long time grower thinking about switching to LEDs

[themaincola2020]

I thought you said you have 2 8 light rooms?

yes I do. but i am not involved in any of the activities at this time. Covid+Idiots is making my life complicated right now.

so your comment was... that is going to be a large expense and the world economy is bad?

i would like to know more about what is happening in green markets. when i left the scene we just had the medical programs, the prices have gone crazy low as i am near the green triangle. also was told is the demand for indoor is higher than ever. we can add 5 more states to the list of producers soon..

while the upfront price tag of switching is large.. when you calculate the savings in electricity, the savings in bulb replacement..
the lights pay for themselves.. (as long as they can compare to HID results)
can i afford not to switch?

 

[themaincola2020]

No clogging problems with open lines.
Using the aquarium manifolds does require some fiddling and adjusting, they work for me. Big pump keeps it more consistent.

My experience is limited, only a 4x8x8.

awesome. not sure what you mean by "aquarium manifolds"? those green splitter things.. but they have an aqurium use? I don't even know exactly how they work, never tried them. ill google..

more experience than me as far as hydro goes! I never thought about having hydro over a larger sq footage. pots with soil are so easy to pack a room. but i am excited to try a couple trays in a soiless medium! plus LEDS.

 

[TintEastwood]

These type. Good to know it's an option. I dont see many growers using them. But I don't get around much.

https://www.amazon.com/Pawfly-Aquarium-Chromium-Distributor-Accessories/dp/B073CTVJGJ/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=aquarium+manifold&qid=1604797349&sprefix=aquarium+man&sr=8-5

The larger tubed backbone helps equalize pressure across ports. As does a powerful submersible pump.



You should definitely check into how others are feeding grows your size.

 

[Kdotwash]

sounds like Cal Mag is clutch!
It provides the balance these ladies crave...
inline pump sweet.. i didn't even know they existed.. but looks perfect.
=] If I don't learn something new everyday then I'm dying...
is there a specific reason you don't care for coco? seems like coco would be easier to hand water?
i bet I make drip system either way.... but watering rockwool covered in panda film seems a little tricky. maybe?
For me, I treat my organic rooms as such, it is a living organism that has multiple ecosystems in various "thermoclimate zones" that in hydro I am just not comfortable with the added, unknowns. I believe I may have stated this earlier, but I treat ever endeavor with hydroponics with the same SOP procedural efforts as I do when I am in Chemistry lab, I am judge jury and executioner... to me, it really just seems like a "hydro hack" people get amazing results and im sure I would to, but I stay minimal. Top feed drain to waste. 32 gallons over 60 plants, once a day. Boom. Flush sundays. That is small space commercial grow standard. Kdot out...

 

[themaincola2020]

im leaning towards rockwool. with two trays, I could try both!

question i got asked today.. and don't have a clue..

how much water would a garden like this take? (rockwool, top auto feed, 6inch cubes, 24 plants finishing 3.5ft tall.)
just a rough idea.. working with Well water and his well ran dry last summer. also it looks like RO systems are crazy wasteful.. might have to skip the RO,,

15 gallons a day on average?

 

[Blazin Budz]

Ok, I believe I can offer some advice for you since I was pretty much just in your same situation. I had been retired for a while and decided to start back up with all new LED's this time around. I had a bunch of problems and I do believe there is a learning curve with LED's. First off, get the best LED's on the market if you're serious about going the LED route. Anything less and you'll have results to match and think LED's suck. I went with HLG's quantum boards.

Second, my quantum boards cause the plants to eat WAY more nutrients than any HPS or CMH ever has. I honestly cant get through a full Veg with any of these organic super soil mixes including Build-A-Soil which is supposed to last through the whole veg/flower cycle with no nutrients. To get through a whole veg/flower cycle with an organic super soil, you'd need to amend it with at least double the CalMag you would normally use and grow in nothing less than a 7 gallon pot.

That brings me to my 3rd point. Im glad you're thinking about hydro because i feel LED's are well suited for hydro. If you haven't looked into any setups yet or have your mind made up, i'd suggest taking a look at FloraFlex systems. I think they excel with coco or rockwool. I've also heard good things about their nutrient line but have not tried them yet. Might give them a try at some point but I have 0 complaints with the MegaCrop nutes im using now.

