Lights???

Hey guys! right I'm currently growing 2 plants under 33w CFL
They are about 10 days old now in a plastic cup sized pot, firstly when should I transplant? And should I swap lights over to a 250w HPS when transplanted to bigger pot??

swap the lights now imo. do you have a MH bulb for the 250w? I dont even know if you can run a conversion MH bulb in a 250w socket. But even with a 250w HPS bulb your going to do more for your plants than 33w of CFL. Also you wont need to worry about transfering for a while.

Hey lovemug it's a 250 hps bulb I think( Amber orange colour ). I am just concerned about the heat, I had it on for a day but temp went up to like 84f- 86f

Did you have a fan on it and any air exchange in the room? Where i live its getting to be winter and if your new to growing you will soon realize how fucking awsome winter is when it comes to saving on the electricity bill and keeping your room cool.

Yeah it's winter here to! Just clicked maybe if I turned my heater off in the room the temp would drop in tent!! Lol

The HPS is not as good during Veg, but it will get the job done and it is the optimum light for flowering. I say if you can only have one or the other the HPS is more important. You can swap your lights now and transplant after your second node (Thats when I make the move). Good luck.

Yeah got a carbon filter thing at the top and ocilating fan! And Velcro
Holes are open! But I'm gunna put it back on them today!

If you can run a MH bulb in the 250w ballast you should invest in one. you will see a huge diference in node spacing with it vs the hps.

lovemug said:

If you can run a MH bulb in the 250w ballast you should invest in one. you will see a huge diference in node spacing with it vs the hps.

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This is correct, MH is a much better veg light, so if you can get both an MH(Veg) and an HPS(Flower). If you have to choose between one or the other because of financial or whatever reasons, I would go HPS.

HPS is great and all, but perhaps for a small gorw like yours, you should consider induction lighting? This is the lowest wattage I could find: http://www.hydroponicshut.com/50-watt-plasma-induction-grow-lamp-hydroponics-hut.html (you would need at least two to replace the HPS) The advantages are dual spectrum (more light gets absorbed by the plant), much longer lifespan than with HIDs, runs cooler, does not need a ballast and can be screwed into a regular E27 socket... you can bring this light closer to your plants than HPS, which is handy if you are growing in a small space. It would also make a great supplemental light.

Also, if you DO end up getting an HPS system, I recommend a 400 watt dimmable digital ballast from lumatek and a 400 watt greenpower lampp from philips. You can run it at 250 watt, but also have the option of 300, 400 and 425 watt. Also, it accepts MH as well as HPS bulbs. The greenpower lamp is affordable, and designed SPECIALLY for growing plants (much better PAR output than regular HPS lamps) This combination, along with a low wattage induction lamp should allow you to grow great buds, and use as much or as little electricity as you want.

Dalyboy said:

Hey guys! right I'm currently growing 2 plants under 33w CFL
They are about 10 days old now in a plastic cup sized pot, firstly when should I transplant? And should I swap lights over to a 250w HPS when transplanted to bigger pot??

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Is your HPS dual spectrum? For veg you need 6400k (blue spectrum) and only the dual spectrum have added blue.

Also, keep your light at a good 2-3 ft from your seedlings, too much too quick is not good for liitle un's. Lower the light gradually over a few days and keep an eye on em.

Thanks for the advice guys! Gunna see if I can run a MH Bulb through my ballast! If not then will invest in a separate MH ballast! Also guys when should I change to HPS??? as soon as I go 12/12??

Dalyboy said:

Thanks for the advice guys! Gunna see if I can run a MH Bulb through my ballast! If not then will invest in a separate MH ballast! Also guys when should I change to HPS??? as soon as I go 12/12??

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Yeah, some wait until they see first signs of bud but I think changing when you go to 12/12 is best route.

ddimebag said:

HPS is great and all, but perhaps for a small gorw like yours, you should consider induction lighting? This is the lowest wattage I could find: http://www.hydroponicshut.com/50-watt-plasma-induction-grow-lamp-hydroponics-hut.html (you would need at least two to replace the HPS) The advantages are dual spectrum (more light gets absorbed by the plant), much longer lifespan than with HIDs, runs cooler, does not need a ballast and can be screwed into a regular E27 socket... you can bring this light closer to your plants than HPS, which is handy if you are growing in a small space. It would also make a great supplemental light.

Click to expand...

Interesting...I've never seen these before...neat