rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
bubble bags and make hash with fluff bud. waste not, want not.
FWIW: Assuming the OceanRevive uses 50% watts, that's about 56w/sq ft. You can definitely do well with epi-whatever LEDs if the power is turned up like that. My only point is, for the price of the epi-whatever, you can get T5HO and run slightly less watts (cooler, less costly) and, more importantly, you have a long-term investment (just replace the tubes. No dealing with warranty issues over burned out diodes.).
From a cost-benefit perspective, they don't make a lot of sense. But, definitely, it's not a lot of money to lose (until you start filling a large area with 4-6 of them.). Some people take a real bath on the rebranded epi lights sold at a markup (Kind, Lush, HydroGrowLED). Your $188 light would cost $600 for basically the same results.
Props for sidelighting! I'm totally sold on that. I think it's the most effective thing a person can do.
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rkymtnman
Well-Known Member
good points. i'd add uvb supplementation is the most effective thing a grower can do.
Chrisz0825
Active Member
This is my very first grow and I've invested a decent amount of money into this. There is no way the wife is gonna give the ok to invest even more till we actually have our first harvest. So till then, I'll just have to see what kind of results I can accomplish with the lights I have
You'll be happier if you cover less area. Your 290w should cover 5.3 sq ft. Shorter plants, or scrog (LST). You can cover more space, like 9sq ft. But, the buds will be airey'er. The nice thing is that the light will cover 4x4 in veg. You can do regular seeds that way, and end up with half the females (if the odds are exactly 50/50) and they'll fit under the optimal footprint in flower (2.6x2.6).
You'll be happy. Even airy buds are cheaper than $10g from a dealer. All first grows are like this.
Chrisz0825
Active Member
I plan on running full spectrum the entire time due to the fact that if you are only using the growth spectrum you aren't pulling in the true 400 watts. All in all, I'm new at this and know I'll learn more and more with each grow.
Definitely do full spectrum in veg if you want to cover the 4x4 footprint. You could probably do veg-only spectrum if you restricted the footprint to 2.3x2.3 like I think you should in flower.
I do the same thing with my older Area-51s which have the switch. If I'm covering a larger area (more plants of unknown sex) I run full power but a larger footprint. By flower I eliminate the boys and can reduce the footprint to where it should be at full power in flower.
You'll be happy with the results. I was happy with results from my Blackstars and the Apollo custom-spectrum. Just, not A-grade, firm nuggets. They probably would have been if I kept the plants shorter and reduced the footprint so there was more w/sq ft. CFLs in reflectors can do that too as long as they're up at the 55w/sq ft.
The concern some of us have about the epi lights is that people believe the optimistic claims and then become disappointed with LED generally. If you have any DIY skills, check out the COB threads in the indoor->LED forum. I haven't gotten into that (too many lights already! I had to sell my T5HO.). But, you can get super efficient for MarsHydro prices. You might be able to talk your wife into opening the wallet a little if there's some elbow-grease in it (and electrical savings, etc.).
I do the same thing with my older Area-51s which have the switch. If I'm covering a larger area (more plants of unknown sex) I run full power but a larger footprint. By flower I eliminate the boys and can reduce the footprint to where it should be at full power in flower.
You'll be happy with the results. I was happy with results from my Blackstars and the Apollo custom-spectrum. Just, not A-grade, firm nuggets. They probably would have been if I kept the plants shorter and reduced the footprint so there was more w/sq ft. CFLs in reflectors can do that too as long as they're up at the 55w/sq ft.
The concern some of us have about the epi lights is that people believe the optimistic claims and then become disappointed with LED generally. If you have any DIY skills, check out the COB threads in the indoor->LED forum. I haven't gotten into that (too many lights already! I had to sell my T5HO.). But, you can get super efficient for MarsHydro prices. You might be able to talk your wife into opening the wallet a little if there's some elbow-grease in it (and electrical savings, etc.).
Chrisz0825
Active Member
Originally we were going to run HID lighting. 1000 watt hps/mh. The reason we decided on LEDS were a)they have a much longer lifespan. B) it's so energy efficient. I understand I'm not gonna be able to achieve the same yield with leds vs hid. But to spend a little more on something that is gonna save you hundreds in the long run, thought it was a no brainer. I did extensive research on leds before I landed on Mars hydro. They have a ton of great reviews and very few negative. I'm just curious to see the final results with everything else I have planned. As far as always giving it water within the 6.5-7 ph and using nutes and LST, FIM, scrog. Maybe it's too much for a first timer but I wanna be sure my plants are getting everything they need from grow one
HPS is about 60-65w/sq ft. Epi-whatever fixtures aren't that different.
Be careful of astroturfing and sock-puppets. I spent some time on Mars-Hydro's paid sponsorship forum on 420mag. I had the distinct impression some of those voices were not real. They were too much like an infomercial. Any company that would put in their warranty "we decline warranty if you spread bad words on the internet" is certainly capable of juicing up their paid-for "community" forum.
You'll be happy. Everyone is with their first grow (if the plants look healthy, etc.). I gave my Blackstars and Apollo good reviews too, until I got more experience with other lights. The nuggests were *definitely* not as dense as the T5HO. But, the the T5HO was on a 2.5' tall plant and running at 50w/sq ft. The epi-whatever lights were on 5' tall plants and running around 30w/sq ft. They would have done better with shorter plants, and dedicated to less sq. footage.
I have a Blackstar 135w (85w actual) UFO which I love in a 4' tall space supplemented with 4 Cree 9.5w LED bulbs on the side. Total 120w, 30w sq ft. It rocks. (But, I do better with 4 Cree PAR 38s on top for less wattage per sq ft -- and more useable light reaching the plant to boot!).
So, I'm sure you'll be happy. Don't let me throw water on your happiness growing. Just don't take the marketing too seriously. More w/sq ft, you'll be even happier.
Chrisz0825
Active Member
One thing that really got me was one guys grow journal on YouTube. He was using Mars hydro and the results he was getting was enough to give me that final push to get them. I have seriously thought about adding ufos to the grow. Maybe by the time I'm ready to switch the wife will give me a thumbs up. Maybe add 4. One on each corner?
The UFOs are epi-whatever too. (?). I would only use such for shorter plants. (But, like I said, there are better options for that too. The lightbulbs.).
For more intense light (taller plants) a COB (DIY or Area 51). The PAR38 spots work well to fill in a corner, but there's some limits about coverage. Depends on how much filling in is needed.
Woyaboy
Well-Known Member
Hey bud, how'd this grow end up going? What lighting systems do you use now? Is your wife happy with the harvest at all? Lol.
Chrisz0825
Active Member
It went great. With the 4 plants I had I ended up pulling 12 ounces. I think I got a lil impatient towards the end and cut them down a lil too soon. But this time around I will be more patient. I'm currently growing 2 super lemon haze. About 2 wks in from seed. They are looking healthy. I'm using the same lighting system as last crop. I decided to go with 2 plants this time cause they are sativa. I'm gonna throw a scrog net into the mix this time around. So hopefully I'll have the screen filled out in a few wks. Gonna be looking to pick up 4 more lights and a propagation tray. Definitely had a blast growing my first crop and can't wait will these girls mature more so I can be in my tent more often. It's rather boring in the beginning lol. But thanks for checking up.