how big of an area, and how much money do you want to spend?

but to help speed up growth i hear cfl are somewhat decent if you have a small area and dont want to grow alot of plants.

Probably I would recommend a 400w ceramic metal halide.
Preferably with e-ballast. The best (horizontal)reflector would cover about a 3' x 5' growing area, or about six medium size plants. If you get a light meter, you can measure the footprint of light.

collegegrower,
it is really only for maybe 3 or 4 pots, i don't think i need to light the whole balcony. these pots are maybe 2 feet sq each and a couple of long 1' by 3' pots. i was thinking maybe about $200 tops to spend.

Thanks for the quick reply guys! I will do some goggling now that i have an idea of what to look for...
Ta.
Bunks

The 400w cmh with good horizontal reflector covers about 3'x5' growing area. For the same price you could get a 250w cmh and cover about 2.5' x 3.5'.

well you could go to homedepot or some doit urself stores and look for compact fluorcent bulbs, they plug into any 120volt socket for lights cheap and decently efficient and id say if u have like 4-6 plants id recomend 200+ watts u can get ones on ebay pretty cheap no more then 30 dollars for 2-4 decent cfls, do a search on grow light cfl

I wouldn't suggest using compact fluorescent lights if you need 200+W of power. The bulk of the cost of any plant light system is the electricity and compact fluorescents just cost too much to run. Of course if you don't pay for your electricity then ignore my advice :)

In the 200+W range, metal halide lights give you nearly twice the light of a compact fluorescent. So use metal halides and either get more light or save on your utility bill. Of course you can use straight tube fluorescents, just as efficient as metal halides, but they are not well suited as supplementary lights because they are big and will block the natural light. My recommendation for a supplementary light is HPS. This is by far the most efficient plant light, but its spectrum can produce etiolation or premature flowering. HPS combined with some natural light generally avoids these problems while giving you the most light for your dollar.

Hi guys,
Thanks for all your advice and help.
I have found a tube reflector on ebay (I liked the tube ones coz they don't seem as bulky as the 'bat wing' type) And these were $100 apiece so I can get a couple of them.
Is this type of reflectors compatible with HPS globes? I'm thinking 400W. Or are all reflectors interchangable with the different types of globe?
Also can anyone recommend a good brand for a ballast?

Thanks!
Bunkie

Ps. I went to few hydroponics stores, and everyone I spoke to was SO unhelpful. Does no-one want my money?!? ;)

Probably the best magnetic ballast brand is Howard.
The Ceramic Metal Halide bulb by Philips uses the 400w HPS magnetic ballast.

For indoor plant growth, the CMH is about 50% more efficient than HPS. In a greenhouse, the HPS might be more efficient, provided there is enough natural sunlight to provide colors besides yellow-orange. The blue is particularly important; for one thing, blue reduces stem elongation. If HPS is more efficient for the bloom stage, start with CMH and replace with HPS bulb at the appropriate time.

However in a balcony, typically there is no light directly overhead (that is usually blocked by the balcony above), only from the side, so Shrubs' comment about how the fluoro fixture blocks natural sunlight is somewhat exaggerated. How much light reaches a balcony would depend primarily on it's orientation. A southern exposure would be best.

I'm not familiar with the term "tube reflector". Most are going with some variation of the "bat-wing" reflector.