SteveHman's Grow 7.0. Advanced LED - Multiple Strains

[Jozo-sha]

thanks man , i figured as much but the only dumb question is the one u dont ask the way i see it, bc ive never done it before lol , much appreciated...oh and last question what about using cfls for veg tho??? are there any sacrifices when using cfls????
becuz i want to have a veg and flower room and im gonna be usin quiet generators, co2, and a flower room wit LEDS, iknow which ones im getting...i dont wanna get tooo detailed but...im just looking to have a constant veg room while i flower as well so any tips and input is greatly respected and appreciated, i have a knack for learning and im trying to do all absolutely all the research i can before i gear up.. i mean i have friends that that grow so that helps too but anyway thanks for any insight...

and sorry for the newbie questions and blowing up the page but this is by far the best learning forum for what im looking to do that i have seen and, after reading other documents on steves account/profile whatever, i understand the frustration of having to deal with dumb shit a little better and steve probly lets other ppl do more of the helping... anyways dont mean to be a headache =/ any input appreciated thnx

Not a problem, we're here to help! There is absolutely nothing wrong with vegging under CFL's. Many here do so, and even do complete grows with them. I'd say if you'd rather save the cash on buying LEDs for vegging, go with CFLs. It will be perfectly fine - you will need to watch how close you get the CFLs to the plants, as although they're cooler than HID/HPS, they still put out some heat and will burn your babies.

Hope this helped.


- JZ

 

[Maer]

I use the all blue Advanced LED light for veg and it works well for 6 sq ft, 3 moms.

 

[SteveHman]

Wow, I leave for the weekend and I have three pages of questions to answer. I promise to get through all of them today. Also thanks to JZ and Mr. K for stepping up and taking a few of them. (for the new guys and as a reminder to the old guys. I rarely am around on weekends, don't take my lack of response as a lack of interest).

 

[OnMy518]

thanks... and i was thinking it would save me time as well and use less power if i got a big flower room its easier to run the cfls 24/0 where im at then i can still maintain a veg room and a flower room, thanks, i just didnt know, i dont particularly see me doing complete grows with them but to everyone there own, idk thanks, all feedback appreciated

what is the best way to co2 enrich your grow room?

 

[Propa Gator]

"what is the best way to co2 enrich your grow room?"

fast, cheap, good... pick two

 

[Mr Smith]

 

[Xlr8]

Velcro sticks nicely to them, I use plant tape (velcro) I buy at home depot to secure them to the wire rack under them for LST.

A Big needle and some nylon "thread" (think carpet maker or mason line). If you pass thru the soil vs the rim area, the pot will remain stiffer, but once the plant gets bigger, probably won't matter. Or binder clips on the rim.

Great tips guys. Gives me a couple of things to try to see what works best for me.

 

[SteveHman]

Hey, steveh, do you think those concrete mixing tubs are sturdy enough for an ebb and flow table with maybe 3-4 inches of water? Those are perfect for4x4 tents. Also I was curious if you use an oscillating fan in your grow? My biggest problem is the fan takes up a lot of space that could be used for plants or my inline/carbon. One last Q.. How is your tent ventilation set up as far as where the fan/filter are mounted and how you exhaust.

Thanks a ton! Because of your grows I recently bought a 200 watt DS for my grow. Gotta say it seems to cause more resin production.. Have you noticed this compared to HPS?

The concrete tubs are plenty sturdy. I think they may be even more heavy duty than the ebb and flow tables (they are designed to mixed and hold concrete after all).

I do have an oscillating fan as well as a standard fan in the space, plenty of air movement going on. I picked up a mini-tower style fan, it takes up very little space. As soon as lights are back on I will take a picture.

I can't vouch for an increase in resin production over HPS since I have only been doing LED grows.

Good idea with the PVC to make your screen! Could you potentially use PVC to make your tent more sturdy as well?

The PVC can be used to increase the strength of the tent. I use it to support the plants (SCROG) and to provide some wall support to keep the tent-suck to a minimum.

FYI...I did quite a bit of research and settled on the BS 500w for my 2'x4' flowering tent. It does NOT use any 2w chips. There are 168 true 3w chips and I don't remember the actual power draw but it's just over 300w.

I chose it because it was a good, solid light with a good reputation and had about the lowest cost per USABLE watt of any of the LED's I looked at. So far, I've been very happy with the performance.

I'm quite sure there are better performing LED's out there, and a comparison would be great, but for the price, I do think the BlackStar is worth considering (I don't get any discounts or referral fees!

Also, for what it's worth, I also had a BlackStar 180 UFO that had a power supply failure and they quickly replaced it with a brand new (and much better!) light (this was documented in some detail in my journal), so I've been very happy with their service and support.

Lots of good product out there, but I am trying to keep this sponsor-centric (Advanced and BPN). Once the other company becomes a sponsor I would be more than happy to conduct a side-by-side test. Until then let's keep on point.

Whats the better purchase 2 500s or 2 Ds300!

I would have to say the DS300s, I am using 2 of them in this grow and no other lights. One of the advantages is that I can run them ½ power for the first week while the clones get acclimated to the LEDs and then go full power.

Wouldn't miss it. I love those Smart Pots, btw. I'm only using 2 at the moment, but I have a heap of 'em at the ready in 1 and 2 gallon sizes. Only thing is - anyone got good tips on LST with them? The floppiness is a bit of a hassle for that. I want to keep them mobile, too, so I'm at a bit of a loss. Nice start to the journal. Good luck with your GPW goal!

