Two 250w lights?

I got a 250w HPS lamp, now I realize its not gonna be enough and I shoulda bought a 400. If I just purchase another 250w lamp and run them next to eachother, will I be at a disadvantage?

i use a 250 for inside and its respectable. 2 250s would be extra efficient keep em close and you can rival a 600 watter with 2 250s

chitownsmoking said:

i use a 250 for inside and its respectable. 2 250s would be extra efficient keep em close and you can rival a 600 watter with 2 250s

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So by using two 250w lights, I can get better results than if I purchased a 600w? Do you know why exactly that is?

yea cuzz you can get 2 250 much closer then u can get a 600 watter and fit more plants under 2 250 then one 600

chitownsmoking said:

yea cuzz you can get 2 250 much closer then u can get a 600 watter and fit more plants under 2 250 then one 600

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awesome, thanks for the tip... will the 250s get hotter than one 600? (not that it matters, cuz Im not going out and buying a 600)

nope 2 250s are much easier to cool then one 600

bumping... I value this guy's opinion but I would like to hear a few others. Anyone else wanna chime in on this one? I am only planning on getting the 2nd 250 for the flowering stage, I figure they will veg just fine under one 250 MH... any opinions?

Honestly, I would rather have a switchable ballast 600 watt light. One light that has both MH and HPS is smarter in my opinion. If you vent the light and cool it with an inline fan then it should stay cool. When you run two 250 watt lights you are creating heat with two bulbs and two ballast. If you want to vent the lights you will have to vent both of them. one light is simplicity and simplicity is a good thing... A 600 watt HPS puts out 90,000+ lumens. The distance it must be kept away from your plant probably has a negligable impact on its performance as a grow light. I'll ask this, what do we think the "professional growers are using in their grow rooms? Do we think they are using two 250s or are they using 600s and 1000s? Its the later of of course. They use badass big wattage lights to grow giant dank nugs. If I were investing in a light I would get a 600 watt switchable light. I keep my grow room and ventilation setup simple and unencumbered by lots of gear hanging from the ceiling. I Bought a 250 watt light and I then purchased a 400 watt light. the difference in the brightness and luminosity is obvious from using both of them. A 600 watt light is serious growing power...

2 : 250 watts does not have the penetrating power of one 400 watt light. Technically, yes, you're working with 500 watts, but again, doesn't have the penetrating power that a 400 would.

Here is something else to consider: when I veg'd with a 250 watt MH I felt the growth was not exactly anything to scream about, when I went out and purchased an 8 bulb T5 array the difference was incredible. My plants just expoloded into little bushes, and they were so healthy. I kept that 400 watt T5 array about 6 inches from the top of my plants with a fan blowing on it and they loved it. In my opinion a high wattage T5 array is superior to something like a single bulb HID light for veg growth. I would set up an area for veg growth with my T5 array and an area for flower with my HPS light. This may be more than you want to consider but It worked well for me.

Ok everyone, please understand i already have one 250w fixture. I am flat broke, I cant even afford to get the other 250w fixture yet. I have a MH conversion bulb for veg, and obviously the HPS for flowering. I suppose if I'm gonna buy another fixture I ought to just buy a 400w.... so having 2 250w fixtures is no better than one 250w fixture?? I certainly cant afford to go buy an 8 bulb T5 array, its out of the question, I don't even have space for it.

one could argue that the average of penetrative light from 2 250 is superior to that of 1 600. personally i would go for the 2 250 for the ability to configure varying light setups.

Ok, so thats what I will probably do (unless I just decide to buy a 400w a few weeks down the road).. I'm gonna veg under the 250 MH and then introduce another 250 (HPS) for flowering. If I notice a lack of growth using the 1 250 MH for veg then I may upgrade during veg, but I am hoping it will be enough to veg a few short plants