Yep, far too long. I was using 60w of 60cm LED T5s for the whole veg cycle. Now I am just going to use them for seedlings and cloning for the first couple of weeks, in a 3x2, and use the TS1000s in my big tent for the rest of veg. I am hoping to veg for six weeks at the maximum.
I used to grow with a mate in a massive loft under HPS lights in Coco, I stopped doing it when I had kids about 15 years ago. When the first Covid lockdown hit my "guy" stopped selling. So I bought some seeds and some cheap lights on Amazon and made it work. Then I bought a couple of small tents and some COBS and things improved. By COBS I mean this sort of thing...
Great prices on your favourite Gardening brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.
www.amazon.co.uk
TBF they work, but you get what you pay for.
Then I joined RIU and realised that I was super out of touch with how all of this worked. After a lot of reading, video watching and experimentation I have improved my weed no end.
After nearly 18 months I have decided I love growing. I was only going to do it until lockdown ended, which is why I only invested in cheapo gear. So with all the money I have saved not buying weed ($300+ a month, my growing costs aren't close to that) I have reinvested some of it in some decent gear. I have recently bought four DIY TS1000s, a 6" SystemAir RVK fan and ducting, a Rhino filter, a 4x4x6 apex tent and a Sonoff ZIgbee Hub with temp/humidity sensors and a few Sonoff Smart Switches to use as timers and a fan controller. I have also invested heavily in genetics. I want to grow some really nice weed.
The last piece of the puzzle is some kind of automatic watering, just to keep it sweet if I go away for a few days, if it were longer I do have an assistant. I want it to be Blumats, but the whole potential of causing a flood is putting me off, like I said I grow in a loft, flooding that would be a nightmare.
In June of this year I decided to try some Autos, outdoors in Poly Tunnels. I tucked them in with the wifes vegetables. It worked really well, they were also plants I could experiment on, so I perfected LST on them and it was 280g of some of the best weed I have ever smoked. I got six RQS Northern Lights Auto seeds as freebies, so next Spring I am going to get three Blumats and build three SIPs and test it all out in the garden, I couldn't really give a fuck if I flood the patio. If I can make it work in a Poly Tunnel I should be able to make it work in a tent.
Sorry about the long post, I am nicely baked and am prone to going on a bit.