Pro-Grow 260W LED, 6-Site Hydro Grow

ex1stence

New Member
This entire grow is compliant with SB 420, Prop 215, and is being done on a scientific/medical basis.

Hey everyone, here with my third grow, first grow journal, and first grow on a completely new set up. I recently moved to a new apartment that has an electrical bill being watched by/paid for by my landlord, and because of this I've had to ditch all of my old equipment and start fresh. After a bit of time spent forum crawling, and researching where I can, I've decided to go with a Pro-Grow 260w LED Light, and will be growing 6 identical Platinum Daddy clones from Elemental Wellness.

Light seen here; Pro-Grow 260 (Cree) | Hydroponics Hut

I'll be running them through a basic 6 bucket, single pump continuous-drip hydro system, and feeding on your average three part GenHydro nutrient solution. No flair, no frills, as basic and reproducible as possible, that is the goal of this journal. To completely and totally focus on the benefits, faults, and decisions that are involved in running a 100% ventless and LED exclusive set up.

While I wait for the light to arrive in the mail, I figure I'll get the pot stirring and put in my two cents about the current LED climate and where it stands in regards to the rest of the community and marketplace. The first thing I believe that needs to be understood about LED is that it asks the consumer, and the rest of its competitors, to believe there is an equally powerful alternative to the archaic and bumbling technologies that have become the industry standard for well over 40 years now. Not only are bulbs, hoods, and reflectors a huge part of their profit margin and cycle, but the systems necessary to move all the heat they generate away from the plants they are growing has become a multi-million dollar business. Ventilation, fans, carbon filters, and what I'm sure is a fairly decent contribution to Home Depot, Lowes and the like, have all become a part of the standard for what it means to budget a growing room, and I myself had been a slave to everything ventilation related before I moved here. Now when I moved I was excited at the prospect of free electricity, but also came to realize my landlord wouldn't tolerate sky high bills, so I was forced to shut everything down and figure out something new. Luckily I was granted a closet with a decent amount of space and a near super-building ability to contain odors as long as the door is closed properly, so I decided to look into the prospects of LED and what they could offer me. Several months I've spent in total now coming to this decision, and overall this where I think the debate stands as of now, yesterday, and tomorrow.

LED's are experiencing the same pushback that the computing industry felt when vacuum tubes were still the standard way in which computers were built and processed information. Like Halide and Sodium bulbs, the amount of electricity and technology required just to keep these systems cooled down and operating efficiently was a multi-million dollar business, which also had no intention of going anywhere. Silicon had to prove its worth time and time again, but eventually the industry came to realize it was simply the smarter, more economical, and more advanced choice, and many, many businesses that manufactered vacuum tubes and the machinery necessary to cool them either adapted, or when out of business, so is the nature of capitalism. I belive LED's scare the shit out of old-schoolers, light reps, and ballast companies, because they represent a threat to their very industry and a large chunk of their profit in between it. I genuinely believe the technology necessary to match HID and HPS in 2011 is here, but the mere fact alone that the demand is being surpressed by common uproar in places like these is preventing that cost from going down with increased demand and production. This journal will be a continuing effort to disprove an archaic industry, and welcome a new standard, so to the companies holding tight to their ideals that we'll never be as good, as productive, or as worth it, I show you this, and whoever might like to join me in this fight.

Just finished the plumbing and bucket table, and for right now it is functioning as a working ebb-and-flow independent bucket system, with a 20-gal reservoir and 240gph feed-return pump (might be switching to DWC, not sure yet). Still waiting for both the light and the clones, more to update with fully reflective, fully lighted and ready to go room!
 
Finally! :bounce:

Sorry for the late updates everyone, my roomate that was making attempts to report me to the landlord and police, has finally moved out, and I can resume posting and journaling for HydroponicsHut and the ProGrow 260w!

Been a few changes of plan since the start, as I'll now be flowering four small hydroponic drip plants, Blue Shiva, and two Mango Trainwrecks in soil. This won't be the final set up for how I plan to run grows in the future, but the two teen soils would go as the same price of the clone hydros if I bought all six so, who's gonna say no to a deal like that .

As you can see the soil Wreck is twice as tall as the Blue Shiva, but I'll be throwing them all into flower simultaneously, just to get a good feel for coverage and viability before making the final switch. The two buckets to the side will be used for the soil grow, and yes, I know I need to wrap my buckets, but so far I've managed with some pretty decent light blocking techniques. Updates with those developments to come soon!

Current stats;
Light cycle; 18/6
Nutes; FloraNova 2-Part from GenHydro
PPM: 1400, off of 400 base.
pH: 5.5
2nd week of veg

(and you'll see at the bottom; New! From Prescott Pharmecuticals, the Filt-o-Tron 6000! Warning; do not operate around/if you want to have children.)
 
Next update;

Everyone is looking lush and healthy for the time being. Got the Trainwreck into a bigger patch of soil so it can stretch it's legs, and now the entire system as been thrown into flower. I'm hoping the Soils stretch enough before I have to raise the light on the clones, but for right now I've got them all staggered and angled so it's basically even light all the way through. More updates as the first pistils come in!

