Flip to flower...lighting intensity increase, please explain as I have no experience past veg stage

I have one other thread here and found that the help provided was stellar. I have another question I simply cannot answer by reading as much as I have so even though this is prob VERY obvious to anyone with experience...that is not me yet!

I have powerful qb288s, 2 slate 6 with 4 3500k v1 boards on each, i actually upgraded to 480w power supplies from 320w when still exchangeable. I have a lux meter and have used it and see im at about 25 to 30k lux right now. Plants were trained (manifold/mainline) and are close to flip. Yes my first grow but i think the training went well.

So...i have the lights up high about 26" above the tops (there since the start, dimmers to adjust intensity, growing towards lights). Temp and humidity just as they should be, now 75f and 55 to 60%.. Running 24/0, good circulation and exhaust.

Soon I flip to flower, 12/12. Ive read everywhere that the light intensity needs to be much higher in flower.

As many threads and sites ive visited over the last 6 months, I cannot find a single reference to how to increase the intensity so much and do so quickly.

For example, I know flower may need 50 to 75k lux, but how do plants respond to this massive increase in intensity...albeit for only half the amount of time every 24hrs?

Can I really just increase intensity to 40k or 50k on day 1 and they will adjust? I dont see anyone mention ramping up to flower, is it more like just let it rip but watch the height? Well 8 qb288s with 960 watts spread over 5x5 seems like a huge amount...i run about 220 watts for each right now in veg at 26" and that by itself is already up to 30k at that distance.

I know this is as basic as it gets, but having increased lighting slowly over veg, i cannot grasp or guess how plants adjust to high intensity flower lighting, and cant really grasp how a big increase in intensity, countered somewhat by 12 hrs of darkness...is done.

Can someone offer me some experience here? How does flower lighting intensity get increased correctly?

A 2nd question, related is, how much fresh air does the room really need? I have plenty of capability, but with Winter fast approaching... the faster it runs, the more heat i need to use to maintain temps. Ive read exchange the air every 1 min, 2 min, 3 min, 5min. But again I have no experience and would appreciate any advice here too. Id be happy to run the lights higher up and and higher wattage for more heat if that makes sense, but I also understand at a certain point the intensity may not be enough to reach down as far as necessary.

Long post...thx for taking the time to read this and if you reply even moreso.

CC

Tldr I like to run past 35wsqft in flower but in veg I did 18.75 watts a square foot in a 4x8 tent did pretty good I upped to 850 watts for the 32 sqft going to up them slowly while I put them into flower but im running 12qbs spread out so it works great

Gond00s said:

Tldr I like to run past 35wsqft in flower but in veg I did 18.75 watts a square foot in a 4x8 tent did pretty good I upped to 850 watts for the 32 sqft going to up them slowly while I put them into flower but im running 12qbs spread out so it works great

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Soon thinking about getting another 600 watt driver and get another 2 boards and use the 600 on the hlg 550 I have then run the two extra boards whats going to be my final lighting setup I just run the drivers on my heatsinks got no problem with it no problems with heat but its winter but I shouldn't have any big problems in summer the 550 comes with a 480 which id rather not use in general and have two 600s and go from their

Gond.....thanks for the effort...but not reading my post caused you to provide answers to questions i didnt ask. No offense but its kind of rude to start by saying you didnt bother to read the question!

Simple questions anybody who has a few runs under their belt could answer...hoping someone has a bit more reading stamina

ComfortCreator said:

Gond.....thanks for the effort...but not reading my post caused you to provide answers to questions i didnt ask. No offense but its kind of rude to start by saying you didnt bother to read the question!

Simple questions anybody who has a few runs under their belt could answer...hoping someone has a bit more reading stamina

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He did answer your question didnt he? He said he ran 18w per sqaure foot then he ramped up to 35w+ in flower..? Just increase the intensity and watch your plants. I will usually increase slowly over the first week of flower. Some strains can handle the immediate increase right away. Just watch your plants, everyone's enviroment is different and you have to find what works for you.

Axion42 said:

He did answer your question didnt he? He said he ran 18w per sqaure foot then he ramped up to 35w+ in flower..? Just increase the intensity and watch your plants. I will usually increase slowly over the first week of flower. Some strains can handle the immediate increase right away. Just watch your plants, everyone's enviroment is different and you have to find what works for you.

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Im not trying to be a dick but no, he didnt. I know i have to increase the intensity, Im looking for how fast it is done.

Your answer helps...is it possible to go from 30k to 50k in a week? Or more likely +10k per week? Any tips on how much to increase right at flip?

Thank you again for taking the time to help.

I know i will figure it out, but experience is a great starting point vs my own guess.

ComfortCreator said:

Im not trying to be a dick but no, he didnt. I know i have to increase the intensity, Im looking for how fast it is done.

Your answer helps...is it possible to go from 30k to 50k in a week? Or more likely +10k per week? Any tips on how much to increase right at flip?

Thank you again for taking the time to help.

I know i will figure it out, but experience is a great starting point vs my own guess.

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I think you have the wrong attitude personally since he's just trying to help. But I like to keep the lights at the veg height and let them stretch and slowly adjust to the intensity. After stretch I may lower them some depending on how the plants respond.

PadawanWarrior said:

I think you have the wrong attitude personally since he's just trying to help. But I like to keep the lights at the veg height and let them stretch and slowly adjust to the intensity. After stretch I may lower them some depending on how the plants respond.

