My First Grow!

[Xlr8]

Re: My first grow!!!

So just a quick update: Lights will be here Friday - this was quite a bit sooner than expected, but definitely appreciated. Now I just have to hustle to get that space ready. In terms of fire and electrical safety, how to 400w lights rank? These have to be fairly safe, as there are so many people on here using them.

The big thing is that they do get hot. Make sure that you keep a safe distance between the light and anything else that could be flammable.

Make sure you are venting your space - air flowing in and out. Keep an eye on your temperatures to make sure your space doesn't get too hot. (Temps too high will be hard on your plants).

 

[farmer.ed]

Re: My first grow!!!

Good news Smokey, glad to hear they will arrive so soon. Do you have a vented reflector on it s way as well or is it an open wing style? As XLR8 said they do get hot, I have had a few bulbs explode and ballasts catch on fire, so I try to keep fire safety equipment close at hand. Keeping a small area cool with a 400 mh running is not easy, I assume you will have access to outside air? This can be your savior if it is cold outside. During veg you will want to keep a small area around 74 since moving air is limited you will have to also keep RH quite low to avoid mold and mites. Again as xlr8 said (Temps too high will be hard on your plants) is a nice way of saying you will stress them to death......

As far as ranking 400w hps, I use Eye, Digilux, Maxlume, Phillips all seem to hold their weight and provide a great PAR range and have little blow outs (no blow outs)

400w MH, I use Eye and phillips (EU) (no blow outs)
600w MH Digilux and Maxlume (no blow outs)

Ballasts are a different story, most of the ones that went to shit were no name brand, I have had 1 dimmable Lumatek go bad (no fire), 1 Quantum dimmable go bad (no fire just smoke) Sunleaves Pulsar (small fire)

 

[SmokeyMcMedic]

Re: My first grow!!!

Fires?? Yikes!!! I am not using a digital ballast setup, just the traditional magnetic ballast from HTG supply. The reflector is four sided and open... Air cooled. How common would something like that (a fire) be with a magnetic ballast?

 

[farmer.ed]

Re: My first grow!!!

I have set up close to 300 ballasts over the years and only had a handful of problems that I know of. Dealing with hid there is always the risk, a cheap smoke detector and a fire extinguisher usually covers most, I have similar units to the flame defender in my power rooms, I usually isolate them for heat reasons outside the grow.

 

[lbezphil2005]

Re: My first grow!!!

Hey Smokey, looking good so far. What are your system plans for when they are teens? Are you planning to grow all the way out in stacked cubes (Russian Doll)? or will you use your ebb and flow? You may want to put a thin layer of biochar or perlite so the cubes get a little aeration for faster rooting without the rot from standing water.

I have used Technaflora, I ran the recipe for success little box set, I give away a kit with each of my systems. Be careful to follow the feeding chart and make sure to mix all nutes in at least 2gal of r/o water and let it stand for 20 minutes or so before adding to res. They are a great quality starter kit and provides a nice quality smoke if flushed correctly. Flush with a 2% mixture of the flower nutes and r/o water for the last week.

Uh, what system?

 

[lbezphil2005]

Re: My first grow!!!

Alright... so here are a few pics of how we are currently coming along. I took farmer.ed's sage advice into account and placed the sprouts in my ebb tray. I will be switching primary irrigation system over to ebb and flow later in the week -- I need to rinse my hydroton more thorougly.


So, here is a picture of the setup in it's current incarnation:

The stretching seems to have stopped....for now...

And from a slightly different angle...

Ok, I have been watering 2x daily with a fairly weak solution of Root 66 and Sugar Daddy with an average pH right around 6. I can't decide if I should continue with this solution at res change, or if I should change over to the veg nutrient mixture. Any feedback would be most appreciated!!!

Now for the lighting issue. I need more light, and I have a few options. I was planning on getting a two-bulb T5 HO fixture, but I have a feeling that will still not provide enough light. So, now I am stuck between a 400w MH/HPS setup and the new Kessil LED grow lamps. Nothing in the way of LED lighting systems has impressed me very much. However, the Kessil appears to be a very promising next-step for LED lights.


Here is one of the official vids -

YouTube - Kessil's Plant Research Lab

And here is one demonstrating brightness inside a tent -

YouTube - Kessil LED grow test

As you can see, these are incredibly intense growing lights. I am just not sure if I should invest in these, or just play it safe and go with the switchable ballast HID light. Well, I am looking forward to reading everyone's responses!!! I will be ordering today, as I do not want the stretching situation to get any worse. So, until next time....

look into black dog led's lights, pm me for website info. 3 watt lights using 2.47 watts per light, REALLY puts out the light, new models really kick EVERYONES but out there.

