My first grow

True enough. Green's right in the middle of visible light, so IS what we primarily use, visually, and the plants DON'T. But as I've said before, "PAR" is just intensity of light in a given bandwidth compared to output of the same bandwidth from a "matched" wide spectrum ("white") emitter. Band gaps are band gaps. If you have a PAR rating of 4 times that of an HID in a specific wavelength, all it means is it put out that much of THAT BANDWIDTH compared to the HID/CFL/incandescent (which is measured in lumens, which are calculated in lux as fall-off impacts).

So even if you get 4 times the light in 25% of the useful blue and red bands, you've only matched, not exceeded or come in under, the equivalent input of those ranges of total blue or red visible bandwidth delivered by an "equivalent" HID...PAR doesn't apply to "white" lights, it's a comparison of relative power of a specific band, not total spectrum.

The more "channels" an LED system has, the fewer "gaps" in bandwidths of light delivered...but even then, if the PAR rating is only 400% in comparison, the "gaps" have their impact...and the plants naturally use the WHOLE 650-820 (red to red-orange), a touch of the 820-900 (edging into true IR), the WHOLE 380-500 (blue), and a touch of the 320-380 (UVA/UVB), or a total of a 170 nm range of red to red-orange visible and a range of 120 nm blue spectrum...while each "channel" of an LED is generally no more than 5 nm inaccurate on each side of the rated bandwidth delivered (if it claims to be 720nm, it really delivers light in the 715 to 725 range. Some are less perfect than that, but I have yet to see ANY on the market that are off by 15 to a side, which is why I use THAT when doing example calculations...which is generous to the LED system in question, as a result).

So if you have a 10 channel with high quality emitters of good accuracy in bandwidth production (covering a spread of 10nm each), you cover only 100 nm "spread" of that total of 290 nm of bandwidth spread of "useful visible light"...or just a bit over 1/3 of the desirable spectrum. Which means if your PAR rating is 3 times "equivalent HID", there's zero net advantage (in light), AND you miss the influences of a full third of the bandwidth range the plants use in nature.

So applicable advantages are heat management and actual electricity consumed.

As I've said over and over, both PAR in the footprint and width of spectrum delivered are rapidly changing...stronger emitters with better reflection and focusing lenses increase the strength of each bandwidth that hits the plant compared to the HID, and more channels increases how much of the "useful spectrum" gets covered in comparison.

But since each individual emitter is still weaker, unless those lenses and reflectors restrict the total footprint to a smaller comparable area, the fall-off effects are much more significant.

Because there aren't a lot of people who've actually studied the light qualities, science, and principles, I simplify, and use one term across the board rather than converting.
 
For instance instead of watts when joules are appropriate, I'll often keep referring to them as watts. Relationship's close enough to do it without confusing people with additional calculations. I know it's technically the wrong term. Someone else who has worked with electronics or electricity in a capacity where it matters will know it's the wrong term. Someone who hasn't will simply have yet another calculation to do in order to convert to one from the other to apply it "properly" to get the same end results, as a concept.

 

Yes correct but i find led to be fantasic and i can get more with leds than hids.

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Hey man,

Was wondering if you can explain to me how you got the hemp string to anchor down in the soil. From what I'm noticing In your pics I can make out how you pulled that off.


Thanks in advance

Great photos btw.


Whether you're for marijuana or against it. No one should ever have to go to jail for it.

 

LED is fascinating...can't blame you, there.
 
If you look elsewhere, I described a "panning" setup using LASER intensity diodes, and frequency modifying crystals to rapidly pan light over the leaves at higher intensity (panning to avoid heat buildup or burn spots) in broader spectrum ranges than LEDs currently supply. In the process, I will be avoiding producing the 480-650nm visible ranges...a $10,000 +/- experiment just to see if it works. Theoretically, it should, in practice, I might just end up with a backyard laser light show.

If it does work, the applicable principles, if used with LED grow lamps, are amazing. For instance, imagine using high quality prisms instead of just modulating crystal assemblies to cover gaps in bandwidth spread, if possible. Coupled with focusing lenses, it MIGHT be able to take a much higher PAR, but narrower bandwidth 720nm emitter, and make it deliver 400% the amount of red light total...across the whole of the useful red spectrum.

Which would be one hellacious advantage, would it not? It'd turn an LED panel into the best possible source, between electricity consumed, intensity of useful light across the WHOLE set of useful bands, with far less heat, even though technology for doing so with the current methods currently make it a case of "initial investment compared to heat issues and electric bills". Or close enough.

 

If lasers were possible the would definately be pretty cool. But as you say you would have to keep it moving but you could use a mirror tho unsure how much you may lose using a mirror to keep it moving.

Tho dunno if this would work but using total internal reflection to light up the tent using the sun from outside say using 2 squared down to 1m squared would that give you the 128k per meter squared or more ....

Tho dunno if the op appricates all this...... haha

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Thanks for the compliment! I tried taping my string down at first. While they're young, that works. Sooner or later they start to resist the training though. When that happened, I drilled holes in my pot and it worked great. And with the holes, you can easily move your string around the pot to wherever you want your branches. Good luck!

 

Im doing the tape thing too lol need to find my drill haha
 

 

Try tying it to a paperclip at the "bitter end" (soil end), bending the paperclip to hook to any available point of purchase.

Same trick on the other end also allows you to "hook" the branch/stem in question without "trapping" it...and if both ends are done that way, you don't "waste" the string...when it's not needed at one point anymore, unhook it from both ends, and hook another point with it.

Just a personal preference in method, there.

 

sounds like a good method ill try that with some floss

 

Lol i done 4 autos under 250w in one of them

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Nutes dont do this enviroment and genetics does and light

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Bud mass so youll get more bud how tight that bud is down to other factors

Intenseity of light more intesity harder nugs

Temps if its hot the plant will have airy buds

Light spectra reds make tighter buds blues can make them airy

But strain will i fluence too
Sativas genrally have looser buds

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Tiger Bloom and Grow Big are what I use for nutes...easy to measure, control, and I've broken them down chemically for other purposes, and the balances are DEFINITELY what is claimed.