MountainHigh
New Member
Cattlefication? 
Gator's Cage
- Thread starter Propa Gator
- Start date
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
PG, I'm tryin' to get the horse stall set up for a vertical extravaganza
plug in the power, nothing?!?!
Then's there's the small print on the box:
dang
and the internet store is soooo far away, double dang.
plug in the power, nothing?!?!
Then's there's the small print on the box:
dang
and the internet store is soooo far away, double dang.- Thread starter
- #503
Propa Gator
New Member
Stall looks good Horse, but that light...
Wants to lay down on the job.
best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley
Wants to lay down on the job.
best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
Stall looks good Horse, but that light...
Wants to lay down on the job.
best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley
Aye, Cha d'fhuaireadh facal Beurla mar! Dang it
Might it be that your magnetic ballast is a little tired? I've seen horizontal MH (old style, not CMH) fire in a non-horizontal orientation. They just didn't seem to last very long (but many people replace their bulbs after a grow anyway).
I can't swear that CMH fall under the same operating principle, but I'm assuming that that is the case.
Quick way to tell: Temporarily mount your socket in a horizontal orientation and try again. It'll either fire or there's another issue (bad bulb, ballast that is not up to spec, forgot to flip breaker back on (lol), et cetera).
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
High TS,
It's a brand new ballast... I even got the right cords with it! Continuity and power from ballast to the lampholder. I can't find specs for the ballast output, though, so if anyone knows what a Sunsystem 10 EconoGro 400 MH puts out...? I did try the bulb horizontally, nada.
The socket base on the bulb has a black, sooty place on it.
but, there's nothing corresponding in the socket?
I'm hoping it's a just a fried bulb, shipping on the ballast was more the enough the first time
Local grow shop is looking out for a bulb for me. I usually research pretty well, but there was 60 bucks I pissed away
Uhh, you're using a MH ballast? These CMH bulbs are retro-fits for HPS ballasts, unless I'm completely mistaken. That being the case, your bulb isn't firing because a non-switchable MH ballast does not contain an ignitor that's needed to fire HPS bulbs (and, I'd assume, bulbs that are made to run in HPS ballasts).
I could be wrong.
Random Bulb Store Site said:
Hmm. I didn't know that about the bulb orientation. I was thinking that they would either be one way or universal, but that quote states that there aren't any universal CMHs, that they're either horizontal or vertical.
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
D'oh, you're not mistaken... I am firing the R & D department, arrrgh. Think there's a way to add an igniter ?
Thanks for keeping me from barking up the wrong tree, again
You can, I'm sure, be forgiven for the goof. Happens to the best of them. (And much more often to us lesser mortals, lol). Be different if you'd bought a (correct) ballast in the past and used a CMH.
Easy mistake to make, actually - it's got "Metal Halide" right there in the name. And the intended user of these things is the owner of or procurer/maintenance person for a factory, plant, college campus, mall parking lot, et cetera where they have a number of already installed "ugly" HPS setups. In that situation, they are advertised to the potential customer as having a more pleasing light "color" without having to "upgrade" 50 perfectly good HPS ballasts to MH ones.
The funny thing is that your hydroponics store didn't immediately catch it either when you ordered the stuff or when you took the "non-working" bulb back to them - at the least, I'd have expected the guy to look at it, wonder if it was really bad or if his customer had a different problem, screw it into a HPS ballast, plug the ballast in, and say, "Nope, it works just fine in MY HPS ballast."
Yes. But to answer your unasked second question, I don't know, lol. Some MH ballasts are said to be of somewhat less than stellar quality - cannot provide the sustained voltage required for pulse-start MH bulbs (different animal), for example. And that's just quality-wise. I cannot remember off the top of my head whether or not the ballast and capacitor in a MH ballast supplies the correct voltage to drive a CMH (or regular HPS) bulb. (I'm assuming that the actual firing voltage would be covered by the ignitor.) It would really suck if you spent $15-25 on an ignitor, wired it in place (wiring diagrams are plentiful), and all it could do was fire your bulb, then go out, then fire your bulb, then go out, then...
I'm interested in the answer though and will do some searching tonight if I don't forget (but I forget stuff sometimes). If I read anything that might be helpful, I'll let you know.
It'd be nice if it is possible/feasible, because then you wouldn't have to worry about taking restocking fee hit, possibly being out shipping (shipping on heavy C&C ballasts is probably not cheap) if you had it shipped to you, et cetera. But I don't want to get your hopes up.
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
If I'd gone shopping locally, I'd be ok... but I was saving a 100 bucks going over the internet LOL
Hey TS, thanks for the help
I found a good kit for $70 w s&h, if I can't use the mh for something, I think I can fit the kit in the mh case and keep the plugs for cheaper than I can return it.
I can pick up an hps unit at the hydro store and get them to order the right light... like I should have done in the first place
- Thread starter
- #512
Propa Gator
New Member
MH (non-CMH) bulbs require different voltage than HPS and CMH. CMH also requires lower frequency alternating current than digitals deliver.
The recently cut crop is nearly dried. Prelim yield estimate roughly 5 oz. Maybe 6 in a wet dream. GWS nugs seem to want to grow old with me. They're the reason I cut a growing crop down, besides the fact that PX's resin coating and aroma are developed well enough to command attention, and respect. Even the popcorn is dense with trichomes.
I know a young man whose hands shake when he gets a bag of this. When he gets the bag open, his eyes roll around and he stutters. He gets stupid on this weed before he even smokes it.
