No clue what that means! Unless you mean outer space?
The inverse square law will tell you that the light coming off your newly coated drip trays will amount to peanuts compared to what your tops are getting. Hardly worth it I'd say, though white or reflective walls (close in) will definitely help.
The 50w per sq/ft Delta posited as optimal that got us on this fork into lights. A subject I’m always happy to natter about.
Oh, I thought it was Jon's post here (<---that's a link Nick!) that started the lighting conversation. I wasn't going to get involved until I needed to add some info about Wastei's post.
That was his question.
what ?The 50w per sq/ft Delta posited as optimal that got us on this fork into lights. A subject I’m always happy to natter about.
Ahh marginal gains, my friend!
That was his question.
I said I ran out of Co2 today for 10 hours while running more than 900w I’m not gonna offer him more info than that, am I?
Anyone else DM me
(My writing crossed @Wastei
Yep spent quite a lot of time talking about how and why I vegged too long in my current 5x5 journal!
But on the vertical now not expecting more growth.
They’re 21 days from flip. Transition/Stretch is done and I’m comfortable running 2” from the lights.
I think watt/sqf is way too basic a number.
My 13 plants sit in a 90x110cm metal pallet I had cut to support the pots. Above them is 105x105 light, i can walk inside around my tent almost. I have 2/12 plants outside of my light direct foot print and then just a few colas. 5x5 doesnmt really play the way you calculate it.
Also 50w of what sort of light? At what stage of growth? You need to factor in the K of light at each stage, veg and flower to be basic about. Of nore interest is the PPFD as that accounts for what the 50w is delivering - the Photon phone app popular for PPFD, DPI and Lux you need to use different colour models depending on T5, CFR, HPS, CMH, LED Full, LED w/t red LED w/t infra etc.
My light neter gives me a full spectrum reading (not the UV bit though)
Because I have 3 dimmers UV - 3000k - 5000k I can manipulate that curve depending on where I’m at in the grow, granted its for large scale commercial and I’m not that, learning though.
But a rule of thumb of x watts per sq/ft dunno its of any use. Because you start doing it with HPS/CMH that changes your whole grow way more with your environment change and all that heat so maybe you want different level of light because you got some humidity issues.
But yeah tent size and watts per nope never gonna convince me its of value - especially fixed numbers with no range.
As an example my watts per are
Based this on my tray size
Converted it to feet and rhen divided 1000 by 10.65 and got 94w per sq/ft
Dunno its helpful to me?
Its far more nuanced I think, shapes of the plants even, grow style and for sure growth stage ldo
Nick
Well, you can look at it that way I suppose. But when you see them on the floor, the setups are miles from the ceiling. Regardless, 9’ is taller than 6’6”. By an ocean. I don’t think two buckets setups are a disadvantage. They simply determine the height of the canopy. Unless he gets a taller tent, I’ll take my 9’.
I don’t disagree. Unless you have a giant space we can’t really effectively utilize the super powered lights. Although I did grow in an open sort of home made setup one time that had no walls. Basically a 5x5 with no walls. That seemed to allow me to crank it more.
I already knew you were right. Lol. I just want people to realize that app you got for a reason. Use it.The inverse square law is 100% testable, that's why it's not a theory.
Btw - if we are really digging, the walls of the tent screw up your ISL to a certain extent, no? Still accurate, but I wonder.I already knew you were right. Lol. I just want people to realize that app you got for a reason. Use it.
I think that’s the perfect capper to this silly discussion @Roy Growin !My highly technical approach for lighting is 'fucking bright' lol
40w/sqft in my tent atm and I don't worry about it
My tent is 5x5 Mars Hydro
Did we go to the same school?My highly technical approach for lighting is 'fucking bright' lol
40w/sqft in my tent atm and I don't worry about it
My tent is 5x5 Mars Hydro
But I run my plants in basically a smaller space with in it. At 4” distance.
If you want to calculate wattage per sq foot (which I don’t see the point in and certainly don't agree there is a 50w rule for LEDs) then the photons head straight down onto my tray which I did the maths for above is 90cm x 110cm or 10.65 sq/ft that's 95w or whatever. These are my afternoon metrics 4pm or something 4 hours to lights off in early flower.
They're pretty awesome. Trying to infer that 95w per square foot means its a hotbox is probably just because you’re using CMH with loads of radiant heat and any LEDs have their drivers still that gives off heat)
I have what 7 metrics there, plus how much airflow is moving through that space (where tent volume so cubic feet is relevant there) plus my ambient outdoor tropical 30c year round at 80%, my PPFD, light spectra and tell you watts per sq/ft is pretty meaningless to me other than you read it in a light brochure. There’s loads more factors at play to be able to turn around and say my room is too hot. 36c lets you run say 70% RH for 1.5 VPD. Got air high flow enough why not? Might be cheaper based on the climate you grow in? Plants are fine to 98F anyway even without gas where you want it hotter for them to benefit.
The Co2 envirnonment thing? Lol. The plants consume it. Hemp is the highest consumer of Co2 on the planet. Planting huge swathes of it to absorb Co2 is global levels with the bonus hemp can be used to make 100s of things, typical fibre based stuff but plastics and all sorts of things as well - this is something being considered to lower global levels as part of meeting whatever targets are going to be missed anyway. Our plants when dead end up composting. I’m not worried about our carbon footprint.
