Setting LEDs at the right height to select phenos "thriving in intense light," killing the weak

[Apostatize]

That’s a lot of rambling lol. What size of grow area are you attempting to pull 5 lbs ?

Well, environment control-wise it's a little hard to say because I use a section of each tent for a purpose other than flowering. Initially, when I was running irrigation with a timer (I hand-feed at the moment), I had the reservoirs to the left so I could experiment with height (if that makes sense). Although I hand-feed, I still don't use that "extra" tent space for flowering. In the larger tent, I've actually put up a thick black tarp and hung three (3) 66" Rays over an extra veg station.

smaller flowering tent grow space: ~46" x 70"
larger flowering tent grow space: ~66" x 70" (and I can walk around 3 sides, 1 short side's against the wall (so there's more space, 66" is light length))

- the larger one's the tent I got for free. drop-shipment, no replacement capacity... suckers....

basically, between the small and large tent, lights are just running in a different direction (they'd be perpendicular to each other if in the same space, if that makes sense).

 

[oill]

Until you select phenos, success is largely a #s game. For example, 1/2 my strain purchases didn't stink, but I had enough different stains to find 8 that stink, yield pretty well indoors, high calyx-to-leaf ratio, flower in 7-9 wks, flexible, LST-friendly, 3-month veg, etc.

When it comes to light height, I now believe it's also a crapshoot/#s game until you select phenos. You can either put lights at a "safe distance" and probably get all of your plants to flower and then, select phenos based on performance; or bring them in so close only the strong survive. I now have my lights really close and I want to keep them there, maybe even bring them a hair closer. The strains I've selected seem to be doing well with the close lights. However, if they have any sensitivity to light, the LEDs at ~6-10" away really kick their ass. Two died and I replaced them. If half died, I'd probably move the lights farther away. But it's 2 out of <30 relatively small, LST'd plants. A third plant got thirsty, but I caught it in time. It's coming back. If I lose it, the tents are going to get crowded anyway; I always assume 1-3 won't make it (I'm not that good yet...).

I could play it safe and raise the lights, but "thriving in intense light" may be a valuable category addition to my pheno selection spreadsheet. It hadn't occurred to me before, I'd just like some reassurance that what I'm doing makes sense. This is the first bloom with LEDs this close. Ballasts are separate from light, low heat above plants. Plenty of fans/airflow.

No one has time to screw up an entire harvest -- they look healthy now, but I guess it's possible they could be fried before it's all over. One tent's 2 weeks in, 1 tent's a few days in.

I grow a load from seed and they all like my lights ar the same distance... these leds are so bright... and they love them and all the phenos I have stink... 13 phenos

 

[Apostatize]

I grow a load from seed and they all like my lights ar the same distance... these leds are so bright... and they love them and all the phenos I have stink... 13 phenos

Exactly, thanks. In my "vertical" grow attempts (if you can call it that b/c technically plants are at different heights), I tried everything from lights on the sides and top, all kinds of mistakes. Bud yields of "extras," the plants I'd consider putting at a lower height, fall of dramatically if they're beyond a certain distance from the lights, no matter how many lights are in the tent ... Along the way, I've figured out the optimal bud/light intensity/distance from canopy, what I refer to as the "fruit zone," and now that all my plants are trained to be roughly the same height, their vertical separation is less than 12" (separated between rack/floor or shelf/floor) so I'm anticipating minimal disparity in yield -- that's the goal anyway. But I'll scrap that idea and plant at the same height if I find that's not true.

 

[oill]

Exactly, thanks. In my "vertical" grow attempts (if you can call it that b/c technically plants are at different heights), I tried everything from lights on the sides and top, all kinds of mistakes. Bud yields of "extras," the plants I'd consider putting at a lower height, fall of dramatically if they're beyond a certain distance from the lights, no matter how many lights are in the tent ... Along the way, I've figured out the optimal bud/light intensity/distance from canopy, what I refer to as the "fruit zone," and now that all my plants are trained to be roughly the same height, their vertical separation is less than 12" (separated between rack/floor or shelf/floor) so I'm anticipating minimal disparity in yield -- that's the goal anyway. But I'll scrap that idea and plant at the same height if I find that's not true.

With led like qbs I have them 25 inches away... I get dense buds throughout the plant... even at the bottom of the plant.

If your not then yoir food and temps are off. Running 27c day and 20c night at the start and 23c 18c at the end last 2 weeks.

Grown in coco I have ec at 1.7ish and I grow solid buds all over the plant.... lots of air movement... under the plant too

 

[Brettman]

Well, environment control-wise it's a little hard to say because I use a section of each tent for a purpose other than flowering. Initially, when I was running irrigation with a timer (I hand-feed at the moment), I had the reservoirs to the left so I could experiment with height (if that makes sense). Although I hand-feed, I still don't use that "extra" tent space for flowering. In the larger tent, I've actually put up a thick black tarp and hung three (3) 66" Rays over an extra veg station.

smaller flowering tent grow space: ~46" x 70"
larger flowering tent grow space: ~66" x 70" (and I can walk around 3 sides, 1 short side's against the wall (so there's more space, 66" is light length))

- the larger one's the tent I got for free. drop-shipment, no replacement capacity... suckers....

basically, between the small and large tent, lights are just running in a different direction (they'd be perpendicular to each other if in the same space, if that makes sense).

More rambling lmao. So your lighting about 50 square feet ? So your hoping for about 1.6oz per foot.

