T5 or HID

I know I've done forum and google searches on it, but have never been able to find a canopy distance for the 400. do you have a recommendation? I just want what's best for my lady.
 
Because LEDs are antic or discrete diodes, if the light is so close that there isn't proper color mixing you can get over-saturation of a single wavelength. As CH stated, this can cause stunting of growth, bleaching, or a form of necrosis. One easy fix to this is to have the panel on a light mover, moving it as little as 3 inches so that sections that are too close can receive photons from multiple different diodes.
 
yeah I've been rotating the light 90 degrees every morning just for the sake of it. it's my first grow with this light, so not sure what to expect. and I can't find other sour skywalker grow logs, so nothing to compare it to
 
PeytonManning said:
I know I've done forum and google searches on it, but have never been able to find a canopy distance for the 400. do you have a recommendation? I just want what's best for my lady.
Click to expand...

The Top LED information I received with my light states that 1.5'-2.0' is the recommended range for seedlings/vegging for lights from 240 to 450 watts. It does not specific if this is for the reflector series only or for all of their lights.
 
Thank you very much for the tip Coloradohigh!
I visited their website before and read Smokesara´s post you linked above plus other users experiences with their lights.
I´ve been reading the forum for over 2 months now but only a few days ago got the "courage" to register and post :D
As for my Mars ii choice, i think I aimed for the best without considering my budget limitations...shhh
I understand...been studying the fine art of growing our dear ladies and i know a lot depends on the set up and the grower too. Your grow box is smaller in height than my tent. I also pondered the height issue in relation to airflow and the plant´s size before buying the tent that´s why (having the space and money for a bigger size tent) I opted for 2 m high (around 6.5 foot). I also picked smaller size plants like more bushy Indicas. Have grown a Skunk#1 before, didn´t top or LST and ended up with a christmas tree :D First experiences, but it´s all good!
I think I wouldn´t have many problems running a small 5 watts diodes unit in my tent. My current LED has 3 fans and doesn´t put out much heat at all, i guess it rises the tent´s overall temps by 1 or 2 degrees and the rest is cfls heat.
In the meantime, I e-mailed them to get quotes for all their smaller lights. I might have an aswer from them in the next few days.
Got my mind made...after so much reading i won´t get an hps system and i´ll get another LED instead!
Thanks once again to you both, Coloradohigh and Hoosebomber :Namaste:
 
Listen guys I only had a simple question on T5 and HID and you all go LED on my topic.... :loopy:

Just kidding of course! Some of the other threads are 100 pages long and its just to much to go through. This is the most informative I have read. Now I will be shopping for an LED when current grow is done. Thanks for the info!

And by all means carry on!
 
It´s my first forum and I felt such a good vibe and found so much good info that i´m staying. From what i saw, there´s no place like this one! You´ll have to put up with me a bit more...:cheesygrinsmiley:

Sorry danknessdude about this minor highjack :D agree with you on the 100´s + pages of other threads, been there too.

I´m still trying to get my mind around the wavelengths topic.
I remember a comment by Hosebomber in which I read - with your permission sr. i´ll quote:
"Below are some of the wavelengths for plant photoreceptors

Chlorophyll A: 430, 662
Chlorophyll B: 453, 642
Alpha Carotene: 442, 444, 478
Beta Carotene: 425, 480
Zeaxanthin: 423, 451, 483"

Should a good LED cover all these wavelengths for optimal plant health ?

I´m trying to understand the plants point of view and matching what i´m learning with the other end - the existing LED results from other growers.
Guess i have a bit of a scientist mind in me which loves to understand the processes and not only look for results :)
 
Tugafox said:
...Should a good LED cover all these wavelengths for optimal plant health ?....
Click to expand...

There are so many processes that go into plant growth that it would literally take a lifetime to cover. There are those that spend their entire life trying to learn all of the interactions between proteins, photoreceptors, electrolytes and all of the other intricate workings of plants. I have learned many things that when I started my journey into making the best LED light I had no idea even existed. It was only 3 years ago that they discovered Chl F and there are still a huge number of interactions that we have yet to discover. While those are a few known photoreceptors it isn't near a complete list and unfortunately cannabis is one of the plants we know the least about due to it's nearly international ban since the 1960's. The time of the greatest research and progression into the understanding of plants and DNA and interactions has seen a nearly complete stifling of all research on cannabis.
 
I understand...so much we don´t know and in many areas. Humbled & amazed by that fact every single day.
Gotta work with what we think we know and hope for the best. The mystery factor thrills me. Science as we know it is a work in progress and so it´s the art of growing MJ plants indoors.
It´s a pity (to say the least) research "has seen a nearly complete stifling" ,,politics and money + the interests of a few corporations, etc, etc, etc. Won´t go there cause it makes me feel negative. I still hope to see that change in my lifetime. I know..I´m a dreamer :)
My research started because I´ve been using a combination of sunlight and artificial lights (LED + CFL). I wondered how the plants would react after being put in a tent without the natural sunlight they had for some hours every day during veg and that quest for understanding led me here. And whoo, it´s been a journey! :adore:
My 3 plants (same genetics but one is a runt) have reacted well and, so far, are doing quite well in the tent considering the conditions and the fact I´ve been playing around with this trio combination of lights.
I love growing and my aim is only trying to give the girls the best conditions I can with my resources.
Ain´t got much to add and eventually will have to pick one already made LED but I´ll sure keep growing and learning :green_heart:
 
Both types of lighting have there uses,I personally would not flower with t5 but in some applications it will work just fine. HID is better if you have the space there is no money savings either way and HID tends to be Cooler because you can use air cooled hoods. T5 is good for seedlings and/or clones. Good luck
 
That´s exactly what I thought, that most LEDs are made in China but had no way of confirming it. Read a few things about not buying Chinese LEDs, bla, bla, bla and that was another motive for me to dig and research.

The sticker in the back of my LED says: Greatlux hydro
I´ve read that Greatlux and CREE are the best diode manufacter companies, correct me if i´m wrong, but a sticker is easy to make..if you know what i mean.

I know that a good light to grow is not only about the diodes, it´s also about the way they are put together, heat dissipation, how the diodes are powered and most important for us growers is the light spectrum they cover.

Now ..all this info makes things even harder for the less knowledgable buyer like me (electronics/electricity/spectrums of light is not my field at all ~ i have a degree in social sciences).
Whish I knew what´s the best thing for me right now...ultimately it´s my choice but i would really like to make an informed one so I don´t make the same thing twice because my previous purchase was a total shot in the dark.
Keep on reading journals tugafox, keep on....:reading420magazine:
:thanks:
 
Greatlux is a cheap panel maker, not an LED (diode) manufacturer. You are probably thinking of Bridgelux, which is in CA. Bridgelux was one of the leading developers of blue and white LEDs... as of late they have not produced any new groundbreaking advancements that they were doing 3-5 years ago, but they still make a good diode. As much as I hate to say it, there is very little difference in diodes other than the work Cree, Osram, and Phillips are doing. Most other companies actually making diodes are just copying the work those two are doing.
 
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