrums (a reostat) this will help providing the correct spectrum throughout veging and flowering and mabey shop around a bit more for a better price 200 tops per 2-300 leds
but if you cant i would strongly recommend you go with that

leds are the future if you are planning a new room build or any size grow this is the way to go, less power...no heat signiture....tripple the lifetime