Thanks Xlr8, I am feeling pretty strong on this one. If I can't crush the 1 GPW this round I will be surprised. I am using the 2 gal smart pots, I used the 1 gal last time but wanted a little more depth. These are the same diameter just a bit taller.
I would give some binder clips a try. I think there are a few other great recommendations here as well.

Any room left? I'm in.

Always room for you OMM!

A Big needle and some nylon "thread" (think carpet maker or mason line). If you pass thru the soil vs the rim area, the pot will remain stiffer, but once the plant gets bigger, probably won't matter. Or binder clips on the rim.

Good suggestion!

love the setup... what do you think of those 300w diamonds?? like will each one flower the four plants? and would it be bad to let them veg for 4-5 weeks? =P thanks for any feedback... should mention im not going to be scrogging.. do you think it is necessary for veg to use just the blue or both because of the switches that enable blue or reds, will both be too much , or is just blue better for veg than both?

I don't think I would veg for that long, they would be huge bushes once they finished stretching, I would go for no more than two plants under a 300 in that scenario, but you could get a dozen under one in a SOG setup. (check out 420fied's journals for a great primer on 2-liter SOG)
You can veg them under the blue switch and they will do fine. Advanced also makes an all blue light for vegging.

I think I can answer for Steve on this one. He loves the 300's. I would say that vegging 4-5 weeks and trying to flower 4 plants under one 300W would be a fool's errand. 4-5 weeks of veg, once flipped, would bring you a huge stretch, and plants that would surely extend outside of the core coverage for that light.

For vegging, I'd probably KISS it (Keep It Simple Sir) and use both the reds and blues. I do guarantee that you will NOT want to veg for 4-5 weeks though, unless you scrogged.

Good luck!
- JZ

JZ, Thanks for the help. Not much I could add to this answer.

thanks... and i was thinking it would save me time as well and use less power if i got a big flower room its easier to run the cfls 24/0 where im at then i can still maintain a veg room and a flower room, thanks, i just didnt know, i dont particularly see me doing complete grows with them but to everyone there own, idk thanks, all feedback appreciated

what is the best way to co2 enrich your grow room?

CFL and T5 do fine for veg, and I've seen some decent results with them in flower, you just need to keep them on top of the plants (1-2 inches). I use T5 for clones and moms and then put them under the Diamond Series lights at half-power until they are acclimated (about a week).

On the CO2 question, the best way to enrich is to get a fuzzy logic controller, a CO2 bottle and a solenoid, but that's not the least expensive way. You have to look at your budget and the size of your room to decide what is best for. I am using a PPM controller and a CO2 bottle which works fine for me.

 

[salty]

Another SteveHman grow, seems like every one is a little different!

 

[SteveHman]

Another SteveHman grow, seems like every one is a little different!

I have to change things up a little bit every grow, otherwise it's like groundhog day. I am trying to find the best way for me to grow and improving my process. Once I get it dialed in 100% the journals will start to get boring to write and read. Until then I will keep on journaling.

 

[ozric420]

 

[OnMy518]

thanks steve man thats good stufff right there... and as far as running the diamonds 1/2 power to get the plants acclimated how do you do that?? are there power controls on the ds300 that allow you to do that or are you talking about the spectrum switches for blue and reds? i dont think u are but idrk what you mean, i didnt see that feature is all

 

[OnMy518]

thank you so much for the tips and and insight, i'll be checking out that SOG journal further thers like 50 something pages on it, looking forward to talking soon and seeing more of your posts

 

[salty]

I have to change things up a little bit every grow, otherwise it's like groundhog day. I am trying to find the best way for me to grow and improving my process. Once I get it dialed in 100% the journals will start to get boring to write and read. Until then I will keep on journaling.

Nothing wrong with that keeps things exciting, wish you the best with this one

 

[maddad56]

fine job Steve your grows have the best info

 

[Jozo-sha]

thanks steve man thats good stufff right there... and as far as running the diamonds 1/2 power to get the plants acclimated how do you do that?? are there power controls on the ds300 that allow you to do that or are you talking about the spectrum switches for blue and reds? i dont think u are but idrk what you mean, i didnt see that feature is all

Yeah, he's referring to the red/blue switches. Just run them on blue for a week, then flip the reds on.




- JZ

 

[Mr Smith]

When I was using the user name Urdedpal I ran 4 of those concrete tubs ebb in flow style before I switched to the bucket system. It doesn't drain as well as a purchased ebb n flow machine but I was able to get them to work pretty well and the price is right and they are easy to purchase at hardware stores.

 

[SteveHman]

Been laid up with a respiratory infection for over a week. I'll get some updated pictures tomorrow morning.

I was able to test out my theory on watering using the flood-and-wick method. I mixed up a 5 gal batch of nutes and poured half into the center of each tub. I expected to need to use my mini wetvac to remove any excess. After 15 minutes the bottom of each tub was dry. It seems the smart pots and coco really soak up the nutes very well. When I feed again on Friday I will take a before and after shot. I may even try giving them more next time to see how much is "too much".

If this works well, it will make doing SOG grows that much easier, now I just need to find a source of taller-skinnier smart pots (2 ltr style).

 

[Jozo-sha]

Hope you're on the mend, friend.


- JZ

 

[OldMedMan]

Yeah, Me too! Hope your feeling better.