 

[Apostatize]

More rambling lmao. So your lighting about 50 square feet ? So your hoping for about 1.6oz per foot.

Avg., might take rounds of selection to get there but I don't think it's unreasonable. Might consider a longer veg ... but yeah.

i'm not wasting much light -- there isn't much room for any to be wasted on the floor, lol. If I'm short a pound, I'm not "in the red" ... right now, 5 lbs is "aspirational" -- it's a goal.

 

[bk78]

Well, environment control-wise it's a little hard to say because I use a section of each tent for a purpose other than flowering. Initially, when I was running irrigation with a timer (I hand-feed at the moment), I had the reservoirs to the left so I could experiment with height (if that makes sense). Although I hand-feed, I still don't use that "extra" tent space for flowering. In the larger tent, I've actually put up a thick black tarp and hung three (3) 66" Rays over an extra veg station.

smaller flowering tent grow space: ~46" x 70"
larger flowering tent grow space: ~66" x 70" (and I can walk around 3 sides, 1 short side's against the wall (so there's more space, 66" is light length))

- the larger one's the tent I got for free. drop-shipment, no replacement capacity... suckers....

basically, between the small and large tent, lights are just running in a different direction (they'd be perpendicular to each other if in the same space, if that makes sense).

Can you post some pics on here so we can see what your working with at least currently?

 

[Apostatize]

Can you post some pics on here so we can see what your working with at least currently?

will do! -- this weekend (or tomorrow). currently, i'm waterproofing 3 racks of shelves, including my 2-tier seedling/clone station which I set up recently. then i have to water again today ... and hopefully log-in and bill some hours ... ugh, even getting to 40 hrs has been difficult recently as I'm putting more time into getting the setup how I want it (and maintaining it). adjustments to the tents themselves are done, now i'm tweaking veg and seedling stations, and setting up racks to organize i'll my stuff.

 

[ComfortCreator]

I like this thread. Dude has got heart and takes shots like a champ.

To Apo...stuffing a lot of plants in a small space is very newbie...i have consistently reduced plant count to where i find a huge plant fits well in a 2x2 space. 8 to 10oz. Keep doing you and posting, you will eventually wear down the razzers or motivate them further....

 

[Johnny Lawrence]

With this?

best of luck kicking ass sir

View attachment 4864833

I can't even find the words. WTF is going on in this picture???

 

[Johnny Lawrence]

So 2.5 out of each 4x4 ? I agree, you should start a journal. I would definitely follow along.

Wait, that's what the claim is???

 

[Apostatize]

Wait, that's what the claim is???

No, but I can see why you'd think that. The lights are 66" long ... a viewer assumed lights were 4' long. Another grower estimated the 5-lb goal as requiring ~1.6 oz per square foot. thread's basically a guy trying different things to get to 5 lbs in his space before mastering how to get 8+ oz/plant. Tops, he thinks he can currently get ~3-4 oz/plant ... many are closer to 1.

- Relying on LST, light proximity, and simply growing a lot of plants until he figures out what works best.

- He wants to incrementally increase avg oz/plant via pheno selections and perhaps extended veg times.

- Cork-hooks are just another way to LST ... look kind of goofy, but they work and are easy to adjust/manipulate limbs (less-restrictive than tying with
string/wire).

 

[Wattzzup]

No, but I can see why you'd think that. Another grower estimated the 5-lb goal

Haha, more like 5.

I think you were the first to mention 5.

 

[Apostatize]

I think you were the first to mention 5.

5 ... not in a 4x4, not in two 4x4s. Get a life. I have nothing for you, I don't even want to waste a good joke or dig on you.... be gone.

 

[Wattzzup]

5 ... not in a 4x4, not in two 4x4s. Get a life. I have nothing for you, I don't even want to waste a good joke or dig on you.... be gone.

Apology accepted. Don’t say you didn’t say something you posted for everyone to see. How can we believe anything else you say after that? 13 pages and still no pics.

 

[Apostatize]

Apology accepted. Don’t say you didn’t say something you posted for everyone to see. How can we believe anything else you say after that? 13 pages and still no pics.

it matters a lot what the grow space is in the area you hope to grow 5 lbs in. You keep coming at me like I'm even talking about 4x4 spaces ... bigger than that, dipshit. Need a math tutor? What's your beef? We're talking about something that gets you high, and you're a total buzzkill.

i bet your resume is stellar, i bet you're a really smart guy. Let me direct you to the peanut gallery.

 

[Johnny Lawrence]

Let me direct you to the peanut gallery.

We're already on page 13.

Wocka wocka.

 

[Apostatize]

We're already on page 13.

Wocka wocka.

got a photo update of the 5-week v. 2-weeks with current setup (uploading this weekend, soon as I'm free). looks promising. i think i'll be north of 3 lbs, ideally 4+ ... and closer to 5 after a round or 2 of pheno selections. with 8 strains, pheno selection would seem to be a little more difficult ... at least to get your plant # proportions where you want them. currently have a lot of seed/gene lines for some strains and it will take a while to try them out if I don't just go with 1 or 2 phenos.

i'd like to have ~3+ plants of each ... so I can get more or less a 1/2 lb of each strain, though I know actual results will vary. Eventually, it would be cool to grow fewer plants ... but I just know the 1 oz plants would ruin my total yield ... whereas, now they just offset my gains slightly (if that makes sense).

 

[DukeFluke]

Pictures?

 

[Apostatize]

Pictures?

This weekend ... working now, I'll get there.