LED's seem like the best way to go for me

[Outragedpluto]

You are still going to feed them eventually. The soil will only have about a months worth of nutes. Just be sure to buy organic ferts. I really like the fox farm line of products. Or even better would be to use bat guano and make tea out of it to feed them. But mj is a very hungry plant and when indoors they will use the nutes in the planter pretty quick. Good luck man and keep me posted!!!

 

[Outragedpluto]

O and by the way. I would rather top as well. I like the short bushy plants that have lots of main branches. They look so pretty hahaha

 

[4smokazonly]

thats very true, im so used to out door, bit of lime and co2 from the fire place was all i needed.
i cant get any of that where im from i only have one called maxicrop thats a seaweed plant food concentrate (nutrients)
thev n.p.k is 4.6/1.2/3.0 please help lol

 

[Outragedpluto]

thats very true, im so used to out door, bit of lime and co2 from the fire place was all i needed.
i cant get any of that where im from i only have one called maxicrop thats a seaweed plant food concentrate (nutrients)
thev n.p.k is 4.6/1.2/3.0 please help lol

Maxicrop is actually the next best thing. That stuff Is packed with good shit. What you have now will be good for veg stage but you will want higher p and k for flowering. Are you able to order things off the Internet??

 

[4smokazonly]

Maxicrop is actually the next best thing. That stuff Is packed with good shit. What you have now will be good for veg stage but you will want higher p and k for flowering. Are you able to order things off the Internet??

thats sounds great then! ill start the feeding next week then i think! i can order of the internet whys that?

 

[4smokazonly]

i was just looking on the net and ive found a seller who will ship fox farm grow big, fox farm bi bloom and tiger bloom for me all the way to aus from the states

 

[Outragedpluto]

i was just looking on the net and ive found a seller who will ship fox farm grow big, fox farm bi bloom and tiger bloom for me all the way to aus from the states

There you go man. I love that stuff. There is a feeding guide on there website that I use.
And a little update on my girl. She was just diagnosed with root rot. She prolly isn't going to make it either. Luckily I got some clones off of her before she succumbed to it. Do you know of any way to battle root rot???

 

[WizHigh]

I have a question, I want my first grow to be short and bushy I just bought a 30" light hood that fits 2x 22" 24w T5. will this be good enough to keep it simple but do the job in veg stage? Later on this week ill be getting the 48" that fits 4x 4ft 54w T5 and both hoods are "HO" ill be putting the 30" light on the bottom shelf for germ to keep an even flow as they grow, ill move them up the shelf.


Oh and there both CFLs

 

[4smokazonly]

There you go man. I love that stuff. There is a feeding guide on there website that I use.
And a little update on my girl. She was just diagnosed with root rot. She prolly isn't going to make it either. Luckily I got some clones off of her before she succumbed to it. Do you know of any way to battle root rot???

Root rot is a condition found in both indoor and outdoor plants, although more common in indoor plants with poor drainage. As the name states, the roots of the plant rot. Many cases of root rot are caused by members of the water mould family Pythiaceae. This family includes a genus (type) of mould known as Pythium which was once classified as a fungus because it responds like a fungi to many sorts of treatments. Pythium is also part of the parasitic oomycete class, which are considered to be micro-organisms. I am not a major in micro-biology, but I believe all these terms which apply to the cause of root rot may help explain why there is sometimes confusion about whether Root Rot is caused by a mould, fungus, or bacteria.

Regardless of how you classify root rot, the methods to prevent and treat root rot are well established. You may hear that root rot will end up being lethal to your crop, but many growers (including myself) have successfully beaten root rot and been able to smoke the rewards. Even more importantly, growers need to take the steps to prevent root rot from happening in the first place. From what I understand, the organism that creates root rot is almost always there in your system. In order to prevent it from taking over your whole system and actually affecting your plants, you need to create an environment where root rot just can't survive. Luckily, most of the things you can do to prevent root rot will also benefit your plant so it's a win-win situation.

I would like to share my experience and research on preventing and treating root rot, and I would love to hear feedback from other growers about what has worked for them!

Prevention (these things will also help you control a root rot infestation)
Root rot mostly affects hydroponic systems, but can also result from over watering your plants in soil or other medium. Basically anytime the roots are sitting in water, they are at risk of devloping root rot. In order to prevent root rot, you will need change the plant's environment so that root rot no longer has a good place to grow.

