VG's Sponsor Spotlight Starring Atreum LED & Weed Seeds Express

[Virgin Ground]

Greetings all and welcome to my first journal of 2021!
I'm extremely lucky to be able to work with two fantastic sponsors.
Atreum LED Lighting and Weed Seeds Express have been amazing ,not only with quality of product provided but their customer service has been above and beyond what I could have hoped for.
I'll also be featuring some of the other sponsor products that I've either purchased while I've been at 420 Mag or have accumulated through our member contests.
While a few of the products will be new to me, you'll also see some that I've been using for a few years now and have great confidence in. Some I can't imagine growing without as I feel they make a real difference in my style of (haphazard) growing.

Instead of my usual formula of cramming a ton of info down your throats at the beginning of the journal, I'm going to try a different angle this time. I'll be addressing each sponsor individually as they come up in my grow.
I hope this will do two things. First, allow my followers to absorb information at a slower pace without feeling overwhelmed or bored. I realize that reading some of the equipment specs can be a little dry for some folks' liking.
The second reason is to make it a bit easier on me.
I have ADD and as a result I sometimes get overwhelmed with my own thought process. I feel that this way I'll be able slow down and get more accurate content to all of you without missing any major points of interest.

I'll start with the two main sponsors and go from there. I'll be back shortly with a little info on my light.

Until then...

 

[Reave]

I’m in. Sending good vibes at your grow.

 

[Virgin Ground]

I’m in. Sending good vibes at your grow.

You found my super secret grow.
It may just be you and me from the looks of it.
Glad you could make it.

 

[InTheShed]

and

 

[Virgin Ground]

and

Welcome my friend!

 

[Virgin Ground]

In December Atreum lighting reached out and asked if I'd like to run one of their lights. I was recommend by a well respected grower in our community.




It would have to be something pretty spectacular for me to take down my HLG. So I looked and was pretty impressed right away. The light was aesthetically pleasing. Then I started looking at the specs.
Data sheet
Sphere test report
ARA-41 is full-spectrum LED light bar featuring a hybrid of broad-spectrum Samsung LM301B diodes with Cree XP-E2 Deep-Red 660nm supplementation. The result is a high-performance 120W light for veg and flowering.

They looked great to me and I do enjoy the simple pleasure of building my own light.
They had my attention now. I was then asked what my growing space would require. I saw the two strip Ara-41 kit and mulled it over. I thought another strip or two would give a better spread and with a better spread I could then run my light at a much lower wattage. This not only helps to keep my temps in check but it will allow me to under-drive my diodes. This should make them last much longer and also help to keep the AC cost down a bit this summer.

I decided to go with their Ara-41 480 watt kit. Instead of the frame used for a 4x4 I asked for the 20"(500mm) frame kit. This allows me to have four strips with a spacing of four inches between them.
I did pick up a lux meter to help me dial this beauty in.
That's a crap load of power in a 2x4 and I'd surely burn my chickies without one. I also had to make sure that my electric panel could take the extra strain. All is good there.

IMG_20210216_175921156.jpg

• Virgin Ground
• Feb 16, 2021

It was easy to assemble. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the leads were already tinned. They took the extra step. It may seem like a small thing but not all diy kits are like this. I happen to be excellent at tinning lead as I used to solder circuit boards. I understand that not everyone has a soldering kit or wants to do it for that matter. Little touches like this show a dedication to a quality product, safety and great customer service.
This light was super easy to build. I used two watertight connectors since I had some extra ones from other lights.
It made for a super clean look.

IMG_20210219_175129003.jpg

• Virgin Ground
• Feb 19, 2021

IMG_20210219_174952689.jpg

• Virgin Ground
• Feb 19, 2021

One thing that I really liked is the style of wiring harness that they used. It give a very satisfying "click" to let you know that they are properly seated.
This kit does come with a dimmer and with this much power I really wouldn't be able to use a light like this in my space without one. My ceilings just aren't that tall here.

My goodness. This light was twice the size of my HLG. It was funny how puny it looked next to it. Wish I would have snapped a pic before I boxed it up.

This is truly my dream light. I can't believe how fortunate I am to be able to get my hands on one of these fixtures. Working with Atreum has been quite a pleasant experience.
The reps that I've been working with have been attentive to my questions and I have found them to be fantastic to work with. Customer service goes a long way with me. They got an A+.

Can't wait to see what this baby does in my garden!!!!

 

[BooWho2]

 

[Reave]

Look like cool lights!

 

[Justin Goody]

Sounds like a fun ride!
I will be starting a grow with Atreum next week as well (using the Hydra-1000) and I’ve also found the company to be very easy and friendly to work with.
And don’t even get me started about how awesome WSE is
Looking forward to this, VG, nice work.

 

[BigD13]

Mind if I pull up a chair?

