A filter is just that, a filter. So, as stated above, you are reducing light. It's better to let all the light shine, even green that your plants can't use, than to lose some usable light by filtering unused spectrums. The objective is to produce only usable light. That way there is no lost energy in unusable or filtered spectrums. That's what led manufacturers are attempting, but not fully efficient at. It is possible, but not financially feasible for what we are doing. There are labs out there with multimillion dollar budgets able to produce narrow color spectrums, but they don't grow weed...lol
I would use A 1,000 Watt COB LED. Off ebay China ($85.00) No AC required, uses only 300 watts from the wall, Deeper Penetration, earlier harvest Paint the walls Flat White. Forget the mylar ($25.00+) VS $10.00 of paint. 5.5kilo brick of Compressed Coco Coir. $13.0 10-5 gallon fabric grow bags $15.00 General Organics Go Box $45.00 Ph paper $2.00/40 strips TDS/PPM METER >$10.00 TOTAL & 180.05
I switched to a new 1,800 Watt COB LED (made in China) NO HEAT ISSUES, DEEPER PENETRATION, & Only draws 350 Watts from the wall, Harvest 1&1/2 weeks earlier .what more ca
I've been reading through this thread as I have time and there's some good info in here, some I may not agree with but who am I to judge? I've watched this industry/hobby grow (no pun) and change so much over the last 20 years since I started indoors. Like every other industry there are people who are going to capitalize on it, that care about nothing but profit. I'm fortunate to get to test different products and there are some that I have added to my rotation and some that are crap. I try to keep everything very simple and basic. My advice to younger guys that come to me is don't get caught up in marketing and a fancy bottle with a nice label, and do as much yourself as you can. If you want an aero cloner don't spend $300, I'll make you one for $50. At the same time don't buy junk, I'm not going to step over dimes to pick up a penny. Get a good light and lamp, and a good filter. Don't get a nutrient line with 15 bottles, you don't need it. Don't get hung up on what everyone else is doing, do what works for you. Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
I just noticed this forum and of course its WAY to long to see what the old timers (like myself), think about the grow market these days......The ONLY advantage new growers now have is the opportunity to access legit 'How To' instructions.....There is now VERY scientific data to support every aspect of growing....If someone wants a PHD in cannabis growing, the info IS AVAILABLE.....I grew my 1st crop at 21 yra old back in 1979....There was NOTHING for credible info on growing....We relied on High Times magazine and other growers....A LOT of heart breaks alone the way while trying to find a recipe that was consistent...My 1st light was a HPS bulb requisitioned by a friend that was used for lighting on the Mass pike in Boston....after a trip to an electric supply store, I was able to build a ballast...They soon had grow lights you could buy (only vertically hung bulbs), with the ballast, reflector, and bulb....Noisy magnetic stuff, but they kept on running.....bag seeds were the game on the east coast until we spotted ads in high times for the ONLY 2 seed suppliers....The SSSC (super sativa seed club) and the Seed Bank....Both in Amsterdam....I took a chance and wrapped my cash in carbon paper and mailed it off to SSSC for some Williams Wonder....3 months later, after figuring my $$ was gone, they arrived with a Wichita Kansas post mark on it???....NOBODY and I mean NOBODY ever saw anything like Willies.....It was amazing and I wish I had some cuts off my original 3 I kept to grow....We did a basic drain to waste with perlite and crushed floral foam medium....We soon started using what is NOW CALL Hempy buckets....the only difference was we had 4 holes instead of 1 for a drain...the idea came from filling drip trays under our liner containers....the algae build up in the drip trays soon spawned the idea of the internal rez in a bucket....Anyone who thinks THE HEMPY BUCKET is a somewhat of a modern idea, has no idea...LOL....point being, the only thing that cost any real $ was a light....couldnt skimp on that...Peters professional fertilizer had about 9 minerals and worked great with tap water...25# Bags for $15 buck and it would last a few years with a 1 light set up....the bud we grew came out just as good as does with any high dollar DWC system, flood and drain tables, etc.....39 yrs later and I use a single use nute from the Dyna-gro line and thats it!!!......New growers are bombarded with ads claiming you just cant grow good meds WITHOUT their product.....That the biggest obstacle these days for new growers....All the FLUFFY addatives are USELESS....There is a multi million dollar industry trying hard to make new grower believe in all the 'snake oils'....LED Lights are finally getting usable over HID lights...A good one though is 8-10 times the cost....I maybe draw $30/month from a single 1k HID system....So, a full crop maybe cost me $125 in electric....I typically pull 30-35 jars (oz) from a crop depending on strain, so the electric cost is not even a concern....the average home grower with a 1k light closet garden needs to go back to basics...A simple DTW or Hempy bucket with a single use nute and you will grow buds JUST AS GOOD as those that were TRICKED into high dollar systems and 13 part nutrient programs..LOL......Here is a pic of my last closet grow (4ft by 6ft), 1000w light, single use nute, Hempy buckets with 4:1 mix of perlite/vermiculite.... And a cpl close up bud pics which shows you dont need all the bells and whistles to grow AMAZING BUDS....My current crop is 3 weeks into flower....YT