Cleanliness is one of the best preventions for pretty much any sort of plant pathogen. Keep your grow area as clean as possible at all times. Clean and disinfect all your equipment thoroughly before each new grow. Maintain a clean reservoir that is free of any dead roots, dead leaves or other types of plant debris because they will provide a rotting breeding ground for bacteria.
Some people like to add beneficial bacteria to their water to help prevent root-related plant diseases and help make nutrients available to the plant. Some of the formulas available are Piranha, Aquashield, VooDoo Juice, Great White, Biozome, Subculture, Rooters, Plant Savers, Micro-Max, and DTE Soluble root enhancer. Most of these can be used with both hydro and soil grows. I personally recommend Subculture B because I've used it successfully to treat Root Rot. I've also personally heard many great things from other hydroponic growers about Aquashield, which is much cheaper.
If you have a hydroponic system, it's a good idea to change your reservoir water regularly in order to prevent any one type of bacteria from overgrowing the whole reservoir. I personally recommend trying to change your water at least once a week. Regularly changing your water will also help your plants get better access to nutrients and the roots of the plant love that 10-15 minutes where they get access to the oxygen in the air (just don't ever let the roots get dry).
It is beneficial to try to get as much oxygen as possible disolved in your water. Therefore it's a good idea to buy a BIG air pump and big air stones for your hydroponic system. Root rot can't thrive in an oxygen rich environment and the plant's roots love it.
Ensure that the temperature of the water never gets warmer than a comfortable room temperature. Warm water holds much less disolved oxygen than colder water and also provides the perfect environment for bacteria. The maximum recommended temperature for the water in your reservoir is around 72°F (22°C). Trying to maintain water temps around 65°F - 68°F (18°C - 20°C) seems to be optimal for both plant growth and root rot prevention. When your temps are higher than that, there's less oxygen in your water and a better opportunity for bacteria to grow.
Don't let any light get to your roots or reservoir water ever, as it provides heat and light which will promote the growth of bacteria.
SM-90 also seems to help prevent and treat root rot, as well as help your plant overall root health. It's made up of a few different types of oils that happen to kill many pathogens. I also like to have SM-90 around because it will kill aphids, spider mites, and white powdery mold when used as a foliar spray. I personally feel that anyone who grows hydroponically should have some SM-90 around. I've heard that SM-90 may kill beneficial bacteria, so I don't use it if I'm adding Subculture B. I always use one of the other. I would be very interested to hear other people's experience with combining the two(beneficial bacteria and SM-90).



Treatment (when you already have root rot)
If you don't fix the environmental causes of root rot, then it will just keep coming back no matter what you do. Therefore, it's important to go through the list above and make sure you're covering all your bases to prevent a re-occurrence. It's also important to note that affected roots will likely never recover, just like how discolored leaves on the plant will never recover. What you're looking for is new, healthy white root growth.

As far as how to get rid of root rot, using Subculture B (by General Hydroponics) has personally worked for me. I had a 6 gallon Stealth Hydro (top-fed DWC or ----------- system) and all my plants were suddenly afflicted with horrible, brown, smelly root rot. I treated the system with Subculture B and changed the reservoir water completely 1-2 times a week. 3 weeks later my root rot was gone. No dead roots or anything, the micro-organisms in the Subculture B ate everything. I have continued to treat my water with Subculture B as a preventative.

I have also heard really great things about AquaShield, which is much cheaper. Once I am through with this container of Subculture B, I am going to give AquaShield a try.

With my hand-watered coco coir grow, I use SM-90 with every watering because my plants seem to grow more quickly and have healthier roots, though I haven't run any controlled experiments. This extra growth inspired me to try SM-90 as an additive in my DWC setup. I haven't had a re-occurrence of root rot with any plant fed water that has been treated with SM-90. However, that could be because of other prevention factors so I don't know if it's the SM-90. I haven't personally tried using SM-90 alone as a treatment for a plant that already has root rot, but I've talked to other growers who've said it will work alone as a treatment for root rot. I would definitely be interested in hearing other people's experience with using SM-90. From what I understand, the SM-90 will kill any beneficial bacteria, so I haven't tried using SM-90 together with Subculture B.

I've also heard some people report success after treating their system with a drop or two of bleach/Chlorox per gallon of water. I have personally never really tried this method because the Subculture B and SM-90 both seem to work so well, and also I'm leery about using bleach unless I absolutely have to.

