lighting hint

[Grow1]

Oh well.

I suppose it could have been worse.

Your "research" might have told you to use LEDs....

There are some very good things to be said about LEDs:

• You can tailor the light to exactly the spectrum the plants wants
  
• They are ultra low power consumption and much more efficient giving you more lux/watt
  
• They can be directed towards the plants more effectively meaning less light is 'wasted'
  
• They produce less heat as a by product
  

The technology is, however, in it's infancy so it is very expensive.

My decision to use CFLs was based upon mainly heat issues as they are so much cooler than a high pressure sodium light and my grow space is small, but I respect that I may get a better yield from using the hps. I'm not all about the yield though.

[compostverte]

There are some very good things to be said about LEDs:

1 You can tailor the light to exactly the spectrum the plants wants

2 They are ultra low power consumption and much more efficient giving you more lux/watt

3 They can be directed towards the plants more effectively meaning less light is 'wasted'

4 They produce less heat as a by product

5. The technology is, however, in it's infancy so it is very expensive.

1. Are you expecting them to come out with LEDs that are actually optimum in spectrum ?

2. They are ultra low consumption because they are low power devices - a few watts per chip. And they lack the efficiencies of scale of technologies like fluorescent or HPS.

3. This is not lettuce we're growing.

4. Not true - and an added delight with LEDs is that the waste heat they produce will fry them without extensive heat-sinking.

5. The technology is as old as I am - 50 years - just the same as HPS - but yes, it is expensive. But it's used in certain applications because of long life and controllability.

My decision to use CFLs was based upon mainly heat issues as they are so much cooler than a high pressure sodium light

That isn't remotely true and you should remember this from your GCSE year 1 science class.

(remember your basic calorimetry ? - M C Theta=V I T )

A watt is a watt. Stick any kind of 250 watt lamp (or appliance of any kind that consumes 250 watts) in a box and it will heat it just the same. HPS, fluorescent, LED, glowsticks ...

Perhaps you're confusing heat and surface temperature of the emitter ?

It's just that some lamps will over the space of 4 months grow you twice as much smoking material as others.

My growroom (a wardrobe) is a little larger so I'm guessing that if I up the light as I have suggested to 100w/ft2 then I will be on target. I may even go for 4x45w cfls with my 250w in it's reflector giving me a total of 450w to give me a little headroom.

450 watts of fluorescents will yield about the same as a 250 watt HPS - with the added "bonus" of 200 watts greater electricity consumption and heating effect

and my grow space is small, but I respect that I may get a better yield from using the hps. I'm not all about the yield though.

The only argument for using fluorescents over HPS is limited headroom - and usually it's a pretty poor argument as the lamps are enormous. A 250 watt HPS needs 9 inches between lamp and plant canopy.

---------------

I have a bit more headroom than you - 6 foot 6 - with the top 12 inches reserved for ventilation - but I grew for years in 4 foot 6 - (best not ask about the ventilation :o)

I dropped fluorescents like a stone nearly 15 years ago as soon as I saw what a relatively inefficient HPS lamp could do.

But it's only a hobby after all so it's up to you ...

Edited September 19, 2010 by compostverte

[lazi]

wrt tubes, vertical lighting is a bit different. I did try 2 x 600w hung vertical, same height as the plants, XXL tent. Ended up having to put a mesh screen around the bulbs, tubes would have been great.

For those short on headroom but ok for floor space, give vertical lighting a try. I grew Jacky White fems, hempy buckets, lucas formula and they were vegged until they all had alternating nodes. 24" tall going into 12/12 and 36" on harvest day.

Next grow with that strain they were vegged under a 400w parabolic, 25w psf, reflector as low as I could get it and they stretched ever so bad. Wasn't expecting that.

[Abe Froman]

I did try 2 x 600w hung vertical, same height as the plants, XXL tent. Ended up having to put a mesh screen around the bulbs, tubes would have been great.

For those short on headroom but ok for floor space, give vertical lighting a try.

i've seen cooltubes in use like that for years , but you need to surround them with plants

i think tutu means this kind of affair, but they're used reflectorless.

