Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Grow

Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

I have question to ask all who visit? Its multiple choice so it makes everything easier...

keep in mind I already have a 250W HPS

for 10 plants at most in a flower room and to keep electrical usage to a minimum but still provide adequate lighting, would you rather...

A. supplement the 250W with a 400W HPS to make 650W ($185 -$250)

B. supplement the 250W with a 600W HPS to make 850W ($225 - $300)

C. sell the 250W and get the 600W HPS to replace it ($125 - $200)

D. sell the 250W and buy a 1000W HPS / MH Grow system ($450-$500 minus $100 or so)

E. sell the 250W and go 1000W (equivalent) LED ($1000-$3000) costs a fortune up front but saves on energy and heat signature is greatly reduced making it stealthy

I'm not too concerned about it just yet, but I must figure this out within the month and looking for the opinion of some other growers. Any help is appreciated. I've also thought about a tent in the flower room. May make it a bit easier to reflect the light but my ceiling is slanted. Any suggestions?
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

Got some DWC buckets today... Only thing I'm missing is the bubbles.

2 of the Purple Power, since there is an abundance of them, went in their very own DWC buckets and I'm running an experiment on the nutes.

Both will be using the same concentration of the same nutes, only 1 will start its first dose a week later. I've already added the nutes to the 1 in the pic below. I will keep tabs on them throughout this grow, to see if starting the nutes in the seedling stage makes a difference in the way the plant grows.
pp-dwc1.jpg
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

I have to get a pump that can supply 2 or more 5" round stones with enough air to keep it oxygenated and the water moving. Currently have 1 air pump that cannot handle it so its staying in the the 6 plant DWC. Had to work today so didn't have time to get it.

I have this light chart (pictured below) that I was using and found that at a usable range, the 400, 600, and 1000 Watt HPS bulbs produce the same amount of usable light at the distance where it is safe according to each wattage. All have right around 64,000 foot candles of light output at their optimal safe distance. The exception is the 430 Watt which actually is rated higher at 67,000 foot candles and has the same optimal distance as the 400 which is approx 6 inches if cooled properly.

So ideally, the only reason to get a 1000 is to keep the lights higher above for optimal coverage but not is not necessarily better in the sense that if you have 2 250 Watt bulbs, 5" from the canopy, you would achieve a higher foot candles rating than 1 1000HPS at 10" above the canopy.

So in short, I'm thinking of just getting another 250 Watt HPS or possibly selling the one I have and purchasing 2 430 Bulbs and 2 400 Watt air cooled external ballasts with wide reflectors to spread it out over 10 plants.

Let me know what ya think.

Light-Distance-Chart-1.jpg
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

Here's where I may have missed in my assumption. If you notice in the light chart the next most optimal node and the overall decrease per inch from the light in foot candles is much less in the 1000 than it is in the 250. Meaning the further the plant or node is from the bulb, the less light it receives obviously but the amount is drastically reduced by the 1000 Watt and its difference of less than 11000 foot candles compared to the 250's 14,500 reduction.

I'm seriously considering the 1000 for the amount of plants I will have in the flower room and the yield I'm hoping for. Maybe split it to 250 and a 600 watt to simulate the natural light in the day rotating them under each optimally in a 12 hour period.

Small electric motor, gears and a train track should do the trick for the rotation. Am I getting to involved? Or should I just let these puppies grow?
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

BigSlim said:
lol itd be cool to have a trtain rotating your crop how many people can say that lol
Click to expand...

you have a point there. I thought about an airport baggage claim conveyor belt on a small scale. Probably cost too much but just imagine moving them through an artificial world of sunlight and darkness on a 24 hour schedule and being able to control the speed at which it travels through each zone would give you the light cycle change on a gradual level to simulate the real aspects of nature.

That would be sick!!!! :smokin2:
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

Just a quick photo update on the 2 Purple Power DWC's and the Soil Grown Afghani and Aurora Indica

I decided to cancel my experiment and give both DWC's the nutes. Rather have it work well for 2 or fail for 2 than have a 1 and 1.

DWC 1
dwc11.jpg


DWC 2
dwc21.jpg


Afghani
afghani2.jpg


Aurora Indica and her constant LST
ai1.jpg





Still open for suggestions on the lights for 10 or more plants... I have one answer from BigSlim so far... is there anyone else???
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

Got my bubbles today!!! :slide:

dwc12.jpg


dwc22.jpg


and here's an update on the Aurora Indica (front) and Afghani 3 weeks in veg. 5 more weeks and they will be put in the flower room.
ai_and_afghani1.jpg
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

Got some photos of the bubbles and the little roots that are soaking up the water and nutes. Its awesome and I'm psyched!!!

DWC 1
bubbles-1.jpg


DWC 2
bubbles-2.jpg


A friend of mine is using a tub setup for his but I figured this way each plant has its own ecosystem and nutes can be adjusted each individual's behavior.

Just for the info, following a strict nutes schedule given to me by the guy at the hydro store and some liquid plant food for veg. Adding just a small amount of FF Big Bloom according to the supplement list on the sheet for veg and then going to switch the nutes to appropriate flower nutes which I still have to buy. Using tap water that sits out to evaporate chlorine and no issues thus far have shown. Was gonna do RO water but don't feel like worrying about trace elements. It sufficed for the soil and again no issues there.

Guess I should... :wood:

And by the way, everything I'm using is 100% organic for these babies. No chemicals what so ever except whatever traces in the tap water.
 
Re: Purple Power, Lemon Skunk, Afghani, Super Silver Haze and Aurora Indica Closet Gr

Thank you BigSlim...

I just ordered a 400W HPS/MH switchable ballast for $165 from Amazon.com.

I have ordered plenty of things from them in the past and are giving me 1 day shipping for 3.99 ... can't beat that.

So the 400W will go in as a main flowring bulb with the option for Veg under the MH bulb and the 250 will serve as a supplement. Should be sweet!!!

I really would love to do a grow where every plant is in its own DWC. Could you imagine changing the solutions on all of them??? That would totally suck. The grow room displayed on the movie Pineapple Express is all I can think of. Or the conveyor system I mentioned earlier. I need to move to Cali apparently. Got to get this going on a larger scale.

:allgood:
 
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