First Time Grow/Grower
Posted: Wed May 21, 2014 3:26 pm
Hello LED Grow Light Forum,
I am a new member and a first time grower. I am a little different that most of the first time growers here, primarily because I am doing this as research for my company. We are an Colorado based LED company supplying commercial and industrial lighting.
**Let me take a moment here to assure you all,especially SME, that I understand your forum policies and will not be doing anything here to directly promote my company. I just want to contribute and benefit like everyone else.**
With that out of the way, I want to give a quick back story.
Last year, with recreational cannabis on the horizon in Colorado, I started looking more into LED Grow lights. My initial research did not give me a whole lot of confidence. It wasn't until I went to the Hong Kong International Lighting fair and met with many of the manufacturers of these lights that I started to understand how and what works with LED grow lights.
But I needed more information.
Most of the "data" that is out there is more opinion than fact. LEDs are so new, that to most people they are just some high tech mystery riddled with unfamiliar acronyms and specifications that are difficult to understand.
This is true in the the grow light industry in particular. Too many of the people that newbies (like myself) turn to for advice are really just supplying opinions. Some of these opinions may contain facts but most are still just opinions and I always remember what my mom told me about opinions when I was little.
So, that is what brought me to post here first. I don't want to blow smoke up your skirt but this forum is, without doubt, the most civil of all that I have seen. It is the only forum that I have visited where I have yet to see one member start a reply by calling another member stupid(usually a little less PG than "stupid"). This is not really surprising as I have seen the "Pot Snob" phenomenon growing out here since we first legalized Medical. Personally, I would rather be more of a connoisseur than a snob but I digress.
Now on to the real fun stuff, the grow. I am not trying to replace commercial grow lights with all LEDs, I don't think that there is a commercially available and pragmatic LED solution right this moment. It is very close though. In the next few years, I anticipate that the LED grow light efficacy and costs will reach their respective sweet spots and HID lights will be a thing of the past. Instead, I am trying to develop a hobbyist horticulture system. Let's face it, growing cannabis is fun, much like brewing your own beer. Similar to home brewing, you can't expect to pull 3 lbs off a plant, regardless of lighting. I want an easy (relatively) way to grow a few plants in my house and not have to worry about burning the place down or have to install a supplemental AC system.
I am testing two different light styles both with our prescriptive wavelengths and ratios. Both are in 2x4x5, Mylar lined tents. Both tests are soil grows and the idea is to keep everything the same but the LED wattage. One light is small, only 120W, and the other is 300W. The difference being in the diodes themselves. The 120W light uses 1W diodes and the 300W uses 3W diodes but both are the same size footprint. Both operate at about 75-80% of their rated wattage. We are using a 20/20/20 nutrient solution with occasional (2-3 times per week) foliar treatment with CannaBoost.
We cheated a little bit and started with clones (teenagers). The flip to flowering started the morning of 5/04. It was running 24 hours and I went to total darkness for 36 hours before starting the 12/12 flowering cycle. The official start of flowering light began the night of 5/05.
Everything looks good so far and there is a ton of little buds popping on all plants. I have attached a pic form 4/30 and one form 5/10 showing the two plants in my tent side by side. What does anyone think of my little ladies?
I do have a growing list of growing questions but feel as though I have rambled enough for now. I just wanted to introduce myself and set the stage a little. I welcome any questions or comments. I also appreciate you reading my post and promise to be much more brief in the future.
Thanks,
I am a new member and a first time grower. I am a little different that most of the first time growers here, primarily because I am doing this as research for my company. We are an Colorado based LED company supplying commercial and industrial lighting.
**Let me take a moment here to assure you all,especially SME, that I understand your forum policies and will not be doing anything here to directly promote my company. I just want to contribute and benefit like everyone else.**
With that out of the way, I want to give a quick back story.
Last year, with recreational cannabis on the horizon in Colorado, I started looking more into LED Grow lights. My initial research did not give me a whole lot of confidence. It wasn't until I went to the Hong Kong International Lighting fair and met with many of the manufacturers of these lights that I started to understand how and what works with LED grow lights.
But I needed more information.
Most of the "data" that is out there is more opinion than fact. LEDs are so new, that to most people they are just some high tech mystery riddled with unfamiliar acronyms and specifications that are difficult to understand.
This is true in the the grow light industry in particular. Too many of the people that newbies (like myself) turn to for advice are really just supplying opinions. Some of these opinions may contain facts but most are still just opinions and I always remember what my mom told me about opinions when I was little.
So, that is what brought me to post here first. I don't want to blow smoke up your skirt but this forum is, without doubt, the most civil of all that I have seen. It is the only forum that I have visited where I have yet to see one member start a reply by calling another member stupid(usually a little less PG than "stupid"). This is not really surprising as I have seen the "Pot Snob" phenomenon growing out here since we first legalized Medical. Personally, I would rather be more of a connoisseur than a snob but I digress.
Now on to the real fun stuff, the grow. I am not trying to replace commercial grow lights with all LEDs, I don't think that there is a commercially available and pragmatic LED solution right this moment. It is very close though. In the next few years, I anticipate that the LED grow light efficacy and costs will reach their respective sweet spots and HID lights will be a thing of the past. Instead, I am trying to develop a hobbyist horticulture system. Let's face it, growing cannabis is fun, much like brewing your own beer. Similar to home brewing, you can't expect to pull 3 lbs off a plant, regardless of lighting. I want an easy (relatively) way to grow a few plants in my house and not have to worry about burning the place down or have to install a supplemental AC system.
I am testing two different light styles both with our prescriptive wavelengths and ratios. Both are in 2x4x5, Mylar lined tents. Both tests are soil grows and the idea is to keep everything the same but the LED wattage. One light is small, only 120W, and the other is 300W. The difference being in the diodes themselves. The 120W light uses 1W diodes and the 300W uses 3W diodes but both are the same size footprint. Both operate at about 75-80% of their rated wattage. We are using a 20/20/20 nutrient solution with occasional (2-3 times per week) foliar treatment with CannaBoost.
We cheated a little bit and started with clones (teenagers). The flip to flowering started the morning of 5/04. It was running 24 hours and I went to total darkness for 36 hours before starting the 12/12 flowering cycle. The official start of flowering light began the night of 5/05.
Everything looks good so far and there is a ton of little buds popping on all plants. I have attached a pic form 4/30 and one form 5/10 showing the two plants in my tent side by side. What does anyone think of my little ladies?
I do have a growing list of growing questions but feel as though I have rambled enough for now. I just wanted to introduce myself and set the stage a little. I welcome any questions or comments. I also appreciate you reading my post and promise to be much more brief in the future.
Thanks,