Not Recommended
Some people like to use hydrogen peroxide to kill all organisms in their reservoir. The conventional wisdom is to add a teaspoon of 35% hydrogen peroxide (buy it from a hydroponic store) per gallon of water in your reservoir. Some people also use the hydrogen peroxide you get from the store and use that directly on the affected roots. It does seem to do the trick in the short term to get rid of the brown slimy roots. However, in my experience, the roots will appear to be doing better for 1-2 days, but end up getting root rot right back. I personally believe that this is because the H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) kills all the organisms in your water (both good and bad) but is then used up very quickly and is undetectable in the water after a day or two. If even one pathogen survived the H2O2, it now has the perfect environment to spread (no competition, nutrients in the water, and the H2O2 has all been used up) It seems like you would have to be constantly adding H2O2 to your water in order to use it as a treatment for root rot. In any case, based on my own experience, I have never been able to successfully treat root rot with H2O2 (not for lack of trying!) so I strongly recommend against using the H2O2 method as a long term fix for root rot. If someone out there has successfully rid their plant of root rot using just H2O2, (and by successful, I mean you were able to eventually harvest the plant) please post your methods!

 

[4smokazonly]

its for hydro but you could you could give it a go. thats absolutely shattering man

 

[The Pan]

Fluorescent + LED seems best to me for any indoor grow too. I use cheap fluorescent tubes for ambient light and then I use cheap LED panels more directly on the plants. These lights are inexpensive to purchase and extremely cheap to run. Also, as mentioned earlier, they generate no heat. But the real beauty is that LEDs are available in all the important colors. There are many ways to force feminize your plants; temperature, humidity, nitrogen levels, light cycle, and spectrum. Blue light encourages female plants. The spectral distribution of fluorescent tubes is nearly 60% blues and greens, that is, most of the light emitted from fluorescent lights is in the range between 425nm and 550nm. Whether it is bluer or greener depends upon manufacturer and intended function. LED spectral distribution is vary narrow and you can get a panel that emits a range near 450nm with very little divergence - this is a pretty pure blue light. And so the seedlings come up and veg under these. During the flower cycle I swap the blue panels for red ones, because emissions in the red spectrum (650-700nm) encourage flowering.

Enjoy~

 

[Outragedpluto]

Root rot is a condition found in both indoor and outdoor plants, although more common in indoor plants with poor drainage. As the name states, the roots of the plant rot. Many cases of root rot are caused by members of the water mould family Pythiaceae. This family includes a genus (type) of mould known as Pythium which was once classified as a fungus because it responds like a fungi to many sorts of treatments. Pythium is also part of the parasitic oomycete class, which are considered to be micro-organisms. I am not a major in micro-biology, but I believe all these terms which apply to the cause of root rot may help explain why there is sometimes confusion about whether Root Rot is caused by a mould, fungus, or bacteria.

Regardless of how you classify root rot, the methods to prevent and treat root rot are well established. You may hear that root rot will end up being lethal to your crop, but many growers (including myself) have successfully beaten root rot and been able to smoke the rewards. Even more importantly, growers need to take the steps to prevent root rot from happening in the first place. From what I understand, the organism that creates root rot is almost always there in your system. In order to prevent it from taking over your whole system and actually affecting your plants, you need to create an environment where root rot just can't survive. Luckily, most of the things you can do to prevent root rot will also benefit your plant so it's a win-win situation.

I would like to share my experience and research on preventing and treating root rot, and I would love to hear feedback from other growers about what has worked for them!

Prevention (these things will also help you control a root rot infestation)
Root rot mostly affects hydroponic systems, but can also result from over watering your plants in soil or other medium. Basically anytime the roots are sitting in water, they are at risk of devloping root rot. In order to prevent root rot, you will need change the plant's environment so that root rot no longer has a good place to grow.

