Makes sense to me! By only using one type of bulb, you are not providing a full spectrum for your plants that mimics the sun. I personally can not run more than my 1000 watt light due to circuit breakers triggering and my magnetic ballast will not turn on fully (it looks like the bulb is BARELY lit) until I turn off other stuff i.e. electric heater to maintain temps. I can then turn it back on again bulb I swear my bulb isn't providing it's maximum lumen output.
So I plan on supplementing with CFL daylight bulbs. Philips makes daylight bulbs in a 6500k color with a little over 800 lumens. I shopped forever comparing lumen output and color and found some super low watt (I think they're 13 watts) bulbs. Watts is what you pay for and really doesn't have anything to do with the lumens. IF you look at 1000 watt HPS bulbs, you will find them with several different lumen ratings with all the high output or HO HPS with 50-60K more lumens but same watts. What is most important is the amount of color that is put out and how intense the bulb burns.
With that said, CFLs are only good for the beginning stages and for supplemental lighting. While you can grow pot all the way to harvest, the density, quality, taste, everything, will be noticeably less no matter what you do. Light is that important unless you love popcorn buds. You will also be paying the same price per watt for electricity so paying a one time higher price to purchase the ballast and reflector is a far better investment.
I didn't want to invest in HID lighting, hence why I spent so much time learning about the science behind grow lights. I spent a bunch of money overall even though each item was cheaper. My plants were growing okay until I decided to invest and bought a MH PlantMax 1000 watt bulb. (BTW 1000 watt is way more efficient than 600 watt and the lighting set up is cheaper as well.) My plants LOVED the MH light (I'm not happy with PlantMax as it seems to have lessened lumen output greatly in just a week or two) and I got much better condense bushy growth. Now I just use my CFL light setup to grow lettuce, onions, dwarf bell peppers, coriander/cilantro, carrots, strawberries, mini roses, succulents, cacti and I will be adding more! I'm not entirely sure how blooming veggies or flowers will grow in my room because of the changing light schedules but it should be fun to watch!
I was concerned about companion planting with my mmj because of pests but so far, everything has been okay and I also planted several things like coriander (cilantro), dill, and onions to repel spider mites and aphids. They both hate the smell and many outdoor garden guides suggest planting them around susceptible plants (like my precious mmj). So we will se how this goes!
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