Question About Lighting

I'm about to try and grow for the first time. I've read everywhere that MH Lights are best for vegetative stage and HPS is best for flowering...but I was wondering, would I be able to grow using HPS only without the MH lights?

Thanks

Edit: Side Note: I am not looking to have a massive grow room or anything like that. Just grow a couple plants for my own personal enjoyment...its too hard to find here.

I wouldn't do that. The metal halide lights put out the right spectrum for vegative growth and the high pressure sodium for budding. Get a ballast that excepts both mh and hps... HPs for the whole grow would be no bueno.

Absolutely mate. The HPS can carry you all the way through to harvest where as the MH is not recognized as a good "spectrum" we'll say for flowering, only vegging, so if you're going to keep costs down, and get one light, go with the HPS. If you want, I believe I have some good lighting info saved somewhere if you wish to know more on the subject GL either way.

texastoker88 said:

I've read everywhere that MH Lights are best for vegetative stage

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ONLY if it has a 6500 K spectrum bulb other wise a HPS is better. ANYONE who tells you otherwise is a ignoramus.

yep sure can, in fact some growers prefer the HPS all the way through. now having said that I think having the best of both worlds (MH for veg, HPS for flower) is the way to go & easily obtained at a reasonable cost when you purchase a dual interchangeable ballast. I went with Nextgen. BTW, the best lights for early veg up to or through week 3 are T5 flourescents. I use a small system from Hydrofarm, then switch to MH, then to HPS. Good luck & Welcome to RIU.

I veg with HPS all the time... it works fine.
I do use a mixed spectrum for flowering. If I could I would run a mixed spectrum all the way through

420blazeit said:

I wouldn't do that. The metal halide lights put out the right spectrum for vegative growth and the high pressure sodium for budding. Get a ballast that excepts both mh and hps... HPs for the whole grow would be no bueno.

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HPS grows have been documented and have done well with ONLY an HPS. that's not to say you're a bit short changed on the veg a bit, so yes a split mh/hps would work as well. You seem so sure on the hps being a no, have you had any problems with an only HPS grow? I mean you can 12/12 from seed and/or clones and just use an hps to flower so...are you saying he's not vegging enough? just curious about what influenced your remark? i have yet to hear anything bad about an all hps grow??

whodatnation said:

I veg with HPS all the time... it works fine.
I do use a mixed spectrum for flowering. If I could I would run a mixed spectrum all the way through

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...and there you have it from a seasoned hps grower apparently. Rep 4 Who

Stank you Guerrilla

frmrboi said:

ONLY if it has a 6500 K spectrum bulb other wise a HPS is better. ANYONE who tells you otherwise is a ignoramus.

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Spectrum trumps all..well played my good farmer.

I use a 150 hps for my whole grow start to finish and even though I may not yield as much as some people here, it works fine. I would rather have only a hps than only a mh, but that may just be my opinion.

Thanks so much, fellow stoners! I didn't expect the amount of responses I got.

guess a LOT of us r awake & perky now, eh? LOL