Possibly back at NFT.

[GreenVision]

8 hours ago, sweettooth said:

@GreenVision have you thought about vertical growing as you have limited height?

 

Ill be using a SCROG. Going to try going about 20 - 25cm from top of growing pot / tray. Hopefully that should help out a lot.

 

If ALL else fails here Im going to run cooled hoods.

[stu914]

Have you considered LEDs bud? Give you a bit more head room...

[GreenVision]

Just now, stu914 said:

Have you considered LEDs bud? Give you a bit more head room...

 

You'd think so, but not quite mate IME.

 

You would need ample amount of space between the unit and plant tops to avoid bleaching etc, and because most of the good units now follw the "Bar" type config they take up too much space up high. Remember im in a pitched area, I could use LED's and center them, but to cover a 1.5 - 2 meter wide area I'd need some pretty heafty LED's, and because of that I know I'd need at least 40cm between them and the canopy.

 

CMH can be run in cooled hoods if need be. I ran HID lighting in cooled hoods for a year or so and used to get the tops about 15cm to the glass, with really good results.

 

I always told myself that LED's would make a great loft light, but the last few years of using them have really taught me a few things about them when you in an area bigger that a few m2.

 

Back when I was looking into lighting options I really liked the idea of the Lumatek ATS pro, really good units. But they are 60cm wide, and the width of my planned SCROG is 1.5-2 meter across and 2.4m in length. So I'd need to have two of them across the width of the net to get the coverage. That means 120cm if they're side by side. Because I'm in a pitched area that means I can only get them so far up before the outer edges of the LEDS will hit the ceiling.

 

I've been up there with the tape measure several times mate, honestly the CMH are the best option here, plus I love them so its a win win for me.

 

I think the older Q'Board config of LED may have worked as they were long and thin, and I actually had better results with them than the bar type LED's, but they're not as up to date now.

[mysticriver]

2 minutes ago, GreenVision said:

I'd need at least 40cm

a lot of LED's are spec'd for closer than that

my mars hydro fc e6500 730W are run at 30cm

migro's aray run even closer at, iirc ~13cm

 

 

mystic 

[GreenVision]

Just now, mysticriver said:

a lot of LED's are spec'd for closer than that

my mars hydro fc e6500 730W are run at 30cm

migro's aray run even closer at, iirc ~13cm

 

 

mystic 

 

 

Very strange....   Are you watching me.....

 

 

I was literally just on the Migro site, looking at the Aray 300's, and yes the guys there are saying flowering might be ok to sit at 15cm or there abouts, and that I could actually deal with.

 

I'd need to ask them directly, and have a measure up as they are also 56cm in diameter, so approx 125cm across the two side by side, but if they truly are safe at 15cm I may actually be able to pull that off.

[stu914]

I start out with a hefty distance above the canopy but by the time flower kicks in, at around 3 or 4 weeks, the distance is less than 30cm

currently my top bud is about 15cm, they're on final flush...(cropping in about a week...yum!)

[GreenVision]

Just now, stu914 said:

I start out with a hefty distance above the canopy but by the time flower kicks in, at around 3 or 4 weeks, the distance is less than 30cm

currently my top bud is about 15cm, they're on final flush...(cropping in about a week...yum!)

 

I'm waiting for a reply from Migro.

 

If they confirm I can run them at even 20cm we may have a winner.

 

I'd rather go CMh I wont lie, but the one selling point for LED above all else for me was their safety. Hanging 6 CMH lights in a low roofed loft was concerning me to say the least. And despite all my preferences LED's are great and super safe. I've always been on the fence with CMH vs LED, but I'm realistic and I go with the best option for the area.

[sweettooth]

1 hour ago, GreenVision said:

CMH can be run in cooled hoods if need be. I ran HID lighting in cooled hoods for a year or so and used to get the tops about 15cm to the glass, with really good results.

 

I didnt think was poossible as the temperture of the bulb needs to be high to get the arc and the spectrum hence why there are no cooled hoods when searching for CMH lights, could be wrong but its what all the grow shop dudes told me when I said I could do that, youl lose efficacy of the light

[GreenVision]

6 minutes ago, sweettooth said:

 

I didnt think was poossible as the temperture of the bulb needs to be high to get the arc and the spectrum hence why there are no cooled hoods when searching for CMH lights, could be wrong but its what all the grow shop dudes told me when I said I could do that, youl lose efficacy of the light

 

You do mate yh, it can be done but how much is lost I dont know.

 

I've done it, plant grew nice and as expected, but I know there is a loss for sure.

 

Its just another piece of glass, so I dont think it will actually stop the bulbs from growing the plants, but I dont know if the loss of intesity is so signifcant that the fact you can get canopy close makes no difference to that loss.

 

I had mine about 10cm below the glass at the time so maybe that was why I didn't notice the loss?

[GreenVision]

@stu914  @mysticriver

 

Got a reply from Mygrow. The light I think I'd need is the Aray 3, I dont know that much about Migro's stuff tbh but I looked at the specs and 6 of these would be a serious "Sweet Spot" for coverage etc.

 

They said 28cm above canopy at full whack during bloom.

 

So I just jumped up into the loft and had a measure up, would leave me 128cm exactly from bottom of light to the grow room floor if I had them up as high as I could get them (bout' 4cm from ceiling as I dont want them touching it).

 

50cm of space for grow "Medium" and net height above it, 28cm of tops to light. Leaves 50cm of room between net and max height, sounds dooable? Avg stretch ime with a scro is about 30cm if you switch 12/12 when tops are few cm above net??

[stu914]

Just now, GreenVision said:

They said 28cm above canopy at full whack during bloom.

Doable but challenging...added beauty of led is their ability to be dimmed, so with lower power that distance can be reduced even more.

Even with less power the spread gives you a bit more of an edge over other lights...

 

[sweettooth]

@GreenVision

 

I've been looking at going potless and using the coco slabs with a small 3" coco cube staked on top - would save you a lot of pot height. would need a small run to waste tray but a garland would do it, would only need maybe 2 inches clearance below it.

 

Bit of DIY, there's a great automated thread on here

 

idea?

[mysticriver]

20 hours ago, GreenVision said:

They said 28cm above canopy at full whack during bloom.

im confused now as the migro website said ~13cm hanging height 

 

 

mystic

[GreenVision]

1 hour ago, mysticriver said:

im confused now as the migro website said ~13cm hanging height 

 

 

mystic

 

 

Yh it got me as well.

 

For the lower wattage ones you can go to lower heights, but once you hit the 250w plus area it looks like 28cm is around the min distance before you in the danger area.

 

Makes sense really, I'm probably over simplifing it a bit but lower wattage means lower intensity meaning you can push it closer, I think.

 

It's the Aray 3 I'd need. TBH tho' I'm quite surprised at 28cm, I was thinking with high spec LED's 40cm above canopy bare minimum but had told myself 45cm to be safe, so I had written them off until now.

 

 

[sweettooth]

1 hour ago, GreenVision said:

 

 

Yh it got me as well.

 

For the lower wattage ones you can go to lower heights, but once you hit the 250w plus area it looks like 28cm is around the min distance before you in the danger area.

 

Makes sense really, I'm probably over simplifing it a bit but lower wattage means lower intensity meaning you can push it closer, I think.

 

 

I've had buds an inch under my lumatek 600w led before.....wasn't an issue, fattest buds I've seen, didn't bleach and that was cranked up to 100%, I think for early flower a distance is good but once stretch has finished, all the hanging height is hearsay and a myth