Pro-Grow 260w LED, 6-Site Hydro Grow

Discussion in 'Indoor Grow Journals' started by ex1stence, Feb 15, 2011.

  1. #1 ex1stence, Feb 15, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 20, 2011
    This entire grow is compliant with SB 420, Prop 215, and is being done on a scientific/medical basis.

    Hey everyone, here with my third grow, first grow journal, and first grow on a completely new set up. I recently moved to a new apartment that has an electrical bill being watched by/paid for by my landlord, and because of this I've had to ditch all of my old equipment and start fresh. After a bit of time spent forum crawling, and researching where I can, I've decided to go with a Pro-Grow 260w LED Light, and will be growing 6 identical Platinum Daddy clones from Elemental Wellness.

    Light seen here; Pro-Grow 260 (Cree) | Hydroponics Hut

    I'll be running them through a basic 6 bucket, single pump continuous-drip hydro system, and feeding on your average three part GenHydro nutrient solution. No flair, no frills, as basic and reproducible as possible, that is the goal of this journal. To completely and totally focus on the benefits, faults, and decisions that are involved in running a 100% ventless and LED exclusive set up.

    While I wait for the lights and watering system to arrive in the mail, I figure I'll get the pot stirring and put in my two cents about the current LED climate and where it stands in regards to the rest of the community and marketplace. The first thing I believe that needs to be understood about LED is that it asks the consumer, and the rest of its competitors, to believe there is an equally powerful alternative to the archaic and bumbling technologies that have become the industry standard for well over 40 years now. Not only are bulbs, hoods, and reflectors a huge part of their profit margin and cycle, but the systems necessary to move all the heat they generate away from the plants they are growing has become a multi-million dollar business. Ventilation, fans, carbon filters, and what I’m sure is a fairly decent contribution to Home Depot, Lowes and the like, have all become a part of the standard for what it means to budget a growing room, and I myself had been a slave to everything ventilation related before I moved here. Now when I moved I was excited at the prospect of free electricity, but also came to realize my landlord wouldn’t tolerate sky high bills, so I was forced to shut everything down and figure out something new. Luckily I was granted a closet with a decent amount of space and a near super-building ability to contain odors as long as the door is closed properly, so I decided to look into the prospects of LED and what they could offer me. Several months I’ve spent in total now coming to this decision, and overall this where I think the debate stands as of now, yesterday, and tomorrow.

    LED’s are experiencing the same pushback that the computing industry felt when vacuum tubes were still the standard way in which computers were built and processed information. Like Halide and Sodium bulbs, the amount of electricity and technology required just to keep these systems cooled down and operating efficiently was a multi-million dollar business, which also had no intention of going anywhere. Silicon had to prove its worth time and time again, but eventually the industry came to realize it was simply the smarter, more economical, and more advanced choice, and many, many businesses that manufactered vacuum tubes and the machinery necessary to cool them either adapted, or when out of business, so is the nature of capitalism. I belive LED’s scare the shit out of old-schoolers, light reps, and ballast companies, because they represent a threat to their very industry and a large chunk of their profit in between it. I genuinely believe the technology necessary to match HID and HPS in 2011, is here, but the mere fact alone that the demand is being surpressed by common uproar in places like these is preventing that cost from going down with increased demand and production. This journal will be a continuing effort to disprove an archaic industry, and welcome a new standard, so to the companies holding tight to their ideals that we’ll never be as good, as productive, or as worth it, I show you this, and whoever might like to join me in this fight.

    No equipment or clones yet, but I’ve attached a picture of the room I’ll be using, and will update shortly with the completed setup and all its stats. See you all soon
     

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  2. #2 ex1stence, Feb 20, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 20, 2011
    Second post for this grow, just finished working on all the plumbing and bucket table. Right now it is functioning as an ebb-and-flow independent bucket system, with a 20-gal reservoir and 240gph feed-return pump (might be switching to DWC, not sure yet). Still waiting for both the light and the clones, more to update with fully reflective, fully lighted and ready to go room!

    [​IMG]
     
  3. #3 ex1stence, Mar 7, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 7, 2011
    Finally! :bounce:

    Sorry for the late updates everyone, my roomate that was making attempts to report me to the landlord and police, has finally moved out, and I can resume posting and journaling for HydroponicsHut and the ProGrow 260w!

    Been a few changes of plan since the start, as I'll now be flowering four small hydroponic drip plants, Blue Shiva, and two Mango Trainwrecks in soil. This won't be the final set up for how I plan to run grows in the future, but the two teen soils would go as the same price of the clone hydros if I bought all six so, who's gonna say no to a deal like that :).

    As you can see the soil Wreck is twice as tall as the Blue Shiva, but I'll be throwing them all into flower simultaneously, just to get a good feel for coverage and viability before making the final switch. The two buckets to the side will be used for the soil grow, and yes, I know I need to wrap my buckets, but so far I've managed with some pretty decent light blocking techniques. Updates with those developments to come soon!

    Current stats;
    Light cycle; 18/6
    Nutes; FloraNova 2-Part from GenHydro
    PPM: 1400, off of 400 base.
    pH: 5.5
    2nd week of veg

    (and you'll see at the bottom; New! From Prescott Pharmecuticals, the Filt-o-Tron 6000! Warning; do not operate around/if you want to have children.)
     

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  4. Nice man...been eyeballing those lights but have not seen a grow to completion with them.. Good Luck man things look tight. Pullin up a chair...
     