Cleanliness is one of the best preventions for pretty much any sort of plant pathogen. Keep your grow area as clean as possible at all times. Clean and disinfect all your equipment thoroughly before each new grow. Maintain a clean reservoir that is free of any dead roots, dead leaves or other types of plant debris because they will provide a rotting breeding ground for bacteria.
Some people like to add beneficial bacteria to their water to help prevent root-related plant diseases and help make nutrients available to the plant. Some of the formulas available are Piranha, Aquashield, VooDoo Juice, Great White, Biozome, Subculture, Rooters, Plant Savers, Micro-Max, and DTE Soluble root enhancer. Most of these can be used with both hydro and soil grows. I personally recommend Subculture B because I've used it successfully to treat Root Rot. I've also personally heard many great things from other hydroponic growers about Aquashield, which is much cheaper.
If you have a hydroponic system, it's a good idea to change your reservoir water regularly in order to prevent any one type of bacteria from overgrowing the whole reservoir. I personally recommend trying to change your water at least once a week. Regularly changing your water will also help your plants get better access to nutrients and the roots of the plant love that 10-15 minutes where they get access to the oxygen in the air (just don't ever let the roots get dry).
It is beneficial to try to get as much oxygen as possible disolved in your water. Therefore it's a good idea to buy a BIG air pump and big air stones for your hydroponic system. Root rot can't thrive in an oxygen rich environment and the plant's roots love it.
Ensure that the temperature of the water never gets warmer than a comfortable room temperature. Warm water holds much less disolved oxygen than colder water and also provides the perfect environment for bacteria. The maximum recommended temperature for the water in your reservoir is around 72°F (22°C). Trying to maintain water temps around 65°F - 68°F (18°C - 20°C) seems to be optimal for both plant growth and root rot prevention. When your temps are higher than that, there's less oxygen in your water and a better opportunity for bacteria to grow.
Don't let any light get to your roots or reservoir water ever, as it provides heat and light which will promote the growth of bacteria.
SM-90 also seems to help prevent and treat root rot, as well as help your plant overall root health. It's made up of a few different types of oils that happen to kill many pathogens. I also like to have SM-90 around because it will kill aphids, spider mites, and white powdery mold when used as a foliar spray. I personally feel that anyone who grows hydroponically should have some SM-90 around. I've heard that SM-90 may kill beneficial bacteria, so I don't use it if I'm adding Subculture B. I always use one of the other. I would be very interested to hear other people's experience with combining the two(beneficial bacteria and SM-90).

Treatment (when you already have root rot)
If you don't fix the environmental causes of root rot, then it will just keep coming back no matter what you do. Therefore, it's important to go through the list above and make sure you're covering all your bases to prevent a re-occurrence. It's also important to note that affected roots will likely never recover, just like how discolored leaves on the plant will never recover. What you're looking for is new, healthy white root growth.

As far as how to get rid of root rot, using Subculture B (by General Hydroponics) has personally worked for me. I had a 6 gallon Stealth Hydro (top-fed DWC or ----------- system) and all my plants were suddenly afflicted with horrible, brown, smelly root rot. I treated the system with Subculture B and changed the reservoir water completely 1-2 times a week. 3 weeks later my root rot was gone. No dead roots or anything, the micro-organisms in the Subculture B ate everything. I have continued to treat my water with Subculture B as a preventative.

I have also heard really great things about AquaShield, which is much cheaper. Once I am through with this container of Subculture B, I am going to give AquaShield a try.

With my hand-watered coco coir grow, I use SM-90 with every watering because my plants seem to grow more quickly and have healthier roots, though I haven't run any controlled experiments. This extra growth inspired me to try SM-90 as an additive in my DWC setup. I haven't had a re-occurrence of root rot with any plant fed water that has been treated with SM-90. However, that could be because of other prevention factors so I don't know if it's the SM-90. I haven't personally tried using SM-90 alone as a treatment for a plant that already has root rot, but I've talked to other growers who've said it will work alone as a treatment for root rot. I would definitely be interested in hearing other people's experience with using SM-90. From what I understand, the SM-90 will kill any beneficial bacteria, so I haven't tried using SM-90 together with Subculture B.

I've also heard some people report success after treating their system with a drop or two of bleach/Chlorox per gallon of water. I have personally never really tried this method because the Subculture B and SM-90 both seem to work so well, and also I'm leery about using bleach unless I absolutely have to.

Not Recommended
Some people like to use hydrogen peroxide to kill all organisms in their reservoir. The conventional wisdom is to add a teaspoon of 35% hydrogen peroxide (buy it from a hydroponic store) per gallon of water in your reservoir. Some people also use the hydrogen peroxide you get from the store and use that directly on the affected roots. It does seem to do the trick in the short term to get rid of the brown slimy roots. However, in my experience, the roots will appear to be doing better for 1-2 days, but end up getting root rot right back. I personally believe that this is because the H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) kills all the organisms in your water (both good and bad) but is then used up very quickly and is undetectable in the water after a day or two. If even one pathogen survived the H2O2, it now has the perfect environment to spread (no competition, nutrients in the water, and the H2O2 has all been used up) It seems like you would have to be constantly adding H2O2 to your water in order to use it as a treatment for root rot. In any case, based on my own experience, I have never been able to successfully treat root rot with H2O2 (not for lack of trying!) so I strongly recommend against using the H2O2 method as a long term fix for root rot. If someone out there has successfully rid their plant of root rot using just H2O2, (and by successful, I mean you were able to eventually harvest the plant) please post your methods!

