We are about @ the half way mark. 32 days ish. I think I found a killer white widow mom and a great trainwreck pheno. Here some shots of the white widow . I’ll try to get some of the purple urkle and trainwreck.
I purchased some clone only strain too for my next runs . Wedding cake , GMO , ethos millions of peaches , stardawg , ecsd , and slurricane.
I have to say this too, I don’t see the results others claim with their led. I’m using my new QB288 boards 440w coming out the wall My plants are no where near the size they would be with a 600w d/e mh never mind the 1000w d/e. I just don’t see the results others do.
I would agree that 440W LED is not equivalent to a 600W de MH. Maybe equivalent to a single ended HPS.
Thats not what guys who use led are saying. Led companies along with their growers are making bold claims I dont see first hand . I have to take pictures of my little guys . There so small compared to the one I grew out last grow.
LEDs are nice, but seeing 150W units labeled at 1000W equivalent is simply ridiculous. Really, the most efficient diodes are about as efficient as the double ended bulbs. They produce less light in the form of heat (IR) therefore you can run the room warmer and get the light closer to maintain the same leaf temperatures. This is where they are more efficient, less AC costs. Also, they do not change spectrum when dimmed like a HID would.
I live in the north east , We need the heat from hids 9 months out the year. Running led with heaters seem counterproductive to me and thats exactly what ive been doing.
I think im going to switch back to my 1000w d/e and return to my led at a later date.
Indeed, there is a reason a lot of commercial growers still use HID. I bet that QB would be a great replacement for a 400W MH in veg.
Ah yeah, at that rate you’re either breaking even or are less efficient than HID, if you need the heat then LEDs aren’t a thing. LEDs are nice when temps are already warm and HID would push it too high. Or smaller grows. They also don’t penetrate as far so not going to get big huge 7ft+ plants that are worth keeping the bottom half on, but seems fine for 3-4ft plants. Getting the VPD right after switching can make a big difference.
This where I’m at 4 weeks later with my quantum board. Look my first post and see what growth was like from seed to 4 weeks .
Let’s see what happens in a few more weeks.
Here’s a pic of purple urkle s1 . I have to find train wreck to take a pic too.
I gotta say I replaced a 600W HPS cooltube with a 315 CMH (open bulb fixture) in a 4x4x5 flower tent and haven’t noticed a difference. Actually I think the buds are frostier but this is just my broscience (my growing got a little better ) No heat issues with a 6’ canfan on temp controller. (usually on all summer just for air exchange) in the winter here in canada i run a little 200 watt heater for lights off to keep it above 65F. I also have one in my 3x3x6 dyi panda film flower tent.
IMO 3- 315W CMH would kill a 1000W HPS
I want leds but i know I would be disappointed.
1 more note is I never adjust light height they are as high as they can get.
Wow that was longer than i anticipated sorry for the ramble
I can tell you there is already a differnce between the LED and my 1000w D/E MH . I wanted to wait a week to show it but The plant grew as much in 1 week as they would of in the 4 weeks with led.
Heres a good article by a company that sells led . He more less says yes the Led do create more light per watt but the HID ( MH/ HPS) has more growth. The why still isnt understood.
Companies are also starting to find that green light every one thought was not needed is. Hence white leds but that means that Hids are still in the game too. All I know is what my experiences are and I may not be using my led properly but I dont see what others do.
https://thegreensunshineco.com/hps-vs-led-grow/#:~:text=First%20of%20all%2C%20it%20is,that%20are%20nearly%20the%20same.
LED where purple because they didnt need that so called green light but they went back to white. Well if that green light is needed now then my hid still has relevance no?
I seen that graph. Those test where done on all systems putting out the same exact par level.
In growing corals, I’ve noticed that T5HO is the best at penetrating a canopy because the nature of fluorescent light is to bounce off everything and fill up space from different angles because of the way light is distributed from the tubes. You can easily see how it cuts down on shadows and gives color to parts of corals that LED & MH can’t because the light emanates from a very small point overhead and creates intense shadows. Combination T5 & LED aquarium fixtures can give you the best of both coverage and intensity, but I haven’t seen many other than aquarium light makers like CurrentUSA. Options for light spectrum with T5 are many as well. I will probably need the extra heat from the T5 over the winter as well. Check your area for used aquarium equipment and you can pick up a used T5 for very cheap. Probably under $100 for a 4ft fixture with 4 tubes. Just a thought.
I dont grow corrals . Many years ago I use to use t5ho for clones and mother plants. I still use led for my moms and clones now . I didnt find floressents to be “better” than hid lighting for all out performance. It had its purposes.
Have you used ever used 600w / 1000w of metal halide before Single or double end . I couldn’t imagine so , the difference between the two are out this world. I would invite you to try them
I was making the suggestion based upon what properties T5 has and how that may apply to a situation where it could be an advantage to someone who might have not considered the option. I made no claims about superior performance. I understand that you don’t grow coral and frankly, I don’t understand your need to make that statement or the one about 600-1000watt lights either. It felt belittling. I invite you to be more understanding of people’s intentions when offering their perspective.
I guess I misunderstood ,our conversation was about performance of lights and how well one stacks up to double ended hids . I thought you were joining in our conversation , I didnt realize you were talking about something that had nothing to do with what we were discussing. Sorry , that wasn’t my intent.
I’ve been thinking of going LED in The Jungle by spring with the unnatural temps of the last few years. I’ll be following closely. Run two single end 1000 W with 4’ hoods and glass exhaust chambers making 2500 watts on Boost. Wondering if the moving of lights up and down with LEDs will effect a perpetual grow with different stages of plants. Can’t be moving the sun every week???
Space is 8’x6’ with lights at 8’ and raised shelves to move plants closer or Farther. How many LEDs? Could have 4 lights but I’d still have to raise zones.
Hey Hugh, just going thru your thread and seeing some of the ideas for growing. Like the vertical idea as well. Wondering if those circle tubes above the net pots are just support or run notes sprayed into the net?
I think he was just offering another option of a possible better way to get growth through the use of T5’s and LED’s at the same time, from his own experience using them to grow corals that have similar light requirements to our plants.
Anyways, I’m not sure how you have stunted plants under the QB288’s. I haven’t had any issues really, although maybe the growth is a bit slow at times, it’s been almost 2 decades since I ran HID. I know VPD does matter with the LEDs though. You can’t just drop em in as replacements and create a different environment and expect the same growth. If it’s colder now than it was with the HID the growth will be slower, all things being equal. No clue if they maintained similar leaf temps when they ran with LEDs as they did when they ran HID in those tests. I’d also wonder if the tomato test was done with these LM301 diode’s or some other kind. Lot of variables
The tubs there in now are aero sprayers. In the 50 gallon tub only a few inches of nutrient water is sitting at the bottom theres something like 14 - 16 sprayers in it that go off every 5 minutes with an on time of 1 minute.