I`m not new but Im no pro either. I`ve been through the process a few times through the years but really never sank my teeth into so to speak,...at least until now. I read the books and studied a bit at times but there are a few things that I am still unclear about. Now these things may be obvious to you or may be silly questions but at any rate, I want to definitive answer if possible and as this is the absolute best website in the world on the subject, IMO, I just thought I`d ask..... When using a small area, does the use of aluminum foil help to gain more, spread, or do nothing where light is concerned?? Is it true that the use of mirrors is in fact useless??? Can combining HPS and CFL lighting help or hurt the process?? Thanks in advance. Been a member since 2009 or there about but seemed to have lost all of my old info.
Mirrors and tin foil absorb more light then they reflect and cause hot spots... Use hps lighting an if needed you can use CFL to supplement your hps lighting to fill in shaded areas
Foil and glass are both heat insulators. That being said, I have seen a grow journal with pics right here on GC of a guy that got his plants to flower using a cardboard box with tin foil taped to it and a cfl light bulb.
Aluminum foils reflects but not well. I was doing light tests the other day with my light meter, the sun, and flat white painted wall. I disovered that if i turned the light meter away from the sun and to the wall, my umol count cut in half. For instance, if the sun put out 4000 umols, then the wall reflected back 2000 umols. It was very enlightening and educational, because i recently painted a whole room flat white. Aluminum doesnt reflect well because it doesnt remain flat, creates hotspots and absorbs. Mylar blankets are junk and tear as if wet paper. Mylar is great but gets very dirty and quits reflecting. There are hoods that are designed with mirrors inside, but mirrors on a wall dont work at all the way you think they would. I recommend you watch some videos online Some of the best stuff is panda film, but its not cheap. ~ poke
Well I think that if you have flat surfaces and the tin foil is flat then I can't see why it would be a problem. But if it's all fucked up and crinkled it can make the light consoled on to one spot and cause a hot spot and even burl your plant. Tbh I have had all the mylar Dimond cut one and all that shite and out of it all my best grows have come from the black and white sheeting you can get as well its WHITE lol so it's super reflective and will never give any hot spots what so ever. Just a room of pure white. As for the mirror thing hmm mm that's one I'm defo gonna look into as I really do want to no what the script is with that why wouldn't it work lol ill rig my loft out tomorrow lol. As for the hps and cfl think we'll I see it like this and we'll have read it like this also a plant can't use really any more that a 100w per light so any more per plant is pointless I stick to that theory as I have had more light and not had a bigger yield BUT my argument is this if your plant is tall or is a leafy mother fucker then all the bottom won't be getting the full whack of the light SO Yeh I think it is a good idea to stick a few cfl in there near to the bottoms some 25 watters or summet just to give them bottoms a go in over I can't see why what wouldn't be a good idea do you? See I doin a test at the very moment I used 2 300w giant cfl over 6 plants and got a really good growth rate REALLY GOOD then I'm doing the same but with a metal halide and believe it or not they are neck and neck I can't believe it I'm shocked. Well if they the same when done then I no what ill be using next time to save the penny's lol. Hear a pic of the 6 I did just before I flipped with the cfl just look how good they look and healthy. But then I got some for flower and what a mistake that was OMG I think I got like just over 2 oz a plant I was shocked most of all gutted lol hear the pic lad. Any questions ill be happy to help you with so don't hesitate to ask no matter what it is we all started somewere and i may no some things you don't and vise versa keep in touch buddy
Hear the girls after stretch and just starting to get buds I was so disappointed I really did cry hahaha
Don't you hate it when you read over a message you have sent AFTER you have sent it and then think WHAT A TWAT! !!!!!!! Because your predictive text fucked all your words up hahahaha I do apologise think you can make the best of it lol
I appreciate the responses! They gave me things to consider and more importantly, to be aware of. Everything I`ve found on mirrors states it doesnt work so....That said,... I was thinking that if the floor area and the lower sections of the area were reflective, maybe with foil, that maybe it would allow the light to saturate the entire plant better by reflection. remember, I`m referring to indoors only so...Also in small areas, maybe 6X4.....With a guess, and logic, you would think that it would help , especially when using a single hps bulb and a few cfl`s only. Of course I would never attempt this outside. Thanks again for the responses. If I ever get around to giving it a try, I will give a report of things. Be safe...
Well I always cover the floor also with white sheeting ill show you a pic of my new room later on today pal show you how I have set it up its only a simple setup this one for now just to get the babies going need to pad it all out with my shit but tbh I'm just a lazy twat hahaha ill get round to it. And no worries any questions you no were I am buddy.
I have panda on the groin and door and mylar everywhere else. The mylar is as clean as the day I put it up so I don't know about it getting dirty. But I don't have to water my plants so maybe that's why its clean. I use Blumats. How can it loose reflectivity? Please explain. Hahaaaaaaaa. Panda on the groin!!!!! Ground. Predictive text!
One of flat white paint's huge advantages is the reason it doesn't rate very highly with a light meter... Diffuse Reflection
hmmm. Not sure I agree that this would be a mylar problem. Resin sticks to walls. But if I had my buds leaning on the wall, I wouldn't really be doing a good job of keeping my garden in order. Unless I had no choice because of jamming too many plants in a space. Any how, my second indoor I did tubes with aluminum foil a long time ago. Guerilla shit. Kept it flat off the roll and never had any prob with the tubes. Of course they were tubes and lower heat.