So would fox farms microbrew do the same thing by adding beneficial fungi and microbes to my soil??? I was thinking about getting it for a preventative on my 2 clones I have. Also I think I found where my problem came from. I was using a pot that was designed so that you do not have to water as often. It had a built in water reservoir and so when the top 2 inches of soil were dry there was still a pool of water at the bottom. I fixed this problem by putting my new clones in "super roots air-pots" 2 gallon. These will help make sure my soil has lots of oxygen for that little demon root rot stays at bay lol. I'll post some pictures here later today of my sick plant (already dead and buried) and my clones in their new pots. Thank you for all the advice on root rot I think it will help a lot in the prevention of another plant dying. O and also I have read that by putting a large dose of h2o2 in your water 24 hrs before using it it will help sterilize the water.

 

[Outragedpluto]

So would fox farms microbrew do the same thing by adding beneficial fungi and microbes to my soil??? I was thinking about getting it for a preventative on my 2 clones I have. Also I think I found where my problem came from. I was using a pot that was designed so that you do not have to water as often. It had a built in water reservoir and so when the top 2 inches of soil were dry there was still a pool of water at the bottom. I fixed this problem by putting my new clones in "super roots air-pots" 2 gallon. These will help make sure my soil has lots of oxygen for that little demon root rot stays at bay lol. I'll post some pictures here later today of my sick plant (already dead and buried) and my clones in their new pots. Thank you for all the advice on root rot I think it will help a lot in the prevention of another plant dying. O and also I have read that by putting a large dose of h2o2 in your water 24 hrs

 

[4smokazonly]

So would fox farms microbrew do the same thing by adding beneficial fungi and microbes to my soil??? I was thinking about getting it for a preventative on my 2 clones I have. Also I think I found where my problem came from. I was using a pot that was designed so that you do not have to water as often. It had a built in water reservoir and so when the top 2 inches of soil were dry there was still a pool of water at the bottom. I fixed this problem by putting my new clones in "super roots air-pots" 2 gallon. These will help make sure my soil has lots of oxygen for that little demon root rot stays at bay lol. I'll post some pictures here later today of my sick plant (already dead and buried) and my clones in their new pots. Thank you for all the advice on root rot I think it will help a lot in the prevention of another plant dying. O and also I have read that by putting a large dose of h2o2 in your water 24 hrs

ROOT ROT PREVENTION & CONTROL

Prevention:

1.Plant resistant cultivars when available.

2. Set out transplants when soil has warmed up enough for good growth.

3. Enrich soil with compost.

4. Try not to cultivate close to roots which can cause injury and allow disease to enter.

5. Plant in well-drained soil; avoid overwatering.

6. Make sure water doesn't pool around the base of trees by forming irrigation moats to hold water at least 12 inches (30 cm) away from the stems or trunks.

Control:

1. Remove and destroy badly infected plants.

2. Moderately affected plants may be saved by pruning away diseased roots and replanting in well-drained soil. Using clean shears, make sure to also prune back a 1/3 to 1/2 of the top growth on the plant. This will give the plant a better chance to regrow the roots since it will not need to support as much top growth.

3. Disinfect all pots or tools used on or around infected plants using a 1 part bleach to 9 parts water solution.

4. Use soil solarization before planting as it has been shown to give good results in controlling root rot.

i think your pool of water was the problem unfortunately, im not sure about the fox farm because i dont have that product in aus, a seedling/root starter could possibly work, something like this

Contains the following 4 root boosting ingredients:
Seaweed, stimulates growth and promotes strong, healthy roots
Bio-Activ™ beneficial soil microbial technology
Fulvic acid, to improve nutrient uptake and soil bioactivity
Natural wetting agent ensures nutrients filter readily down to the plant roots

 

[4smokazonly]

3. Disinfect all pots or tools used on or around infected plants using a 1 part bleach to 9 parts water solution.
i wouldnt use bleech at all with the girls tho!

