Dinafem Bubba Kush & Blue Cheese 1'st Dina Grow

[Cat]

Hey @Fuggzy Thanks for that info, very helpful. I'm only working with a small tent 80x80x160cm and not sure if my two mars are too powerful for that space. They are both 5w diodes. One came from amazon and the other was £20 cheaper from ebay. I'm growing two northern lights autos, 1 is 38days old, the other is 25days. The younger plant is doing okay, but the oldest is very small and mega bushy. I would have expected a little more stretch on both. I've raised the light as far as possible to try encourage stretching, but they are in early flower and might need the light closer. I need to do a little reading on exactly what wattage I need for this space. The tent is in a cupboard, which I plan to convert into a grow room as soon as I can afford to upgrade lights and exhaust. I like how you've angled those lights, the plants look happy. I'll be watching your journal.

 

[Fuggzy]

Hey @Fuggzy Thanks for that info, very helpful. I'm only working with a small tent 80x80x160cm and not sure if my two mars are too powerful for that space. They are both 5w diodes. One came from amazon and the other was £20 cheaper from ebay. I'm growing two northern lights autos, 1 is 38days old, the other is 25days. The younger plant is doing okay, but the oldest is very small and mega bushy. I would have expected a little more stretch on both. I've raised the light as far as possible to try encourage stretching, but they are in early flower and might need the light closer. I need to do a little reading on exactly what wattage I need for this space. The tent is in a cupboard, which I plan to convert into a grow room as soon as I can afford to upgrade lights and exhaust. I like how you've angled those lights, the plants look happy. I'll be watching your journal.

Not a problem at all bud. So if we us US measurements for a moment... (sorry I am not totally familiar with the metric system and don't want to give you bad info) You have 6.76 sq feet, and the 2 Mars300 put you right around 41.5 watts per square foot. Thats a pretty good number, and it just fine. My current set up is a 55 watts per square foot, and I have gone as high as ~80w+ per sq/ft. Although I do not recommend putting a 150w hps in a 16" x 16" tent, hitting a 100f is REALLY easy.

The problem you are going to face with the lights being to strong is the 5w diodes have a lot more strength than the 3 watt diodes. This is a catch 22 because the stronger diode give much better light penetration at the same wattage as the 3w but at the same time have a higher chance of doing damage to the plant requiring you to keep them a bit farther away. Now your tent is ~5.25 feet tall, and if we figure in the height loss for the hanger, lets say you have roughly 5 feet of growing space including the pot. In veg you should keep the light 18-24" (45-60cm) above the canopy. So now you have 3-3.5 feet of room to use, take off a foot for the pot, and you have 2-2.5 feet of height to veg in... Realistically, you should have no problem with the height of you ten, and the strength of the light. Especially when they start to flower and you are able to get them closer.

Another problem with any led grow light that uses the pink/purple spectrum is it's just not natural. Does it work? Oh hell yes. Does the plant know the difference? Oh hell yes again. Although they are advertised as full spectrum they are anything but that. The sun is full spectrum, white light is full spectrum, but pink/purple is not. Ever wonder why plants under these lights require more calmag? I am not 100% sure if this is why, but I do suspect it to be the reason.

Anywho, whenever you get to planning out the cupboard, feel free to ask questions. I'd be more than happy to help get the proper gear including ventilation. I'm sure @tripaholic88 would vouch for my info being at least decent. (hopefully better than that though, lol) Take care.

 

[Cat]

Thanks fuggzy, that's really great info and I've written some points in my notebook. When we calculate sq ft, do we not include the height? I'm just thinking of shopping for a new fan and whether the height should be included in my calculations.

I did have the lights 24" from the plant, but they're currently 32", trying to encourage stretch, but I'm not sure it's working.

Yes, I'll pick your brains in a few weeks when I start to plan the cupboard conversion. It's 100 x 120cm with a 7ft height and has access to the chimney, which is ideal, really, but I'll just have to work with what I've got for the time being

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain the wattage v space, thanks

 

[Bailey]

You sir are correct. If they are to crowded, and th Rh is to high mold will set in. With good air flow and low RH you could be fine, but it would still be a risk. It is pretty dense.


Hi there @Cat it's nice to meet you. The Mars300 may not be the best, but dollar per watt they are the best bang for the buck on the market, and even compare to the DIY price. All the older model have been upgraded with the 5w diodes though, so if you recently bought one, you kinda have a version 2.0. I also have 2, but I run them with a 600w hps. What size area are you lighting? Even when you upgrade later, the Mars300 makes a great supplemental light, and is what I them for. I actually have about 10 more plants in there at the moment, and they all are able to benefit from the 2 panels angeled like that. Not to mention the added light pen from it. My Bubba Kush (front and center, hard to see but there are 2 in the middle) has had zero lst, and the lower buds normally hidden by the canopy are just as nice as the tops are.

