How hot is it safe to allow these boards to get? I currently running these very low at 300w because they run so hot I'm concerned about the chips getting damaged
I've been away for a few weeks so there is a bit of a gap in my progress. Here is the Gorilla Glue ScrOG under the ISH boards just before harvest... The quality of the bud is great, but the yeild wasn't as good as expected. I had hoped it would rival my old 600w HPS but that doesn't seem the case on this round. I got 10 ounces from this grow so still good for just 300 watts. Hopefully the next one will be even better if I add some heat sinks to the boards so I can run it at full power
Taking its place under the ISH boards now are 8 Jelly Breath plants from Inhouse genetics. I can't wait to see how these turn out
Decent harvest for 300 watts. What was your normal yield under 600watts? One thing that keeps popping up on LED grows and forums is the fact that the room/tent needs to run hotter and with a higher RH then it did under HID. Since LED has no UV or IR output. I countered this need by adding a 315 CMH bulb in the middle of my 5x5 and placed the LED boards in the corners. By doing this I get added IR and UV output which helps in terpene production and the 315 being a single point of light penetrates decently into the canopy. I also am able to run my LED boards at 100watts a piece which keeps them considerbly cooler. Another thing I like about the CMH is the spectrum and longevity of the bulb. only a 15% drop in output at 20,000 hours. 20+ harvests before you need to replace the $60 bulb.
I normally get a pound from the 600w HPS, just under in soil and just over in hydro. I think if I could run the boards at 420w like originally planned, I'll probably hit a pound. The tent isn't getting too hot, but the boards themselves are getting very hot, I don't know how hot is safe so I'm just being cautious at the moment I don't care about uv or ir. I have grown the same plants under HPS, LED, CFLs, and the sun and it makes no difference to the quality of the bud in my experience
The 8 Jelly Breath plants have been on 12/12 for just over a week now, and I've put a support net over them to stop them falling sideways. I hope it's needed
Just under 2 weeks of 12/12 and the pistils are now coming through thick and fast I'm a little concerned about running out of height, I should have switched to 12/12 sooner I lollipopped them too. Lollypopping isn't something I usually do but it does make harvesting less tedious, and it's easier to get the hose in there to water the soil too
They're bags of wheat bran and Amblyseius cucumeris mite eggs. The mites hatch out and run around the plants eating the thrips. They keep the numbers to a minimum but unfortunately never eradicate them completely. I've had thrips for several years, they're like a reoccurring nightmare
It's now been a full 2 weeks of 12/12 and I'm shocked how advanced the pistil product is. But a lot of them are browning off which makes me think that I've pollinated them by accident. Time will tell I guess
3 weeks of 12/12 and the pistils have stopped browning off, I think it was just too hot in there. I've just gone through a pretty severe heatwave so the temperature got a little out of control. Seems ok now
Add a 6" clip on fan blowing down on the back of the boards or across them. It makes a big difference in the temp on the bloom lights I have. The temps drop up to 10 degrees.
One of the main reasons why I bought this was so I didn't have to have fans making loads of noise, it's one of the main reasons why I disliked the more traditional LED lights. I did have one blowing down for a few months but it was over heating my plants, and I had to raise the panel as high as possible so I've changed it to blowing across, underneath. It doesn't have such a significant effect but the plants aren't getting over heated now. The boards are getting pretty hot though. I think they need to have a heat sink each
How hot is too hot? Can you rest your hand on the back of the board for more then a few seconds? Like 125F degrees on the back?
Jelly Breath under the 420w quantum board panel. 7 weeks of 12/12. Trichomes are starting to become cloudy so you can really start to see them shine in the light