I too find that the hype of growing is fueled by to much money to spend. In the good old days, lol, mass marketing, pretty bottles, killer names, I went to a store and it was easy, I want killer veg, explode and big bud, ask people what's in them and they don't, know or care. Schultz 20-20-20 was the shitz everyone used. Led are so efficient, that I am being told I need to burn the same watts to do what my old hps will do. So I need 8 x 300 w at $100 each to replace an electric ballast......but why, my old ballast great some great dope.. I am going to try one grow under some cobs, to try some newer tech but man I am so confused on newer lighting that the old ballast might get used. The $1000, systems are laughable, the joy was in building a system and watching it work or not, as soon as I got a system running right I would use the trial and error method. I see the attention to detail in gardens, I added water and went to work for a week, not saying I didn't have my problems, but I can't remembering ever actually killing a plant, poor yields yes but always a yield. Damn I feel old, I'm I'm still young.
"LED Lights are finally getting usable over HID lights...A good one though is 8-10 times the cost...." we been discussing this on this thread: alternative to HLG's quantom boards... the supplier! and you will be please to know that this statement just isn't true anymore. I'm not trying to usurp the thread, just contribute. I was also a hard core HPS guy, but now its being put away, maybe even donated.
Super Sativa Seed Club - William's Wonder M31 A special Indica Indoor hybrid. Very suitable for commercial indoor growing when making use of the plantlet method. Pick out the plants you like the best and reproduce. Heavy yields of extremely resinous buds. The buds are, due to their structure and the amount of resin on them, weighting very heavy. Small, compact plants. You can easily grow 4 crops a year indoors. Experienced growers can yield 1500-2000 grams per square meter per year. Two people could not finish a joint. The plant on the picture has been taken outdoors after flowering was inducted indoors. The plant turned purple because of a very cold fall. Williams Wonder can't be grown outdoors without being inducted to flower artificially previously. ...still available good luck
I think that is what you were saying or similar i proablably really sound like a nubby now ! Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk
Love the outdoor pic in the blue container up against the fence....Very unique profile.......You plumbing under the pvc framed net is quite similar to what I'm doing with my Hempy buckets....The drain holes in my buckets, have 3/4 inch pvc heading toward a center 4inch pvc main which all 6 plants dump into....that main runs down the cntr, on a slight down grade, and dumps into a single pan by the closet door.....I was going to put a small pump, with a water sensor, in the drain pan with a hose that I can drop in another bucket......the pan fills a few times during watering, but it doesnt bother me scooping out water when it fills....Watering only takes me 20 min the way it is.....To automate my waste pan to dump into a bucket is just ANOTHER un-necessary deal, along with buying another pump....my scoop works fine..... But your plants are looking good, and you cant beat the simplicity for buds as good as anyones....No circulators, remote rez, chillers, bubblers, timers, insane plumbing...Just simple hydro, GOTTA LOVE IT!!!!.....I wish more ppl would stop being herded toward complex systems and just grow a simple drain to waste set up.....EVERYONE could CRUSH their 1st crop....If they want to get fancy, they can automate their watering, but keep the drain to waste concept for best results....DTW probably doesnt make sense for large commercial grows, but 99% of 1st time DIY home growers would be BLOWN AWAY by how easy growing basic DTW hydro really is.....YT
Thanks, Yank. I use 1/2" often. 1/2" pvc for the scrog, 1/2" drain tubes into the waste tub. That's where I check the ph and ppm of some drainage every week. 5gal hempy buckets work great. Lot of work so now I'm using 7gal fiber pots and a more dirt based medium so just good water and some occasional root amendments under cmh 315's are working for now! Haa!
What strain is that Arm Long top?...Some type of Haze cross would be a 1st guess of mine.....I had a 'Silver Pearl' 10 yrs ago that produced a LONG center cola like that...YT Since I am 100% indoors, I am always looking for short to medium height plants that pack on thick dense buds..QUALITY is always 1st or it wouldn't even be in the crop, but after 3+months of caring for the girls, it nice if they return the favor in the form of many jars....Always challenging my own performance, and yields is really the only gauge...I can always repeat the quality....YT