LED Grow Light Forum

Hi everyone, I just ordered my ss400 from CLW on the GFP. I was wondering if that will be enough light for my 3x3 closet with 4-6 plants in it? Also I'm starting some test plants in smart pots outdoors, then I plan to bring them inside around June 7th no later than the 14th as it gets very hot around that part of the summer.Should I go ahead and flower them when I bring them in? And for the purpose of a higher yield on my next grow, should I plan on switching to aeroponic or hydroponic system?

Welcome to the forums!

I moved your post because it's really more about a few questions not the actual GFP Journal.

While i think that CLW claims that their SS400 will cover a 3x3 area in flower, the w/sqft is too low (for me) if you want top-shelf results. If you used 2x3 instead of 3x3 you'd have more light in a smaller area which will help.

4-6 plants might fit if you flower them while they're short, certainly no taller than 12" and maybe even a little less.

Be careful that when you move them inside you don't bring in pests too...

Hydroponics does seem to increase yield, each method has their pros and cons and is a matter of personal preference. Aeroponics is a type of hydroponics.


Hope that helps...

SME

Thank you for your prompt response, How much more light would I need and would side lighting help as well? Are aeroponic systems easier to set up and maintain than a flood and drain system?

I always suggest 50+ w/swqft (actual draw - not LED watts) for flowering although CLW suggests 40+w/sqft so it depends on what kind of results you're looking for.

There are many options for adding more light. If you're talking about CLW products you could go with 2 SF100w lights or 1 SF200w light. You could even use a SS800w light for flower and save the SS400w light for veg if you move to all indoor. The easiest thing would be to use less of your 3x3 tent for now. Side lighting helps some with taller plants but I wouldn't bother with your size space and desired plant numbers, I'd just grow shorter plants.

Aeroponics would be more complicated and require more maintenance.

What would you consider to be the best/most reputable HID manufacturer? And are there many people using LEDs as a main light source and HID as a supplemental? I've also been very confused by all the liquid nutrients, prices obviously vary but is there something made specifically for cannabis?

The HID question is really not so simple, there are ballasts, hoods and bulbs. If I were to replace all of my HID ballasts today I'd go with the Solis Tek, Matrix series. I like Sun Systems hoods but I don't think hoods make that big of a difference although some would argue that point. Bulbs are another personal preference, like hoods. I've tried expensive bulbs and cheaper bulbs and while you can see a difference in spectra, side by side, I never could see big differences in yield or health although, again, some would argue that. Bulbs also get replaced more often so you can always experiment...

I think there are more LED lights supplementing HID than the other way around but that's an experiment that needs to be tested more, imho.

There are a number of nutrients that claim to be cannabis specific although I'm old school so I still use GH products. I'd avoid Advanced Nutrients (AN) which are the most expensive and the hype doesn't seem to match the results.

is there a certain line of product from GH you would recommend for soil? and flood and drain? also is there any way to sex a plant without the worry of cross pollination? if it helps my new seedlings were started in 50%FFOF 50% FFLW 1/2 cup azomite but have been looking at an amended ``super soil`` for the bottom half of each new container when i transplant,

I've used both the Flora series (3 part) and the FloraNova series (1 part) and for soil I'd try the FloraNova. I haven't grown in soil for decades now though, so I'm no soil expert. For a flood and drain hydro system I wouldn't use soil and I'd probably go with the 3 part. There is a nutrient formula that uses 2 of the 3 part GH line called the "Lucas Formula" that is very good. I use a modified version of the lucas formula myself.

You can take cuttings from the vegging plants and force those into flower (once rooted) to sex them, killing off the males found and saving female genetics for a mother plant. If you veg long enough they'll often show "preflowers" that you can determine sex by but that takes a while and you won't want to veg them that big unless you just want to use those as mother plants. When growing from seed you never know what you're going to get until they show sex. It's a roll of the dice.

Is there a strain that is very low maintenance that is also well known for producing a consistent yield? And what is auto-flowering? Sorry I've got so many questions, and does feminized really mean it will always be a female plant? Is it better to go with one strain at a time since they might differ in growth rate/flowering time? Does co2 really help in an indoor grow?

Virtually any strain should produce a consistent yield if grown from clone, with some experience, and if the environmental conditions are stable. I don't consider any of them to be high maintenance.

Auto-flowering strains are either pure cannabis ruderalis or ruderalis hybrids that flower as soon as they are mature, they typically yield low and finish very fast.

Feminized seeds *should* always be female but they can be hermaphroditic too depending on the genetics.

Yes, one at a time is a good idea, especially when just starting out.

Yes, plants use co2 and produce oxygen and it usually does help growth but it also adds complexity so skip it until you get a few grows under your belt and feel more comfortable. Stick with the basics at first...