150w HPS Club and Resource Guide......

[qdavid]

My 2 plants this run turned to both be boys. So so I cut off a few flowering branches and put them in water to see if I could get some pollen. After 5 days germing another bean popped just today, finally.

I have a question about the lighting for this run. My past run was sluggish growth and I atributed it mostly to the CFLs I used to veg with that were on there third round and weakening. The plants were vegged 11 weeks under 204W cool CFLs. Now that I think of it, actually not all the bubs were that old. Some only one run old. But anyway, when I flipped on the 150W HPS the plants just took off. One of the problems, I think was penetration. My CFLs are attached to a light bar on the ceiling of my 33" cab. I do use shelves to get the plants close but I wonder if getting the all new CFL bulbs will really make that much difference or maybe I should run the HPS all the way and supplement with a couple CFLs? Does anyone have an opinion?

 

[Pipedream]

Keep the 150 burning 24x7 during veg along with all the CFL's you can squeeze in there.

When its time to flower, just leave everything burning and move to 12/12.

Its the easiest method and offers the most light to your plants.

Additionally, try to raise the plants close to the light source and drop them as they grow.

These simple steps will help to achieve rapid robust healthy growth.

 

[qdavid]

Cool! Thanks. This, coming from the voice of experience and the master here, o guru. I place great value in your words. All 150'ers should.

BTW, "studies" have shown 18/6 veg to be more productive than any other, even 20/4 or 24/0.

 

[Pipedream]

Point me to some good studies from reliable sources that include true botanists & biologists working under specific documented conditions, and low-wattage lighting. I'm always willing to learn and improve my methods.

Short of that, I'm sticking with what's worked for me for many many years.

 

[catman]

Curious how close your letting your plants get to a bare 70w hps? Im horizontal and it gets really hot. Ive got a remote ballast and tempered glass in between so I can get it close to the canopy, but it some of your vertical pictures it looks like the lamps just dangling in the bud tops, or am I just trippin?

That is a bare 150w. The fan leafs will get about .5-1'' to the bulb before they burn up. No secret, just air flow. The air in my cab gets exchanged about 10 times per minute.

BTW, "studies" have shown 18/6 veg to be more productive than any other, even 20/4 or 24/0.

From what I gather 18/6 may be technically more efficient than 24/0, but the bottom line is your plants will grow more under 24/0. You might save some electricity with 18/6 and only loose some growth, but what do micro growers especially care? 24/0 is one less timer to worry about and you have 6 more hours access to your plants.

 

[hoosierdaddy]

IMO, with the small wattage lamps, it makes sense to keep the veg at 24 on. I would bet that with an increase of wattage there may be a point of diminished returns and there may be benefit it allowing some dark.

Hard to make a blanket statement about studies without some sort of qualifications. Might as well blow a little gas in the wind...

 

[qdavid]

Bbwwaaattattaa... oops, scuse me, should've known better than to have opened that can of beans. "No reason to get excited" said the joker to the thief. That asking for opinions is just like pissing in the wind, I guess. Everybody has there own opinion about that. Like they say, like noses (assholes too), everybody's got one, and they ALL smell.

Actually that 18/6 thing just sounded good. And those studies were just from observations and tests using different schedules. I didn't consider wattage. Whatever flips your switch. Actually the higher wattage diminishing return thing makes sense, and then again, so does a dark period. Thanks.

My electic bills have just been outrageous. So have everyone else's I've talked too. I guess I'd only be talking pennies here, but, "A penny saved is a penny earned", said Ben. But then someone said something about grasping for straws too, so whatever. I like to shut my lights down during the day (max heating?) because that's when my cab gets kinda hot usually. To each his own.

 

[Pipedream]

OK, so once again I spent a part of yesterday doing a bit of research on the subject. I was unbale to find any serious studies, just the typical forum and pot-site garbage. However, I did learn one interesting fact that can be fairly easily documented. I'm not saying this means anything specific to us, or that it proves anything at all. Everyone can draw their own conclusions. Here it is..............

Prairie Plant Systems Incorporated is the company that has been contracted by the Canadian Government's "Health Canada" healthcare system to supply medical marijuana to those that obtain it through their distribution network. They grow all of their plants far underground in an old copper mine. Doing so allows them to have 100% control of the environment in every way possible. During the vegetative state lighting and ventilation remain on 24x7. Here's a shot of one of their underground growrooms.......

