Please help!! AC broke down 1 week before harvest!!

[Snoopy36]

In any case, one good 1000w HPS puts out 2100+ PPFD. You only need 900+ (1200 max; remember, 1500 photoinhibition really starts to take hold and 900's about 95% of all it needs for full potential; 1200 would border full throttle and the early beginnings of photoinhibition) per plant, abd I think that 2100 is in a square meter, so if you were to raise the lights so they covered a slightly bigger area, and as long as what you raise it to doesn't reduce PPFD in your footprint below 900-1200 PPFD, you should be able to get away with using only 2-3 1kW bulbs for that entire grow space.

I know logically this makes sense, but for some reason it feels like they wouldnt get enough light that way for the way my grow is designed. Could I just replace the bulbs and decrease the wattage? Keep the amount of lights I have and decrease how much light is emitted? That way every fan leaf everywhere is receiving light.

 

[Olive Drab Green]

I know logically this makes sense, but for some reason it feels like they wouldnt get enough light that way for the way my grow is designed. Could I just replace the bulbs and decrease the wattage? Keep the amount of lights I have and decrease how much light is emitted? That way every fan leaf everywhere is receiving light.

Don't trust your senses. Doesn't matter what light you see. Most of PAR, I believe, is outside what we perceive visually anyway? I could be wrong. But just because it doesn't look like it's getting all that light doesn't mean it isn't.

Decreasing your wattage would be inefficient. 600w is where you'd find balance between power and efficiency, but I wouldn't even recommend 6-10 of those.

Set your plants up in rows, put a light between each row so that the bulb runs parallel from above with the space between the rows.

 

[Snoopy36]

Don't trust your senses. Doesn't matter what light you see. Most of PAR, I believe, is outside what we perceive visually anyway? I could be wrong. But just because it doesn't look like it's getting all that light doesn't mean it isn't.

Decreasing your wattage would be inefficient. 600w is where you'd find balance between power and efficiency, but I wouldn't even recommend 6-10 of those.

Okay that being said, is getting too much light necessarily a bad thing? So far they have not showed any signs that they are not liking the light. The ac has been operating perfectly for all of this time. It started messing up as soon as the hvac guy came out and stuck a cardboard box over the air intake so that the light wouldn't go through to the other room. It seems like a ghetto fix for such a professional company to me. They even said that's what caused it to freeze up. So far I have not had any issues with lights/ac though.

 

[Dr. Who]

Whaaaaaaaaaat?!?!? That is insane!!!! Do you mind me asking what state you're in? Totally understand if you don't want to share that info.

MICHIGAN

Got nothing else to say on it....time to be behind me.

 

[Olive Drab Green]

Okay that being said, is getting too much light necessarily a bad thing?

Yes. For many reasons. For the plant, photoinhibition and slow growth rate--even cellular destruction are all very real possibilities.

Economically, just as well, using more light than you need is not only a waste, but someone's gotta pay for all that light. Why pay for an abundance of excesa doing you more harm than good?

Man to man, bro, I REALLY hope you aren't looking for a way to justify keeping your setup how it is. It's not being done properly. At best, you waste money and harm your plants simultaneously. At worst, your heat, light, and power signatures are going to give away your position. You really don't need all that extra light and heat, and you should view it as a good thing.

 

[Snoopy36]

MICHIGAN

Got nothing else to say on it....time to be behind me.

Yikes. Sorry you had to go through that. The laws are kind of ridiculous!!

 

[Snoopy36]

Yes. For many reasons. For the plant, photoinhibition and slow growth rate--even cellular destruction are all very real possibilities.

Economically, just as well, using more light than you need is not only a waste, but someone's gotta pay for all that light. Why pay for an abundance of excesa doing you more harm than good?

Man to man, bro, I REALLY hope you aren't looking for a way to justify keeping your setup how it is. It's not being done properly. At best, you waste money and harm your plants simultaneously. At worst, your heat, light, and power signatures are going to give away your position. You really don't need all that extra light and heat, and you should view it as a good thing.

