Hello Everyone. First off, I just want you all to know that I am a novice and am currently on my first grow. I'm in my 6th week of veg and will be flowering soon. Up until now I have been using CFL's exclusively for my 2x2 sq. ft. grow. They fit my needs at the time. For veg I used 8x45w 6500k CFL's; 360 watts total. For flowering I will be using the same setup but with 2700k CFL's. I have had my share of heat problems which I have resolved. Currently everything is running fine and I am happy with my grow but with summer coming I'm afraid I'll be running into these issues again. HOWEVER, I am already planning my next grow (Arent we all?) and I have some questions. As mentioned I currently am using a 2x2 Sq. Ft. grow area and plan on expanding to something larger as some point. I don't know when though or how much bigger. Maybe 3x3 or 4x4. I'd like to plan for the future if possible. Should I just get a 180w Blackstar that has a 2x2 coverage and buy additional units later on, Or can I get away with using a larger 240w Blackstar in a 2x2 area? Or is using a light designed for a larger area somehow not a good idea? (I am using a grow tent) The website also mentions that optimal distance from plants to the LED is recommended 10-14 inches. But I have seen others hang their lights 2 or more feet away, While others practically lay their lights on the plants. I'd like to be able to keep them as close as possible so I'm not wasting vertical space. Can I hang them 10-14 away? Opinions? One last question... The website says that it is a flowering light but can be used for veg and flowering. Yet they also have a vegetation light. Can I just buy the one LED and be done with it for all stages of growth? Ok, I have babbled enough. Sorry for the wall of text. I think I have explained myself in full but if I have missed anything please let me know. Any guidance would be appreciated. And whatever i choose I will be posting a LED grow journal here when I am ready. Thanks!
i have been looking to start an only LED grow also and i have been leaning towards the 240w as i will be gettin the full grow cycle light which u can use for flower and veg..Iforgot the link but i had found a page givin recomeded distances based on wattage but if your are gunna use the 180w you can have the plants fairly close tothe light like 8 inches..you also have to keep in mind a 240w LED is not pushing 240w to you plants alot is lost in the mother board
I just bought 900W Black star, power draw (from what I read) is about 500W+ , so I would assume that it would be equal to 600 HID or so ,may be not, I'll find out soon . By the way it does radiate heat, I am constantly venting my tent (3x3x6) with 4" vortex but average temperature in the tent about 9 degree (F) higher than room temperature .240W probably not as hot, but who knows.... my 125W CFL was creating more heat in my tent than 600W HID in air cooled hood.....
Links for specs from the website for the 180w and 240w are linked in my original post. Both say for flowering but can be used for veg as well. And both say 10-14 inches is the recommended distance. I guess when I have it I could tinker with the distance I just didn't know if the website's spec were something I could follow or not. But I guess all the posts I'm seeing regarding 2 foot distances are from larger LED's from other manufacturers. thanks for the input!
Yeah I'm sure it does generate heat but it has to be less than CFL or HID ...no? I'm already setup with a 4" exhaust so I wouldnt have to add anything anyway. I'm mainly concerned about whether or not I should go with the 180w or 240w with a 2x2 area. I'd rather just buy the 240w outright for some expansion down the line but can I use that in a grow tent that is only 2x2 until i expand?
HID in the open wing reflector will be very hot , but in sealed air cooled reflector ( I HAVE TO REPEAT MY SELF ^^^^^^) it will be cooler than CFL of inferior wattage (600w HID was running cooler than 125w cfl )I would say I do not see much difference ( in temperature )between 900w black star and air cooled 600w HID .The bottom line is roper tent ventilation is requared ( I am venting 24 hours.) 180-240w are probably not as hot .
It is very legit question . It is recommended to use MH HID during veg , because it has more of the blue spectrum , much needed in the early stages . And it is also recommended to use HPS HID during flowering - plants utilize more of the red spectrum during flowering .... There is some people who run the entire grow on MH or HPS , they loose here and there ( under MH plants tend to stay shorter but wider VS HPS .....) So probably the same thing with LED lights ( I do not know much ) , but I have seen LEDs with Blue spectrum dominant ( for veg) , LEDs with red spectrum dominat for flowering and LEDs designed ( combination of blue and red) for all stages .I guess it would be better ( by how much ???) to use LED light designed specifically for that particular stage , but I think ( for instance 900w black star-red dominant ) will be totally fine to use it trough the all stages .
I have covered this endlessly. Metal Halides are used because HPS is deficient in blue required for phototropism and HPS is used because of its superior efficiency, not because plants require more red during flower. Neither light was designed specifically for horticulture though minor modifications have been made to improve bioavailable light for plants. In nature, plants get the most blue during noon and most red during dawn and dusk. How many people switch their lights three times per day? The oft-repeated seasonal color shift is myth. A well-designed LED light has plenty of both red and blue for the entire stage of growth. The same with CMH. HPS will still slightly outperform CMH, not because of more red, but because of greater photon density and the plants ability to adapt.
Anger management? I took the time to carefully explain the how and why of red/blue lighting to a total stranger and that is the 'reward'?
LOLz. Swami, you just can't win with these guys on the lighting subject. I still love you, buddy. How's that for a reward?
TY, Broheim. With all the barking and snarling, I am discouraged from contributing much any more. "Let the uneducated struggle," is my new motto. Pearls before swine and all that.
My ass. Your "helpful" reply was to RO76. You decided to mock my question with your initial response so don't act like you have butterflies flying out of your fingers. Now tell me again how you answered ANY of my questions you rude fuck? And all you other shit trailing cocksuckers can jump the fuck off the wagon as if Im the asshole here. Like I said, nice fucking community. Ill let you all get back to your circle jerks and back patting. Lemon out!
Kmin, I'm gonna go ahead and say that you need to take a min, look at what your sitting in front of and realize its a computer, your on an internet forum, getting angry over petty shit ain't gonna get you anymore help around here than than unplugging that sob. So either play nice or GTFO! we don't need more people like you around here. We got enough already.