fergus banana

hello,
i just setup a 600WHPs grow light for my indoor bananas. i read that HPS will make the plants grow tall while a MH lamp would make the plants grow more short and stocky/bushy. i am growing a hydroponic dwarf cavendish and a soil ice cream and dwarf red-green cavendish (or something like that - got em from greenearth). since they are growing indoors i was concerned that my HPS setup will make em grow too tall. anyone have any experience with growing bananas indoors with any of these lights? thanks. i will post some pics as soon as i can.

Bob

I'm not an expert but the HPS has a different spectrum of light that is more condusive to flowering than producing green growth. That being the case maybe the plants would tend to grow taller. I have the MH and the plants did grow without becoming spindly at all.

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fergus banana

do u have any pics of ur plants and setup? i think i am gonna purchase a 1000W MH ballast, because it seems that this type of lighting is better for vegetative growth. later in the life of the plant i can switch back to HPS to promote flowering. i will have to just give it a go and see what develops.

Bob

I'll take some later tonight and post. Mine is in the glass front porch of the house so the plants get the benefit of ambient sunlight as well.........of course the neighbors all wanted to know if I was growing something other than bananas!

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Dalmatiansoap

Hey folks
Go easy on this or U just dont mind increasing bills for electricity

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Bob

I probably should have added that with the lighting and electricity from the space heater(s) in a previously uninsulated porch(I added insulation to the raised floor). My energy costs went up $1000 for the winter.

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Dalmatiansoap

Thats what I was talking about. Peoples offen goes for more Watts instead of Lumens for lightning and I still belive that spare bulbs are the best choice.
More light for less energy!!

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fergus banana

i never thought about cost. but the pamphlet that came with the HPS grow light estmates about a $25 cost to run the light 12 hours per day,which doesnt sound too expensive and worth it if the plants grow like mad!!!

Dalmatiansoap

I dont know price of kWh in USA, but it isnt hard to get final costs if U know kWh price. In my country this will cost some 140$ a month for 12 hours of lighting a day.

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Bob

You have to consider if you're going to add supplemental heat , I also have a light mover, and a humidifier all sucking juice. Combine that with a space not meant to be occupied during winter and an extremely cold winter at that and the costs add up.

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LilRaverBoi

Well, basically, HPS produces a more red spectrum of light which is optimal for flowering/fruiting. MH produces a more blue color spectrum of light which is best for vegetative growth. IMO the best systems are the MH/HPS conversion systems that have bulbs for both so you can grow with MH and later switch to HPS at the flip of a switch. However, since you already have the HPS system it would be a waste to buy that. MH is probably a better choice for vegetative growth. 400-600W is probably sufficient...1000W is better, obviously but it will cost more initially, bulbs are much more expensive and electricity bills will be higher. If cost isn't an issue, by all means go for it, but for most of us, cost definitely IS a factor. If you're just growing a few plants, 400-600W will be plenty.

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fergus banana

yes, i will stick with my HPS setup for now. i dont want to be spending more money when i just got this setup a few days ago. i think overall it shouldnt matter too much in terms of growth - at least that is what i have read. for now i just wanna see the lil nanners start to grow big and strong. more updates on that in the future.