School me on your lighting experience

Antidote Man

Antidote Man

Well-Known Member
HID Guy (HPS & MH) for many years. Hated removing heat/ducting, etc

Last year purchased a blurple BESTVA 3000. Grew me a real nice Romulan but every other plant couldn't deal with the subpar lighting. I know this after I purchased my next light...

BESTVA PRO2000w LED Board. Don't know the specs, nor the blurple specs, but the difference it 1000% better. And its cheaper than the blurple 3000. I paid 180$ shipped. Within several months I bought a second one. I have a serious grow in a double wide closet with plants growing like it was HPS, etc. Don't even have ventilation, just a fan blowing across the tops of them.

Search for the BESTVA PRO2000w on ebay, has the meanwell driver, samsung diodes, dimmer knob, kill switch, etc.... best deal out there...
 
PJ Diaz

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
Antidote Man said:
HID Guy (HPS & MH) for many years. Hated removing heat/ducting, etc

Last year purchased a blurple BESTVA 3000. Grew me a real nice Romulan but every other plant couldn't deal with the subpar lighting. I know this after I purchased my next light...

BESTVA PRO2000w LED Board. Don't know the specs, nor the blurple specs, but the difference it 1000% better. And its cheaper than the blurple 3000. I paid 180$ shipped. Within several months I bought a second one. I have a serious grow in a double wide closet with plants growing like it was HPS, etc. Don't even have ventilation, just a fan blowing across the tops of them.

Search for the BESTVA PRO2000w on ebay, has the meanwell driver, samsung diodes, dimmer knob, kill switch, etc.... best deal out there...
Click to expand...
Yeah, no. There are much better deals out there.
 
Antidote Man

Antidote Man

Well-Known Member
for 180$? Best deal I've found. Least hassle. I'm sure there are better deals but I haven't found any. Not for my outfit. I'll also say... out of a lot of the good advice I've found on here... I found very little on lighting. It took me a long while to get what I needed... and I think all growers have different setups. I'm a lazy closet grower that cant ruin my walls for venting, etc...
 
bubblescrogs

bubblescrogs

Well-Known Member
Temperature fan speed controller helps if you go the LED route. I'm in a cold concrete basement so was a big shift from HPS in cool tubes. Just have to make sure the air cycles enough for CO2 and you can keep a lot of heat in by leaving the fan completely off while under the set temp. Mine only kicked on every half hour for a few seconds and was able to increase the heat about 12c/53f above ambient. I've got a dehumidifier in the tent so don't use the fan for that really. Having some spectrum closer to the infrared end helps for leaf temps too.
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
farmingfisherman said:
Great thinking about just cutting whatever size you need for the pots. I wrap it in tape to make them me durable.
Click to expand...
They have that 2x8' - 1" R5 black styrofoam at Home Hardware for $25 each so I'll need two of those to lay on the cement floor in the basement for my added grow space. The pink stuff I'm using now was here when I bought the house 20 years ago.

I even cut a slab to keep under my 5gal jug of RO water. I have a 50W aquarium heater and an airstone in it so the water is 82F and well aerated when I use it on the plants. I just plug those in a couple hours before I want to do my watering. No tape on that and it's probably close to 30 years old. Can last forever even floating around in the ocean. :(

WaterSystem.JPG

:peace:
 
PJ Diaz

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
Antidote Man said:
for 180$? Best deal I've found. Least hassle. I'm sure there are better deals but I haven't found any. Not for my outfit. I'll also say... out of a lot of the good advice I've found on here... I found very little on lighting. It took me a long while to get what I needed... and I think all growers have different setups. I'm a lazy closet grower that cant ruin my walls for venting, etc...
Click to expand...
For comparable wattage you can get a bar type LED for $130:


 
HippieFarmer420

HippieFarmer420

Well-Known Member
I'll tell you one thing I just learned REALLY FEKING quick..

These LED's are feking hard on the eyes..

I have a VS4300, SF4000, PL4500 and a 600w hps testing right now, I was so blown away with how damn bright this room is, I can not stay in this room long without getting a feeling of a headache.
 
D

dankydank1973

Active Member
bubblescrogs said:
Temperature fan speed controller helps if you go the LED route. I'm in a cold concrete basement so was a big shift from HPS in cool tubes. Just have to make sure the air cycles enough for CO2 and you can keep a lot of heat in by leaving the fan completely off while under the set temp. Mine only kicked on every half hour for a few seconds and was able to increase the heat about 12c/53f above ambient. I've got a dehumidifier in the tent so don't use the fan for that really. Having some spectrum closer to the infrared end helps for leaf temps too.
Click to expand...
I freaking love this thought. I have been thinking alot about air movement within the tent. I've typically run a 16" fan on oscillate to move air. Run the exhaust 24/7. On low. But running. And cooled the hids on full blast.

I'm curious as to how you set the fan parameters up to cycle enough air for the plants to breathe yet not release SMELL into the room/home? How do you determine fan on/off and control smell?
 
D

dankydank1973

Active Member
dankydank1973 said:
I freaking love this thought. I have been thinking alot about air movement within the tent. I've typically run a 16" fan on oscillate to move air. Run the exhaust 24/7. On low. But running. And cooled the hids on full blast.

