Old Reviews Lighting Grower of the Year 2019

[Mañ'O'Green]

@Mañ'O'Green
Week 6 update.
Nothing's changed other than the lights being raised a few inches.
Lights (4) are autocobs from cobshop.net (see @davisgirl update for all the details)
If I recall right, I named the shrub by the dehumidifier my battle plant. That's the Short Stuff Amnesia Haze CBD cross in the @Rain Science grow bag I'm testing.
She's around 18" tall.View attachment 1026795 View attachment 1026796

@Dichoti Logged Thank You.

Thanks for the info @MrOldBoy and @Mañ'O'Green ! Got a par meter on the drool list so I can work these watts!

If I were going to buy one this is the one I would get - but this is way too F'ing expensive for me! You all know how cheap I am

 

[davisgirl]

@Dichoti Logged Thank You.



If I were going to buy one this is the one I would get - but this is way too F'ing expensive for me! You all know how cheap I am

View attachment 1026892

Yes, I believe that one there is best in show. Prices gotta come down on these units. Is the technology really that expensive? It’s a luxury I can ill-afford at the moment, but like @MrOldBoy told me, makes sense to know how to use your most important piece of kit. It’s on the horizon.

 

[RivetGrrl]

You’ve got it right, total watts in the tent divided by the number of plants.

Without an expensive Meter you cannot measure PPFD which is the information you need to truly be useful as far as light is concerned. Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density or “PPFD” is a measurement of the amount of light that actually reaches your plants and algae or, as a scientist might say: “the number of photosynthetically active photons that fall on a given surface each second”. PPFD is a ‘spot’ measurement of a specific location on your plant canopy, and it is measured in micromoles per square meter per second. This measurement is expressed by scientists and light engineers as:μmol/m2/s.

I gota tell you I have no idea what my PPFD is because I would buy new lights before I spent the money on a PPF meter. That said I wanted a statistic in this battle that made some intrinsic connection. We pay for our electricity in watts and 60 watts per plant is a concept that is easy to grasp. This has nothing to do with the efficiency of those watts used. The plants at the end of this grow will speak volumes.

I hope that answers your question.

Thank you for the rundown, As OldBoy states below, I have always read that "50w per ft2 is ideal" but yes, with the new kinds of lights it's hard to measure that way now.
I hope my questions aren't annoying, I am one of those people that really needs something scientific or measurable etc. so I can understand how it all comes together. I know without a PAR meter it's tricky, I was even looking at a higher end light meter that does white and colored LED's just for a baseline, as I know it isn't all that accurate. I FEEL that if I could run my lights at the best hight and spectrum etc. I would get more out of them, but in the end would it make a huge difference? I don't know, without a PAR meter.
But the way you are doing it, gathering all our info, looking at the end results, and making some observations and calculations is very useful and we all will gain from that pool of knowledge gathered.

Good info, made me smarter ....

@RivetGrrl @davisgirl ..... If I may offer this for consideration:

Back in the Reagan Years (1980 eat) when setting up a room you would try to run 30-45 Watts, even 50-60.Watts per square foot, then, we had Metal Halide and HPS and Florescent VHO LiGhts .... So a 10x10 room at 40 Watts would be 4,000 Watts or four 1,000 watt lights for the room ...

TODAY with LED and COB and Double End - bla bla bla lights, what counts is PAR Readings which is how much light the plant receives ..... Not how many watts a light fixture consumes .....

To size a room look at manufacturers PAR Footprint charts such as the chart shown on this COB .... https://opticledgrowlights.com/products/optic-1-veg-cob-led-grow-light Scroll down and see footprint chart for x size room .....

Who knows in five years we maybe growing with 25-100 watt lights that are super duper effective in putting out a lot of light using very little electricity ... So Watts, while a measurement, it is not something you wanna buy a ligHt or outfit a room by ....

Hope this helps!

@Dichoti Logged Thank You.



If I were going to buy one this is the one I would get - but this is way too F'ing expensive for me! You all know how cheap I am

View attachment 1026892

Like DG, I would love a PAR meter, like you, I'd rather just buy more lights..
But s tool like that would allow the lights currently owned to be used at the most efficient height, and configuration so I wonder, in the long run, if it's almost more valuable to get the meter for the lights I have rather than spending more money on electricity?
I'd have to buy one to really know..

 

[RivetGrrl]

That's kind, but I wouldn't count yourself out, man. rarely does the largest plants win, I heard. Plus, I think the DWC is helping these plants grow faster, not necessarily larger. At least that it what I hope. I do recommend DWC though. It just seems like the best way to get the plants what they need when they need it.

As much maintenance as my DWC can require, the first time I vegged a plant in my 5gal bucket I was shocked how she exploded. Flowering wasn't faster, but the veg time was either cut way down to grow smaller plants, or about the same to grow monsters before 12/12. After that, I'm not sure if there is a huge difference, but no matter how much swearing I do as I clean the whole system or deal with hydroponic root etc. issues, I don't think I could ever go back for my photos. I will be running an auto in hydro soon, for now I'll see how the autopots perform first.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@Mañ'O'Green Week 6 Update. oops I have to go look up which plant I put in this battle.