 

[lbezphil2005]

Re: My first grow!!!

I have set up close to 300 ballasts over the years and only had a handful of problems that I know of. Dealing with hid there is always the risk, a cheap smoke detector and a fire extinguisher usually covers most, I have similar units to the flame defender in my power rooms, I usually isolate them for heat reasons outside the grow.

Hats off to this installation!! Finally, work done by a pro!!! Great electrical, bro!

 

[Farmr Jane]

Smokey, those ladys look mighty fine!!!!! I can agree with the high heat factor. i am currently looking into a small ac system or something to keep my room cool! And the mh/hps lights are pretty durable i used to run mh lights over my reef tank and never had any problems just watch the bulbs if the get wet they will shatter or exploded. Another recommendation is paint the walls flat white in your new construction! It makes a night and day difference if you do! Keep up the good work and remember KISS you can never fail with it! Good Vibes to you and your ladys!!!!!

 

[SmokeyMcMedic]

Thank you Farmr Jane and lbezphil2005 for stopping in and leaving some good vibes!!!! I love how active this community is, and I especially love how the more experienced people on here are more than willing to help out someone new. Got me feeling right at home now. Farmer jane had a really good suggestion about white paint, and that is how I will be finishing my room, until I can get some mylar in place. Fortunately, we have a full gallon of bright white primer from when we painted our living room, so I don't need to make a special trip to the 'Depot. Ok, now for some new pics:

I apologize for the quality of the images; clearly my digital camera is beginning to show its age.

As you can see, I placed my sprouts in the larger cubes; this was probably a little soon, but I want a sturdy platform in place for the roots to grow into, as I may have to place them in a new container later on.

So, good news is my new light should be here tomorrow afternoon. I may be wrong on this, but I am fully anticipating these ladies(?) hitting a major growth spurt under the new light. Also, I am proud to report that my DIY ebb and flow is working like a dream. I have been running the system for two days now and it has performed flawlessly; no leaks, no timer/pump failure, and no flooded basement!!! This makes me very happy, because building this setup was a really fun project, and it is incredibly gratifying to see it perform as intended.

I changed the res before transplanting, so here is the run-down of nutrients:

I started with 3ga water
added 30mL Root 66 (full strength @ 10mL/ga)
added 20mL Sugar Daddy (2/3 strength @ 10mL/ga)
added 4mL ThriveAlive B-1 Green (2/3 strength @ 1-2mL/ga)
pH is between 5.5 and 6.5

I do not yet have a digital pH meter. I know, I know.... The liquid test kits aren't great, and at some point I need digital. I became familiar with kits like this back when I was doing pool care as a boy, so they just kind of come second nature to me and therefore I am comfortable using them.

Farmer.ed brings up an excellent point about fire safety - there are many, many threads on here devoted to growing and maintaining cannabis, but I have yet to see someone really stress the importance of taking reasonable precautions against a fire. Fire safety is everyone's responsibility, and this is one case where an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure. A base-model flame defender unit costs about $80.00. I don't remember exactly how much our home owner's insurance charges for a deductible in case of a fire, but I can safely tell you that it is much more than eighty dollars. This, to me, is a prudent investment.

So there we have it. Now I am off to work. Oh, one more question -- When using ebb and flow, how many times per day should you flood the table?

 

[THCScientist]

Good luck smokey. That new light is gonna blow your socks off compared to the previous setup. I'll be following along to see those ladies get flowered.

 

[HempRocket]

Good point about the flame defender . I have a regular extinguisher in my basement as well as a smoke detector but I will be installing one of these defenders for sure.

 

[jcool09]

So, good news is my new light should be here tomorrow afternoon. I may be wrong on this, but I am fully anticipating these ladies(?) hitting a major growth spurt under the new light.

Hey Smokey, welcome to the forum! I saw you over on Krip's thread and thought I would drop by to see what's up. I like what I have seen so far- love your drip system and I'm interested to see how that ebb-n-flow works for you. I would appreciate it if you could PM me the details of your hydro setup when you have a moment.

