My SolarStorm trial has officially begun! Arrived expediently and fully functional. Quite impressed by the quality construction and the brightness is unreal. I am using a 48"x48"x80" grow tent with a 6" 409CFM Sunleaves Windtunnel for ventilation and a 550CFM Phresh Filter for odor control. I use Foxfarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil and Nutrients (Big Bloom & Tiger Bloom Liquid Fertilizer at 1/2 the recommended dosage). Also going to be using the Green Pad CO2 Generator. Looks like I'm going to have to add AC in the near future as daytime temps in the tent with the lights on were reaching above 80°.
My first trial grow is somewhat of a rescue operation, was gifted two Northern Lights that had spent too many weeks under a CF cloning lamp along with little to no cropping. Slight yellowing, a lot of stretching, a weak stalk and concerns regarding root integrity were one result while the other looks reasonably healthy although it's growth appears stunted. I hate to have an uneven canopy but am using it as an opportunity to get a sense for the SS' light penetration.
I gave them the weekend (2 Nights) at 18/6 to hopefully adjust somewhat to the SS as their new light source (22" from the taller plant, 34" from the shorter) and am now going to flip the switch to Bloom and it's 12/12 from here on out. I don't have high expectations in terms of yield for this run and am by no means judging the SS by what these produce; I am using this to get a baseline for canopy coverage, temperature output, and for uncovering other new factors and then to fine tune things from there.
Have some Cali Connection Seeds on order (Blackwater & 818 Headband aka SourOG) so looking forward to popping those and doing a legit run start to finish!
Any and all advice, recommendations, or suggestions are entirely welcomed. Seems to be a good diversity of styles and setups participating in the program and I am always learning something new so thank you in advance for any sage advice I pick up along the way!
Also a quick thank you to George and the team at California Lightworks for extending this opportunity to the growing community.
Based on the SS documentation is should cover a 4x4 area during flower. Some people say it is about the same as a 600w HPS. With the SS using 5w diodes, it should penetrate better than the lower powered lights but not as well as the higher end HID lights. The SS also puts out some heat but maybe not as much as a non-cooled HID.
What kind of lights were you using before? How tall are your plants?
SME
Disclaimer: I still use HID and I'm NOT an LED expert. All of my LED knowledge is from other parties or research so I can't say from first hand experience one way or another. I also run a medical grow consulting business in SoCal.
I'm most familiar with T5's and HPS and have been looking to find an LED capable of serving as a replacement that could: - Function for both veg and bloom effectively, offer - Qualitative results comparable to traditional practices, and - Retail at a reasonable price point.
So far I've been very pleased with the SolarStorm's performance and it is definitely competitively priced; per watt they retail near half the price of other higher end LED units.
I understand that watt for watt, if ones primary focus is purely quantity and yield and concerns about the related factors (temperature output, energy consumption, maintenance costs over time) aren't relevant that HID lights are the way to go. But nowadays, if space, ambient temperature, wattage consumption and the like are outstanding issues, that LED technology has reached a point where they can serve as viable alternatives to T5/MH/HPS setups. While not without it's trade offs I for one am willing to sacrifice some of my yield for more manageable temperature control and a more reasonable energy bill!
How tall are your plants?
As of this morning my plants are exactly 24" and 12" tall. They definitely seem to be perking up from when I took them in! Not many sites on the little one but still looking forward to the journey.
To address your points; I think you'll find that the SS will be able to perform throughout all stages of growth and some people are saying that the results are similar to a 600w HPS although nobody has been able to achieve that kind of yield...so far...due to problems that often need to be worked out with new grows. I'm hoping to see 1+g/w from a SS grow since a good HPS grow can yield 1+g/w if conditions are very good.
I'm not as sold on the cost/benefit analysis as some people are but a few exceptional grows could change my mind.
As with all grows, it all depends on your expectations, desires and goals.
Disclaimer: I still use HID and I'm NOT an LED expert. All of my LED knowledge is from other parties or research so I can't say from first hand experience one way or another. I also run a medical grow consulting business in SoCal.
