250w HPS Club And Help Guide

chaz Mcspaz

chaz Mcspaz

Member
What's up 250w growers. So i have been watching this thread for awhile now, and have read almost the whole thing from page one to about 250. I cant find anything on dimmable ballast. I use to use a 250watt for my grows. I would veg for 2 months then scrog in a box that i built. The box was 2x4x7'. It was awesome had an ac unit built in it plugs for everything 6" inline fans and ducting. I switched to a 600watt and still scrog. So its freaking hot and i was thinking of going back to my 250watt cause im not doing production growing anymore, and its FREAKING hot. My 600watt is dimmable. My question is should i break out the 250watt (witch i freaking love use to get around 4oz) or just dim my 600watt. Im wondering about the difference in bulb color. If i dim the 600watt it looks like the bulb puts out more of a red color.
 
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chaz Mcspaz

chaz Mcspaz

Member
This is my 250watt hps scrog. I decided to go with the 250watt over the 600watt. Im doing a 3x3 scrog. The strains are miracle og and platinum bubba. They both were vegd for 2 months. They have been in the scrog for about a week now and now its time to flower them. All organic in soil. Not a super soil but im doing teas. 20150721_211405.jpg
 
SativaMe@420

SativaMe@420

Well-Known Member
chaz Mcspaz said:
My question is should i break out the 250watt (witch i freaking love use to get around 4oz) or just dim my 600watt. Im wondering about the difference in bulb color. If i dim the 600watt it looks like the bulb puts out more of a red color.
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If you can't keep temps in check then yes, by all means go back to the 250W.
Regarding dimming your 600W, you are right to be concerned about bulb color. When you dim any HID bulb below its rated wattage it changes the spectrum it produces, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on several factors. You would need a light spectrum meter to accurately measure what color your 600W is throwing when dimmed, so if that's the way you want to go I highly recommend getting one, although they are NOT cheap.
Personally I would recommend getting one of these 315W Philips MasterColor CDM Elite (Ceramic Discharge Metal-Halide) here is a link: (->Philips MasterColor 315W CDM Lamps<-). (FYI: These CDM lamps require a special digital ballast, so you might want to consider their kit which includes a ballast & bulb for only $200, not a bad price IMHO) CDM/CMH lamps produce the closest spectrum to the mid-day summer sun than ANY other HID lamp, PERIOD! They also produce the highest PAR value & lowest lumen maintenance, so they grow plants faster, larger & more healthy, not to mention they last longer & run cooler than other HID lamps. CMH/CDM lamps produce a spectrum that is optimal for both Veg & Flowering cycles, so there is no need to switch lamps, in fact CMH/CDM lamps simultaneously produce a better blue spectrum than MH & a better red spectrum than HPS, so essentially they are the best of both in one bulb.
I know a 30+ year veteran grower who started using CMH/CDM lamps about 7 years ago, before that he exclusively used two 1000W HPS for flowering. He now uses a combination of this BEASTLY 860W Philips CDM lamp: (-->Philips 860W CDM Lamp<--) (this 860W CDM lamp is vertical orientation only, so it requires a vertical hood) + this Growlite OG Vertical Hood (one of if not THE best hoods, EVER!) (-->Growlite OG Vertical Hood<--) & he also uses a horizontal 600W HPS in a 6" air cooled hood. Both the 860W CDM & the 600W HPS (in their respective hoods) are on a 6FT light rail/mover. As I mentioned, he previously used two 1000W HPS lamps for flowering (2000W +), now he uses approx. 1460W for flowering & he's getting healthier looking plants, faster growth, bigger yields & more resin production. This setup has produced the best results he's ever gotten in 30+ years of growing & he now SWEARS by it, he won't use anything else until something proven better comes along (which could be Plasma Induction, if the price comes down). The first things he noticed after switching to the CMH/CDM lamps were: 1) How much healthier looking his plants were (he said they turned a dark green, almost bluish color & just looked happier & healthier overall) , 2) The increase in resin production (most frost/trichomes he's ever produced in a grow) & 3) Cooler temps (these CMH/CDM lamps do run cooler, so that's another plus).
So, if you have the means/money then just humor me & get the 315W Philips CDM Elite bulb & ballast kit I linked to above (its only $200 & for how well it works, especially in small spaces, its totally worth it, IMHO), just set it up in any reflector/hood you already have (this particular bulb is universal & can be mounted in any position) & within 2-4wks you'll notice your plants looking happier & healthier, mark my words.
 
