OK, here's what I want to do:
Make a DIY version of those expensive "Dual Spectrum" HID lights that are starting to become popular. Not the "Extended Spectrum" HPS (that has 30% added blue spectrum), but the ones that actually claim to have one section that is MH and one section that is HPS. Hopefully the "end result" will fit into some kind of air cooled hood or cool-tube arrangement! I want to "start small" and experiment with something suitable for a "Micro-grow" or a "Mini-grow" (hopefully something around 250 watts or less).
Here's the method to my madness:
Obviousely I can't make one bulb that holds both sections like the ones on the market, so I plan to use a number of seperate bulbs and ballasts / in combination. My plan (penciled-in) is to use two 70 watt HPS "Security Lights" -or- one of those "el cheapo" 150 watt HPS "Vapor Proof" lights from E-conolite, for the HPS part of the spectrum. For the MH part of the spectrum there are a variety of choices; Security Lights also come in several sizes of MH, or I could just buy a seperate "Ballast Kit".
Here's my delima:
My problem isn't how to make the thing work, or even how to put it together (I've, pretty much, got that all figured out). It's all about picking the "right" ratio of HPS light to MH light. Most "mixed" spectrum or "dual" spectrum HID's on the market use somewhere between a 1-to-1 and a 2-to-1 ratio.
Most information on "mixed" flourescents and CFL's seems to favor a ratio of about 2-to-1 , up to about, 4-to-1. And then switching the ratio between vegging and flowering. Switching the ratios for flowering has always made a lot of sense to me! I might even do that with the HID's!
Now we get to the real far end of the line, LED's. The older (N.A.S.A.) literature said that the best ratio of "red" LED's, to "Blue" LED's was something like 9 or 10-to-1. Most of the commercial LED units available today seem to be "only" somewhere between 4-to-1 and 6-to-1 - but you can see where I'm going with this! There is a big difference in the ratios of different types of light! I'm thinking that the ratios for LED's are so lop-sided because of the narrow band-width each LED puts out, whereas flouros and HID's have a wider spectrum (so they overlap more).
Here is what I need to know:
Have there been any studies done, or is there any information available (more than just advertising bull shit), that would help determine just what the optimum ratio of HPS and MH lights should be for growing? Also - what do some of you light savy people think about switching the ratio (of HPS and MH) between vegging and flowering, to me it just seems like the right thing to do!
I would really like to kick this idea around a little! So, anybody with information (even questions), please feel free!
Make a DIY version of those expensive "Dual Spectrum" HID lights that are starting to become popular. Not the "Extended Spectrum" HPS (that has 30% added blue spectrum), but the ones that actually claim to have one section that is MH and one section that is HPS. Hopefully the "end result" will fit into some kind of air cooled hood or cool-tube arrangement! I want to "start small" and experiment with something suitable for a "Micro-grow" or a "Mini-grow" (hopefully something around 250 watts or less).
Here's the method to my madness:
Obviousely I can't make one bulb that holds both sections like the ones on the market, so I plan to use a number of seperate bulbs and ballasts / in combination. My plan (penciled-in) is to use two 70 watt HPS "Security Lights" -or- one of those "el cheapo" 150 watt HPS "Vapor Proof" lights from E-conolite, for the HPS part of the spectrum. For the MH part of the spectrum there are a variety of choices; Security Lights also come in several sizes of MH, or I could just buy a seperate "Ballast Kit".
Here's my delima:
My problem isn't how to make the thing work, or even how to put it together (I've, pretty much, got that all figured out). It's all about picking the "right" ratio of HPS light to MH light. Most "mixed" spectrum or "dual" spectrum HID's on the market use somewhere between a 1-to-1 and a 2-to-1 ratio.
Most information on "mixed" flourescents and CFL's seems to favor a ratio of about 2-to-1 , up to about, 4-to-1. And then switching the ratio between vegging and flowering. Switching the ratios for flowering has always made a lot of sense to me! I might even do that with the HID's!
Now we get to the real far end of the line, LED's. The older (N.A.S.A.) literature said that the best ratio of "red" LED's, to "Blue" LED's was something like 9 or 10-to-1. Most of the commercial LED units available today seem to be "only" somewhere between 4-to-1 and 6-to-1 - but you can see where I'm going with this! There is a big difference in the ratios of different types of light! I'm thinking that the ratios for LED's are so lop-sided because of the narrow band-width each LED puts out, whereas flouros and HID's have a wider spectrum (so they overlap more).
Here is what I need to know:
Have there been any studies done, or is there any information available (more than just advertising bull shit), that would help determine just what the optimum ratio of HPS and MH lights should be for growing? Also - what do some of you light savy people think about switching the ratio (of HPS and MH) between vegging and flowering, to me it just seems like the right thing to do!
I would really like to kick this idea around a little! So, anybody with information (even questions), please feel free!
