HomeGrownHairy
Well-Known Member
Simple. Female seeds are pink and male seeds are blue. Man, read some posts.
Things to Know About Lighting
- Thread starter roosterfish
- Start date
Rollbilly
Active Member
That gotta be a joke ...right!?
No you do not want male plants at all. The weed you want to grow comes from female only. Male plants have hardly any THC wich is your loving ingredient. If you keep the males they will polinate the females and the females will flower, no more THC for them then....There is a school of thinking that says 18 hours light start to finnish. Its popular,, but the majority is 24 hours light untel they have at least 7 sets of leaves. Again the thinking may be different in other schools. Also could be 24 hours until you have three sets of leaves that are NOT in opposite pairs on the stem. (Note.. this is the bare minimum, you are forcing flower at this stage... best bet?? at least two feet of "proper" growtth)
Then its twelve on twelve off. Make sure the twelve off has no light at all. Light leaks often cause stunted/slow growth. less yield.
Last.... you will not know wether they are male or female until you start your 12 hour cycle. Thats when they start to flower..... Males have little balls under the leaves right at the joint of the stem, females have white hairs... if your not sure they can be grown for a couple of weeks before the males start to polinate.
hello ive got a uv bulb out of a sun bed and ive got a actual light bulb case and ive fitted it and its 100 watts but ive got it just on 1 plant its big and but the buds has started to come threw so ive put the light on 12/12 is that enuf heat and light sum 1 help please write back thnakl you
hello ive got a uv bulb out of a sun bed and ive got a actual light bulb case and ive fitted it and its 100 watts but ive got it just on 1 plant its big and but the buds has started to come threw so ive put the light on 12/12 is that enuf heat and light sum 1 help please write back thnakl you
volcomrider157
Well-Known Member
quick question i have access to alot of bulbs for free right now but i dont know if they are what i want. i looked at the bulbs and they say 400W "Metal Arc" is "metal arc the same as metal halide? and if not will they still work well for growing?
jashua
Active Member
Does anyone have experience with newer LED systems?
I have read that they don't waste any power on light spectrum useless to plants. Without any white, yellow, or green light, you are left with basically red and blue LEDs, (I've seen a brand with amber LEDs in the mix) and has reports of rapid, dense growth. The best part is they use very low watts (since most wattage in Halide and HPS goes to HEAT and white light.) Also it would be nice to never have to change a bulb, or hang a heavy-ass ballast. After a little online research, I've noticed maybe these LEDs are something, because they seem overpriced. I mean, aren't LED's dirt cheap?
The best bargain I have found is a LED panel from Sunshine Systems that costs about $140, and claims to sufficiently light 5 sq. ft. and that it 'surpasses a 250W HPS'. The Glowpanel 45 uses 45 Watts, obviously. I figure a couple of these could be a good start.
I'm still curious, I don't want to skimp on light, but the thought of running LED panels for mere pennies... or from a solar panel, is irresistable. Apparently, this LED method is in use on the ISS, and was NASA's choice for growing in space. Super lightweight, efficient, no heat buildup... the heat factor alone changes the game... half as much nutrients and water needed.
Can someone tell me if these LED systems are patented, photosynthesis colors OR off-the-shelf red, blue, and amber LEDs from Radio Shack!?
I have read that they don't waste any power on light spectrum useless to plants. Without any white, yellow, or green light, you are left with basically red and blue LEDs, (I've seen a brand with amber LEDs in the mix) and has reports of rapid, dense growth. The best part is they use very low watts (since most wattage in Halide and HPS goes to HEAT and white light.) Also it would be nice to never have to change a bulb, or hang a heavy-ass ballast. After a little online research, I've noticed maybe these LEDs are something, because they seem overpriced. I mean, aren't LED's dirt cheap?
The best bargain I have found is a LED panel from Sunshine Systems that costs about $140, and claims to sufficiently light 5 sq. ft. and that it 'surpasses a 250W HPS'. The Glowpanel 45 uses 45 Watts, obviously. I figure a couple of these could be a good start.
I'm still curious, I don't want to skimp on light, but the thought of running LED panels for mere pennies... or from a solar panel, is irresistable. Apparently, this LED method is in use on the ISS, and was NASA's choice for growing in space. Super lightweight, efficient, no heat buildup... the heat factor alone changes the game... half as much nutrients and water needed.
Can someone tell me if these LED systems are patented, photosynthesis colors OR off-the-shelf red, blue, and amber LEDs from Radio Shack!?
guitarman7311
Well-Known Member
Well youtube has some videos of led plants. They look peretty skimpy and sad to me. Leds are not the way to go yet Im afraid. Hps is the best stand alone light for weed. The next best would be metal halide . I would suggest floros instead of leds.The grow lights walmart sells for 10 bucks each are good grow lights. 24 " long, 7800k color spectrum. uses only 17 watts , puts out 75 watts , 1100 lumens. Buy 4 or 6 of em and duct tape together, will beat any led setup. Just look at my profile pic. 2 weeks growin under 6 walmart grolites. it was really bushy to before I had to yank it Boo Hooo !. Thanks.
guitarman7311
Well-Known Member
in my OPINION your guna waste your time inless you get at least a 4oowatt mh, i mean fer 4 plants at least. and some co2/nutes. if not your not guna get more then a half i bet. not really worth the risk but i guess we all start somewhere, goodluck with your crop bro.