 

[4smokazonly]

Fluorescent + LED seems best to me for any indoor grow too. I use cheap fluorescent tubes for ambient light and then I use cheap LED panels more directly on the plants. These lights are inexpensive to purchase and extremely cheap to run. Also, as mentioned earlier, they generate no heat. But the real beauty is that LEDs are available in all the important colors. There are many ways to force feminize your plants; temperature, humidity, nitrogen levels, light cycle, and spectrum. Blue light encourages female plants. The spectral distribution of fluorescent tubes is nearly 60% blues and greens, that is, most of the light emitted from fluorescent lights is in the range between 425nm and 550nm. Whether it is bluer or greener depends upon manufacturer and intended function. LED spectral distribution is vary narrow and you can get a panel that emits a range near 450nm with very little divergence - this is a pretty pure blue light. And so the seedlings come up and veg under these. During the flower cycle I swap the blue panels for red ones, because emissions in the red spectrum (650-700nm) encourage flowering.

Enjoy~

thanks the pan! give this a read

According to the paper on display in a power engineering lecture written by powerlink who run the generation and distribution network here, the Australian standard produces the equation, 339.4 sin (314.2t), where the angular frequency 314.2 = 50hz and is only guaranteed to be averaged over 24 hours, and not a constant 50hz. The voltage is still 240V in the socket but this depends on a few variables.

I have 239.7V +/-0.5% in my socket. But I live right next to a power station and our line isn't in very high demand. A hifi shop in fortitude valley, which is close to the city, constantly complained to their council that they were only getting 210-220V and it was causing humming in their transformers (Bs they just had crap equipment). Eventually the council conceeded to move the store over to a different phase on the line and they are back to 240V.

Also equipment won't be that sensitive to minor changes. Think of a 12V transformer rated at 240V. Would produce 11V at 220V. If this causes the device to fail then the designer obviously didn't take into account any supply line variations, which is bad. All in all I've never had any equipment rated above 200V complain regardless where I've plugged it in.

LED Grow Lights

15

There has been much recent controversy amongst cannabis growers about LED (Light Emitting Diode) grow lights. Just a couple of years ago the thought of growing weed under LED lighting would have been laughable. However, recent advances in LED technology have led to more and more growers claiming success and LED lighting sources are fast growing in popularity. We are here to tell you that growing with LEDs really does work with the best models offering results better than HIDs.
What are LED grow lights?

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. Light is produced by passing a current through a semi-conductor. There is no filament to burn out and this means that, compared to other light sources, LEDs have an extremely long lifetime with many on the market being rated for 50,000 to 60,000 hours. Compare that to the average HPS grow light bulb lifespan of around 2,400 hours and you can see why LEDs are a better bet long term.
No heat problems

Another happy result of having no filament is that LEDs are much more efficient than other light sources. In a traditional HID up to 95% of energy is wasted as heat radiation, whereas LEDs run relatively cool. With LEDs it is possible to place the light source very close to the plants, usually around 12-18 inches, helping prevent 'stretch' and directing the light exactly where it's needed.

The heat generated in a traditional grow room requires the grower to waste time, space and energy trying to keep it cool and unusual heat signatures have often been cited as the reason why some growing operations are discovered by the authorities. So, with a good LED grow light system you can remove the cost, hassle and noise associated with ventilation systems. Add to this, of course, the fact that inefficient lighting costs money and you can understand why people are migrating to LEDs.



Well manufactured LEDs emit a fraction of the heat when compared to an equivalent HPS lamp. Let's compare one of the top manufacturers' LED grow lights versus a 1,000 Watt HPS. Note that 'BTU' is a unit of energy and the 1,000W HPS creates approximately 5.4 times more heat than the Super Grow LED — which is simply wasted energy and creates many more problems.

8 X Super Grow LEDs (offer the same light as one 1,000 HPS)
Total Watts 184 (23 Watts each)
Total ~650 BTU's of heat

1 X 1000W HPS
Total Watts 1,000
Total ~3,500 BTU's of heat

Save electricity, save space

Good broad spectrum LED grow lights run at around 15% to 20% of the electricity cost when compared to an equivalent HID grow light system. Using the example above it is clear to see that running 8 X Super Grow LED units at a total of 184 Watts is a far cheaper solution than running the equivalent light supply from a 1,000 Watt HPS + 150 Watt ballast. Reducing energy costs and consumption is not only greener but saves growers money. In addition to this, growers save space with LEDs as they can hold the light far closer, at around 12-18 inches, to the plants and remove ballasts, fans and ventilation systems from the room, too.
Broad spectrum, 3 band, 5 band, 11 wavelengths etc

So LED systems are cheaper and cooler to run, but do they provide the right kind of light?