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Kalebaiden

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
So the latest grows from y'all look nicely done. I recently found a couple old seeds I got as a present during my very first grow. Kind of a 'Welcome to the Grow' present you could say. The strain is a french Canadian strain, Bubble Gum x FreezeLand and I'm hoping to have a good outdoor grow next year.

I live with someone now so I can't do any indoor grows, if anything changes I'll post it up in here for everyone to see.


My basic set up normally includes:
250 HPS/MH Gullwing lighting set-up w/ ballast
Stim-Root rooting powder
Peat pucks starter plugs
General Organics Brand Fertilizer
Soil Mix 60/20/20 Black Topsoil/Sand/Vermiculite, Gravel at the bottom 2.5cm (1") of the pot to allow for drainage
 
Kalebaiden

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
Let's Play With Magic!
A bit o' necromancy should do the trick.


Forgotten friends who are lost to ages
Rise up, rise up to the foremost pages.
Bring the pics of your current grow
THIS NECROMANCER WANTS A SHOW!

​
 
stoneslacker

stoneslacker

Well-Known Member
fellowfelon said:
Wow dude this is masterful! What did the yield end up to be though?? Did you hit the prestigious gram per watt?
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Thanks mate! Ended up around 0.79g/watt, light wattage only. Total of 252 grams/ 315 watts of light.

@Kalebaiden Good to see you Kale! I have been away for a bit due to circumstances beyond my control. Hope
you are able to get back at it soon.

Have some feminizing projects going right now, I'll post some pics tonight.
 
Kalebaiden

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
stoneslacker said:
Thanks mate! Ended up around 0.79g/watt, light wattage only. Total of 252 grams/ 315 watts of light.

@Kalebaiden Good to see you Kale! I have been away for a bit due to circumstances beyond my control. Hope
you are able to get back at it soon.

Have some feminizing projects going right now, I'll post some pics tonight.
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Good to see you Slacky, it's been quite awhile since I've been here. I'll hold you to that offer of pics you made, and 0.79g/watt is really good.

As a personal request, can you get ahold of any of the other past 250 growers? I'd like to revive this thread with some awesome shows of what a 250 is capable of.
 
fellowfelon

fellowfelon

Well-Known Member
stoneslacker said:
Thanks mate! Ended up around 0.79g/watt, light wattage only. Total of 252 grams/ 315 watts of light.

@Kalebaiden Good to see you Kale! I have been away for a bit due to circumstances beyond my control. Hope
you are able to get back at it soon.

Have some feminizing projects going right now, I'll post some pics tonight.
Click to expand...
Are you counting the measly CFLs in that wattage? Because I feel like they don't count as they do very little anyway! If you ask me if you got 252g under a 250w HPS you hit the 1g/w fair and square!
 
fellowfelon

fellowfelon

Well-Known Member
Kalebaiden said:
Good to see you Slacky, it's been quite awhile since I've been here. I'll hold you to that offer of pics you made, and 0.79g/watt is really good.

As a personal request, can you get ahold of any of the other past 250 growers? I'd like to revive this thread with some awesome shows of what a 250 is capable of.
Click to expand...
I'm running a 250 grow right now with 3 girls, currently on day 16 of 12/12. Sadly I lost a girl to maleness (twas totally unexpected), so I'm not maxing out the potential of my humble space, but I will post here if I get some pretty flowers.
 
Kalebaiden

Kalebaiden

Well-Known Member
Unlike cocks, plant size doesn't matter to me. If their healthy and ladylike, I wanna see em'. Show me dem titty buds.
 
stoneslacker

stoneslacker

Well-Known Member
fellowfelon said:
Are you counting the measly CFLs in that wattage? Because I feel like they don't count as they do very little anyway! If you ask me if you got 252g under a 250w HPS you hit the 1g/w fair and square!
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Thanks man! I run 2 Kessil 150 LED's that each pull 32w. The cfl's are rarely on due to heat and are more
for the added white spectrum as they are rated at 6500K.

@Kalebaiden , I think the site change may have caused a mass exodus of former members. I have seen
a few former members in the 600 club.
 
fellowfelon

fellowfelon

Well-Known Member
stoneslacker said:
Thanks man! I run 2 Kessil 150 LED's that each pull 32w. The cfl's are rarely on due to heat and are more
for the added white spectrum as they are rated at 6500K.

@Kalebaiden , I think the site change may have caused a mass exodus of former members. I have seen
a few former members in the 600 club.
Click to expand...
Ah, supplementing with LEDs, that's clever. I should get some too.
 
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