The White Light Led Revolution

Discussion in 'Indoor Grow Journals' started by Weed Dude, Jul 11, 2014.

  1. #1 Weed Dude, Jul 11, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2014
    Welcome Everybody!
     
    I've decided to share my current grow under a new light by AMARE Technologies. I am growing a personal strain that I started from seed (Numb Feet) and a Larry OG clone. I am using the Cogo's nutrients and two different soil type Coco Coir and Sunshine mix number 4.. I have supplemented with General Organics Cal/Mg....
     
    Here is the set up :
     
     Tent: Secret Jardin II DR-150 5 x 5
     
    Nutrients: Cogo's Two Part mixed with degassed tap water
     
    Pots - 5 gallon generic fabric pots containing Sunshine Mix #4 and two with Coco Coir.
     
    Filtration - Generic 36 inch carbon filter and inline fan on a variable speed controller.
     
    Lighting : Three 100 x 3w   custom spectrum lights and one pre-production Solar Spec 260
     
    Here are the specifications from the Manufacturer:
     
    SolarSpec 260: 3w
     
    Dimensions: 25″ x 11″ x 3″ 433mm x 297mm x 80mm (17.4" x 11.7' x 3.15")
    Weight: 11.24lbs./5.1kg.
    Actual Wattage: 240-260w, depending on spectrum.
    HID Wattage Equivalent: 400w
    Modules: 6
    Diodes per Module: 21
    Total Diodes: 126
    Diode Wattage: 3w
    Footprint: core 3' x 2'  @43w/sqft., veg. 3.75' x 2.75' @25w/sqft.
    Par:  1763umol@12", 1296umol@24", 574umol@36", 310umol@48"
    Input Voltage: 85-265V AC Power Input
    Work Frequency: 50/60 Hz – Suitable for Global Energy Environment
    Output Voltage: UL Standard Output Voltage – Less than 76V DC
    Amperage: 2.67
    Veg/flower switches.
    Special features:  attachable/detachable
    Finish/color:  chrome-plated/chrome
     
    Please bear with me as I fumble through this. Please feel free to express any and all insight.

     
  2. #2 Weed Dude, Jul 11, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2014
    Here are a couple of pictures of the lights:
     
     
    IMG_1036.JPG       
     
    Solar Spec
     
    IMG_0970.JPG
     
     Custom Spectrum  100 x3w
     
    I will have those three lights and one Solar Spec for this grow.
     
  3. Here is a picture of the current grow.... The seedlings and sprouts were under a cfl spot and humidity dome then put under one of the 100 x 3W lights. They were transferred from solo cups to their 5 gallon fabric pots....
     
    GR13-4 62214.JPG
     
     
    Here they are now one week after flipping to 12/12.
     
    IMG_1055.JPG
     
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  4. #4 Weed Dude, Jul 11, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 11, 2014
    All was not well... I ran into a couple of issues:
     
    The first appears to be a Cal / Mg issue.... 
     
    IMG_1062.JPG
     
    The second was some minor bleaching:
     
     
    IMG_1056.JPG
     
    This plant was under Solar Spec and we had  it at about 16 inches above the top of the plant. We raised it up about 4 inches.
     
  5. Hey WD,
     
    Pulling up a seat to hang out with you on this. 
     
    My SolarSpec light should be here tomorrow. I will be testing it against a Mars ll 1200. Can't wait to see how it goes.
     
    Been busy with life the past few months so haven't been around much. But will try to hang out more here as my new grow starts as well.
     
    Best of luck to you on this grow.
     
  6. Yeah pretty much same as Output... Waiting for 4) solar specs plus one smaller 150(?) watt....
    Just started my second and flipped last Saturday. They're sativas under the Mars 1200 and yeah... 4X4 is a bit too big of a space for the mars.
    My next few will be indica again, and between learning a lot in my first grow, doing some plant training, and new lights I am anxious to see how much more I can harvest than last grow.


    http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1277190-DDPs-first-attempt
     
  7. #7 Weed Dude, Jul 11, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2014
    Welcome aboard!  Output & DDP... I had some great results with the 100 x 3W lights with my last grow. My first impressions of the Solar Spec is  that it is a lot more powerful ... I  had to run it 30 inches plus during veg.
     