The light spectrum is measured in nanometres (nm) as shown in the image above from infrared through the visible light spectrum to ultraviolet light.

Cannabis requires the blue spectrum for vegetative growth and the yellows, ambers, reds and far-red spectrum for pre-flowering and flowering. Growing marijuana will use the light from approximately 420 through to 730 nanometres (nm) and everything in between. Lights that offer this range will cover both the 'chlorophyll A' and 'chlorophyll B' absorption frequencies, as well as additional photosynthesis production stages which is known as the Photosynthetically Active Range, or PAR for short.

For the marijuana grower one of the beauties of LED lighting is that good models operate right across the spectrum so you can use the same light from seed germination through to flowering. Look for LED grow lights that operate across a broad frequency from at least 420 nm through to 730 nm and everything in between. LED grow light manufacturers have to specifically mix the colors within their product and some often miss portions of the required spectrum.

There are many commercially available LED units that have spectra specifically balanced LEDs for the grow room. This is generally achieved by using a mix of red and blue lights, but several suppliers are now including LEDs that provide light in the green, amber and far-red ranges.



LED grow lights are often marketed as 3 band, 5 band, 11 wavelengths etc, these are not usually broad spectrum products. These products operate in some but not all of the spectrums required for a successful, fast, big yield crop. Quite often LED light companies are reselling someone else's product configuration and they simply don't know what they are selling.
1W, 2W, 3W and 5W LEDs

LEDs are produced en-mass and then samples are tested to see what current they can cope with. Some of the 1 Watt LEDs can tolerate twice or three times the current and so they are marketed as 2W or 3W LEDs. These are the same LEDs as the 1W but with more current being pushed through them. There is a cost to this, these LEDs may fail quicker and produce more heat, requiring cooling methods such as fans and heat pipes to be incorporated. Well constructed 1W versions with no fans are the best bet for a successful, heat free long term operation. However, if you must purchase a unit with fans in it, make sure the fans are rated for a lifetime that exceeds that of the LEDs.
LED grow light lens

There are many types of lenses and reflectors available to harness the LED's output and direct it where it will do the grower the most good. A simple, well-designed reflector is usually suitable to do the job, but Total Internal Reflective (TIR) lenses more fully and accurately collect and guide the light.

Make sure you choose a reflector or lens product with an output that meets your needs. An LED's light output is usually a cone with a 160 degree angle. Some LED grow lights have no lenses and obviously, these are a waste of valuable light, and your money. Some products have 120 degree lenses and any lens is better than no lens. However, too wide a lens spreads the luminous intensity over too great an area, either providing too little power to your plants, too wide a coverage area (and wasted light that doesn't fall on your plants), or both.

Narrowing the lens or reflector increases the power delivered to your plants significantly, up to 400-500%, but narrows the effective coverage area. A good trade-off for both problems is to use a medium output angle, from 60-90 degrees. The grow light manufacturer should provide effective coverage charts for their products and some will even perform photometry evaluations for your specific grow area, telling you exactly where to place your light(s) for maximum effect.



LED Grow Lights

The Future

The commercial sector is really leading the way with LED lighting, making available a huge selection of lighting units. Although this is to be welcomed, the down side of it is that there are also many substandard products available that are not up to scratch and that will not produce the plentiful yields growers have become accustomed to with HIDs.

If you do decide to invest in some LED grow lights it is important that you buy from a reputable source and be sure it's somewhere that you can ask questions about the spectrum and light intensity of the unit. We can highly recommend working with Super Grow LED, they offer the best broad spectrum LED grow lights on the market. They are not just resellers, they are the manufacturers, they don't sell junk, and they designed their products with the benefit of decades of LED lighting experience.

Big yields are obtainable using good LED grow lights which is noted by some of the leading Dutch growers moving to purely LED based systems. One thing is for sure though, the technology is here right now and in a world where energy efficiency, heat reduction, space saving and sustainability is vital, LED grow light systems have a bright future for indoor marijuana cultivation.


Marijuana grow lighting basics

We will take a look at the specific light required by marijuana for growing purposes. Let's start with a bit of light measurement; nanometres (nm) are a measurement of one specific wavelength of light (one specific color). While Kelvin (°K) which is discussed in more detail later on, rates the 'temperature' of a light and offers an indication to the peak nanometers (nm) within the spectrum that each light offers.

