2x4x5 LED Cabinet 2nd Run Mars Hydro FCE3000

[Douglas.Curtis]

Long time no flower... ouch
(You can find the 1st run with the Mars Hydro TSW-2000 HERE)

The second flowering run has begun and the light has been upgraded to the new Mars Hydro FCE3000. The light is designed for a 2.5'x2.5' foot flowering area and I have a 2x4 screen instead. The TSW-2000 did a decent job saving the first run, and with the FCE3000 putting out even more light I'm definitely looking forward to this second run. I have a few plants close to the screen and 2 plants which are much further down. The upper plants will fill the screen nicely and I want to see at what height the lower plants quit stretching for more light.

The soil is generic local, not much to say there or about my soil skills either. lol
Here's a shot a while back. Femtorix and Frankie's Church (Chimera) vegging together.

Here's a photo from yesterday at 6 days of flower...

No more church in there, it's waaay too crowded with Femtorix.

I've sprayed the canopy twice now with KNF water soluble calcium, the second time being after this photo was taken. The plants also have a thrips infestation which I will not be treating in any way. It is what it is on this run, with almost nothing but water being used with the mystery NPK soil. However it turns out, I'm just glad to be flowering again.

 

[Cvh]

Looking great D.C! I hope you don't mind me following a long.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Hello CVH,

I don't mind a bit and thanks for stopping by. I'm planning on one organic tea feeding if necessary, but otherwise the goal is a proper fade. The light is 30'ish inches from the screen, so the optimum light zone can be easily found. I'll be watching for the areas where flowers form without growing a stem to reach better light.

Which reminds me, this is the end of week one so I need to trim lower growth. I strongly recommend good airflow through any scrog screen and this one is getting overgrown quick. Lots of flowering skinny stems which can be clipped while leaving the leaves. Let the plant send the energy to the upper flowers instead.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Ugh... realized on the 17th that the timer was incorrectly set. Time on, time off and then another time on. So they basically spent a week on 24/7 lighting and continued to overfill the screen. heh fun. The good news is I believe Femtorix 7 has the "African Haze" look to it, while the bad news is I have zero clones which have rooted. Oh well. lol

 

[negative37dBA]

Note to self to check timers for correctness..hehe. Good to see you flowering again Douglas. Will be watching along. Have a great one.
Peace, negative.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Thank you very much. I appreciate your dropping by and will may be able to update later this morning.

5 plants were positioned near the screen and have nearly filled it. The possibility of it being over full when stretch stops is increasing... The interesting bit are the 2 plants in larger dirt balls and positioned down lower on the right. The goal was to find the optimal distance for this light by letting them stretch, and they have definitely stretched while they were reaching for more light. At lights on, I want to take photos of the internode lengths and the measured distance from the light. The plants have reached the screen and the internode length has shortened drastically. My plan is working well.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

The screen is 28" from the Mars Hydro FCE3000. This means the plants on the ends are getting a bit less light than the center of the screen.

Though the plants look a bit greener than in the photo, the soil, the thrips and my skills are definitely not stellar examples. Despite this, the light is doing a great job at 28" from the screen. The white walls of the 2x4 space seem to be reflecting enough light for the plants at the ends to grow well.

Here you can see the short internode lengths on a side plant, just above the screen at 29" from the FCE3000.

[ATTACH alt="fetch?photoid=17927793.png - Short internode lengths at 28" from Mars Hydro FCE3000" type="full"]17927802._xfImport[/ATTACH]​

Here's a wide shot of the stretchy side plants and their shortened internode lengths near the screen.

[ATTACH alt="fetch?photoid=17927792.png - Plants are 29" away from Mars Hydro FCE3000" type="full"]17927803._xfImport[/ATTACH]​

Super impressed with the output of the FCE3000, thanks for making a less expensive version of your new light design Mars Hydro!

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

They look green and healthy. Keep up the nice work.

 

[negative37dBA]

What are we feeding these ladies Douglas? Did I hear mention of Organic teas?? I made the switch to Jacks 3-2-1 and I have the best looking plants of my life. I love the simplicity and very low cost.
Have a great day all. