Hi,
I had a blow out of my HID light. Question is this: I called the local hardware store and I can get a plant light bulb replacement. It isn't as strong, but they come in red, blue, and green. What one do I need to get until I can get the HID replaced with another HID bulb? I can't let my plants go without light for two weeks and something will be better than nothing.
Lighting Question....
I got mine from Charley's Greenhouse. They just sold this as a separate bulb and recommended their special clamp on fixture for it. I don't know ballast from a hole in the ground. Just looks like a regular screw in bulb only is shaped like a heat lamp or one of those flood lights. It wasn't cheap. I think I paid $50 for it. I will send Jim to town to get something to use until I can get one from Charlies. I've searched today on sites and can't find one that is 160 watts, like this one is. Can find 175 Watt bulbs, but they look like the kind that fit in those big reflectors. I just didn't know what the colors stood for and want him to get the one that will promote the most growth.
Here is a link about light and plant growth
http://bioag.byu.edu/aghort/aghort100/lightand.htm
Don't know if this will help, it only narrows it down to blue and red. I will search some more. OK, found one more. Red light is for flowering and blue light is for leaf growth. I wasn't sure and didn't want to say till I checked it out.http://www.orst.edu/extension/mg/botany/light.html
This message was edited Friday, Jan 25th 4:59 PM
From what I've learned, read etc. it is best to have both sodium and metal halide lights, sodium for flower growth, metal halide for leaf growth.
Brugie, a ballast is a large metal box with wires and stuff, I'm not an electrician, in it. With my 1000 watt halide bulbs there is also a ballast box. The light is wired through this box. Maybe someone can explain it better.
Okay, I know what you are talking about. My friend Renee has that kind of set-up. I'm going to have Jim check those bulbs and get the one that is for growth. I think from what the site said (Cala put the hyperlink in here) that the red promotes more growth by 40 some percent. Maybe I better go back and read it again to be sure, but I'm sure it will say something on the box that the bulb is in. Will go to Charley's and order another bulb too. Hope the next one will last longer.
Thanks......S
Okay, must have been a different link I read that in. Sorry. Red combined with blue promote growth and flowering.
This message was edited Friday, Jan 25th 7:07 PM
Well I have to tell you a bit about my light......Jim went to town today to get me one of the lights. He called me from the store to say that the bulbs the guy told me about over the phone, (red, green, and blue,) were NOT grow lights, they were spot lights. Geez, some people just really shouldn't be in that line of work. They did have a 125 W. gro lite, so he is bringing that one home to use until my HID bulb gets here. So, in this case, my search for the different color in the bulbs didn't help at all. At least I'll have some light for my Plumeria that is budded out and the brug babies close by.