Indoor Thinking Of Switching To HPS from CFL....Questions

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dudahl

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Title says it all for the most part. I am currently running about 300 actual watts of CFL and am considering switching to a 400 watt HPS. My last grow of EasyRyder brought in a little over 6oz on two plants and I am interested to see what a 400 HPS can do.

As far as the grow environment goes, I have a cool, dry and dark basement, not growing in a closet. DWC buckets

I guess my questions are:

1. Is the difference in CFL vs. HPS worth the switch in terms of yield/quality?

2. Will a 400 watt HPS put off such a significant amount of heat that a stand up oscillation fan wouldn't be sufficient? The grow area is pretty much wide open.

3. Is a 400 watt HPS sufficient for 2 larger autos like EasyRyder per grow or 3 smaller autos like Afghan Kush per grow?

Thanks in advance
 
Sorry for the poor etiquette in advance. just noticed the sticky...I'll read through that but feel free to answer if you want.
 
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:bong:A 400 watt hps should be plenty for two easy ryders or maybe four in smaller pots.I use cfl's so I can't comment about yield comparison between the two.Theres all the other varieables that factor into a grow so it's hard to guess.You might have to try it and see for yourself .
 
it will do 4x easy ryders with no issues in large pots
400w will do up to 3ftx3ft
yield will probs go up an extra 50% if condtions are right and your getting the extra co2 from the intake to take advantage of the light if you got 6oz with cfl with 2 plants (which is very very good with cfl) i would expect to see 9-14 oz on 4 plants taking into acount your cfl victory
quality not sure but bud will be thicker thats for sure i would say it would go up a touch
400w is not that hot but depends on a host of factors ambient temp ect.. a guess would be it may go up 1-2c higher than 400w cfl
 
HPS should be fine in a wide open area. They can be problematic in small areas where the heat has a chance to build up. I used a 400 watt HPS before switching to LEDs and got excellent results. I was growing 6-8 plants in 2.5 gallon pots under it. You should see significantly tighter buds from it and corresponding higher yields. Just make sure and get a good bulb, preferably one with an expanded blue spectrum, like the Eye Hortilux. They do a much better job while the plants are in veg. Well worth the extra $.
 
Second-ing what everyone else has said....and will add....my first 2-3 years of growing was in an 20 x 16 room with only a standup fan blowing/oscillating with no ac whatsoever....used a 400w hps & sometimes a 1000w hps...both with the old magnetic ballasts ....bunch of heat....probably hurt my yeilds & potency in summer months......now I grow in a small tent with a 400w hps and MUST control the heat!!!!
Actually considering going to LED because of it....just wating til they come down a little bit....
 
Thanks for the replies everyone.

Any recommendations on where to purchase equipment?
 
I've been dealing with this company for about 4 years now. They usually have about the best prices and cheap shipping. I get most of my orders in about 2 days, UPS ground.

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/
 
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