Floros are fine for your vegitative grow, sure mh lights are better but in my opinion just for a few plants floros are fine if you make a reflective cabinet . Just keep the lights no more than 2 inches from tops of ur plants. Hps for flower though if you want knarly thick buds.
volcomrider157
Well-Known Member
are metal halide and metal arc pretty much the same or no!?
jashua
Active Member
Thanks guys & gals. I sure am anxious for next-generation LEDs, though. My plan so far is to build a fully reflective-interior cabinet and use fluorescents... I am tempted to go with HPS since my rent includes electricity. My landlord will get the bill 
But the heat issue requires more engineering.
My past roommate had a 400W HPS, 2 plant hydro set-up in our old house, but he tinkered with the irrigation & nutri daily and his plants were in constant state of shock.
Another friend had two 500W HPS and 4-6 plants that got ENORMOUS. He vegged them too long, and his bills were high. The setup filled half the room. Worst of all he used anonymous bag-seeds. The buds were big, but really fluffy and dry. Bitter taste.
Yet another friend showed me his low-budget setup. I laughed at his puny fluorescents and spindly plants. He grew in plain potting soil with Miracle-Gro. The buds were small and not very potent, but the taste was amazing!
So... I am interested in only growing 1-2 plants, with moderate electricity. Really want to try aeroponic, but that may be a bit audacious for my first attempt. I like the taste and simplicity of soil, but may opt for speedy hydro. Either way I am limited in space. Sea of Green method may be my best option for continous supply, and I have heard that fluorescents are well-suited for this, since the plants are short.
I have heard stories about an INVERTED aeroponics system, where the root-ball is elevated and the plants grow downwards towards the floor. I have heard this lets the plant grow with gravity, not against it. Is there any truth in this? I have seen hanging soil planters like that for tomato vines. It sounds challenging with aero or hydroponic, like it would drip all over the place. Would the light source be pointing upwards? Anyone heard of this method?
I am anxious to learn pruning techniques to produce short, heavy plants. (bonsai!) I have heard that lower temps can keep plants short and fat, and CO2 helps as well. My garden may be size-restricted, but my goal is heavy, dense, and sticky! I don't want to end up with wimpy grass! I will spare no expense, surely it will cost less than my current pot-snob consumer-habit!
But the heat issue requires more engineering.
My past roommate had a 400W HPS, 2 plant hydro set-up in our old house, but he tinkered with the irrigation & nutri daily and his plants were in constant state of shock.
Another friend had two 500W HPS and 4-6 plants that got ENORMOUS. He vegged them too long, and his bills were high. The setup filled half the room. Worst of all he used anonymous bag-seeds. The buds were big, but really fluffy and dry. Bitter taste.
Yet another friend showed me his low-budget setup. I laughed at his puny fluorescents and spindly plants. He grew in plain potting soil with Miracle-Gro. The buds were small and not very potent, but the taste was amazing!
So... I am interested in only growing 1-2 plants, with moderate electricity. Really want to try aeroponic, but that may be a bit audacious for my first attempt. I like the taste and simplicity of soil, but may opt for speedy hydro. Either way I am limited in space. Sea of Green method may be my best option for continous supply, and I have heard that fluorescents are well-suited for this, since the plants are short.
I have heard stories about an INVERTED aeroponics system, where the root-ball is elevated and the plants grow downwards towards the floor. I have heard this lets the plant grow with gravity, not against it. Is there any truth in this? I have seen hanging soil planters like that for tomato vines. It sounds challenging with aero or hydroponic, like it would drip all over the place. Would the light source be pointing upwards? Anyone heard of this method?
I am anxious to learn pruning techniques to produce short, heavy plants. (bonsai!) I have heard that lower temps can keep plants short and fat, and CO2 helps as well. My garden may be size-restricted, but my goal is heavy, dense, and sticky! I don't want to end up with wimpy grass! I will spare no expense, surely it will cost less than my current pot-snob consumer-habit!
KaliKitsune
Well-Known Member
UV is produced in all gas lights, from fluorescents to MH to HPS to CMH to MV.
Federal mandates made the bulb manufacturers use UV-filtering glass for safety reasons. This is why you get extremely low levels of any UV wavelength from these lights. The glass is specially made to filter out UV. Bulbs that allow UV only to filter out are made from Wood's Glass, which filters out most visible spectra and allows only the near-UV to far-UV to penetrate through the glass.
SmokeDr420
Well-Known Member
Does mix lighting work well??????i have a 150 watt HPS and one 23 watt cfl on the side for sidelighting since it is about a 2 and 1/2 ft topped plant so you could imagine it is bushy......i have already super cropped it twice and am getting prepared to flower now and i was just wondering if i can used mixed lighting until i flower.....will it be ok or what??? any feedback would be great>>>>>thanks
SmokeDr420
SmokeDr420
purpdaddy
Well-Known Member
adding that 600w hps to the cfl's,is like putting your model airplane next to a 747.cfl's are no good when you use HID's.
purpdaddy
Well-Known Member
CFL's are just not a good choice for side lighting when using HID lamps.
tusseltussel
Well-Known Member
if you need side lighting cfls will work why are you saying this prove it cfls will work for side lighting.. personally i think if you grow your plant right you shouldnt need side lighting but if you need it cfls will do the job