Re: Halide lamps

Bob Beer (bbeer@u.washington.edu)
Mon, 7 Jun 1993 14:12:11 -0700 (PDT)

>
> Does anyone have any information on using/buying
> metal halide lamps as grow lights for CP? I'm planning
> a growth chamber for lowland Nepenthes and am thinking
> that these type of lamps might be the best solution.
> However there are a couple of issues to be resolved:
>
> 1) how much do they cost?

You can count on payint $200 - 300 for a thousand-watt light. I wouldn't
go for any less - this will give you a good growing area. Depending on
your local rates, you will pay about 20 per month to run it.

> > 2) where is a safe place to buy them from? An article
> in CPN a couple years ago noted that DEA confiscated
> the UPS shipping records for a bunch of suppliers of
> these lights, then raided homes of people buying them,
> on the assumption these people were growing dope plants.
>
I wouldn't worry too much. I worked at a store that got raided, and they
confiscated a lot, but they had a particular agenda (and they ended up
returning the stuff, because their case was so weak). For the home HID
user, unless they find something illegal, you don't have anything to worry
about. I wish they would have this happen to them more often; then they
might work on the really bad stuff, like crack houses....

Here in Seattle, they went to one woman's house, and she invited them in
and showed them her orchid and african violet collection...:)