​

For vegging I would compare them to a hps, but if you are only growing autos that should not really matter. I have noticed with the photosensitive plants are responding better to my Vipar Spectra Reflector. It has more blue in the spectrum, and also has 2 IR diodes. 300 watts (137 actual) and $99 on amazon.

The first link is some info I posted about the Vipar, and the second link is when I got it a few days later. I would only recommend this unit if you plan on doing photos though. I do have plants flowering under it now to see how it does, but I just flipped the light 2 days ago so I can't say how it will do yet.
Fuggzy's little happy trees!
Fuggzy's little happy trees!

Again nice to meet you Cat, and take care.

Great post bro also love the new avatar sad times

 

[Bailey]

Not a problem at all bud. So if we us US measurements for a moment... (sorry I am not totally familiar with the metric system and don't want to give you bad info) You have 6.76 sq feet, and the 2 Mars300 put you right around 41.5 watts per square foot. Thats a pretty good number, and it just fine. My current set up is a 55 watts per square foot, and I have gone as high as ~80w+ per sq/ft. Although I do not recommend putting a 150w hps in a 16" x 16" tent, hitting a 100f is REALLY easy.

The problem you are going to face with the lights being to strong is the 5w diodes have a lot more strength than the 3 watt diodes. This is a catch 22 because the stronger diode give much better light penetration at the same wattage as the 3w but at the same time have a higher chance of doing damage to the plant requiring you to keep them a bit farther away. Now your tent is ~5.25 feet tall, and if we figure in the height loss for the hanger, lets say you have roughly 5 feet of growing space including the pot. In veg you should keep the light 18-24" (45-60cm) above the canopy. So now you have 3-3.5 feet of room to use, take off a foot for the pot, and you have 2-2.5 feet of height to veg in... Realistically, you should have no problem with the height of you ten, and the strength of the light. Especially when they start to flower and you are able to get them closer.

Another problem with any led grow light that uses the pink/purple spectrum is it's just not natural. Does it work? Oh hell yes. Does the plant know the difference? Oh hell yes again. Although they are advertised as full spectrum they are anything but that. The sun is full spectrum, white light is full spectrum, but pink/purple is not. Ever wonder why plants under these lights require more calmag? I am not 100% sure if this is why, but I do suspect it to be the reason.

Anywho, whenever you get to planning out the cupboard, feel free to ask questions. I'd be more than happy to help get the proper gear including ventilation. I'm sure @tripaholic88 would vouch for my info being at least decent. (hopefully better than that though, lol) Take care.

I vouch for you bro @Fuggzy is more than capable of advice on growing that last post about light penetration for square feet says it all

 

[Bailey]

Thanks fuggzy, that's really great info and I've written some points in my notebook. When we calculate sq ft, do we not include the height? I'm just thinking of shopping for a new fan and whether the height should be included in my calculations.

I did have the lights 24" from the plant, but they're currently 32", trying to encourage stretch, but I'm not sure it's working.

Yes, I'll pick your brains in a few weeks when I start to plan the cupboard conversion. It's 100 x 120cm with a 7ft height and has access to the chimney, which is ideal, really, but I'll just have to work with what I've got for the time being

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain the wattage v space, thanks

That would be a great space to grow in well worth the money and time and having access to the chimney is a dream for extraction

 

[tripaholic88]

I'm sure @tripaholic88 would vouch for my info being at least decent. (hopefully better than that though, lol) Take care.

@Cat @Fuggzy was one of the first people to talk to me on here and he has helped me out alot along the way along with @Bailey too! we have a great community here at AFN

 

[Bailey]

@Cat @Fuggzy was one of the first people to talk to me on here and he has helped me out alot along the way along with @Bailey too! we have a great community here at AFN

That we do trip it wouldn't be the same without use we make a great team all of us and cat ure more than welcome bro

 

[Cat]

@Cat @Fuggzy was one of the first people to talk to me on here and he has helped me out alot along the way along with @Bailey too! we have a great community here at AFN

Wonderful community and great advice

 

[Fuggzy]

@Cat @Fuggzy was one of the first people to talk to me on here and he has helped me out alot along the way along with @Bailey too! we have a great community here at AFN

That we do trip it wouldn't be the same without use we make a great team all of us and cat ure more than welcome bro

I totally agree with this. Good people, good vibes, and a willingness to share. @Bailey is a great resource too. Everyone has something to bring to the table, even if it is just the willingness to learn.