Lol I'm a female, bro. But I totally get what you're saying. I'll ask my buddy that helps me and see what he thinks and go from there. Thanks for all the info though!

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

at the very least change your 1k's out for 600s, and thats probably overkill. i'm getting very good coverage from a 600 in a cooltube in a 30X60x80 inch tent, with room for 3 trees or 4 bushes, once they flower out

 

[Olive Drab Green]

at the very least change your 1k's out for 600s, and thats probably overkill. i'm getting very good coverage from a 600 in a cooltube in a 30X60x80 inch tent, with room for 3 trees or 4 bushes, once they flower out

Which concurs with what I was saying earlier about a single 600w covering 2-4 plants.

 

[Budley Doright]

Just so you know snoop, Olive has done I believe, 5 grows total, one two plants so you may want to get a few more people chiming in, not saying he's wrong, just saying, lol. Doc is probably a good one to get advice from as well, been around a bit I think .

 

[Olive Drab Green]

Just so you know snoop, Olive has done I believe, 5 grows total, one two plants so you may want to get a few more people chiming in, not saying he's wrong, just saying, lol. Doc is probably a good one to get advice from as well, been around a bit I think .

Doc's a very good source, and Bud isn't wrong, I only have 5 grows (4 of which have been with multiple plants) under my belt. I can only promise you I won't give you information that could even potentially kill your plant or lessen your yield. I was also upfront about not using HIDs. I am sure of the typical PPFD readout, the energy costs, and the parameters I have laid out here for you.

A few people tend to hold my year's worth of experience against me. Bud, I wouldn't really consider one of them, just a skeptic, and rightfully so. Most people on here will agree I have solid understanding of theory and how it applies to hands-on. I promise, I will not set you up for failure.

 

[HydroRed]

what you guys are failing to see in the pictures she provided....she not in a little tent and shes not growing 2' tall plants. She growing 6' tall trees that require penetration further than 24" into the plant, and the best way to get that is with a higher wattage lighting source. Shes doing just fine with the amount of lights she has for the size plants shes growing, just could stand to use air cooled hoods to cut the cost of hvac. A 1000W hps has a light footprint large enough to cover approx 5'x5' space maximum whether it be over 1 plant or 10 plants . I run (2) 1K hps in my less than 8x8 room with great results and I only have 3' tall plants maximum. I pull 1 lb off each light without any training/topping/scrogging etc. You can damn near double that with good genetics/topping/scrogging/training for a full canopy etc. The whole 2-3 plants per light is cool -if your doing smaller plants....which isnt what shes doing.

 

[Budley Doright]

what you guys are failing to see in the pictures she provided....she not in a little tent and shes not growing 2' tall plants. She growing 6' tall trees that require penetration further than 24" into the plant, and the best way to get that is with a higher wattage lighting source. Shes doing just fine with the amount of lights she has for the size plants shes growing, just could stand to use air cooled hoods to cut the cost of hvac. A 1000W hps has a light footprint large enough to cover approx 5'x5' space maximum whether it be over 1 plant or 10 plants . I run (2) 1K hps in my less than 8x8 room with great results and I only have 3' tall plants maximum. I pull 1 lb off each light without any training/topping/scrogging etc. You can damn near double that with good genetics/topping/scrogging/training for a full canopy etc. The whole 2-3 plants per light is cool -if your doing smaller plants....which isnt what shes doing.

There seems to be a lot people aren't seeing and just assuming .

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

i guess you have a point. i never thought she was in a tent, it just seemed like over kill to me. i guess if she's growing plants that big inside, do what you gotta do.
just doesn't seem like the most effective or economical use of the area

 

[Budley Doright]

So your AC quit (happens) and now your being told to redo the room and change the way you grow lol. I love this place . Welcome to RIU! There are lots of great people here and everyone tries to help, you just need to take the good with the bad. And figure out what works for your setup, I have learned lots here but it can be a wild ride lol. Sooo how are the girls doing BTW?

 

[Olive Drab Green]

what you guys are failing to see in the pictures she provided....she not in a little tent and shes not growing 2' tall plants. She growing 6' tall trees that require penetration further than 24" into the plant, and the best way to get that is with a higher wattage lighting source. Shes doing just fine with the amount of lights she has for the size plants shes growing, just could stand to use air cooled hoods to cut the cost of hvac. A 1000W hps has a light footprint large enough to cover approx 5'x5' space maximum whether it be over 1 plant or 10 plants . I run (2) 1K hps in my less than 8x8 room with great results and I only have 3' tall plants maximum. I pull 1 lb off each light without any training/topping/scrogging etc. You can damn near double that with good genetics/topping/scrogging/training for a full canopy etc. The whole 2-3 plants per light is cool -if your doing smaller plants....which isnt what shes doing.

You know I have nothing but love for you, bro. That's just way too much light for 10 plants. Maybe the plants will grow with it, but likely not better than it would if you gave it the optimal amount of light instead of exponentially more than needed. It's obviously causing more problems than helping if she's created this thread. Like, I think the problems will only get worse, whereas the plants are not likely to underperform if she downgrade to an appropriate setup. I'm still asserting she should reduce the light fixtures to 2-3, and that she'll likely still have just what she needs for what she wants.

 

[Olive Drab Green]

So your AC quit (happens) and now your being told to redo the room and change the way you grow lol. I love this place . Welcome to RIU! There are lots of great people here and everyone tries to help, you just need to take the good with the bad. And figure out what works for your setup, I have learned lots here but it can be a wild ride lol. Sooo how are the girls doing BTW?

Why would you not? AC aside, 10kW an hour, dude? Think about what she'll pay just on electric. She can get exactly what she's looking for by properly reconfiguring while not funneling extra money into electrical expenses. I'm sure you might agree, maybe more easily if it weren't coming from me, but what I'm saying adds up.

I'm truly surprised she hasn't popped up on local LEO radar yet.

 

[Snoopy36]

what you guys are failing to see in the pictures she provided....she not in a little tent and shes not growing 2' tall plants. She growing 6' tall trees that require penetration further than 24" into the plant, and the best way to get that is with a higher wattage lighting source. Shes doing just fine with the amount of lights she has for the size plants shes growing, just could stand to use air cooled hoods to cut the cost of hvac. A 1000W hps has a light footprint large enough to cover approx 5'x5' space maximum whether it be over 1 plant or 10 plants . I run (2) 1K hps in my less than 8x8 room with great results and I only have 3' tall plants maximum. I pull 1 lb off each light without any training/topping/scrogging etc. You can damn near double that with good genetics/topping/scrogging/training for a full canopy etc. The whole 2-3 plants per light is cool -if your doing smaller plants....which isnt what shes doing.

No offense to everyone else, but you seem to know a lot! I'm going to take your word for it.

 

[Snoopy36]

Why would you not? AC aside, 10kW an hour, dude? Think about what she'll pay just on electric. She can get exactly what she's looking for by properly reconfiguring while not funneling extra money into electrical expenses. I'm sure you might agree, maybe more easily if it weren't coming from me, but what I'm saying adds up.

I'm truly surprised she hasn't popped up on local LEO radar yet.

Even if I do, I'm licensed. I have patients. I've had LEO here before for my alarm going off (false alarm) and they saw everything down there and only asked for my card, no issues.

 

[Snoopy36]

So your AC quit (happens) and now your being told to redo the room and change the way you grow lol. I love this place . Welcome to RIU! There are lots of great people here and everyone tries to help, you just need to take the good with the bad. And figure out what works for your setup, I have learned lots here but it can be a wild ride lol. Sooo how are the girls doing BTW?

Theyre great! I have noticed with a lot of people who grow, they do a few things and think whatever is working for them is the best thing that works. They don't realize that there are 1000 ways to do something and get the same exact result.


Also, to the other dude, cost is not an issue for me. I'm not worried about my electric bill. Maybe I'm a shitty human for being wasteful, I don't see it that way. Like red said this is not a small tent op, I have big plants. They're 6'-7'. The fact that I've had police in my home before that have seen this and didn't ask me any other questions makes me feel like I'm within my rights so I'm not too worried about running too much power.