lighting

Hi
I was just watching a video about lighting and bulbs (ready set grow part one on you tube) and one pat mentioned somethign about balasts and MH or HPS lights and it kind of confused me to what they meant. I always thought you could just screw a MH OR HPS light into like a house socket or (for you who have reptiles or things that need a domed light) one of those kind of sockets. So basically I was just curious as to what it meant and also I was wondering (if i got HPS OR MH lamp) what watt and how many should i use for a rubbermaid tote with "trained" plants?? Would one 70 or 75 watt be sufficient enough?

You cannot put a hps or mh light in a regular household socket as it does need a ballast. I am no expert, but i don't think that a 75w hps or mh will do much for you. The other thing to consider is the heat that will be generated in a rubbermaid container by a hps or mh light, and the distance that these lights will need to be from your plants. If you are planning to grow in the type of container you mentioned, I would suggest using cfl's(compact floresent lights). You can purchase these at Wal-Mart. They can be screwed into a regular light socket, they emit very little heat and can be very close to your plants which would suit your operation. Good Luck