  5. Good stuff man. I have been looking for some LED's, I just want something that will be enought for 2-3 plants. Id like to see how your LED works out.
     
  6. Congrats On the grow Existence! I was eyeballin that light as well, but decided to go with the 180 watt to go with my panel and cfls i had previously(from grow 1). I am subbed in and will be watching your babies flourish and fill bountifully.


    You should jet on over to my 2nd grow in my signature below and tell me what you thank.
     
  7. Im subbed. I want to see how that light will handle. Real interested in these lights for myself, having 5 or more 400w hps bulbs in a room gets warm :rolleyes:
     
  8. #8 ex1stence, Mar 11, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 11, 2011
    Next update;

    Everyone is looking lush and healthy for the time being. Got the Trainwreck into a bigger patch of soil so it can stretch its legs, and now the entire system as been thrown into flower. I'm hoping the Soils stretch enough before I have to raise the light on the clones, but for right now I've got them all staggered and angled so it's basically even light all the way through. More updates as the first pistils come in!

    Stats;
    PPM; 1500
    pH: 5.8
    Light cycle: 12/12
    Time: 1st week of flower
     

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  9. Hey Ex1stence I hope you can give me some suggestions on this, I just posted this on jugglastitch420's thread but I'd also like to hear what you have to say.
    I really want to try leds because of the low heat but there are so many options out there that I just dont know what to use. I just want 2-3 plants. I was thinking 1 90w ufo (per plant) from htgsupply plus a couple cfls. OR the new Spectra 180 from Grow LED Hydro plus a couple cfls for all the plants. OR the Pro-Grow 180 or 260 (Cree) plus a couple cfls for all the plants. What do you think?
     
  10. Personally, I did about 3 months of research before I bought this light (was saving up the cash), and from what I can gather, Ben over at HydroHut is the most honest guy working in the business today.

    Even if his lights aren't actually the best (which I still think they are), he's putting out the least hyped, most legitimate operation LED could hope for at this point. With shoddy products pouring out of China, and all the other companies paying for graphic designers to make big stickers saying "NOT MADE IN CHINA", I think it's about time someone stepped up to the plate to just start creating solid, clean, and most importantly functional LED arrays for the public, and Ben and his company have most certainly done that.

    For 2-3 plants (without possibility for expansion), I would say stick with the 180w and run with it. No heat, no hassle, all honesty, thats the "cree"d of LED :)
     
  11. It should also be noted I have a CFL running as well, 60w running from the light above, but it's really just ambient light at that height, not even sure it's doing anything :/
     
  12. The 180 pro-grow or spectra 180? What do you think if the spectra? Have you seen Irishboy's grows with the spectras? Whats your opinion on those? If the pro-grows get the job done well then I will get that one because it is cheaper than the spectra but I dont know if the spectra is better or not.
     


  13. If you cant talk to em, dont buy from em. No warranty, then stop boring me.

    i told em to go with the 260 if he wanted to expand in the futer but you have about the same idears as i my friend.
     
  14. Thanks guys I appreciate the suggestions. I still have about 5 months before I can start my next grow so Ill make my decision till then. Ill be following this grow to see how this LED works.
     

  15. Just check this one out too! This is the company I bought from. USA all the way!
    I was 60 bucks shy of getting this one, so i settled with the 180. but This is my wish list hitter for sure.

    240w Lighthouse Blackstar LED Grow light - BACK ORDERED - eBay (item 270715080999 end time Apr-02-11 14:46:51 PDT)
     
  16. It says its only for flowering though, is there one that does veg too? I dont want to be switching out lights. The pro-grow I think has a switch that can make it go from veg to flower. The spectra has light for veg and flower all that way, I think that is best because you get the whole spectrum for both stages of growth. So many options lol
     
  17. #17 ex1stence, Mar 13, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 14, 2011
    Ehhhh...I can't in all good conscience recommend anything by BlackStar. You have to understand that while it's our very nature to always look for "the best deal", when dealing with LED's you have to do the basic math and realize that BlackStar HAS to be compromising somewhere, and most likely, it's in the chips and lights they use for their arrays. Lights going out, systems failing, overheating, I've really heard a lot of mixed reviews coming from their products, and if you're going to pay that, you might as well get the same 260 that I have.

    Blackstar is sort of a mix between the cheapest Chinese crap and a legitimate LED light, almost, but not quite up to par in quality.
     
  18. Cant a regular flowering model also VEG!!! It contains the correct spectrum for veg growth since veg light is still needed in flowering...I mean those Veg models are specifically for vegging, and dont contain the correct reds and infrared and ultra, but they contain a great deal of the whites and blues. i am just fumbling im doing research as we speak. but could i be on to something? Are they for a larger scale of veg farming maybe? I mean couldnt you use the same light to flower to veg?
     
  19. I'm using the 2011, CREE-3W Switchable Spectrum ProGrow260. Basically what that means is the Red/Blue Spectrums are able to be switched off for Veg where the Yellow/White Spectrums are the only ones on. I've been running this particular grow with both on because I'm not paying the power, but if you wanted to you could keep half the light off for Veg, and half the light off for Flower, and get the total 260w, while only spending 130w of power for each cycle.
     
  20. Yes, your light does give that option, the Lighthouse does not. They sell both veg and flower model LED's separatley. Kinda makes me wonder if they are confusing people kinda saying that you need a veg light to veg...almost. My flowering model can veg, so wtf lighthouse?
     

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