Mcburner510
Active Member
Hi everyone,
I'm finally able to legally grow (yay!) and I've been rigorously researching and planning, researching and planning. I won't start buying anything until after New Years - all my spare cash is going towards Christmas presents - but after that I'll start purchasing what I can, when I can, as a late birthday/Christmas present to myself . I figure this gives me more than enough time to decide exactly what I'll need and want.
Anyway, onto the "battle"!
It's my understanding that Hortilux makes the best bulbs, their premium bulbs being the Super HPS & Super Blue. Looking at their descriptions, the Super Blue seems to be the winner, but looking at their actual specs I don't know...
1. Hortilux Super HPS: Provides 25% more energy in Violet, Blue and Green spectrum than standard High Pressure Sodium. (145,000 Lumens)
Super HPS SPEC PDF
2. Hortilux Super Blue: The EYE SUPER BLUE lamp features the extraordinary power of Super HPS and the balanced spectrum of Hortilux Blue in one bulb! The benefits of Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium together: vigorous growth, accelerated development, and hearty flowering! The lamps unmatched energy spectrum provides the optimum light for plant growth through the entire growth cycle. (110,000 Lumens)
Super Blue SPEC PDF
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At first I thought the "Super Blue" was simply a "Super HPS" with a MH bulb added to it, like a 2 in 1 kind of deal. Awesome, a balanced light. But then I noticed the difference in lumens. The "Super Blue" is actually weaker by 35,000 lumens. I know some people say lumens are irrelevant and others say they matter, I really don't know, all my knowledge comes from researching. But here's something I read at another community:
"Standard growing conditions typically include concentrations of CO2 at 300-500 ppm, temperatures between 65-80°F, and relatively low humidity (20-40% rH). Studies have shown optimal growth and yields at 90-95°F, 1,500 ppm CO2, 45-50% relative humidity, 7,500-10,000 lumens/square foot of light, and vigorous air movement both above and below the canopy. CO2 enrichment under 80°F, under 7500 lumens/sf, or above 50% humidity is not recommended because plants will not be conducting photosynthesis quickly enough to benefit from the enrichment."
The guy seems to know what he's talking about, so I'll take his word that under 7,500 lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched grow room is not optimal. Since my grow room will be CO2 enriched, I want to aim for the 7,500 - 10,000 lumens per square foot mark.
I'll have four 1,000W lights total, each covering a 4x4 area. Breaking the bulbs down to lumens/sf, the Super HPS would provide 9062.5 lumens/sf. The Super Blue would only provide 6875 lumens/sf, falling short from the desired 7,500 minimum.
I really like that the Super Blue has more blue in it (more balanced), because I read even during flowering having MH mixed with HPS is a good thing, but I hate that using it would mean not having the optimal lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched environment.
Which bulb would you choose, and why? Are there any better bulbs out there? I'm not really worried about price, more so about creating the best environment possible. And what bulb, any bulb out there, would be the absolute best for vegetation?
Thanks! Oh, and P.S., the blue text are links. Whoever designed the site made anchors impossibly hard to distinguish from normal text. Bad practice, but oh well, love the place anyway
I'm finally able to legally grow (yay!) and I've been rigorously researching and planning, researching and planning. I won't start buying anything until after New Years - all my spare cash is going towards Christmas presents - but after that I'll start purchasing what I can, when I can, as a late birthday/Christmas present to myself . I figure this gives me more than enough time to decide exactly what I'll need and want.
Anyway, onto the "battle"!
It's my understanding that Hortilux makes the best bulbs, their premium bulbs being the Super HPS & Super Blue. Looking at their descriptions, the Super Blue seems to be the winner, but looking at their actual specs I don't know...
1. Hortilux Super HPS: Provides 25% more energy in Violet, Blue and Green spectrum than standard High Pressure Sodium. (145,000 Lumens)
Super HPS SPEC PDF
2. Hortilux Super Blue: The EYE SUPER BLUE lamp features the extraordinary power of Super HPS and the balanced spectrum of Hortilux Blue in one bulb! The benefits of Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium together: vigorous growth, accelerated development, and hearty flowering! The lamps unmatched energy spectrum provides the optimum light for plant growth through the entire growth cycle. (110,000 Lumens)
Super Blue SPEC PDF
---
At first I thought the "Super Blue" was simply a "Super HPS" with a MH bulb added to it, like a 2 in 1 kind of deal. Awesome, a balanced light. But then I noticed the difference in lumens. The "Super Blue" is actually weaker by 35,000 lumens. I know some people say lumens are irrelevant and others say they matter, I really don't know, all my knowledge comes from researching. But here's something I read at another community:
"Standard growing conditions typically include concentrations of CO2 at 300-500 ppm, temperatures between 65-80°F, and relatively low humidity (20-40% rH). Studies have shown optimal growth and yields at 90-95°F, 1,500 ppm CO2, 45-50% relative humidity, 7,500-10,000 lumens/square foot of light, and vigorous air movement both above and below the canopy. CO2 enrichment under 80°F, under 7500 lumens/sf, or above 50% humidity is not recommended because plants will not be conducting photosynthesis quickly enough to benefit from the enrichment."
The guy seems to know what he's talking about, so I'll take his word that under 7,500 lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched grow room is not optimal. Since my grow room will be CO2 enriched, I want to aim for the 7,500 - 10,000 lumens per square foot mark.
I'll have four 1,000W lights total, each covering a 4x4 area. Breaking the bulbs down to lumens/sf, the Super HPS would provide 9062.5 lumens/sf. The Super Blue would only provide 6875 lumens/sf, falling short from the desired 7,500 minimum.
I really like that the Super Blue has more blue in it (more balanced), because I read even during flowering having MH mixed with HPS is a good thing, but I hate that using it would mean not having the optimal lumens/sf in a CO2 enriched environment.
Which bulb would you choose, and why? Are there any better bulbs out there? I'm not really worried about price, more so about creating the best environment possible. And what bulb, any bulb out there, would be the absolute best for vegetation?
Thanks! Oh, and P.S., the blue text are links. Whoever designed the site made anchors impossibly hard to distinguish from normal text. Bad practice, but oh well, love the place anyway