First Time Grow kit and set-up questions. :)

[CBDevious]

Hi all,

 

So it's been a long time since I first joined here, and I've finally got a grow on! 

However I have a couple of questions about the settings of my kit.

Kit:

* 50 x 50 x 100 tent

* 150w HLG V2 Quantum Board Kit (3000K) with dimming knob.

* SMS Hybrid Mk 2, 4amp fan controller.

* 4inch Mountain Carbon Air Filter.

* 2 x Sileo RVK 100E2 fans

 

 

1. Can negative pressure be too much, even if the temperature is sat at 22.8c?

I've got the intake set at its lowest on the controller, and the exhaust set at 3.

It was just over 3 and whizzing away, now its a bit quieter and calmer at 3 but still what I think is a nice amount of negative pressure.

 

2. Does it matter if the fan controller temperature probe is touching the soil or anything else in the tent or does it have to be free hanging?

 

3. If the humidity is 65% with currently at 22.8c, with OG Kush Autoflowering seeds, do I need a dehumidifier for the flowering stage, and if so what small one can do the job and go in the tent? 

 

4. I know auto aren't light dependent, but is the light up to almost full, okay for this set up, can it be too bright?

I have it set to an 18/6 schedule.

 

Thanks in advance.

Glad to be on it, better late than never!!

[handysmoker]

12 minutes ago, CBDevious said:

2. Does it matter if the fan controller temperature probe is touching the soil or anything else in the tent or does it have to be free hanging?

Best to be free hanging in all the air flow....

 

14 minutes ago, CBDevious said:

4. I know auto aren't light dependent, but is the light up to almost full, okay for this set up, can it be too bright?

I have it set to an 18/6 schedule.

Had my Auto on 18/6 till it was time to go 12/12... however, I still monitored DLI levels and adjusted lights accordingly, so keep an eye on that.

 

can't answer ur other questions...not yet anyhow, still learning

Also, would recommend pushing temp up to around 28c

[Satchitananda]

31 minutes ago, CBDevious said:

Hi all,

 

So it's been a long time since I first joined here, and I've finally got a grow on! 

However I have a couple of questions about the settings of my kit.

Kit:

* 50 x 50 x 100 tent

* 150w HLG V2 Quantum Board Kit (3000K) with dimming knob.

* SMS Hybrid Mk 2, 4amp fan controller.

* 4inch Mountain Carbon Air Filter.

* 2 x Sileo RVK 100E2 fans

 

 

 

4. I know auto aren't light dependent, but is the light up to almost full, okay for this set up, can it be too bright?

 

 

 

Yes, LED's in particular can be too bright, I am an LED noob myself so can't go into too much about it, but how old are your plants? If they are still seedlings then almost full power is too much. You can get a PAR meter to measure light intensity but they are expensive so I think getting a Lux meter and coverting it to PAR is the way to go, check out this thread

 

[handysmoker]

@CBDevious

I learnt how important to get the correct light levels on my last grow (1stGrow) .... thanks to @Shumroom

 

 I worked with the photone app for a while with some tissue paper over the lens ... come on, that's what I used to call a bodge job, so never really trusted those readings... maybe the reason for a low crop

Bought myself a UNI-T UT383BT (about £20) and paired it up with the PPDF meter App, The BT bit is the Bluetooth which is needed .... the UNI-T measures in Lux and the App converts to PPDF and DLI (it'll measure in FC as well) .... ever since my readings along with light adjustment have been spot on, and my plants look great this time round and there's no stretching.

LEDs are viparspectra P1000 and P600 with dimmers.

 

 

 

[DreamCatcher]

14 hours ago, CBDevious said:

If the humidity is 65% with currently at 22.8c, with OG Kush Autoflowering seeds, do I need a dehumidifier for the flowering stage, and if so what small one can do the job and go in the tent?

You can just increase the heat a smidge and the moisture capacity of the air will increase, thus dropping your humidity
Cold air has less capacity to hold moisture so it gets saturated at low levels, whereas hot air needs more moisture to achieve saturation, so the same 66% you read at 22.8c will probably drop to 55% at 25-26c.
 

 

14 hours ago, CBDevious said:

Does it matter if the fan controller temperature probe is touching the soil or anything else in the tent or does it have to be free hanging?

Yes it matters, you want to measure ambient air climate, if it is touching anything the measurement will not be "clean"
You want the probe as close you can to the plant, because the plant has its own microclimate that differs slightly from the ambient.
 

 

14 hours ago, CBDevious said:

I know auto aren't light dependent, but is the light up to almost full, okay for this set up, can it be too bright?

Yes, you can have damaging bright LED, unless you can solve the "Liebig's law of minimum" puzzle in your environment.

Regarding the negative pressure, im not sure what to say.. I myself use an 8" AC infinity cloudline in a 1.2x1.2x2.0 tent, on 10% speed. I allow it to increase to maximum 6, because beyond that its too loud and it sucks the walls of the tent in, i would imagine thats a bit of stress on the poles.. The intake doesnt match the strength of the exhaust.
As for the plant and gas exchange and all that, i struggle to breathe when i get my head out of a moving cars window, would the same apply to the plants in high velocity? but then again, how much velocity would you create in a 50x50x100..