The formula between Kevin and nanometres; 2,897,768 / K = nanometres (nm) however the two do not relate perfectly and this can only be used as a guide as to where a light source might actually be peaking in a precise nanometer (nm). Remember each the light source will offer a spectrum measured in nanometres (nm), say 500 to 700 nm.


Light in nanometres

Generally visible light is discussed in terms of wavelengths (rather than frequencies) using the unit nanometers (nm) where 1 nm = 1 billionth of a metre. Humans recognize these wavelengths as different colors starting at approximately 380 nm as the shortest wavelength within violet light and 750 nm as the longest wavelength within red light.

Marijuana plants need light from the right part of the spectrum with the right amount of intensity to encourage proper yet fast growth. Cannabis plants respond principally to light from the blue end of the spectrum for vegetative growth and from the yellow, amber, red end for root growth and flowering.

The image above outlines the entire spectrum of visible light in nanometres (nm);
Point (A) in the blue spectrum indicates is the light spectrum that marijuana plants require for vegetative growth;
Point (B) outlines the yellow, amber and red spectrums which are required for pre-flowering and flowering (budding).

Growing marijuana will use the light from 400 through to 700 nanometres (nm) which will cover 'chlorophyll a', 'chlorophyll b' and photosynthesis production which is known as the Photosynthetically Active Range, or PAR for short.

HPS lights offer light in the spectrum from approximately 540 through to 700 nm, typically yellow, amber and red light. While the MH lights offer light from approximately the 350 to 550 nanometres (nm) in the blue, green to yellow range. However it always depends on what brand lamp your purchase as some HPS lamps are 'cooler' and some MH lamps a bit 'warmer'. LEDs need to be mixed together, some blues, some reds, etc to create good broad spectrum LED grow lights, these are the new breed of grow light that cover the full grow range from 400 through 700 nm.


Light in terms of Kelvin (°K)

We can see from the scale below how different light sources hit the Kelvin (°K) scale at different places. The lower the degree K, the more "warm", or red the light appears. The higher the degree K, the bluer, or "cooler" the lamp appears. Kelvin is a scientific term; Kelvin temperature measures the color of a light source relative to a black background.

In simpler terms, it is the average degree of warmth or coolness of a light source, not with regards to the physical temperature, rather to the visual temperature of the light.

Depending on which metal halide (MH) grow light you use they have an average of 3,200 to 5,500 °K while high pressure sodium (HPS) grow lights have an average of 2,200 °K and broad spectrum LEDs use a number of different LEDs
in a mix, some are in the blues, some in the reds and some in between.

Average composition:
Solubility: > 99.0%
PH 8-10
Moisture 1-5%
Crude protein 6-8%
Organic matter .>45%
Alginic acid 10-20%
Mannitol 4-7%
Nitrogen 1.0-1.5%
Phosphorus:0.5-1.5%
Potassium 16-21%
Iron 0.2-0.4%
Calcium 0.15-0.20%
Sulphur 1.0-3.0 %
Magnesium 0.2-0.9 %
Total amino acid: 1.5-3.5% Essential trace elements:
Cytokinin & gibberellin: 600ppm-800ppm
(Natural hormone)
Copper 1-6ppm
Vitamin: >600ppm
Zinc: 50-200ppm
Manganese 5-12ppm
Molybdenum 1-5ppm
Boron: 16-24ppm
Nickel: 1-3ppm
Selenium: 2-3ppm
Plumbum: <10ppm
Hg: < 5ppm
Co: < 5ppm
Cd: < 5ppm

The goal is give your plant 10,000 lumens of light or more. The more the better as long as the heat does not burn the plant.

 

[4smokazonly]

THIS IS IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!

The Grow Show - THC, UVB and Me - YouTube

 

[Outragedpluto]

this is her about 3 hrs into her sickness

this is what her leaves looked like about 12 hrs in

 

[Outragedpluto]

on a good note though i have these 2 healthy clones. they are still the trip diesel and are about 2 1/2 weeks old. these are also the pots that i am growing them in

 

[4smokazonly]

damn man, she was sick but on the brighter note they are some beautiful healthy looking clones!
you will have to keep me up to date with your old girls daughter i wish you all the best bud! oh and they are some good looking pots, where did you pick them up from?