 

[Bode]

Highya VG,

I had to come to see what's up! Great to have such a nice light! You explained it well. I'm sure your sponser is pleased, as you are! So, what are you growing? I'll stick around to find out. Happy Smokin'

 

[Heavenly Hybrid]

Whew! Still made it on the first page.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Thanks for coming Boo!

Look like cool lights!

It really is a very nice piece of equipment.
Hope I can do it justice.

Sounds like a fun ride!
I will be starting a grow with Atreum next week as well (using the Hydra-1000) and I’ve also found the company to be very easy and friendly to work with.
And don’t even get me started about how awesome WSE is
Looking forward to this, VG, nice work.

I saw that!!! Think it was in Boo's journal perhaps?
How low can you turn the Hydra down?
Love the spacing on the diodes.
Very smart.

Mind if I pull up a chair?

You're always welcome BigD!
Thanks for coming on over.

Highya VG,

I had to come to see what's up! Great to have such a nice light! You explained it well. I'm sure your sponser is pleased, as you are! So, what are you growing? I'll stick around to find out. Happy Smokin'

Thanks Bode.
I'll have the info on the chickies up in a little bit. I have pancake duty this morning. Have to feed the clan first.

Whew! Still made it on the first page.

I'm grinning ear to ear to see you m'dear!!!

 

[Justin Goody]

I saw that!!! Think it was in Boo's journal perhaps?
How low can you turn the Hydra down?
Love the spacing on the diodes.
Very smart.

Correct

They can be turned ALL THE WAY down. I have them at about 70% right now on freshly planted beans.

Definitely use a Lux meter, as it's impossible to judge by eye with these newer LED's. I put it where I thought was correct before I measured, and it was WAY too high. Glad I checked!

I enjoy the simplicity and the LED placement. And as you've stated, they go the extra mile with their electronics. Only takes an extra minute at the factory, but that minute likely means they didn't skimp on other things.
I was going to do a light bar setup similar to yours (240w) but was offered to be the first to try the Hydra. At only 100w it does amazing things.
Runs slightly warmer than my MarsHydro, but the controls can always be mounted elsewhere. It will be a great light for people that grow in VERY minimal spaces (like @Carcass)...if you move the controls, the whole light is about 3mm thick and can basically be mounted flush anywhere.
They also have a great warranty that can be extended to 5 years, though I don't believe this light will ever have problems.
That's why we are here, to find out for all these other awesome growers.

 

[Virgin Ground]

Correct

They can be turned ALL THE WAY down. I have them at about 70% right now on freshly planted beans.

Definitely use a Lux meter, as it's impossible to judge by eye with these newer LED's. I put it where I thought was correct before I measured, and it was WAY too high. Glad I checked!

I enjoy the simplicity and the LED placement. And as you've stated, they go the extra mile with their electronics. Only takes an extra minute at the factory, but that minute likely means they didn't skimp on other things.
I was going to do a light bar setup similar to yours (240w) but was offered to be the first to try the Hydra. At only 100w it does amazing things.
Runs slightly warmer than my MarsHydro, but the controls can always be mounted elsewhere. It will be a great light for people that grow in VERY minimal spaces (like @Carcass)...if you move the controls, the whole light is about 3mm thick and can basically be mounted flush anywhere.
They also have a great warranty that can be extended to 5 years, though I don't believe this light will ever have problems.
That's why we are here, to find out for all these other awesome growers.

I'm looking for something different in my veg space. It is about 30"H x 18"W x 34" L. Right now I have a small 90 watt HLG that's dialed down all they way. With that light it is still around 50%. I'm also running a Yescom smd (24 watt). The difference in wattage between the two makes it tricky to use the space. I have to run the smd within 6" of the plants but the HLG needs at least a foot. The plants towards the center suffer so I tend to leave that space empty. I need to use every inch of space the best that I can.

Looking forward to seeing you grow with them. Would also love to see Carcass run some. He would do an amazing job. Any sponsor would be beyond lucky to have him imo.

 

[VetSmoke85]

That's a sexy light. Congrats on the sponsorship. I'm in.

 

[Carcass]

That really is a beautiful light!

It really is a very nice piece of equipment.
Hope I can do it justice.

No doubt in my mind- you can, VG!

I will be starting a grow with Atreum next week as well (using the Hydra-1000)

Would also love to see Carcass run some.

Thanks, VG- Stay tuned...it's happening in about a week!
I'll be running Geoflora nutes also, so I may need to pick your brain a little!

 

[InTheShed]

Beautiful light and I like the way you rejiggerd the configuration to make it just what you needed.

Hope I can do it justice.

Here is my prediction:
You will end up with beautiful plants with solid flowers, but along the way you will have a minor hiccup that will annoy you for a bit, but will eventually get solved without much trouble and you will be back to smooth sailing.

That's where my money is anyway.

 

[MrSauga]

Nice job on the intro! Have fun with the new light .

 

[N420]

Great looking light and a very nice write up on it! I’m in.