[zank]

light intensity virtually doubles every 6 inches closer a HID is to the canopy of bud

light adheres to the "inverse square rule" ,i.e it diminishes to the square of the distance ,which can mean you may be losing a lot of your lights potential ,

always make sure your lights are at the right height to provide maximum lumens but not too close incase of heat and not to far away because it will be less efficient

hang 400w HID's 18-24 inches from canopy

peace

Huh?

When I used a cooltube with my 400 I could get the light about 6 inches away give or take.

Hell even if they where touching the glass they didnt burn just bleeched, which i might ad was kinda cool having a full whiteish color nug

[zank]

Confused,

Just read the post re hight of the lamp, does this also go for the seedlings?

All my seedlings have about 4 inches before any real vegitation, and they look nothing like all the pics you see on other sites.

With my grow room only having a small headspace, I was looking to produce small bushy plants, any tips on how I could manage this.

Fly high

Phroggy

I used to have a smal space ages ago, about 3-4 feet height, time I hung light and put in the buckets I had very little to play with. So I decided to hang the bulb vert and place plants in a hourse shoe round the light. basicly where the pot ended and the tip of the bulb began is where my plant started and finished slightly bigger than the length of the bulb time I was done.

Noticed this seamed to control them as I rarely if ever had many probs with plants growing to tall, usually they all just bushed out in a sideards fashion.

[zank]

presumably you can get the plants closer too! - this is one of the things that put me right off hps for cupboard growing - apart from the heat, it's the fact they rob you of a lot of headroom when its limited!

Hang it vert if head room is an issue.

Basicly turn one wall into a massive big reflector in a sence and place the light vert really close to it, then put the plants around the bulb like a horse shoe.

Worked a charm for me.

[Guest badsanta68]

if no one has said it try cool tubes their great no temp probs

[blueyy]

hi guys the first post on this topic states you should leave 18 to 24 inches space betwwen ur growlight and the top of your plants. i was simply wandering if this applies to small cuttings and also flowering plants.

thanks

[Guest Tutu]

switch 18/6 now, won't matter.

Done it loads of time.

[Saddam]

Hi guys

I'll just add my 2 cents.. Led lighting is ridiculously expensive for minimal lumen output. If you fancy paying £600 a 300 watt system with poor light penetration, then be my guest.

BadSantas suggestion of cool tubes is bang on, get air cooled hoods or tubes and connect them to a 6" inline RVK and you can get your lamps really close. I use them and would never go back to trying to cool the room instead of the lights.

A combination of MH/HPS during both vegetative AND flowering will give you the ultimate bud density and trichome formation. I run two 600 watt M/H and one 600 watt HPS during vegetative and two 600 watt HPS with one 600 watt M/H during flower.. all air cooled. The results are truly astounding. Yes, It's expensive to buy initially and costs a fair amount to run but I say you get your money back in killer product. I recently had a kitchen installed so had to pack all my kit into boxes for the duration but am nearly ready to go again so will journal a grow so's people can make up their own minds.

Remember.. cool your lamps, not the room and you will thank me one day.. I promise.

Good luck fellow growers

Respectfully

SH

[Saddam]

Sorry to double post but I forgot to mention that by using a MH/HPS combination, stretching is a distant memory if you maintain adequate temperatures during lights out. Try it for yourselves, it's well worth the extra time installing and related expense.

Regards

SH

eta- Zank also mentioned cool tubes so he also deserves a pat on the back. Sorry for missing you out mate.

Edited March 16, 2011 by SaddamHussain

[bonnie123]

as title i found it realy difficult to support heavy bud under my para as yo yo,s don,t work. Heres my solution i loosen the bolt nearest to the bud wrap plant tie round it nip the bolt up and now support the bud with mi para if it gets too heavy at one side i drape hanging chain at the opposite side to balance it up

[Orangebudrules]

Don't hold the bulb when it's on. Even if your pissed up and can't see whats in front of you. It fucking hurting hurts I tell you now!!! Even more the next morning!

In fact...... stay out of your grow room all together when your pissed up.

Edited June 16, 2011 by Orangebudrules

[winky]

hi gyuys

can someone xeplain these mh/hps lights thing 2 me please cause its all double duch to me sorry are they the same as sodium lights if not what are they and what watt do i need