Good luck! and please make a diary

[CBDevious]

On 08/10/2023 at 10:07 AM, handysmoker said:

@CBDevious

I learnt how important to get the correct light levels on my last grow (1stGrow) .... thanks to @Shumroom

 

 I worked with the photone app for a while with some tissue paper over the lens ... come on, that's what I used to call a bodge job, so never really trusted those readings... maybe the reason for a low crop

Bought myself a UNI-T UT383BT (about £20) and paired it up with the PPDF meter App, The BT bit is the Bluetooth which is needed .... the UNI-T measures in Lux and the App converts to PPDF and DLI (it'll measure in FC as well) .... ever since my readings along with light adjustment have been spot on, and my plants look great this time round and there's no stretching.

LEDs are viparspectra P1000 and P600 with dimmers.

 

 

 

Oooo thank you.

I'm going to have a look and research some more.

 

I did see this which helped in the immediate.

 

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by lildaveham
Please don’t post links to a non sponsor seed shop

[CBDevious]

Okay, so, my seedling has popped through the soil.

I have my light set at 5000 lux from the seedling (pending swapping my uni-t for the Bluetooth one and using the app).

The light is on and off but the temp is dropping like a stone. 

So thats my next issue.

 

I want something very low power and super super safe to leave on.

I'd also like a smart temp guage so I can see and switch things on and off when I'm away from the grow.... 

[handysmoker]

It's one of my favourite things to do with the plants .... adjusting lighting to needs of the plants

 

I do avoid LUX numbers, just fuck my brain up, hence why I like the UNI and PPDF meter combo ... you can't go wrong

 

 

PS ... don't think you can have that link there ....

[CBDevious]

I think i am going to like dialling in the climate control. 

Ive just bought the BT light sensor and will send the standard one back.

 

Ohh, didn't realise info links would be banned. Erm

 

 

Well. If you search Royal Seeds Lux For Plants. I'm sure you will see it. It is an infographic about lux numbers for different stages. Par is of course better but if Lux is all you have. It's better than nothing. It saved me bevauae my PAR conversion using some info I found the forum, gave me wildly inaccurate numbers! 

[handysmoker]

Just now, CBDevious said:

I want something very low power and super super safe to leave on.

With the small 50x50L tent, look at viparspectra P1000 or P600, I'd go P1000 ... for the price they're good value.  The P1000 runs 100 watts at 100% brightness, pretty good energy saver. And they don't get hot, if you got a fan in the tent then they really don't get hot.

 

5000lux for seedlings does sound high, can you drop that. You could for now use the photone app to get a PPDF of around 300

 

Plus, you can check out Migro lighting .... in the sponsors section

 

Tube heaters seem to be the thing .... have to get on myself soon.

 

 

I only know of the AC 69 controller with BT or Wi-Fi .... That's AC infinity stuff

 

11 minutes ago, CBDevious said:

The light is on and off but the temp is dropping like a stone

How many times do your lights go on/off each day

 

[Shumroom]

1 hour ago, handysmoker said:

5000lux for seedlings does sound high

This works out around 80ppfd depending upon spectrum of light  

 

Easy mistake to make 

 

Atb

 

 

 

[Satchitananda]

3 hours ago, CBDevious said:

I want something very low power and super super safe to leave on.

 

 

 

You already have that with the quantum board you have, just dial it down so you are getting about 18,000 Lux (or even less) at the plant canopy this gives you a PAR of about 300, which is suitable for seedlings. 18,000 x 0.017 = 306 PAR which if you have the light on 18 hours gives you a Dialy Light Integral of 19.8

 

You could go as low as 100 PAR if they are babies, but I think I went 300. I have the same quantum board as you (the R spec) and I have mine 18 inches above the plants. For more info read that link I gave in my previous post.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Satchitananda

[Satchitananda]

My temps are low too, so I have 2 tube heaters. You can get the Inkbird 306T thermostat to control the tube heaters, the Inkbird lets you set night and day temps (say 22-23c night, 26-28c day). I have the extractor fan on quite low so I am not sucking all the warm air out too quickly, but it needs to be strong enough to suck the smells through the carbon filter, so mine is set on 2.

[handysmoker]

2 hours ago, Shumroom said:

This works out around 80ppfd depending upon spectrum of light

HaHa ... talk about of the mark ... it's those high numbers as readings

[CBDevious]

On 12/10/2023 at 1:38 PM, Satchitananda said:

My temps are low too, so I have 2 tube heaters. You can get the Inkbird 306T thermostat to control the tube heaters, the Inkbird lets you set night and day temps (say 22-23c night, 26-28c day). I have the extractor fan on quite low so I am not sucking all the warm air out too quickly, but it needs to be strong enough to suck the smells through the carbon filter, so mine is set on 2.

That's really helpful. Thank you.

I bought a tube heater that only has on or off and one heat setting. Which is irritating but is keeping the temp at 23.8.

I'm going to assume that when the plant grows and the light is brighter, that will give a temp closer to 25 when it's needed.

 

As for the fan, I disconnected the intake fan because even the lowest setting dropped the temp.

I have just the extractor fan on max 2.5, and the temp set at 25, so it's running at its slowest.

I can feel the intake pulling on a passive intake. So good for now.