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Thanks Padawan. I could have the wrong attitude i get it. I need help. In my book though, a response of "TLDNR"...."too long i did not read" is uncool. Why respond that way? Im too logical maybe, saying u didnt read a post and then responding is....lol whatever, a kid like response i guess. So is my bashing him for it , to your point.

Anyway...thank you. Ive seen a lot of your posts and value your input. Its a very understandable answer and one I can use straight away.

Havent partied for a bit so hey ive got an edge to me right now. Forgive, please, lol.

I do greatly appreciate you taking the time to respond.

This is obviously a very serious problem.

HitemwiththeHine said:

This is obviously a very serious problem.

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It is, but sometimes medical necessity requires it. I hope to be back in the starting lineup ASAP! I usually bat 3rd or cleanup, although i always get a hit when leading off...

ComfortCreator said:

It is, but sometimes medical necessity requires it. I hope to be back in the starting lineup ASAP! I usually bat 3rd or cleanup, although i always get a hit when leading off...

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Just turn your lights up and watch your plants.

@ComfortCreator

PadawanWarrior said:

.....But I like to keep the lights at the veg height and let them stretch and slowly adjust to the intensity. After stretch I may lower them some depending on how the plants respond.

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This is the most accurate thing to do, as every seed will react differently to varying light intensity levels and length of exposure (DLI).

When you transition to flower, there is a transition time, ('The Stretch') in which the plant will need to go through a gradual increase in intensity to just before the point of diminishing returns (Blanket term 'Light Stress').

The easiest way I found to accomplish this hardening off/transition to flower, is to do as PadawanWarrior suggested above.

I hope this has helped, though not actually answered your question.

PrometheanLeaf said:

@ComfortCreator

This is the most accurate thing to do, as every seed will react differently to varying light intensity levels and length of exposure (DLI).

When you transition to flower, there is a transition time, ('The Stretch') in which the plant will need to go through a gradual increase in intensity to just before the point of diminishing returns (Blanket term 'Light Stress').

The easiest way I found to accomplish this hardening off/transition to flower, is to do as PadawanWarrior suggested above.

I hope this has helped, though not actually answered your question.

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Thank you PrometheanLeaf!

Yes it does help, and all the replies so far have helped. I realize how i ask the question is not always "right"...the concept of increasing the intensity and hardening off is what I was looking for.

The reason for the confusion is almost every site says something like...

"...

RQS. HOW MUCH LIGHT DO YOUR CANNABIS PLANTS REQUIRE?

Clones and seedlings: 5,000–7,000 lux

Vegetative growth: 15,000–50,000 lux

Flowering: 45,000–65,000 lux

..."

So to a newbie like me, im at 30k but did manifolding so its not a standard grow where it just grows bigger and handles/benefits from more light. If close to flip and i see the specs say 45k and up in flower...and im only at 30k now, i just could not find any discussion of that gap. I have not seen discussion of how to increase that intensity during the transition as you describe it...but it does help a lot because i realize from your post its over the 3 weeks or so of stretch that it goes up to those higher intensities.

Im sure its naive/newbie, but the blurples seem to have veg and flower switches built in and it seems like people just pop on both and are cruising at flower levels. With the qbs i read so many people putting them in a flower tent which has a ton more intensity. But how they adjust the plants to it is mostly assumed and not discussed.

From what you and the others are saying, use the first several weeks to get that intensity up. Thats what i needed to understand.

Beyond basic, i know, but id rather look foolish/new and ask than just guess. 2 very possible outcomes would be my burning them bigtime...or never giving them enough without some help like what u and the others said.

Thanks again to all, i will keep my sensitive bitchiness in check

How come no one has mentioned PAR? Why is the word lux still even being used lol.

DankNoTill said:

How come no one has mentioned PAR? Why is the word lux still even being used lol.

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Hi Dank,

Im using lux only because its what I can measure. Its my understand/guess that with 3500k lights my conversion is roughly 58lux per umol...so for example when fluence says 300 to 600umols in veg, i convert that range to be 17.5k to 35k lux.

Dr meter can measure lux. Ive read about all this stuff endlessly, but reading and doing are most definitely different experiences. Please share anything you think may help.

How to increase lighting in transition...
How much ventilation a grow really needs...

Is a much, much shorter version of my original post!

When I move my plants into my flowering rooms I aim for about 700 umols at the canopy and I bring it up a notch every 2 - 3 days but I am still vegging for a little while to fill my trellis. By the time I hit flower I am at full power.

Renfro thank you for the insight.

It sounds like you move them to the flower room, get to 700umols, then flip. If i hear that correctly...are u then saying 700 is your target throughout flower i.e. raise lights to maintain 700...or do you continue increasing from there?

So much discussion on instructional sites says more light (up to a point) makes denser higher yields. That makes sense to me in theory but esp as a newbie i have no idea what to expect i can achieve 1st time.

ComfortCreator said:

It sounds like you move them to the flower room, get to 700umols, then flip

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They are already at 700 in veg, so when I move them I have my HPS turned down to get about 700, and I ease them up from there to full power.

In veg I ease them up from clones at around 300 umols to the 700.

I should also mention that different strains will like different lighting intensities. I mainly sort them into two categories, ones that like it bright and ones that like it really bright. lol