Stats;
PPM; 1500
pH: 5.8
Light cycle: 12/12
Time: 1st week of flower
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Third update;

Was having some problems with pH swing and narrowed it down to my buckets not draining fast enough, and after battling gravity for awhile I decided to tilt my table while angling the tops and inserts of my buckets to keep everything level. So far the drainage/pH problem hasn't flared up since so, fingers crossed. Wrapped my buckets for insulation and light blocking. The black inserts take care of the rest, which thankfully keeps the bucket from heating up, but still keeps the roots themselves in the dark without worrying about it.
Everything's reflective, running them on 12/12 for one more week, waiting for the first pistils to come in, then I'll be switching to 14/10 to finish out the cycle.

Stats;
Room temp; 76 degrees
Humidity; 58
pH; 6.1
PPM; 1200, 3-1 FloraBloom to Grow
2nd week of flower.


In the pics; wrapped bucket, new watering rings I put together, insert system, tilted plants
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I've also been moving the light about once a day, from left to right and back, just to get even coverage. Some plants are coming in shorter than others and I'm trying to keep a level canopy so any slackers get extra light when they need it.

Edit; cant' see it as well I as I hoped in the photo, but the lid and the insert are on opposing angles so they counter balance, making for optimal root room, light blocking for the gap (sort of like an awning); it looks like a silver lid with the hydroton container tilted once, black insert tilted opposite, bucket tilt opposite the insert. If I could draw I would but it makes for the best drainage, light blocking, and level canopy at once. I love geometry, but it took me way too long to get it all sorted out :)
 
hey man, just stumbled on this thread. Sub'd. Let's see some nugs come out here!

I see on their site the Pro-Gro 260W draws 150-160W. In fact I am pleasantly surprised that they list it. Anybody else notice LED company starting at least "try" to be more honest?

Anyway, I would highly recommend you get another light in there. Another Pro-Gro would be good, but from website it looks like it only has 1W LED (3W3 chipset). Not sure...

Now what is this "Prescott Pharmecuticals, the Filt-o-Tron 6000" closet monster that you speak of? It helps you run a sealed closet with no fans and no vents?!

Oh and if you're having some trouble with the bucket setup, look for Budslingers Recirculating bubble Buckets. Looks similar to yours and seems solid.
 
Looking good so far.:thumb: Im deffinetley in for this one:popcorn: I would definitely add another PG 260 or 180 you will not be disappointed. One of the links on my signature is to my first LED grow which was plagued with problems but I used 2X Pro Grow 250's and 2 cheap feliz CFL's and I still got some huge thick tasty nugs:yummy: If you cant afford another Pro grow I would get some cheap CFL's it will help fill in the spectrum and some of those dark areas not covered by LED.:goodluck:
 
Right now I'm trying to keep things on a "push one unit to the limit" basis, so I have a light rated for 5 plants, flowering 4 clones and two teens respectively. Kind of an across the board get-my-footing grow, to get a feel for the light. Might play around with a little LST eventually but for now I'm just getting it all set and ready for the next one.

But speaking of which, hopefully these 6 will yield high enough to afford me another 260, and I think at that point I can comfortably expand to 10 buckets, LST or ScrOG, and run each cycle independently on 5 per side. Right now I've got both spectrums on at all times for the 12/12 cycle, but hopefully next round I'll be running 2 260's, with specific spectrums only, white on veg, red on flower, etc. No jump in the electrical bill, and something like twice the coverage.

I am loving this switchable spectrum stuff :)
 
Sweet! I'm in the choir, but I'm tagging along for this one! :popcorn:

I'll attest to Anomoly23's advice on supplemental lighting. You might try moving the plants or light throughout the day, so they all get some LED loving.

I'm looking at adding a light mover into our new tent, when the need arises. Should help make a big difference on light coverage.
 
Fourth update;

Pistils! Super quick on the flowering response...only 5 days now on that cycle in full so that's good news. Nothing new on the nutrient front, still 1200 ppm, 3-1 Bloom to Grow, and the soil weren't stretching as fast as I would have hoped (uneven canopy in pics), so I lowered the CFL I was running in the ceiling, should be a decent boost to kickstart them. Did a little LST on 4 of the plants, 3 hydro 1 soil, leaving one soil and one hydro left to grow non-LST, no special treatment, straight under the light to get a controlled result. The rest is all profit baby :slide:

Stats;
Temp; 76
Humidity: 54
ppm: 1200
Water Temp; 64
pH: 6.2
2nd week of flower
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Fourth update;

Pistils! Super quick on the flowering response...only 5 days now on that cycle in full so that's good news. Nothing new on the nutrient front, still 1200 ppm, 3-1 Bloom to Grow, and the soil weren't stretching as fast as I would have hoped (uneven canopy in pics), so I lowered the CFL I was running in the ceiling, should be a decent boost to kickstart them. Did a little LST on 4 of the plants, 3 hydro 1 soil, leaving one soil and one hydro left to grow non-LST, no special treatment, straight under the light to get a controlled result. The rest is all profit baby :slide:

Stats;
Temp; 76
Humidity: 54
ppm: 1200
Water Temp; 64
pH: 6.2
2nd week of flower
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Looking good:slide: I got to say I am surprised that they are all growing so well with just 1 Pro Grow.:goodjob:
 
Fifth Update, 12th day of flower;

Pistils, pistils, pistils, get ya pistils here! Nothing much new about the plants so far, same feeding sched, cleaned up the reflective tops a bit, found a better LST method. One pic of hydro pistils, one of soil, one of the light heights and new room config.

Stats;
Air Temp; 77, Water; 64
Humidity; 59
PPM; 1200
pH; 5.8
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