I'm curious as to how you set the fan parameters up to cycle enough air for the plants to breathe yet not release SMELL into the room/home? How do you determine fan on/off and control smell?
Click to expand...
I've also noticed that the oscillating fan inside the tent is unnecessary...I learned the hard way on a grow that you shouldn't have strong wind on your plants constantly. I think the negative pressure caused by the draw on the exhaust is enough airflow on its own. I am going to test this theory this go round by not running a air movement rain this go round.
 
bubblescrogs

bubblescrogs

Well-Known Member
dankydank1973 said:
I freaking love this thought. I have been thinking alot about air movement within the tent. I've typically run a 16" fan on oscillate to move air. Run the exhaust 24/7. On low. But running. And cooled the hids on full blast.

I'm curious as to how you set the fan parameters up to cycle enough air for the plants to breathe yet not release SMELL into the room/home? How do you determine fan on/off and control smell?
Click to expand...
Just experimenting. I set it to the temperature I wanted and watched it to see how long it takes to get up to temp and how often the fan kicks in. I’ve moved it up to always running at a very low speed now it’s in flower and smelling strongly. But it was fine doing a full change out every half hour. Still gets up to temp, just not as quickly as fan off completely. I’ve kept the circulation fan running in there to keep the air moving though.
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
dankydank1973 said:
I'm curious as to how you set the fan parameters up to cycle enough air for the plants to breathe yet not release SMELL into the room/home? How do you determine fan on/off and control smell?
Click to expand...
You'll need a carbon filter to stop the stank no matter how you run your fan. I use a temp/rh controller on my 6" exhaust and run it at half speed so in the winter with just one 400 or 600W HID going the fan may not come on all day so I'll light a small alcohol lamp in there to keep the CO2 up. I have a heater on a thermostat to keep the temp up during their night.

dankydank1973 said:
I've also noticed that the oscillating fan inside the tent is unnecessary...I learned the hard way on a grow that you shouldn't have strong wind on your plants constantly. I think the negative pressure caused by the draw on the exhaust is enough airflow on its own. I am going to test this theory this go round by not running a air movement rain this go round.
Click to expand...
Not a good idea. As the leaves draw in the CO2 and exude moisture and O2 they create a little micro-climate around themselves in still air that will slow/stop the transpiration process thereby slowing or stopping growth. You want those leaves fluttering around a bit all the time. I use a 12" oscillation fan in my 7x9' room. Tried a 16" when my 12" broke down and it was overkill but put a blade from a 12" on it and was much better. Bad position as it is a wall mount and no place to hang it where I want my fan. Now up on the wall in the mancave to replace the other 16" that died after 2 years. They're all cheap Chinese crap.

The whole idea of having your fan oscillate is to make sure you don't have a strong wind just blasting straight at the plants. Think how much the wind whips them around outside. They love it!

I won't be growing outside any more. F'n hemp farming starting up all around me with a quarter section grown this last summer about 6 miles from my place. All my outdoor plants full of seeds and half the yields this year. Opium poppies next year! :)

:peace:
 
OldMedUser

OldMedUser

Well-Known Member
HippieFarmer420 said:
I'll tell you one thing I just learned REALLY FEKING quick..

These LED's are feking hard on the eyes..

I have a VS4300, SF4000, PL4500 and a 600w hps testing right now, I was so blown away with how damn bright this room is, I can not stay in this room long without getting a feeling of a headache.
Click to expand...
Maybe some grow room glasses or even some UV sunglasses would help with that. Lot easier to find the remote for the TV when you're not blind. ;)

:peace:
 
Nizza

Nizza

Well-Known Member
I recommend a mix of hps or cmh and LED so you don't have to worry so much about heat. Have you considered a bare bulb vertically with boards next to either side above the plants?

The bulb will give the foliage heat and the LEDs will help you save power not only because of a higher efficiency but also because of dimming

Also it would be a little less up front cost because you could still use one of your hps. If you really wanted you can get more boards and take away the HID during the summer and switch it back in when it gets cold
 
Drop That Sound

Drop That Sound

Well-Known Member
I just buy the cheapest yoga matts, with the best quality memory like foam I can find, to insulate containers off the floor. Not as thick as 1" rigid foam panels, and I really don't know the r-value, but I need every last inch off height in my rooms... I'd use 1/2 mylar backed, but its crap polystyrene foam and gets all over the place when it crumbles up.


Also, I make my own 2" foam clone collar inserts out of thicker foam garden knee pads (just the little sheet with a handle cutout kind, not actual knee pads). I beveled one end of a small piece of steel pipe, and simply use a table top shop vice with a few blocks to squeeze the pucks out, one at a time. Pop! Pop! More than I need in a few minutes time.
 
farmingfisherman

farmingfisherman

Well-Known Member
HippieFarmer420 said:
I'll tell you one thing I just learned REALLY FEKING quick..

These LED's are feking hard on the eyes..

I have a VS4300, SF4000, PL4500 and a 600w hps testing right now, I was so blown away with how damn bright this room is, I can not stay in this room long without getting a feeling of a headache.
Click to expand...
Sunglasses are your friend! If you go in at night then go outside do you see spots or hardly anything till your eyes adjust?
 
HippieFarmer420

HippieFarmer420

Well-Known Member
farmingfisherman said:
Sunglasses are your friend! If you go in at night then go outside do you see spots or hardly anything till your eyes adjust?
Click to expand...
I haven't tried, I literally hung all those led lights, turned them on, said "holy fek what the hell is this," I knew right then I will be getting sunglasses tomorrow when Im out getting more supplies..

I have always ran HID's, I was not expecting this type of light when I turned it all on, that 600w hps got completely swallowed up by the LED's.
 
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