Bigger tight buds

Greenman71

Greenman71

Active Member
With autos I've found that it's best to go with a 5 gallon pot and really be careful with them the first few weeks of growth. They are so finicky until they hit their flower stage. I think lighting is far more important than what brand of nutrients you use. Most nutes are basically the same if you're a bottled nutrient guy. I have tried out brand after brand and never saw much difference. Finally settled on a dry all-in-one called Mega Crop because it was just easier to throw a spoonful of dry powder in a jug and fill it with water. But lighting, man, that's the key. Every time I have upgraded my lights to higher quality I have noted an increase in my flower quality. I use Sayhon lights now. It's not a big name brand, but their lights have UV and infrared and those added wavelengths make a big big big difference.
 
Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
Greenman71 said:
With autos I've found that it's best to go with a 5 gallon pot and really be careful with them the first few weeks of growth. They are so finicky until they hit their flower stage. I think lighting is far more important than what brand of nutrients you use. Most nutes are basically the same if you're a bottled nutrient guy. I have tried out brand after brand and never saw much difference. Finally settled on a dry all-in-one called Mega Crop because it was just easier to throw a spoonful of dry powder in a jug and fill it with water. But lighting, man, that's the key. Every time I have upgraded my lights to higher quality I have noted an increase in my flower quality. I use Sayhon lights now. It's not a big name brand, but their lights have UV and infrared and those added wavelengths make a big big big difference.
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Having migrated from photos to autos, and also growing in soil, I agree that larger (5 gallon) pots are much more forgiving, especially when you grow multiple strains that have different feeding needs.

I've never had proper UV lights, but I did use "lizard lights" for a few grows. It was during a part of my learning curve where I was making so many changes from one grow to the next that I couldn't be sure what impact they were having. What difference have you found UV has made?

I wonder at what point upgrading lighting has diminishing returns. A few years back I built my own COB lights, I'm still using them and they'll probably outlive me. The next "upgrade" would be QB's. I'm not sure how much of an improvement it would be. What has actually held me back, is that QB's are apparently so much more efficient that they create less heat, and some times of year I can barely keep my tent warm enough with my "old" less efficient COBs putting off their heat. As it is, I have my variable speed exhaust fan on its lowest setting.
 
MATTYMATT726

MATTYMATT726

Well-Known Member
Humanrob said:
Having migrated from photos to autos, and also growing in soil, I agree that larger (5 gallon) pots are much more forgiving, especially when you grow multiple strains that have different feeding needs.

I've never had proper UV lights, but I did use "lizard lights" for a few grows. It was during a part of my learning curve where I was making so many changes from one grow to the next that I couldn't be sure what impact they were having. What difference have you found UV has made?

I wonder at what point upgrading lighting has diminishing returns. A few years back I built my own COB lights, I'm still using them and they'll probably outlive me. The next "upgrade" would be QB's. I'm not sure how much of an improvement it would be. What has actually held me back, is that QB's are apparently so much more efficient that they create less heat, and some times of year I can barely keep my tent warm enough with my "old" less efficient COBs putting off their heat. As it is, I have my variable speed exhaust fan on its lowest setting.
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I'm in Buffalo NY, and getting Timber cob to light my full 4x4 and get more heat in the winter was huge over the QBs i was using as much as i love them.
 
VincenzioVonHook

VincenzioVonHook

Well-Known Member
Humanrob said:
Having migrated from photos to autos, and also growing in soil, I agree that larger (5 gallon) pots are much more forgiving, especially when you grow multiple strains that have different feeding needs.

I've never had proper UV lights, but I did use "lizard lights" for a few grows. It was during a part of my learning curve where I was making so many changes from one grow to the next that I couldn't be sure what impact they were having. What difference have you found UV has made?

I wonder at what point upgrading lighting has diminishing returns. A few years back I built my own COB lights, I'm still using them and they'll probably outlive me. The next "upgrade" would be QB's. I'm not sure how much of an improvement it would be. What has actually held me back, is that QB's are apparently so much more efficient that they create less heat, and some times of year I can barely keep my tent warm enough with my "old" less efficient COBs putting off their heat. As it is, I have my variable speed exhaust fan on its lowest setting.
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The added bonus of running 18-20 hours pretty much nullifies the need for crazy lighting with autos and kinda proves your "diminishing returns" theory. I have a 220w board dimmed to 180w in a 3x3 at 22". I get told daily that it's not enough for my tent but they aren't taking into account the 18 hour schedule.
IMG_20221008_091607.jpg

It still puts out a DLI of 48 in the hotspot and 42 for the outer colas in the corner while dimmed. Full pelt at 18" in the 3x3 it puts out a DLI of well into the 60s at 18hrs (still mid 50s in the corner), and over 70 at 20 hours.

I can also reach DLI of 45 with the board dimmed to 140w at 16" over 20 hours which puts out next to no heat. At 200w or more, the tent will sit at 3-4c over ambient which can get bad in summer.

I'm at mid week three flower. Hoping these turn out solid and prove my point lol.
 
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Humanrob

Humanrob

Well-Known Member
VincenzioVonHook said:
The added bonus of running 18-20 hours pretty much nullifies the need for crazy lighting with autos and kinda proves your "diminishing returns" theory. I have a 220w board dimmed to 180w in a 3x3 at 22". I get told daily that it's not enough for my tent but they aren't taking into account the 18 hour schedule.
View attachment 5209292

It still puts out a DLI of 48 in the hotspot and 42 for the outer colas in the corner while dimmed. Full pelt at 18" in the 3x3 it puts out a DLI of well into the 60s at 18hrs (still mid 50s in the corner), and over 70 at 20 hours.

I can also reach DLI of 45 with the board dimmed to 140w at 16" over 20 hours which puts out next to no heat. At 200w or more, the tent will sit at 3-4c over ambient which can get bad in summer.

I'm at mid week three flower. Hoping these turn out solid and prove my point lol.
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The only benefit to the QB 'upgrade' might be a better spectrum of light, most of them seem to include red and/or UV in the mix. What I have works. Unless I was thinking of doing a summer indoor, I can't really think of anything that would inspire me to buy a new light.

I'm still wrapping my brain around "DLI" -- I understand the concept -- I just don't have the specific target numbers or how to calculate it down. My last run looked like the pictures below, those were at weeks 7 and 10. I asked (I think on another forum) what people thought was causing the premature 'fall colors'. People basically showed me pictures of their "pretty" plants, and a few insisted it had to do with temperature changes, all making it seem normal. I don't think what I had going fit in the category of normal.

Near the end of the run I realized I had not set my light wattage. It's a home build so I have to use a Kill O Watt meter and dial in the three sets of dimmable COBs. Bottom line, it had been running at around 380 watts for 19 hours a day in a 2x4! LOL I kept thinking they were underfed so I kept feeding them more. This is what too much nutes and too much light looks like. Rookie mistake, even though I've been at this long enough I should have known better. Um... in terms of the topic of this thread... the buds were pretty tight!
:eyesmoke::wall::eyesmoke:

week7.jpgweek10.jpg

I'll do better with the one I just started. In a tent this packed I should have defoliated (schwazzz?), I was so concerned in that last run that the plants needed to cannibalize the leaves, I was afraid to take any off. This time around I don't plan on cooking them, and hope to run it like a clean SOG. We'll see...
 
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