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

@Mañ'O'Green Week 6 Update. (ok I found it ShortStuff Seeds Auto Amnesia CBD the one in the right rear).

I am running about 60% of GreenLeaf's MegaCrop 1.0 chart Week 3 The PPMs for all nutrients is about 850 down to 450 before I bump back up (not counting my starting water).

Here is what the environment looked like the past week:

 

[davisgirl]

@Mañ'O'Green Week 6 Update. (ok I found it ShortStuff Seeds Auto Amnesia CBD the one in the right rear).

View attachment 1026908

I am running about 60% of GreenLeaf's MegaCrop 1.0 chart Week 3 The PPMs for all nutrients is about 850 down to 450 before I bump back up (not counting my starting water).
View attachment 1026910

Here is what the environment looked like the past week:

View attachment 1026911

She’s looking beautiful MOG! Easy on the vape pen! Loving how the technology is going, Boveda has this app now where you can check the rH in your jars, sends you an alert when it’s out of range I believe. Pretty fucking cool. Going to see if it might help me with the drying on my next harvest.

 

[MrOldBoy]

Thank you for the rundown, As OldBoy states below, I have always read that "50w per ft2 is ideal" but yes, with the new kinds of lights it's hard to measure that way now.
I hope my questions aren't annoying, I am one of those people that really needs something scientific or measurable etc. so I can understand how it all comes together. I know without a PAR meter it's tricky, I was even looking at a higher end light meter that does white and colored LED's just for a baseline, as I know it isn't all that accurate. I FEEL that if I could run my lights at the best hight and spectrum etc. I would get more out of them, but in the end would it make a huge difference? I don't know, without a PAR meter.
But the way you are doing it, gathering all our info, looking at the end results, and making some observations and calculations is very useful and we all will gain from that pool of knowledge gathered.





Like DG, I would love a PAR meter, like you, I'd rather just buy more lights..
But s tool like that would allow the lights currently owned to be used at the most efficient height, and configuration so I wonder, in the long run, if it's almost more valuable to get the meter for the lights I have rather than spending more money on electricity?
I'd have to buy one to really know..

Then Buy One .....

Mistake: Spent $35 and got a Lumen Meter thinking it would measure the LED ..... Figured I would measure my T5 Lumens and then use that number for the LED, I knew how far to keep lights on T5 so just transfer Measure over to LED ... I WRONG F__KIN_ WRONG, WRONG! WRONG! WRONG ..... I burnt my two White Crack the only two seeds I had and plants recover but really never recovered, produced air buds .......

Correct Choice: Fast forward and $350 for Sun PAR Meter - was tempted to buy a cheaper but went with Sun because I saw two Pros using, not even recommended but using, so I went for it ....

Did I Make Right Choice: After taking a few measures and getting light dialed in I thought - Dang $350 and I’ve used couple times probably didn’t need ...... Boy did I underestimate the need at that point and questioned the $350 purchase

Correct or Wrong Choice? So I’m in the Mephisto Grow Battle and have four plants and one is a 3 Bears OG and I’ve got same everything - pots, soil etc and I’m measuring my PAR and all that stuff and I begun to notice 3 Bears is drooping and I suspect too much water as PAR is OK or so I think ..... Battle is raging so I decide to move 3 Bears to my old tent with older LED, etc and check PAR, seems OK at 650 PPFD for whatever the flip it is, reading on meter is 650, little higher than before but within what I thought was OK or so I thought, 3 Bears now looks worse, so bad, I move her to the side of light to recover from I don’t know what but not the soil and she does recover so back under light, must of overwatered I’m thinking, wrong again tand it finally hits me she can’t handle that much light, 659 is too much so I dial light down to 450 PAR Reading and she recover ..... she likes about 475ish range, with PAR meter I can dial learned info about that plant otherwise I may of chase who knows what to figure .....Grest investment and I use almost daily, I don’t want my girls to get sunburned - Such a high value plant .... they grow daily so use daily you’ll always have dialed in ....

FINAL WORD: When I hear, I can’t afford it I hear BS, sorry to be negative but I hear BS ..... We can all afford what we want to, name one thing you’ve denied yourself of because you couldn’t afford it ..... Call me out on this but I will fire right back at ya ..... A drinker always buys his booze, a smoker always find a way, a crack addict .... etc I think you get the picture .... You wanted that car, you found a way .....

Apologize if I’ve offended anyone, when u get up in age your opinions, at least mine, are more opinionated.

Peace .....
Smoke a BIG ONE for me,
OB

 

[MrOldBoy]

@Dichoti Logged Thank You.



If I were going to buy one this is the one I would get - but this is way too F'ing expensive for me! You all know how cheap I am

View attachment 1026892

I have this meter, looks same but $100 lower and this one is used by several Pros ....

 

[Mañ'O'Green]

I have this meter, looks same but $100 lower and this one is used by several Pros ....

View attachment 1026971

$350. Is still more than I am willing to spend.

It is obvious when I am pushing hard on my plants with light the leaves tell me. Look I am pushing hard with the added UVA but my lower buds love it. Droopy leaves by the end of day - DLI for the canopy reached.