Things are coming along quite nice. Both plants really perked up under the SS. My tall girl shot up 15 inches, my little girl 5 inches. At close to 40 inches tall and less than 10 inches from the LEDs, I may have to raise the the SS the few inches I have left to raise it to accommodate without topping but am waiting for signs of bleaching first as everyone looks very happy.
At the first sign of flowering I did a heavy feed of FF Big Bloom (1/3 cup per gallon) and the following night both plants exploded! Did some final cropping and just hoping things continue to progress as well as they have been. Things are just now heating up outside so hoping keeping my temperature manageable doesn't become an issue.
I'll keep you posted.
Best, Tsonic
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Things are moving right along. Flower sites are open and continuing to swell. Trichomes are developing nicely. Had a couple days that got into the 90s so about time to fire up the AC. Did end up raising the light a few inches as my tall girl was getting dangerously close. Been continuing with Fox Farms Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom and also added a bit more Grow Big to my tall girl as after all that stretching she was starting to show some N deficiency.
Emailed George at California Lightworks and received an immediate response. These guys are very knowledgeable and are truly on their game. It's good to know they are looking out for their customers.
Still very happy with my SolarStorm. Yield may be slightly down but overall quality seems to be intact, only time will tell.
Until next time!
Best, Tsonic
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Things are continuing to progress and am still very pleased with my SolarStorm.
Despite having vegged under too low of wattage both plants are producing nicely.
About 5% of hairs have turned so far. Roughly 2 weeks of tapered nutes and then time to flush.
Really looking forward to doing a full run under the SolarStorm. This light has definitely exceeded my expectations of what a quality LED light can produce.
More updates to come!
Best, Tsonic
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Trichomes are about where I like to harvest my hybrids (10% clear/85% cloudy/5% amber). Giving my girls 72 hours in complete darkness and then chop chop.
A few days of air drying and then into jars to cure.
Overall very impressed with the SolarStorm. Quality performance and top notch customer service make this light IMO the complete package.
Will give a full report with dry weight and final impressions in the days to come!
Best, Tsonic
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So all in all I feel I had a successful trial run with my SolarStorm 800.
While I only got to experiment with the "Bloom" setting on this particular cycle I was very happy with how my plants responded under these 5W diodes. My main concern was whether this LED, with it's given wavelengths and beam angles, would be able to produce quality flowers. Following this trial grow the answer in my mind is a resounding "YES!"
Despite not having vegged properly, along with some problematic high ambient temperatures, my plants really perked up under the SS and in the end displayed solid bud formation with good overall density and copious resin production throughout. Yield was far from spectacular coming in at roughly six ounces but frosty trichomes were aplenty! Since I grow solely for my own medical needs I am much more about quality over quantity and am immensely pleased with the end product. (I'm actually tempted to process this whole run through my bubble bags!)
I would definitely recommend California Lightworks to anyone looking to invest in LEDs as they have multiple products available to accommodate various growing ideologies, quality construction for the price per watt, and if customer support is at all a concern believe me, these are the people you want to be working with! I have only corresponded with CEO's a handful of times but NEVER has it been as the consumer... until now!
The only criticism I could possibly offer would be that this puppy does generate some heat, but this can be mitigated with proper climate control. I mainly say this to address the misconception that LEDs don't produce heat. Although the diodes themselves aren't producing heat you can bet anything generating over 600 watts of power is going to produce some heat! Just the cost of doing business.
In conclusion I would say this is a sound product that is competitively priced and backed by excellent client care. I very much look forward to doing a full run under the SS to see what this baby is really capable of! Hope to be up and running in the coming weeks to do a legitimate grow front to back! Hope to see you then.
I'm sure you'll do better on your next full grow but I'm curious as to why you think the yield was so low? 6oz x 29 grams = 174 grams = .28 g/w Was it a heat problem, genetics or nutrient problem maybe? Are you planning on changing anything other than the full cycle grow for next time?
SME
Disclaimer: I still use HID and I'm NOT an LED expert. All of my LED knowledge is from other parties or research so I can't say from first hand experience one way or another. I also run a medical grow consulting business in SoCal.