 

[hoosierdaddy]

Hey! They stole a picture of my room!

Wait...maybe not....

 

[grumblez]

yo man no way that's MY room...eheh...

eheh actually my room has been here:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=162188&page=46

stop in and give grumz some props if y'all care! I been getting the beat down from some bad people....well one person....dressed up as three...eheh. warning lots of killer graphics...150 club all the way!

 

[southpaw]

Actually guys, that's just my bloom room. Hubble has taken better shots of my veg room.

I posted this article last week... there does seem to be some evidence for plants exhibiting stronger vertical growth with a dark period. Of course, this isn't necessarily a good thing for us.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=3319418&posted=1#post3319418

Good stuff catman... been a rough week, otherwise I'd have thanked you sooner for that post. Here's what I've got going on, it's an overhead shot but you guys will get the drift. Bulb is sitting about an inch below the main top of the tallest plant. I also trimmed back a bunch of lower leaves today to give the fan a better chance to move the hot air. Also been training the stems like a mofo, almost every budsite is sitting in the sweet spot.

I'm pretty excited to see how these turn out. I used to cheat with a big ass CFL for sidelighting, I don't think these will need that.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Merlin's Magic test - 4 days in flower

Merlin's Magic test - 4 days in flower

I vegged these too long for my limited headroom in flower. Check out the LST variation I'm trying in hope to get all the goodies inside the sweet spot. This is serious bondage, no telling how many times this will be repeated. The Acapulco Gold mom is a beast and not sure how much the C99 pollen will tame it.

I'm hoping to control the lateral stretch by keeping the main tips (colas) just above the rest. If that doesn't work I'll have to supercrop or tie down whatever tries to fly the coop.

 

[GlassHoler]

My fattest Auto AK


She's at day 64, getting chopped tomorrow!

 

[southpaw]

Real nice GlassHoler!

DB, I did roughly the same thing with the Caramella F2 at the top right of that overhead shot. It's cool how you can get the benefits of LST without the sprawl, just keep pulling the main stem in a circle instead of straight down. She's beastly, I'll post a shot when she starts stacking pistils.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Sounds good, southpaw. I tried a tomato cage hoop one time and didn't know a thing about controlling lateral stretch. I might try it again if this works the way I hope it does. Looking forward to the pics.

 

[~pHaNtOm~]

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=166781

 

[150wPimpin]

Needing some advice

Needing some advice

So I am having heat issues but I shouldnt be!!!

if you havent seen my cab then check out my albums


Im running a stanley blower which pulls through the mother and flower cabs


this really should be way more than enough to cool this cab but its not working!!!

I suspect the problem is that I made my scrubber to short.


any thought or question just spill it! ill take whatever pics you want to see etc...

 

[asstastic]

28x23x34tall inches is your cab size but i did not find your temps for flower room or veg or outside the cab those would help
did this prob just start if so whats new to your cab
i would also sugest to take off your scrubber and see how temps change
my box is the same ftprnt as yours just taller and i have an open bulb and the ballast is in the box too but my temps are 2-5 above outside temp so you probly have air restriction and/or recirculating air

 

[150wPimpin]

28x23x34tall inches is your cab size but i did not find your temps for flower room or veg or outside the cab those would help
did this prob just start if so whats new to your cab
i would also sugest to take off your scrubber and see how temps change
my box is the same ftprnt as yours just taller and i have an open bulb and the ballast is in the box too but my temps are 2-5 above outside temp so you probly have air restriction and/or recirculating air

Veg seems to be sticking around 82 with only 2 26w cfl and one 8watt tube floro over the clones

flower is 84 without the cfls lit and shoots on up to 94 with the cfl's lit

outside temp is usally 73 when im buggin but at 67 everything is ok

im just worried cuz i know its going to get 80 in there this summer with the ac pumpin.

somthings got to give i should be running 5 or 6 over ambeint and im like 22 over wtf>??

edit: ok ok the mother cab feeds the flower cab so the air going into the flower cab is at 80 to 81 so im only 13 over but still
it should be cooler with that blower running

 

[asstastic]

i would change up before it gets hot
1. take flower intake out of veg maby switch flower outtake to intake so veg will get the exhoust
2, is your scrubber a must if not ditch it
3.if scrubber is a must make another outtake and scrubber same size to cause less drag from scrubbers