Mainstem cola, 250 watts, 44 days and nights:
vert drying rack and trim station:
Nugged for bag appeal, finger sniffing good I shit you not:
Next generation for trial consideration, 9 or 10 days from bust out
Utopia Haze is the freak with triple leaf action.
The recently cut crop is nearly dried. Prelim yield estimate roughly 5 oz. Maybe 6 in a wet dream. GWS nugs seem to want to grow old with me. They're the reason I cut a growing crop down, besides the fact that PX's resin coating and aroma are developed well enough to command attention, and respect. Even the popcorn is dense with trichomes.
I know a young man whose hands shake when he gets a bag of this. When he gets the bag open, his eyes roll around and he stutters. He gets stupid on this weed before he even smokes it.
Mainstem cola, 250 watts, 44 days and nights:
vert drying rack and trim station:
Nugged for bag appeal, finger sniffing good I shit you not:
Next generation for trial consideration, 9 or 10 days from bust out
Utopia Haze is the freak with triple leaf action.
Very nice haul Mr Gator It looks stinky and sticky to say the least. Love your drying rack. Why didn't I think of that! You do so much with so little it's just amazing.
I think I've met that young man...or his twin!
The new ones look eager to take their place. 3 leaves? There is one thing you have taught me, it's attention to detail! Nice work my friend!
I think I've met that young man...or his twin!
The new ones look eager to take their place. 3 leaves? There is one thing you have taught me, it's attention to detail! Nice work my friend!
Bummer.
The herb that gets you there twice?
There's nothing sadder than a plant that has reached the end of its days and has been hung up.
There's nothing prettier than a plant that has reached the end of its days and has been hung up.
Lol.
I've slowly gotten it through my head that some sports are keepers. I've read good things about UH. Have you grown it before?[/QUOTE]
Tyrone Hamilton
New Member
Nice Nugs Gator! New life on the way... does it get any better? 
I think not! 
I think not! 
5 ounces from a 250 watt running for 44 days? Not bad ... not bad at all! This setup is a great consideration for personal grows in States like California where they have tiered electrical rate plans. Cost does not rise linearly with KWH used per month. A 1200 watt grow costs much more than twice the cost of a 600 watt grow.
A 250 or 400 watt lamp allows the grower to add dehumidifiers, fans, and other electrical accessory components without going into the energy hog upper tiers. Very tempting....
+rep once I can do so again, Propa.
A 250 or 400 watt lamp allows the grower to add dehumidifiers, fans, and other electrical accessory components without going into the energy hog upper tiers. Very tempting....
+rep once I can do so again, Propa.
- Thread starter
- #518
Propa Gator
New Member
While the stink can be only subjectively described, I need a macro lens on a good(expensive) camera to show trichs like I see with an eye-loupe.Very nice haul Mr Gator It looks stinky and sticky to say the least. Love your drying rack. Why didn't I think of that! You do so much with so little it's just amazing.
I think I've met that young man...or his twin!
The new ones look eager to take their place. 3 leaves? There is one thing you have taught me, it's attention to detail! Nice work my friend!
My drying rack in an IKEA wardrobe works well; one of my better ideas. Another of my ideas may not be so hot: the cage. Stems are all thin and weak from being supported by the trellis. Thin stems may not transit juice as well as thicker, and bud size may be compromised. My next round will be more free-standing. Gator grows uncaged??
"You do so much with so little..." You always say nice things, OMM. Thankyou
For background, I live and grow in an 11 X 14' room with one 20 amp circuit.
Computer, TV, refrigerator, houselights, AC in season, fans and grow lights.
And a hot plate to cook my simple meals. When I had a profession, I ate in restaurants.
When I blow my circuit breaker, I need my neighbor to reset it; I've no access to the power panel. I need an effing house!
I've never before grown Utopia, nor any other of Barney's tempting strains.
This Utopia has three leaves on first level instead of two.
I hope it makes no more difference than Spinal Tap's '11' on their volume control.
New life yes, OBX. I will run PX steadily until I've trialed these for quality.
This will take time; a winter's work. I have high hopes.
Yes Two Tokes, dried kind buds start a good week. By week's end I need them all gone
Munki, I can get 9 oz of fat & useless GWS buds in 8 weeks. 5 oz of PX is worth much more. It is a good return on capital investment and limited power availability. If I had Colorado's plant-count limits, vertically lit trees would be my way. Will be anyway, when I amass the investment cost. For California's elec. power costs, LED flat grows show me a lot to like.
HorseBadoritz
Well-Known Member
<Stems are all thin and weak from being supported by the trellis. Thin stems may not transit juice as well as thicker, and bud size may be compromised. My next round will be more free-standing. Gator grows uncaged??>
I wonder if that's a cmh thing, or more related to your pot size? Heath's plants all look like marionettes, but it sure doesn't look like the buds could get any bigger
Maybe need some early shots of silica?
But, excellent finish nonetheless, and I hope you keep those long coat tails flying
I wonder if that's a cmh thing, or more related to your pot size? Heath's plants all look like marionettes, but it sure doesn't look like the buds could get any bigger
Maybe need some early shots of silica?
But, excellent finish nonetheless, and I hope you keep those long coat tails flying
You have a fan blowing up, right? Do you also have one or more blowing sideways at the plants? Perhaps an oscillating one?
I have been told that regularly "shaking" plants and the like in order to flex/"stress" the stems can also help encourage thick stocky stems, but that it is no substitute for a good wind.
I have been told that regularly "shaking" plants and the like in order to flex/"stress" the stems can also help encourage thick stocky stems, but that it is no substitute for a good wind.