Reflector Set-up for 3x6 Trays

[fortphoenix]

My buddy and I are setting up 4 flood trays side by side in his house for perpetual harvests and we need suggestions! i made 2 diagrams to show our dilemma...

or

We would much rather use setup #1 because the ventilation would be cleaner looking but the problem with setup #1 is the long side of the bulb would be lined up with the long side of the tray... so i feel like the plants in the middle of the tray between the reflectors won't be receiving much light

the problem with set up #2 is there'd have to be loose ventilation for when the plants have height differences which id rather not have because it looks messy plus I'm trying to keep the lights as close as possible to the plants which is why i want big reflectors, so the plants don't block each others light with their shadows.

so should i do setup #1 or #2? and which reflector? the reflector measurements are in the pictures. if theres any other reflectors you'd recommend for my situation let me know!

we're doing single cola s.o.g with phantom II ballasts and hortilux bulbs and the trays will be no more than 6-12 inches apart

 

[Dr Fish]

How many watts for each light? 2 400 watt lights would cover a 3x6' tray...

 

[fortphoenix]

How many watts for each light? 2 400 watt lights would cover a 3x6' tray...

im using 600w bulbs and I'm actually looking at the sun systems blockbuster reflector. its a 25.5" square reflector, I'm just a bit concerned about plants being shadowed once i put the reflector a few inches from the plant tops but it does very well on tests compared to other reflectors (Ultimate / Best Reflector Test - Air Cooled Reflectors)... the only hood tested more efficient was the luxor hood

 

[LEDBud]

I like the #1 set up , its near *perfect*

The center plants would share the two bulbs/reflectors light , boosting the center lumens and the side lighting is strongest set this way. Important as the sides take up a lot of space.

a Mylar skirt around the outer edge of the tables will contain stray side light.

 

[fortphoenix]

I like the #1 set up , its near *perfect*

The center plants would share the two bulbs/reflectors light , boosting the center lumens and the side lighting is strongest set this way. Important as the sides take up a lot of space.

a Mylar skirt around the outer edge of the tables will contain stray side light.

yeah I'm def going with #1 now picking a reflector is the hard part. I'm thinking of getting the blockbuster reflector which is a square reflector that 25.5" on all sides supposedly its perfect for a 3x3 and thats essentially the space each light is lighting. but with the light being square and designed for the light to shoot straight down I'm afraid the outside plants won't get much light if i put the reflector close, which i want to put the reflector as close as i can to the plants without worrying about the plants on the edges getting no light

 

[LEDBud]

I think those reflectors will work great with 600w bulbs over your tables , being 90,000 lumens each , you'll be rocking.

With the Watt per Sq.ft in mind a 400w bulb would work good in a 3x3 area with 44w sq.ft , a 600w bulb in the same reflector in a 4x4 area is 37.5 watts sq.ft.

A 600 over a 3x3 area its 66w sq.ft , I know that will grew a decent harvest

My last plants were about 8 Oz each using around 66 w per sq. ft