Indoor LEC 315 + Dutch Passion Seeds

[Corgy]

Both bulbs are excellent. The 4200 is supposed to produce a leafier, bushier plant. Corgy these do throw a significant amount of heat, we've both struggled with heat issues. I am installing an a/c in the room to keep temps down and supplement with CO2 which helps to battle higher temps. 40 inches headroom is needed above your tops, 30 to the canopy plus 10 for the unit itself. I've been a sucker for Scrogging from the start which helps keep height down of course, and the yields are amazing. Popcorn belongs in a movie theater not a growroom, LOL. I'm comfortable lighting up a 4x4 to see what happens and I will when I move. The manufacter does recommend a 3x3, and I built my first box to a 4x3 for scrog leaving room for the pots. Had some pics up before the update, but the links are probably dead. I'll dig em up and repost here if you don't mind Dr. Got my Promix and the Sensizyme today, so I'll get a journal of my own going. Just transferred the little Widow into a 10 gal dirtpot in fact and threw a cup of water on it. Starting Tang's schedule tomorrow, days 10-15, 5 ml each Grow A + B and the Voodoo juice.

Thanks for the replies guys, the heat issue has cooled my interest to the point where it looks like an only in the winter brightness, and when I have a 220 cm or higher room. There is no way I will use A/C, I'm already worried about my power consumption, and the way things are now in The Netherlands, it's just not on.

But from how your plants look, I guess in November or so, I will splash the cash.... You know, just to have a go. I came across a thread on a chili growing forum where they discuss the light in a rather gushing manner, if you are interested I can post the link.

Thanks again, and will follow both your grows.

And yes, a barbie with some sticks on top,.... That's what summers are for!!!

 

[Dr. Frog]

Heck ya, Corgy! I would love a link to the chili forum.

 

[Corgy]

Your wish is my command..... Here you go http://thehotpepper.com/topic/53290-new-lighting-setup/

If you Google '315 cmh' you will find a lot if you're prepared for a little wading.....!

 

[Dr. Frog]

Your wish is my command..... Here you go http://thehotpepper.com/topic/53290-new-lighting-setup/

If you Google '315 cmh' you will find a lot if you're prepared for a little wading.....!

Cool find! They seem to be working great for those guys. I like that he compared them to 600 watters. I've heard that comparison a few times, but it's cool to see an actual grower replace them for 315's. Maybe a bigger tent is in my future!

 

[Dr. Frog]

Thanks for the replies guys, the heat issue has cooled my interest to the point where it looks like an only in the winter brightness, and when I have a 220 cm or higher room. There is no way I will use A/C, I'm already worried about my power consumption, and the way things are now in The Netherlands, it's just not on.

Also wanted to adress this. You shouldn't really need AC unless you're already dealing with warmer than ideal temps. For me, I rerouted some AC air toward the tent, but that's because I'm growing on my second floor against a sun-facing wall. I'd be doing this if I was still growing with LED, just cuz my second floor is warm in summer. If I was growing downstairs, I would be totally fine without any extra cooling.

If you're coming from traditional HPS/MH HID setups, then it's about the same. Though if you replace 600's with 315's, there will definitely be a heat reduction.

With all that said, winter time definitely rules for HID. Free heating!

 

[81camaro]

