Light

[JiggiLotus]

I'm new to growing cannabis. I have 3 grow lights that are just simple grow lights from the store. They're all 9w. But they produce 60w power. My plants all seem happy thus far. However I've become a bit confused about the light stuff. When you research them they claim they don't need the lights like other photoperiods. However, then again I read that you need a grow light that's better than 100w for vegetation and flowering. So.... Does my trio of 60w grow bulbs equal the amount needed or do I need to find a grow light that's more suitable? I plan on growing the photoperiods outside when it gets warmer.

 

[Roy Growin]

I'm new to growing cannabis. I have 3 grow lights that are just simple grow lights from the store. They're all 9w. But they produce 60w power. My plants all seem happy thus far. However I've become a bit confused about the light stuff. When you research them they claim they don't need the lights like other photoperiods. However, then again I read that you need a grow light that's better than 100w for vegetation and flowering. So.... Does my trio of 60w grow bulbs equal the amount needed or do I need to find a grow light that's more suitable? I plan on growing the photoperiods outside when it gets warmer.

Might be enough for seedlings, if not they will start to stretch until they fall over
Let that be your guide
Also, look for 5600k daylight bulbs, bog standard 2700k is no good
If you intend to veg/flower under the lamp you will need 30-40w per sq.ft - real power rating, not 'equivalent'

 

[Nunyabiz]

For each plant you will need at least a 2x2' space preferably at least 8' tall
And for proper growth I feel you need about 200 actual watts from the wall.
And preferably those 200 watts should be spread equally over the entire 2x2 in a strip light configuration.

18 watts is not going to cut it.

I run 325 watts to cover a 2.5x2.5x9' space.
My total space is 2.5x5x9 and I have two 325 watt light side by side which is just right.

 

[Delps8]

Welcome to 420 and welcome to the obsession growing cannabis.

Good advice, as usual, from @Nunya Biz though I think his recommendations of watts/sq ft are a bit high.

TLDR
If you're in a 2' x 2' space, get a ViparSpectra XS-1500 Pro and spend $32 on a Uni-T Bluetooth light meter.
If you're in a 2' x 4' space, get a ViparSpectra XS-2500 Pro and spend $32 on a Uni-T Bluetooth light meter.

See, this growing weed thing isn't that difficult, is it?

My reason for recommending the light(s) from Vipar is because that light is, simply put, a superb product. I've spent a lot of time over the last three years (many hundreds of hours) learning about growing cannabis and, more specifically, grow lights. I grow one plant at a time a 2' x 4' tent and I own five grow lights, using four of them during the course of a grow. One of those is the Vipar XS 1500, not the Pro, and it's a good little light.

My jaw hit the floor when the XS 1500 Pro came out. The Pro model is a great little light. Vipar is a reputable vendor, the XS 1500 Pro has a good spectrum, it generates a lot of light, it has a very even light cat, and it's cheap.

The number of watts a light draws from the wall is a good general guideline. Nunya's numbers look to be about 50 watts/sq ft. My most powerful lights draw 330 from the wall. That's 330/8 ≈ 40 watts/sq ft and both of those lights generate more light than I can use (I don't run CO2). At 40 watts/sq ft, you can grow "a metric shit ton" of cannabis.

Note that I specified "draws from the wall" - that's very different than what some manufacturers advertise about their lights. Some manufacturers pitch their products as being a "replacement for a 1000 watt HPS" or some such. I would recommend that you disregard those manufacturers and their products.

Insofar as the lights that you have, return them if you can.

Are you going to do an autoflower grow now and then do photos after?

 

[JiggiLotus]

Welcome to 420 and welcome to the obsession growing cannabis.

Good advice, as usual, from @Nunya Biz though I think his recommendations of watts/sq ft are a bit high.

TLDR
If you're in a 2' x 2' space, get a ViparSpectra XS-1500 Pro and spend $32 on a Uni-T Bluetooth light meter.
If you're in a 2' x 4' space, get a ViparSpectra XS-2500 Pro and spend $32 on a Uni-T Bluetooth light meter.

See, this growing weed thing isn't that difficult, is it?

