A mutant, hmm...? Sounds interesting. I don't suppose you could safely post pictures. It's fun to see the
wierd stuff people grow, too.
A 250watt should be fine for a small grow of only a few plants. They tend to be somewhat more expensive (per watt) than a 400 or a 1000 watter. By my math, you've found one at $190 US. That seems about average, maybe a bit below.
When buying a HID lamp, there are three things I'd look at. First, the ballast type. Ballast quality can be hard to tell, but, in general, I think the type that come in a sealed, extruded aluminum encasing seem to be better. The have a slick look to them and have little fin-type things on them usually. The other type is just a sheet metal box. I don't actually know if they're better or not (though I suppose they might be more resistant to moisture, at least theoretically) but they have a solider, more dependable look to them.
The second is the reflector type. Reflectors can make a fairly significant impact on your lighing. Reflectivity can vary based on the materials and finishes used. A highly-reflective polished aluminum reflector may reflect over 90% of the light. Less expensive, generic models may be in the 60's. It's not a huge factor, but should be considered. The shape is important, too. If you buy a reflector that is very deep, with steep sides, it wont work as well. they tend to reflect light sideways more than down, or just bounce it around inside the reflector. The flatter the design, the more light is cast downward. So usually, a larger reflector, with a flatter design might suit your purposes better. In general, a brand name reflector is better than house brands. Diamond's Lumenarc design is one example, using a fairly flat design with a multifacted, highly polished aluminum for it's reflector. SunGrow is another, which offers various models, usually with sides at around 45%, with flat backed or double parabolic backs, and offer such options as air-cooling. These are just a couple of the many good options.
The third is the bulb itself. I don't know a whole lot about the Son-T-Agro bulb, and don't know if it's different than the Son Agro bulb. I swear, it seems lighting industry has a maximum of 10 sylables they just stick together at random. Confusing as hell, at times. Anyway, I believe it's an 'enhanced spectrum' HPS bulb, I think made by Phillips. If it is, you don't have to worry. Bulbs manufactured by Phillips, GE --and I believe Hortilux is the company behind Hortilux biulbs-- are usually the standards of a quality bulb. A company passing off a generic version might not be terribly dependable. Might be fine, too, but it's probably the sign of a penny-penching dealer who won't put in an extra few bucks for a good bulb. And of course, if no bulb was included, a good one is often over $50US (say £35UK).
Just something to be considered. Of course, if it's in your price range, and it doesn't look like a piece of junk, go ahead. It's your money.
boy oh boy. that was the first question, hmmm.
It should be fine for vegitative growth as well. As I said, I don't know for sure, but I think the Son-T-Agro is an enhanced spectum light. I.E. the standard mixture of gasses and metals in a HPS bulb has been doped with others that produce blue spectrum light as well. This makes it nearly ideal as a single-bulb option for growers of plants like MJ. It produces enough blue-spectrum light to encourage the plant to grow bushy and thick in vegitative stage, plus it keeps growth good while supplying the copious amounts of red-orange light needed for phat buds to develop when flowering. Of course, if you have flourescent lights, it would be best to have them running as well. Every bit helps.
Anyway, for a small grow of only a couple plants, in a small space of maybe, say, six square feet, a 250 watt Son-T-Agro HPS could grow some
very nice product. Keep up the good work, and keep us all updated! I don't like suspense.
Cheers,
Cassius