Ive read the best comparison for heat output from a LEC315 is a 600w HPS cooltube. The LEC has a PPF of almost 2 compared to just less than 1 for HPS and fwitw I believe at best a little over 1 for current generation LEDs. Whether you call it half the power consumed or twice the light output. Still waiting to see the specs for the HS1, though I'm already sold on the solid results posted here. Also worth noting that the best HS1 grows are using 2 units in flower. Still out of my beer and hotdog budget but maybe someday if theres a US distributor and I get a couple high yielders in the box...... Lol.
And yet its one of the very few lights that throw a reasonably even but square footprint. A big sellpoint for me working in scrog. And the UV output is pretty unheard of in any other lighting tech. Even LEDs struggle in this range due to the sheer cost of materials required to emit light in this spectrum. It may be responsible for the high cost of the HS1 as well as the spectacular results seen using it. I've yet to see a graph of the spectrum from it and would certainly appreciate a link if it exists. But I also understand how quickly and easily tech is stolen and copied in today's global marketplace and the need for confidentiality. So no knock there, really really. I know the UV question hangs in the air a bit, theres more than a few threads here on the subject, but I'm a firm believer it benefits plants. It's in their biology to use light in the UV spectrum and most people agree plants grown at altitude are just better (strength and taste) and willingly attribute this to increased UV.
At the risk of sounding like a madman on a rant, i would like to say this tech is only new to the growing industry, but has been around since the 80s where it was used in Hollywood to make movies as an improvement over previous forms of lighting. No humming ballasts during quiet scenes and zero flicker on film.

 

[81camaro]

My temps were ok until it hit high 80s outside, and now steady low 90s for at least the next month. Winter will be prime time though Corgy 100% agreed there. Just gotta make it through the next month. Good link to the chiles. A plant is a plant is a plant after all.

 

[Dr. Frog]

Yeah camaro, I have similar opinions on the currently available lighting tech. Didn't know about HPS PPF being so low.

To add to what you were saying about the film industry, I would say the principle of low frequency square wave power to the bulb has more benefits beyond cinematography. Plants probably photosynthesize at differing speeds based on a range of factors, so each little unit of chlorophyll is ticking along at its own pace. So with other types of ballasts and drivers, which usually use sine waves (ex ^v^v^v), the light comes out in rapid little spikes, which is why some electronic ballasts are so high frequency - to help smooth out the power. But with a square wave (ex nununun) the peaks and valleys of the wave are lengthened, and it takes hardly anytime to oscillate. This is why it can conveniently run at 60Hz. This means the light is coming out in a smoother stream. So *I think* there may be an advantage in having a steady stream of light, so each unit of chlorophyll can grab some photons right when it wants to, instead of waiting those however many nano seconds to catch the next apex of the sine wave. Just a theory.

But the fact is it's really nice for photos and video. Maybe later into the grow I'll do a video tour of the garden to show how flicker free it is.

 

[Dr. Frog]

Day 29

Starting to get some good aroma when I open the tent! The BBK, Blueberry, and White Widow seem to be about even as far as maturity goes. The Euforia is attempting to catch up. It's not throwing half the pistils of the others, so I think it's a slow late bloomer. I can dig it.

BBK is just pouring out pistils

WW

E

BB is super bushy and symmetrical. Favorite structure.

And a closeup of the BBK main cola

 

[81camaro]

Awesome post Dr.! Well done! Good tech talk. I'm quite impressed you raised the point. Any electrician knows the difference between peak power and effective power. Power = current x voltage. In an alternating current circuit the amplitude of the voltage rises and falls along a sine wave. If you averaged the rises and falls it woud reduce the power level to effective power, about 70% of peak values. Power also directly relates to heat, which is why LEDs are driven at 50%. They heat for half a cycle and cool for half a cycle. I do believe the next big advancement in LED technology will be constant current drivers (that are affordable to manufacture) and I am aware of 1 company that is doing it. Pulsed current drivers are currently the norm. My first grow was under household LEDs and they worked great, but the pics had horrible "stripes". I was taking a photograph of the pulsing. I'm sure using an Iphone as a camera didnt help either, lol. If anyone is interested in pics of my homemade LED rig Id be glad to post. Pulled 5 zips off a blue kush in scrog though and paid for my LEC315. I took a lesson from the CFL crowd using overlapping fields of low level light to create some real intensity. Used 13 100watt replacement household LEDs (about 15 real watts each) straight out of Walmart in the right colors and ratios.
And dude, those sticks are getting seriously hairy. I do like strains that throw long pistils. You've had a really good month. They just look right. A/C guy from craigslist showed up tonight and its in the window so im ready to flip the switch and get my thing started. The g13 PE needs to catch up to the Widow but I know its got the speed from the last one I burnt.