My reason for recommending the light(s) from Vipar is because that light is, simply put, a superb product. I've spent a lot of time over the last three years (many hundreds of hours) learning about growing cannabis and, more specifically, grow lights. I grow one plant at a time a 2' x 4' tent and I own five grow lights, using four of them during the course of a grow. One of those is the Vipar XS 1500, not the Pro, and it's a good little light.

My jaw hit the floor when the XS 1500 Pro came out. The Pro model is a great little light. Vipar is a reputable vendor, the XS 1500 Pro has a good spectrum, it generates a lot of light, it has a very even light cat, and it's cheap.

The number of watts a light draws from the wall is a good general guideline. Nunya's numbers look to be about 50 watts/sq ft. My most powerful lights draw 330 from the wall. That's 330/8 ≈ 40 watts/sq ft and both of those lights generate more light than I can use (I don't run CO2). At 40 watts/sq ft, you can grow "a metric shit ton" of cannabis.

Note that I specified "draws from the wall" - that's very different than what some manufacturers advertise about their lights. Some manufacturers pitch their products as being a "replacement for a 1000 watt HPS" or some such. I would recommend that you disregard those manufacturers and their products.

Insofar as the lights that you have, return them if you can.

Are you going to do an autoflower grow now and then do photos after?

Actually I have 3 autoflowers growing.
And my grow journal is Critical 47. That's my big girl, then I've got a Wild Thai and a newborn sprout of Channel+.
I have feminized photoperiods but I plan on growing them outside this spring.
Ive been comparing the different lights offered out there. I don't plan on having a huge grow room, just keeping it to 3 plants at a time. For now anyhow
I don't have a tent, it's just a couple of tall boxes I desected and ductaped into a Frankenstein grow box. It's almost 2x2x3

 

[Nunyabiz]

I am running about 65w per square foot, I like having my lights so that I can run them at 50 to 75% so that I get better efficiency, runs cooler, last longer.
And in several years when the LEDs start to lose a little brightness I can just turn it up.
I also can raise the lights and turn them up to 100% to get more heat if needed and still get the same PPFD at the canopy.
When you have a bit more power than you need you have lots of adjustments you can make to get the exact DLI that you need and be more efficient and run cooler, longer lifespan.

 

[Delps8]

Actually I have 3 autoflowers growing.
And my grow journal is Critical 47. That's my big girl, then I've got a Wild Thai and a newborn sprout of Channel+.
I have feminized photoperiods but I plan on growing them outside this spring.
Ive been comparing the different lights offered out there. I don't plan on having a huge grow room, just keeping it to 3 plants at a time. For now anyhow
I don't have a tent, it's just a couple of tall boxes I desected and ductaped into a Frankenstein grow box. It's almost 2x2x3

Kudos for ingenuity! That's really great!

Your plants would benefit from more light - some of the characteristics of plants that aren't getting much light are that they are tall and don't have much foliage. Even the tall one is still very young so they should fill out well if you get more light on them.

Check out the photo I've attached. That's the XS 1500 hanging over one seedling in a corner of my office. I use it for seedlings and as a fill light.

 

[Delps8]

I am running about 65w per square foot, I like having my lights so that I can run them at 50 to 75% so that I get better efficiency, runs cooler, last longer.
And in several years when the LEDs start to lose a little brightness I can just turn it up.
I also can raise the lights and turn them up to 100% to get more heat if needed and still get the same PPFD at the canopy.
When you have a bit more power than you need you have lots of adjustments you can make to get the exact DLI that you need and be more efficient and run cooler, longer lifespan.

Thank you for listing out the advantages. They're all excellent points.

 

[JiggiLotus]

Thank you guys for helping, I'm definitely going to be getting a better light source. ASAP cuz I want my grows to be just as brilliant and magnificent. I don't want y'all to laugh at my skimpy weed that didn't bud for sh!t. Lol
I don't wanna be 'that guy'.

Looks like I gotta go copper harvesting this weekend!! Scrap prices are up, so hopefully that'll get me closer to having a REAL grow light!

 

[OGpapa]

Every little bit counts. You don't have to be a baller. Just get what you can afford. You can always add another or go bigger down the road. I would consider 250-300 watts. A good starting point. Just remember gardens always get bigger, lights always get better, and growing weed is fun! Throw some veggies in there for your old man, since he don't smoke.