Dude, you can't yet imagine the difference you are going to see when you cut over to the HID lights! Those skinny little plants are going to beef up into bushes then little trees in a few weeks. It sounds like you may also be trying to keep things discreet by growing in a small area under a staircase. Reading that this is your first go-around with HID lighting you may not anticipate how hot an exposed 400w HID light is going to be. Farmer Ed asked if you had an air cooled reflector- you said "The reflector is four sided and open... Air cooled" I think what he was talking about is a model like this Sun Systems unit

or a "Cool Tube" type like this:

Notice how there are connectors on the sides for 4" flexible ducting. Also notice that these reflectors are enclosed with glass- this is important for both keeping the heat inside the reflector as well as glowing hot filament from an exploded bulb that could start a fire. It sounds like you're going to be working in a basement where you'll likely have cool ambient air temps and a cement floor which will help on both fronts. I am a cabinet grower and use 250w HID in a 1'x3'x4' enclosed area. Heat removal is essential for sucess in my environment and the glass protection lets me sleep better at night. My air cooling system works by using an in-line fan like this

blowing out of the exhaust end of the duct. The other end of the duct connects to the side of the reflector. The fan draws hot air and some bud stink (a whole other problem you're going to have in a couple of weeks!) from your grow area across the bulb, through the ducting, and out into a "safe" place for the heat and odor. My ducting terminates near a soffit vent in my attic. I just wanted to give you a heads up to plan in advance to deal with high temps from the HID and bud stink so you don't have to scramble when it happens! I'm looking forward to hearing more as your grow develops!

 

[SmokeyMcMedic]

Good news!!! The light arrived today exactly as expected!!! I hung it before work, and OH MAN!! This thing is bright! This may sound weird, but I could almost see the plants respond right away. I will definitely be posting pics later tonight. Also, it was immediately apparent that this light will get hot when on.

Thanks for stopping in jcool09! I will pm you w/details of my setup.

 

[lbezphil2005]

Re: My first grow!!!

If you have a few weeks to wait you may be able to get your hands on one of these induction lights.....They will be starting at about $1000 with 4 x 8 pattern coverage hood and reflector 100k hr bulb etc.....This one is a test model, it so far out performs everything else we have it up against (2 x 600w HPS and other test 1 x 1000 hps) There is no heat to deal with and the phosphor exciter can be tuned for different par 385 nm - 710 nm (approximate figures) tune-ability will come in the next generation, this one is fixed to 400nm -660nm consumes 400w and provides enough light penetration for a 4x8 flood table not just an oversized reflector.

Farmer Ed!!! How cool is this!! I have been looking for someone using these lights in their grows, interested in the results. I think the next light I will pick up is one of these to add to my led, maybe put them on a 355 degree light mover, depending on if they deliver the goods or not.

 

[SmokeyMcMedic]

Good evening!!! My plants spent about 8 hours under the new MH tonight, and I am pretty sure that they loved it. So, here are some pics -

The leaves really perked up with the new light

I have also included a photo of the area under my stairs that I am planning on using. Any ideas?

I plan on doing this portion of the project tomorrow night and all day Sunday.

Until next time....

 

[THCScientist]

Good luck with your field of dreams. Build it, And they will come.

 

[Farmr Jane]

Make sure to grab a couple tubes of caulk and go crazy on all the joints and cracks before you drywall! It will insure an air and light tight encloser. Those ladys are looking good too! Keep up the hard work!

 

[farmer.ed]

That is an interesting space to work out of, if it were mine, I would diamond film the entire space, add 2 x 8 bulb t-5 to follow the roof (stair) line, and have my HID closest to the door, highest point for tall growth. The plants closest to the back will be the clones and teens, next is a small veg area, then hang a roll up of diamond film and have a flower chamber closest to the door and leave a walking path to move plants out to work on them.

Thanks again @lbezphil2005,
I have already seen great results from the induction light from seed-bud, personal opinion is they outperform both HID and LED, a hybrid of the 3 is already being tested and will be on the shelves here in about 4 months. There are alot of innovative reflector designers here in SoCal, I am finding some really cool new products which are specific hybrids like LED and HID running from same digital ballast.

 

[HempRocket]

That is an interesting space to work out of, if it were mine, I would diamond film the entire space, add 2 x 8 bulb t-5 to follow the roof (stair) line, and have my HID closest to the door, highest point for tall growth. The plants closest to the back will be the clones and teens, next is a small veg area, then hang a roll up of diamond film and have a flower chamber closest to the door and leave a walking path to move plants out to work on them.

Thanks again @lbezphil2005,
I have already seen great results from the induction light from seed-bud, personal opinion is they outperform both HID and LED, a hybrid of the 3 is already being tested and will be on the shelves here in about 4 months. There are alot of innovative reflector designers here in SoCal, I am finding some really cool new products which are specific hybrids like LED and HID running from same digital ballast.

Nice plan but it will be very very tight in there.

 

[SmokeyMcMedic]

I love the ideas. I just have my 400w that I will be working with, but this will definitely be interesting. I am thinking that a SCROG setup would make for the most efficient use of space and light. Any thoughts?