  8. #8 Weed Dude, Jul 11, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2014
    Lets grow! 
     
  9. Pullin up a chair, I received my 260's and haven't had a chance to play with them yet. Stuck one of my girls under @30' and watched as the leaf angles went full 80!! Never before have I seen such a noticeable switch in the plant. Can't wait to get things started under these lights!! But your absolutely right about these things being intense. I have to keep them at 26' or higher or I start getting bleaching problems with the strains im running haha these things are powerful! Those lenses make a huge difference with 30% more intensity and 20% more P.A.R intensity, man gotta watch out haha.

    Sent from my XT907 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  10. Welcome aboard PharmX !
     
    Yep I had the same thing happen with my 100 x 3W lights. The plants actually turned themselves towards them. Yes the Spec is INTENSE.. You need to start them high and then incrementally lower them. As you can see from the picture above 16 inches was  a little to close at first.  
     
  11. Well I thought I would give you a little info on the primary strain that I am growing . First off the name Numb Feet. It was christened by my patient when they first sampled it. I asked how it was and they said "it made my feet numb.... My patient has chronic back pain and we have been searching for a strain that would assist in pain relief. The mom was a Super Cali and the Dad was what we called Old School Exotic. It's origin is unknown. I was gifted a 35 mm film canister from a old hippie friend who said he had them in his dresser drawer for a few years. We doubted any of the seeds were viable. Yet we got one of them to germinate and it turned out to be a boy. He was a big boy with huge fan leaves looked Sativa dominate. So that is a story of the strain.
     
  12. #12 Weed Dude, Jul 12, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 12, 2014
    Hey Resin Thumbers,
     
    Thought I would put up a few more pics of the Spec...
     
    IMG_1041.JPG
     
    IMG_1038.JPG
     
    [
    During the Flower phase you would have both the Veg and Bloom switches on.
     
  13. Hi All just wanted to put up week 2 of the grow the plants are starting their 12 /12 growth spurt. They also have showed their sex. The two on the left are girls and the two in the middle and the one on the right front is a boy. I will cull two of them and move one out of the tent to get pollen from. Everything is moving along nicely. I raised the Spec another 4 inches. The light is really intense... Here are a few pictures.
     
    GR 13 WK 2-3 FLW.JPG
     
    GR 13 WK 2-4 FLW.JPG
     
    GR 13- WK 2-1 FLW.JPG
     
    GR 13- WK 2-2 FLW.JPG
     
     
     
  14. #14 Weed Dude, Jul 19, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 20, 2014
    Boys will be Boys.... Thought I would toss up a couple pics of the boys... We removed them from the tent. We will keep one to get pollen. I also wanted to point out how a plant looks when they are really THIRSTY (THE ONE ON THE LEFT AND  IN THE MIDDLE). We did have a scare because one of them started to open its flowers... The white spectrum has been doing a great job so far and the cal / mg deficiency has been corrected. 
     