 

[TheGrimReaper]

Thank you guys for helping, I'm definitely going to be getting a better light source. ASAP cuz I want my grows to be just as brilliant and magnificent. I don't want y'all to laugh at my skimpy weed that didn't bud for sh!t. Lol
I don't wanna be 'that guy'.

Looks like I gotta go copper harvesting this weekend!! Scrap prices are up, so hopefully that'll get me closer to having a REAL grow light!

Right now in one of my cabinets I'm using just 4 regular CFL bulbs with 1 turned off because the temps were too high. You really dont need much to grow a plant especially an autoflower. I've flowered with 3-4 cfl bulbs before but my purposes were for breeding and not yeild.

 

[bluter]

I am running about 65w per square foot, I like having my lights so that I can run them at 50 to 75% so that I get better efficiency, runs cooler, last longer.
And in several years when the LEDs start to lose a little brightness I can just turn it up.
I also can raise the lights and turn them up to 100% to get more heat if needed and still get the same PPFD at the canopy.
When you have a bit more power than you need you have lots of adjustments you can make to get the exact DLI that you need and be more efficient and run cooler, longer lifespan.

this right here. go with more than you need for the space and use a dimmer. you can prolong the life of your rig for an exceptional period, most of the old cob rigs i built are a decade plus now.

strip light rigs are better than platters in near every sense. don't bother with cobs. pay attention to the specs, things like driver brand, chipset brand / version, emitter binning, number of emitters, kelvin mix, all play a part in determining the lifespan and quality of the rig.

don't be afraid to ask questions from the folks who use similar rigs to what you are interested in.

 

[JiggiLotus]

Right now in one of my cabinets I'm using just 4 regular CFL bulbs with 1 turned off because the temps were too high. You really dont need much to grow a plant especially an autoflower. I've flowered with 3-4 cfl bulbs before but my purposes were for breeding and not yeild.

Nice. Ooh I like your fan system, that's how I invisioned installing the little one from the laptop. Does one blow inside an the other blows outside?
You're cabinet looks really good

 

[TheGrimReaper]

Nice. Ooh I like your fan system, that's how I invisioned installing the little one from the laptop. Does one blow inside an the other blows outside?
You're cabinet looks really good

Yes the fans works as an intake and exhaust. I do not use the fans though on this cabinet because this cabinet is used for breeding.

 

[JiggiLotus]

this right here. go with more than you need for the space and use a dimmer. you can prolong the life of your rig for an exceptional period, most of the old cob rigs i built are a decade plus now.

strip light rigs are better than platters in near every sense. don't bother with cobs. pay attention to the specs, things like driver brand, chipset brand / version, emitter binning, number of emitters, kelvin mix, all play a part in determining the lifespan and quality of the rig.

don't be afraid to ask questions from the folks who use similar rigs to what you are interested in.

Aren't you glad we don't pollinate like that? Go to excrete and everyone within a specific distance gets pregnant... Hahahha

 

[JiggiLotus]

Do you have to keep your other female plants in a different room completely to prevent fertilization? I think of pollen as a sifting cloud that easily wanders through the softest breeze and can travel far distances

 

[TheGrimReaper]

Do you have to keep your other female plants in a different room completely to prevent fertilization? I think of pollen as a sifting cloud that easily wanders through the softest breeze and can travel far distances

Yes, I have to take certain preventative measures in order not to accidentally pollinate other plants. One of the preventative measures that I take is to finish with my other area first before handling my breeding cabinet, spraying and mopping the surrounding area before taking a shower and changing my clothes

 

[OGpapa]

God. Y'all. Make it sound like the plague.

I must be one of the few who embraces finding beans. No way in hell will I ever buy seeds again.

 

[TheGrimReaper]

God. Y'all. Make it sound like the plague.

I must be one of the few who embraces finding beans. No way in hell will I ever buy seeds again.

My wife has heard this quote many times "This is my last seed purchase" no really the last one was though! I'm at a point where Im comfortable with my collection and sitting back watching from the sideline all of the "New" stuff that comes out.

 

[JiggiLotus]

I know there's so many!!
That would be a good idea for a game! create your own strains