My personal experience with HPS

Sativied said:

If CFL (or LED) was the way to go we'd all be using it already. A cliche because it's so true.

Try adding the Gavita Pro 300 LEP (Light Emitting Plasma) if you got some money to spend and want full spectrum.

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I am interested in the Gavita as well. I was really impressed with Sannie's youtube grow of shackzilla using the Gavita 1000 watt.
It is a 3 minute youtube of pictures from each week from seed til harvest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1PWUu3Hncs

i would love to see myself using enough CFLs to grow 12 plants at one time..

althor said:

I am interested in the Gavita as well. I was really impressed with Sannie's youtube grow of shackzilla using the Gavita 1000 watt.
It is a 3 minute youtube of pictures from each week from seed til harvest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1PWUu3Hncs

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Yeah quite a few people here working with a similar setup inspired by that run. Some use it in combination with the plasma, and then dim the 1000watt to 750 or so (at first, later full power of course). They call that 1k watt gavita lamp, roughly translated, a "kilo boomer" which is a term used for discount packages of chicken and meat...

I also grow for personal (and wife's) use only and I could do with less than my 600w hps, but then I would have to do at least one more run per year, meaning additional time (cost) and risk.

I use 3 or 4 NIGHT LIGHTS now my kids are mad they cant see at night, those night lights are good on electric to same yield as 3 1000 watt hps lamps hA ha ha he he he

Just because someone has in their possession all of the latest and greatest nutes, lights, and completely sealed controlled room; does not mean anything! This is one hobby where experience goes a really really long way! Even with a great mentor, individuals are still habitual creatures and sometimes it is hard for people to see outside the box and change their ways and outlook.

I've heard that 600W both MH/HPS is the most efficient, it gives the most light per watt, but ya I can't imagine that a cfl could ever compare to HID.

In 2 grows that a couple of CFL's to germinate, 400w MH to veg, 1000w HPS to flower is more than sufficient for an enthusiast. Changes soon to two 600w HPS for flower instead of on one 1000w. 400w MH is more than sufficient for veg, producing leafy, vigorous, compact plants. Two 600w HPS offers more flexibility in flower, especially with light movers. This is only my observation as a scientist exploring a new field.

There appears to be no other gold standard for indoor propagation to my reading. CFL/Flourescent for seeds/cuttings, MH veg, HPS flower. Show me other literature to the contrary. Simple.

Hps the way to go

Dumbest fucking thread of the day.

Slipon said:

you could also go LEDs I just switch my 600W HPS for this 288W LED light View attachment 2612775I don't expect more yield then from a 400W maybe as LEDs don't cover much space, but colors should be better and give a better product, but with less then half the power use, and heat is sumthing in the past, also safety, but lets see just trow my fist plant in under it a week ago

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I just got a 1k LED a month back and so far the results in the plant are weird, it smells different, it didn't stretch as much but there are no trichs, by now I would be seeing trichs, the essential oil profile has changed dramatically under this LED verses my 1k horti, I am going to let it run its course, but so far this LED is growing a bunch of fancy pussy weed where my Horti was growing beasts dripping with resin. CFL's are for seedlings MH's are for Vegging thats what I like em for, HPS is still the king for Flowering, I would like to try Plasma but I hear that the spectrum still lacks.Peace

If it comes down to having to spend extra cash for MH and HPS setups, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with using HPS for Veg/Flower. So many people state that MH produces shorter stature plants, but I have NEVER had issues keeping my plants growing with very close inter-nodal spacings using an HPS for Veg. That being said, I mostly use some 48" Fluorescent grow tubes for veg/clones most of the time regardless as I can still manage to grow some bushy plants under them in veg without issue.(just not as fast as under an HID)

According to studies done at the National Institute for Studies, CFL's were only marginally better than a magazine photo of the sun.