metal halide light distance 600w

papa canna said:

well if it means anything, I am not in a tent. This is actually a spare bedroom, but I did the best I could to cover the walls with an expensive highly reflective film.

Click to expand...

kmog33 said:

Yeah, If you understood how light works in a closed space you would understand the correctness of my "general"(more specific actually as there is only one of "the top" in a tent. You obviously don't understand light distribution and footprint or the way that light is absorbed by plants. Any experienced grower on here will tell you closer is not usually better. It's all the new growers that don't understand how to utilize their light correctly that try to grow with his lights intentionally 6-12" from their plants.

In a tent situation all of the light is reflected and absorbed, so there is no waste of light when it's higher. The only thing you're doing by keeping your lights insanely close in a tent is chancing bleaching and burning of the Top calyx of your nugs or heat stress. Ever notice how the buds directly underneath your tops are almost always greaser than the actual tops because you have scorched the terps by the insane ir/leaf temps at your canopy.

As I said, in an open space what I was saying about higher being better is only up to a certain point as you are actually losing the light when it doesn't initially hit your canopy.

Growers that grow by charts don't generally understand what they're doing or why they're doing it. IMO.

Click to expand...

bravedave said:

My, my. Words from the mountaintop.

First, let's not create a strawman to castigate. If you are going to argue against MY post then argue against it and not inject bullshit that I never suggested. I am not that new grower intentionally and 'insanely" putting my light at " 6-12" " and never was. While you are the one who actually is suggesting 3.5 feet,

Coincidently, the last couple years I have been growing with the same 600w MH and similar reflector that the OP is asking about. In that time, I have discovered some highs and lows and frankly my experience is certainly as good as yours in this area.

I have built a small room instead of buying a tent, my grow area is still a closed space. There is no "correctness" to your "general". Shit man, I have seen 4ft to 9ft tents advertised. My room has a ceiling too, and guess what? I hang the light with rope with the ability to make it as high or low as I want. "What a concept." I also have been known to raise my pots up to the light. Is this impossible to do in a tent? Certainly Not.

The chart and distance guide is a pretty good "guide". While I agree, some of it has to be taken with a grain of salt it certainly matches my experience. I also would agree that if you are going to error you want to error on the high side, but the goal should still be as I surmised...to get as close as you can without burning while providing coverage to your entire canopy. I have a 4'x6' grow area with 6 plants and the range I gave works well.

If you want to position your 1000 3.5" above your canopy, feel free. Seeing as you are off the charts it can be extrapolated to be about equal to 150w at 12 inches.

Click to expand...

kmog33 said:

Lol, most of your post didn't disagree with anything I said. I would bet I pull better per watt or per sq foot than most with my light hung high than other do hung low, not 100% positive but I have quite a bit of experience in all formats of growing and currently do around 1.7 gpw growing with my cob LEDs 2' above the plants density is fine at 30" though, my current space is short though so I always end up with some tops about a foot to foot and a half from the les. Never said you didn't have experience, said generally growers growing by charts are inexperienced. When I was still running hps I hung my 600 at the top of my 3x5x7.5' without any issues and was still pulling over 1.2-1.4 per watt. Tents and other similar sealed areas utilize all the light regardless of where the light is hung. TO A POINT(which is what o have always stated if you read back over what I've posted).

I have experience in small tents, large tents, small rooms and houses all with hps so I have a bit of an idea of what I'm talking about. With a 1k hps 2.5-3.5' is infinitely better than 12". But as I stated before, not everyone can keep optimal distances and temps, etc so everyone works with the space they have. If you are having issues yielding in a tent with a good amount of watts per sq ft, I would probably look more at your canopy and root temps or ventilation. The last thing that's going to make a difference is a foot of distance with a 600 or 1k hid in an effectively closed/reflected area. I'm going to state again, this does not apply at all the same way for open spaces. Because it appears that part is missed. Multiple lights also creates a different situation where the lights can be hung even higher due to overlap and multiple point sources.

Click to expand...

bravedave said:

“There you go again”. I did not develop my height choice because of any chart. Attributing that to me just shows that you cannot argue without creating strawmen. Seeing the chart only validated my experience. That came soon after you were compelled to pretend your dick is bigger than mine. This is a question about light distance for an MH. Nobody gives a rats ass about your LED prowess.


I questioned 3 things in my first post.


I questioned why anyone would want their MH height at 3.5’ above their plants. 42 fucking inches. Sorry NO ONE...and now based on your latest...not even you. Oh and nobody, but you, said anything about a 1000w at 12in.

I questioned your, without qualification, telling the OP that if he has a tent he needs to put the light right at the top. That too is B as in B ans S as in S.

I questioned your “further is better” only, well, because its not.

Everything else is nothing but you bloviating, because you are butthurt that someone would dream to question you.

Click to expand...

kmog33 said:

You'll also notice if you read, I stated hang your lights high and let your plants grow into them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

papa canna said:

but doesn't that type of placement cause unwanted stretching?

Click to expand...

kmog33 said:

You'll also notice if you read, I stated hang your lights high and let your plants grow into them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

bravedave said:

Yeah, why would you want to adjust your light to the optimum when you can just put the light 42" above and let your plants stretch to it? Huh?

Click to expand...

Yodaweed said:

kmog is right, that's how dispensaries grow bud, they overlap the lights so it doesn't stretch all that much unless its a stretchy strain.

Click to expand...

bravedave said:

Right about what? Nobody was arguing how dispensaries grow. Krog likes setting things up so it looks like he is arguing against something or someone.
Or do you agree that light height of 42" in a closed system, personal grow, with a 600w MH, open-wing is a good way to go...that tent lights must be located at top of tent...and "further is better"

As opposed to choosing the height based on heat and canopy dimesion.

Click to expand...

Yodaweed said:

I posted a chart, shows distance should be between 8 and 30 inches approx. Dispensaries hang lights higher to maximize footprint, you can hang higher and lower if you need.

Click to expand...

Yodaweed said:

kmog is right, that's how dispensaries grow bud, they overlap the lights so it doesn't stretch all that much unless its a stretchy strain.

Click to expand...

Flagg420 said:

1) You didnt say how big ur MH light is.
2) You dont say how the bulb is mounted.

Light height is dependent on heat... you can get 2' away in an air cooled hood w/ good canopy breeze, on 600-1000w... (pushing it on the 1k tho)

Take away that canopy height fan..... (wall mounted oscillating, its well worth the $40) and that moves to like 3-5'...... MH gets warm....

More info = more accurate help....

Click to expand...