I need some help guys, I'm not a new grower, but this the first time I'm doing it alone. And the only grow room I've ever had I inherited. The lights were already there, I just replaced the bulbs when neccessary.

So now I'm getting ready to grow 6 plants and I want to get at least a pound to 1.5 lbs. I'll be topping in a way where you can get 2 or 4 colas per plant which will help. I also want good side coverage so I'm thinking of getting three 250watt light & canopies. One overhead and one on either side once the plants are big enough. I'm not sure if they make 250watt systems so if they don't, then what ever the closest to 250watts would be.

But wait, my confusion deepens. I've never had to change bulbs when I went from veg to flower in the past, but I did some reasearch on CFLs. With CFLs you have to use 5000k to 6500k on the light spectrum (daylight) to veg and 2700k to 3000k to flower if you want good results. This is my first experience with even thinking about the light spectrum for growing. Do the stronger bulbs put out both ends of the light spectrum (red & yellow) equally and at the same time, or has there been some kind of recent discovery that proves it's better to use 2 different lights for veg & flower?

I appreciate any help yo can provide.

I just did some research and finally found info on HPS & MH lights. Scratch the above questions, I think I have just one last question before I can make my decisions on the light set up.

I read a book that said that MH radiates light in the blue/white spectrum which is better for veg. HPS radiate light in the red/orange/yellow spectrum which is better for flowering. The book went on to say that most growers use HPS and do not mix HPS with MH.

My question is this, is there not enough benefit in using MH to veg & HPS to flower to justify the extra expense of buying another light?

Also, are the ballasts interchangable, or would you have to buy two different ballasts to run the two different lights?

I think I may have found a good deal. The 1000w systems are cheaper than the 600w systems, but I can't figure out if the 1000w is a good deal or if the 600w is a bad deal. Check it out & let me know....
http://organic-hydroponicsupplies.th...t=products.asp

If you have room for the 1000w and can handle the extra heat that is the better light, metal halide is good for veg but helps in flowering too. Now you can get HPS and MH in one bulb for flowering and is supposed to do good. I use HPS only during flower because the extra hassle of more cooled lights isnt worth it for me. I may try the dual bulbs one day.