LED's are definitely a good choice but I do feel there is a learning curve to using them that scares most people away. I guarantee they blow HPS/CMH out the water once dialed in though.

 

[themaincola2020]

Ok, I believe I can offer some advice for you since I was pretty much just in your same situation. I had been retired for a while and decided to start back up with all new LED's this time around. I had a bunch of problems and I do believe there is a learning curve with LED's. First off, get the best LED's on the market if you're serious about going the LED route. Anything less and you'll have results to match and think LED's suck. I went with HLG's quantum boards.

Second, my quantum boards cause the plants to eat WAY more nutrients than any HPS or CMH ever has. I honestly cant get through a full Veg with any of these organic super soil mixes including Build-A-Soil which is supposed to last through the whole veg/flower cycle with no nutrients. To get through a whole veg/flower cycle with an organic super soil, you'd need to amend it with at least double the CalMag you would normally use and grow in nothing less than a 7 gallon pot.

That brings me to my 3rd point. Im glad you're thinking about hydro because i feel LED's are well suited for hydro. If you haven't looked into any setups yet or have your mind made up, i'd suggest taking a look at FloraFlex systems. I think they excel with coco or rockwool. I've also heard good things about their nutrient line but have not tried them yet. Might give them a try at some point but I have 0 complaints with the MegaCrop nutes im using now.

LED's are definitely a good choice but I do feel there is a learning curve to using them that scares most people away. I guarantee they blow HPS/CMH out the water once dialed in though.

hah yes! i was just trying to find those FloraFlex systems.. i watched a youtube video of someone setting those up and they look solid! but i forgot the name and couldn't find them so thanks!

interesting what you said about plants under LEDs.. right now i have my eyes on the Gavita 1700e.. I have gavita DE HIDs and they rock.. their LED model looks sweet and is stupid expensive so i'm thinking it can perform!

how did you choose to go with quantum boards?

yea never tried hydro (or LED) before so i'm super excited!

anyone know what the best veg light is? for a cupboard grow.. 7ft wide, 4ft high, 2ft deep..
i would think T5s or a smaller LED?

 

[Kdotwash]

im leaning towards rockwool. with two trays, I could try both!

question i got asked today.. and don't have a clue..

how much water would a garden like this take? (rockwool, top auto feed, 6inch cubes, 24 plants finishing 3.5ft tall.)
just a rough idea.. working with Well water and his well ran dry last summer. also it looks like RO systems are crazy wasteful.. might have to skip the RO,,
you would be correct in starting out at 15 gallons. Definitely monitor throughout, flower will consume more. On my medium-small com setups we would build trys around a room at a 15° slope towards drain. Line with poly paper and run 60 top feed buckets(like 4 gallon) the old square white ones... I would do 6 thouies and 6o plants and use a 32 gallon drum once a day for all of them. 15 should be just fine.. r/o is a 2:1 waste. There is alot of stuff in the water plants don't want. I did about 5 years of hydro with no r/o. Only ever added it once contractors added to buildout requests...
15 gallons a day on average?
yessir!

 

[Blazin Budz]

how did you choose to go with quantum boards?

I always just want the newest best technology in anything i do lol. I have expensive hobbies for the amount of money I make. I decided i was going to start growing again so i started doing some research and came across quantum boards. Looked up the best brands. Had a couple of options to choose from until I found Grand Master Levels youtube channel with the owners of HLG on there all the time. I really liked the amount of effort and honesty they put in their lights to stay at the top of the game so I went with them. Loving it so far.

 

[Morsargos24]

me personally i grow auto flowers and I’ve been using the hydrogalaxy full spectrum led lights. I have a 600 watt a 1000 and a 2000 watt lights. I preferably like the 2000 watt one more. It’s bigger and covers more area compared to the smaller ones. And has 2 fans built in it to keep it cool. My buds have become more dense but they don’t get as tall. So I’d like to get a veg led light for the beginning to see if i can get them taller. Because my cousins are always taller than mine but he uses different style of lights