I'm growing in a room that is painted flat white throughout already, except it has hardwood floors. I thought about getting some mylar to add some floor reflection but I'm wondering if that may not be necessary. For the record, the floor space is something like 3x8 and the height is 4 feet. Should I go with it or is it overkill? Thanks yall.
I was asking this same question yesterday and I purchased some after I the shop owner advised me it helps a lot if using CFL's
I'd listen to the guy with 11K posts and "a great legacy" before listening to the store owner but either way, tell us how it goes!
Yeah, I'm trying to cut costs (bad idea for growing, I know) so anything I don't need will not be bought. Saves me some 8 dollars!
Yup...not too bad with CFLs, but with HIDs you can damage the plant... Remember...the sun is in the sky, not on the ground...
I would drape the floor in RED. lol i dunno if this works for buds, tomatoes are totally different. It would have that womans touch, lmao jk. I WOULD mylar everything IF Mylar was truly beneficial. Mylar is only as reflective as its backing, so if you have a dark backing it will absorbe a good percentage of light that is being reflected. Make sure you have white or light backing underneath the mylar. Gloss white painted surfaces work well. metal not so well, foil is ok with CFL there wont be any problem with hot spots from the lights. HID is what will burn plants bad, so CFL users worry not, even usign supplemental CFL on lower branches will not harm the plants by exposing the undersides to intense light. Its more of the UV rays that damage the plant from the underside.
Morning Mira, i say overkill. If you have grow space already painted flat white you've done your job. my grow space is 4X4X8. I originally thought mylar was the way to go, cheaper in the long run, no walls to repaint. But after using it for one run i find it too fragile unless batts are used to hold it in place. Stapled to the walls it pulls away easily from the pressure of an oscillating fan. Flat white paint? one & done until it's time to repaint. just my two bits. Cheers
Everyone I knew who used mylar, myself on my first failed grow as a youngster, your supposed to 'paste' mylar to the surface your using, a jumbo glue stick actually worked for me pasting to the regular matt wall. and it was washable. double sided tape, I hate stapling things. go with just the paint.
There's your answer. Mylar is just another product designed to take money out of growers pockets. We need to realize that light refracted ONCE is reduced to 1/94th it's original strength (in lumens) Think about how minimal that is and that's in a perfect world. 1 foliar feed and your mylar is a dull mess. Invest that money back into improving your lighting/environmental conditions, it'll serve you better.
:O Really, I've never heard that before. If that's the case then i feel scammed. I feel slightly confused, when mylar or reflective plastic description says 98% light reflection. Does that mean it reflects 98% of the light, but only 2% of the lumen output per light? If that is true, then you could have 50 lights in a room, but all the reflection from a room completely fitted with mylar would only be the equivalent of having one extra light? That makes it seem almost pointless =/ (might aswell just buy another light?)
the reflectivity IS 98% but the big issue is how many lumens are hitting the reflective surface TO bounce back. there are several factors that guide the reflective abilities of light. 1. the distance from the light & the reflector. 2. the distance from the reflector and the object receiving the light. 3. type of light source, soft or hard. focused or wide spread. 4. angle of incident and reflection in relation to what you are trying to hit with the reflection (plant) that being said, what you get back from the reflective surface you have chosen, be it maylar or white paint, is nada. move your hand in between the wall and your plant. See any shadow? I would doubt it. someone with a 1000w, yes will see a faint shadow. We put a white surface on the walls because you might as well. You get something, but..... is it worth it? sure, why not. I have never done experiments, just always painted then white.