the ignitor in my 400 watt ballast broke today, the 28th day of vegitation under mh. i packed up the ballast and sent it back to high tech growing supply. so 5-6 days there, 5-6 days back not including weekends. about 2 weeks give or take. the only thing i have for light between then are 2 4 foot 40 watt flourescents. my question, that it seems no one wants to touch, is wether or not 80 watts of flourescent is going to keep them in veg from now until i get my ballast back. will my plants freak out and flower or wilt or stay healthy and strong? and the last thing, do i keep the flourescent on 24 hrs or do i keep it 18 on 6 off. heres some pics of the set up now.

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sound like you don't have much of a choice there i would guess you would be fine maybe leav em on 24\0

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supercalavagalisticexpialadankbitch... my styles tight like OJ's glove

i went to the garden store the other day and bought 2 4foot t5 flourescents with reflector hoods and set one up on either side of the 80 watt. i have them on 24/0 and hopefully they wont stretch or become spindley during the 2 week hiatus untill the hps ballast gets here.

im setting up the t5's on either side of my reflector hood to inhance flowering.

youve probably heard enough of this controversial subject but the plants will respond better with a dark period. 18-6 i found produced healthier growth.

keep the lighting schedule the way youve had it. hopefully the downgrade in lighting wont stress them too much. you should expect to see a little stress though.

well, i keep the lights on 24/7 now and theyre definately growing and the shoots are getting up to 10 inches if not bigger. i havnt seen signs of stress(i wouldnt know what to look for anyway) but my plants are getting bushier and taller.

does stress cause your plants to wilt or flower or stretch? what are the signs?

i have to say, my plants still look healthy and lush.heres some pics.

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