I am currently stuck between a rock and a hard place, there is just so much choice so i am seeking help. I am looking for new lights for an 8ft by 4ft grow tent, i have searched a few places and invisible sun is the company i want to go with, but i'm not sure which light would be best for my set up. (plan is to have 4/5 plants). Any help/recommendations would be much appreciated, i am new but have been doing loads of research, so Im slowly getting there with the help of the internet and like minded individuals. Thanks in advance
Unless you're growing autos you'll want to split that into two areas. 4x4 veg and 4x4 flower so you can flower at the same time as vegging the next crop. Then you can just flip when each crop is done. It close to doubles your production. Also it's more efficient for equipment. A veg lighting system is half the power and often a different spectrum then an optimal flower setup. This is better then flowering the whole 4x8 IMO but if you wanted to you could do it. For flower IMO you want the ISH272R boards. They are some of the best on the market right now. I like this kit for the veg side. ISH240-H DIY Horticultural lighting Kit powered by Samsung LM301B For the flower side get two ISH265h pro kits but wait until the 272R board is available again. Just contact them and they'll let you know. It's superior to the other boards for flower IMO.
This product they have is near identical spectrum to the 272R and really interesting to me because you could get wide even spread and make a cheaper fixture with DIY. They do need a heatsink for over half power. 2100mA is max rating. Invisible Sun R Strip - Powered by Samsung LM301H /LH351H I think 4 of them powered well could replace an ISH240 or cover half of the flower side. They are a flower light spectrum with the reds. It would take 8 total for the flower side minimum but 10 would be better.
Does invisible sun ship to the US?. I’ve always wondered. Liking the strip idea. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
They do, but I was just looking for a heatsink for those on the site and didn't see any. They're new. I was thinking I should ask them what heatsink they recommend for them. I wonder if the screw pattern hits anything they sell or if there is a readily available one that's pre-drilled. In fact on their latest post I saw they said free shipping on orders over $100 even to the US. Might want to re-check that but I think that's what I heard.
Thanks for the reply man, it means a lot as i have been stuck for days choosing. How many plants do you reckon you could fit in a 4x4 (flowering reasonably), a friend of mine mentioned doing something like this as it'll create a near constant flow. I think I'll go with your idea and split it into two, so i would need one ish240-H for the Veg side and Two ISH265h pro kits for the flower side (Once they have the ISH272r in stock). For extraction, would it be okay to flow fresh air into the veg tent, link both tents together and have the extraction fan and filter in the flower tent. I just checked the strips they sell and this may sound very odd and not worth doing but when people grow, the bottom/underside of the plant doesn't get much light so would it not be a good idea to place a strip on the floor facing up, to give the plant light from underneath, while the other lights work the top?. (Probably not a good idea, just curious). Thanks again Tbone.
You can supplement light from all kinds of angles and get benefits from it. They'd have to be protected from splashing/debris on the floor. Not the best place for a light really. You could try experimenting with it. Some kind of under plant light fixture that's removeable when you do feeding or have to get in there. The number of plants depends on your grow style. You can bloom one or 32 in a 4x4 depending on how long you veg them. 4 is a good number for an 8 week from seed/clone plant. Might have to remove some material to fit all 4 in there at flip but I'm sure it can be done. This is my 4x8. Mostly with Invisible sun lights. Still have two qb96v2's and a qb260kit with qb304 boards in 3500k on the far right from HLG but Invisible sun is supposed to be sending me some new stuff to test out soon. I'm hoping either the strips or two 272R boards. Then I can drop my oldest HLG kit out of there and add to the amount of far red. I just use 2" wide 3m industrial velcro on the center divider and some on each flap of the door along with white poly over the center support to divide the halves. You can wait to divide it until your first flower.
Yeah, i were to add the floor light i would make some kind of mount to attach and detach with ease, but there is defiantly a higher chance of it breaking, i may test it out later down the line. I have slept on everything and have decided for the first crop i am going to use the full tent, just so i can get used to everything etc (As this is my first attempt). So i shall still be purchasing the ISH-240 and two ISH272R, for the veg stage i shall use just the ISH-240, then when it comes to the flower, i shall place the 240 in the middle with the ISH272 either side, this will be for 5 plants. Once the first crop is done and i have gained experience i will probably split it into two, like you have done. You have a lovely set up by the way, plants are looking very nice!, what size pots are you using? as i was going to go with 5 Gallon per plant
I would recommend at least 7 gallon with 4 large plants in a 4x4. I started in 5 gallon and did some experimenting with the same strains in 7 gallon. It increased my yield by 50%. Unless the plant is quite small. I'll use a 7 gallon. I use 10 gallon for my single monster plants. You can certainly finish the first crop with both lights. That's a good idea. Then you don't buy a bloom setup for the whole thing when in the future half will be veg. I'm currently running 5 plants in the bud space. 2 Mud Bight/Red Death in the back in 7 gallon pots, Northern Lights/and Elmer's Glue sharing a 10 gallon pot, and a Grand Daddy Purple front right in a 5 gallon. It's by far the smallest.
7 gallon and even 10 gallon fabric pots are shorter then 5 gallon buckets or often plastic pots also. The fabric pots are typically much more squat and wide. Get some. You get improved root aeration especially if you space them out of the drain trays.
So if i were to use the whole 8x4 space for five plants, it would be best to have each plant in a 7/10 gallon fabric pot, to improve root growth. Ill obviously need different sizes for the veg, i was thinking 2/3 gallon for veg but not too sure yet. Sounds like you got a nice grow on the go, i am still undecided on what strains to go with spoilt with choice!.
Use 1/2 gallon pots for starting plants. After established transfer to 3 gallon pots for veg. A week before flip lollipop/train into final shape for the flower side and transplant to 7 gallon pots.
The best pot size has to do with the size of the finished plant. When running 4-5 in a 4x4 I think the best pot size is 7 gallon. What happens in 5 gallon or smaller is the plant's feed rate builds up and peaks at about 5-6 weeks in flower. At that point you'll have a hard time keeping enough feed in a 5 gallon pot if the plant has any size. In a 7 gallon they can take more feed before hitting runoff and they maintain a more consistent moisture level without going to twice a day feeding. That still doesn't make as much of a difference as going up in pot size.
Thanks Tbone, you have been a great help sharing your knowledge!. I will keep you updated with how i progress, i still have a few things to organise before i can get up and running, but i'm making sure i have my list and some knowledge for when i'm ready to go!