Depends on how close to the plants you place it. It will give off a lot of heat, so too close isnt a good idea. But too far away and growth may be leggy. Either HPS or MH will work, but somebody else could probably give you better info on that.

How many trees do you have?

12 but they arent over 4 ft tall

My past setups

Greenhouse and bucket lights · More Info

Greenhouse and bucket lights · More Info

Greenhouse and bucket lights · More Info

Greenhouse and bucket lights · More Info

Greenhouse and bucket lights · More Info

Greenhouse and bucket lights · More Info

New Zealand lemonade#1 · More Info

Wow thats a crafty and elaborate setup you have. I cant imagine the work and time you have in that. Unfortunately im not that crafty so i got a 100 w dimmable ballast to use in a 10×10 room but will only be using about 8×8 maybe less. I plan to line the outside perimeter of the trees with carboard covered in tinfoil to reduce lighting of unused space. I hope that will work.

If you go the digital ballast route, I'd highly recommend the Phantom II for future purchases: https://smile.amazon.com/1000W-Digital-Ballast-Grow-Lights/dp/B00HYURNH2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Don't mind the few negative reviews... unless you're growing marijuana. I doubt having "discreet" packaging is one of your concerns!

It puts out by FAR the least amount of EMI (electromagnetic interference) of any ballasts I've owned and doesn't require a fan to stay cool (so it won't clog up with dust). I've owned five ballasts in total, and the three that I use right now are two of those and a SolisTek. The SolisTek and other generic ballasts put out so much EMI that I can hear them on AM stations down the block with my car antenna.

If you're starting out with one ballast, I wouldn't worry a ton about it... but if you ever expand, it's definitely something worth considering. It'll wreak chaos on radio frequencies even protected by double-shielded coaxial cable (think cable/cable internet/DSL).

-Tom

Tom, i have several trees about how much area will a 1000 watt ballist cover? Im a little worried about that. No discreet packaging isnt a issue if the authorities came knocking it would make my day to get to show my citrus to someone.lol.

Tom, i cant find where you recommended that ballist and i wanted to bookmark it for next year? Can you recommend it again. I fear ive caught the bug and my collection will expand to where i need 2 ballist. When i ordered that one it was hard because i had no reference or experience so i litterally spent hours trying to find something decent and went with something with good ratings. So next year im going to keep that one in mind. Do you go with hps or mh? I ordered one of each bc i read sonewhere to switch back and forth? The mps is a cheaper one and i went with a decent mh. Hortilux?

"I fear ive caught the bug and my collection will expand".

I will ask my fellow parishioners sunday to join me in prayers for you and your long road ahead. Good luck

Steve

Hahaha. Thats great. Maybe someday there will be a CA instead of AA

Here's the link again:
https://smile.amazon.com/1000W-Digital-Ballast-Grow-Lights/dp/B00HYURNH2/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

If you do use two ballasts, make sure they are on two different circuits in your home. At 1000W, each ballast will pull ~8.5 amperes, and you don't want to have 17 amps on the same line (assuming your house is like most residences and uses 15A circuit breakers/14 gauge wiring). I run two 14 gauge extension cables to my plant room for my other ballasts.

Also, you definitely want to use metal halide (MH); the blue light keeps new growth much more compact than high pressure sodium (HPS). The brand of bulb you choose is really up to you. Pulse-start MH bulbs are a bit pricier, but from my experience, they tend to last a bit longer. I like mine around a 6000K color temperature.

-Tom

Thank you you are very knowledgable about lighting. Good i invested in a good mh but my hps is not that great. Sorry i found it, i was on my phone and didnt scroll up. Now i know who to come to with my lighting questions. Thanks fot your help