Damien - I just bought the HLG 260xl. Seems like you're pretty familiar with the light? What are your thoughts on distance from plants and use of dimmer during life cycle? I'm having trouble finding much info, other than the manufacturer suggests 18" during flower; 24" during veg; and 30" for seedlings. So I've more or less been following that, but I'm not real sure what the corresponding wattage setting should be. I bought a wattage meter and I can crank the light from about 40 to about 260 watts. Any thoughts on how you might run those lights in a 2x4 grow tent? And I recognize that there are probably lots of considerations that are plant-specific, but for a noob grower that doesn't really know how to read a plant just yet, any thoughts on sort of default distance/wattage settings with this light? Thanks!! And sorry for hijacking the thread!Depends on what you want in a light. Most lights will grow. It's not so much the amount of watts to cover the space but the efficiency of the light measured. A 1.9umol/j won't perform as well as a 2.5 or 3.0 but you pay more. Usually comes with higher quality heatsinking, diodes, functions, etc. Translates to less heat output, maybe waterproofing and so on.
Slightly over budget but
260W QB V2 Rspec LED Kit
Ultra High Efficiency LED Boards for DIY. QB288 has 288pcs Samsung 301H or 561C LEDhorticulturelightinggroup.com
That would cover a 2x4 well. They need 24" of space
I think the QB elite 96's are being phased out but two on a 240w driver would put you at 2.4+umols/j. They also have a 10% discount if you're inclined to DIY. Spectrum on them is great while also needing to be hung 18-24" during flower.
You could make a small aluminum frame and have a sub $300 build.
QB96 Elite V2 Engine
QB96 Elite V2 is a white LED Board with boosted red spectrum. Each Board is powered by 64 high power white LED, 16 630nm Red LED and 16 660nm Deep Red LED.
You can also wire your driver and dimmer outside the tent.
Otherwise there's Mars, Spider, Alibaba, etc but the first two are a real value imo
2x4 tent and lights required
- Thread starter MaskedPlants
- Start date
They measure at full power from those given distances. Each one is a general guideline based on PPFD values needed to satisfy DLI. If you really wanted to know, a PAR meter and a wattage meter would let you tailor it your situation.
You can rent a PAR meter online https://www.podyourreef.com/products/apogee-mq-510-par-meter-rental-full-spectrum-underwater-quantum-meter
Then you can dim, raise, or do whatever you need to make the light work for you. Apogee has videos explaining DLI, PPFD, and PAR.
The TS600 is an older type light, I would just keep that in the 2x2 tent and get 2x TS1000 @ 130 each and a 2x4 tent for 110, after using AFN discount code you would be near enough the 300 mark.
Cookiemonster69
Auto Warrior
Hey man. In a 2x2 with spider farmer sf4000 I got 20 ounces dry of hard dense frosty nugs. From 4 Autoflowers in 1 large fabric pot.
20oz in a 2x2 with a 500w light?
Cookiemonster69
Auto Warrior
Yes sir!
Olderfart
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hubba bloody hubba. So much for the notion that multiple plants in one pot might be a problem. Did you put in any kind of barrier to separate the root balls of individual plants?
What did you use for nutes and at what concentration?
Anyway, a thing of beauty.
Cookiemonster69
Auto Warrior
Hey! Thanks!!!
Yes! I did separate the quarters with an Amazon cardboard box, which at around week 6 of flower completely mushed up into nothing. I think maybe after that point the roots could have been intertwining... But the plant was already on it way to die so it was okay I guess...
I used GH Maxibloom and Maxigrow throughout. During veg I kept my Maxigrow at 800ppm max. And during flower Maxibloom at 2000max. I did use around 3000ppm during the 'phatenning phase' for 1 week... I done it as an experiment, the plants didn't show any signs of rejection or burn. But I would let know much as it could have all came out through the run off!
I think this grow went EXCELLENTLY because I kept my lights on for 22 hours a day.
The lights are also I think 450 watts
Olderfart
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Bloody hell, 2-3000 PPM??? Are you sure this was not EC? Were you fertigating every time you watered, or just intermittently? Those concentrations sound really high to this newcomer.
The cardboard root separators sound perfect, and it sure seems as though it worked. Your 2x2 must have been absolutely plugged.
The cardboard root separators sound perfect, and it sure seems as though it worked. Your 2x2 must have been absolutely plugged.
So four autos in 4sqft under a 450w lamp bigger than the tent itself?
I'm not doubting you, that's an impressive 140g per square foot but I need more pics! Curious as hell