    IMG_1062.JPG
     
    IMG_1064.JPG
     
  15. #15 Weed Dude, Jul 22, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 22, 2014
    I would like to back up a bit and answer the question why I decided to switch to a WHITE based LED light. Like most I started out as a cfl grower and then moved up to Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium lights... With a few successful grows under my belt and growing in a hydro system I began to run into heat problems. Keeping the reservoir temperature down and the heat to a manageable level without the sound of a exhaust fan running at full blast I began to research LED lights and Induction lights. It also scared the heck out of me leaving the house with a mini-sun burning away for 12 - 18 hours a day.  You Tube and the Google became my friends. In my search I ran into several fellow growers who were using LED's. I also bought into all of the hype 1/3 the power no heat generated ,targeted spectrum. Wow it all sounded good. Through a mentor friend I purchased my first LED lights.. Set them up in my tent and TA DA heat issues solved. Went out and purchased a speed controller for my exhaust fan and turned it down to less than 1/2 speed. WOW this is great ! The ladies seemed to love the light and inter-nodal spacing was astonishing. Except for that weird reddish purple hue all looked great. One thing I first noticed was that I needed to add cal/mg (calcium & magnesium). It seemed to be a common issue using LED's. Well.... My first harvest came in and the flowers looked spectacular so frosty and aromatic. Yet one thing was missing.... density.Now I said to myself do I really care about that?  We decided to do a blind test using the same strains and grown in the same system. One using HID lighting and the other LED. After doing a side by side blind test with my patient rating the quality of the medication, the LED grown medicine always would be their preference. Sooo my point of view was hey a pound of feathers is the same as a pound of rocks, it is a pound... Yet having grown outdoors and seeing such different results than from an indoor grow it got me searching again. What was missing? Nothing seemed to beat the good old sun...Well off to the web I went looking for answers. I came across a forum here on GC called The complete LED setup.... Started to read about the latest and greatest 5 watt lights. This is where I ran into a grower that had a different point of view than most of the participants. They pointed out two things "intensity" and "spectrum" were needed and full spectrum is what our ladies where genetically disposed too. Being the information junkie that I am I had to investigate further. The "inverse square law " of how light works...  Well after much research I came to the conclusion that this might be the answer. I decided to give the "white lights" a test.so I contacted the forum member for advice. Well the rest is as they say history. I purchased three 100 x 3w lights. When they arrived I was like a kid on Christmas morning... I opened the box and my first thoughts was these little things are going to grow better than that big 5 watt monster panel I was looking at.? Yet then the revelation  came when I plugged it into the wall and it literally blinded me...  Well into the tent they went. I had just finished up a grow using my "regular" LED's and had clones sitting in the wings for the next grow. I had a baseline now. Well about 12 weeks down the road it was harvest time and I was literally astonished at the results! Too be continued...
     
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  16. I'm about to move from cfl to leds on my first grow now 3 weeks in flower but I have since put her outside and am amazed any advice for a new led grower?
     
  17. Welcome dae!! 
     
    As for advice it depends on a lot of different factors... You stated you placed it outside. Is that where she is going to stay? One thing you have to remember if you are growing from seeds and then going outdoors you need to be careful that you "harden" the sprout before putting it out of doors permanently. This is basically taking the plant outside for a short period of time then bring it back in. Some strains tolerate it better than others. You also have to be conscious of the critters that may have found a home while outside. You don't want to bring in host of problems to your indoor grow. Keep it separated. Now on to LED advice. Here are some basics.
     
    1. Don't over fertilize (feed). in my experience LED's don't produce the same heat as an HPS system. They normally will drink less because they won't transpire as much. You also should watch your nutrient strength especially if you are using something new. I always start out with about 1/3 to 1/2 strength and see how they respond.
     
    2. Heat- Your LED's still generate heat just not like a HPS system. Depending on how large of a grow area you are in you will need to exhaust it out of the grow area. I grow in a 5 x 5 tent and I can tell you it is easy to get the tent 90 F with the exhaust fan off in an hour.
    The bigger the space the better heat dispersion.
     
    3. Light Height - Start them high and then bring them down. It really depends on what type of light you have. Does it uses lenses? How many LED's it has the wattage of the LED's. You also have to be aware that certain strains respond differently. The lights I am currently using can bleach a plant just like HPS if they are to close. Watch your girls... They can tell you a lot. If they are reaching for the light bring it down a little. 
     
    4. Penetration -   LED always had issues with penetrating the canopy. It is much better now than in the past. This is especially an issue with large plants.  You can defoliate the plant to help out with penetration.
     
    5. Intensity - You need it... There are more experienced LED growers than myself  but you cannot change the inverse square law. In its most fundamental definition is if you double the light source distance you will reduce the light  (energy) intensity by a factor of four. 
     
    Please ask away... That's why we are here. 
     
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  18. It is going to be her permanent home she loves it outside and there is no denying that and it shows but I really like leds saw a great setup and it is great u really like them check my journal out second attempt Buddha auto fem
     
  19. Yes there are many advantages to growing outside. The lady is getting what she was genetically predisposed too. There are many symbiotic relationships ( think those little sucker fish hanging out on sharks) that occur when a plant is outdoors. She also is getting a full spectrum of light and the nuances that we have yet to fully understand.
     

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