I'm moving towards something similar, I can't help myself though, I still add some time-release dry nutes when I up-pot. I've done grows where I overdid everything -- too much light, too much nutes, etc. -- all the way to very mild soil amendments and relatively soft lighting, and pretty much everything in between. What I've found is that plants with moderate soil, lighting, and temps are extremely happy, have fewer issues, and anything that does go wrong happens much more slowly leaving more time to react.
Raise everything up, and (genetics allowing) the plants get bigger denser buds, but with the intensity things happen more quickly and there are a lot more opportunities for things to go south. Those are just my observations, but chasing mega-colas seems to be a common motivation. This does bring up a lot of questions, like just how much more weight at harvest will someone get from pushing the plant really hard? And is there any difference in quality (flavor, smell, THC levels?) of bud produced through a gentle grow vs. an intense grow?
Sorry if I missed it, but I'm wondering what kind of lights this grow is under, how many w/sf, how far the lights are from the plant, what kind of temps you're running at? It seems you can't change one element without impacting all the others.
Have you run these side-by-side and seen any difference?
Quantum boards ... QB 304 S5 bin ( OG boards 4 year old ) with Citize COB ( 3500K )
These were some of the first offerings from HLG .... I jumped on board when they were just being introduced.
I run perpetual grows and these have been running none stop
SINCE I built that rig in 2015 . Those COBS were actually purchased from HLG when they “ used “ to sell COBS on their site. I have been touching base with
@robincnn and
@Stephenj37826 thruout the past few years , even testing proto boards , so I have great respect for their gear. These S5 bin leds have been doing well , no dim on any string , manageable temps and awesome results.
Power has been upgraded since original build , now I remote mounted 2 ) 240w meanwell B type ( pot dimmed for each set of 2 boards parallel ) . The cool thing is when I bought these 4 boards they were all Vf matched so I can configure all 4 in series or parallel or by sets of 2 . I do have the original Slate 1 heatsinks so I have to supplement active cooling hence the clip fan for power up. COBS are powered at 120w and no longer dimmed ( leads open ) .
Current power is about 420w ( 300w at boards ) with the 120w cobs in a 3x3. I actually like running even softer at times as to control stress. I love them.
Temps are ambient room temps ( 76 - 81 ) with or without added oscillating fan. Cali temps . Height about 18” . Any younger plants start “ below “ canopy at about 22” to 24” until they get their legs and then on risers to match canopy. 3500k is the best to control
node spacing , and am growing a comparative grow under QB96s elites and they are 3000k with red 660 ( better flower ).
No humidifier, No a/c , No CO2 ....
One MOD tho , is the Mylar masking to the inside of my tents ..... much better use of light , less loss.
Here is why I believe in these boards ..... This was another rig I built from an idea by
@Growmau5 modifying an old blurple panel.
It was a mars hydro 600 white ( classic ) that I gutted and replaced with One QB 304 and one of the on board drivers. Gave it a rustoleum hammered finish from a rattle can and it was reborn ! It’s even sporting the original sticker from the board in 2015 that I put on the outside.
In same 3x3 ..... at a lousy
50watts total , I grew 4 plants ! ...... Nobody can tell me these boards don’t do it’s job !
Look at the operating temps .... I reused the on board fan cooling added a few more vent holes and that’s it.
Bottom line is I’m sure any setup / lights will work even outdoor.
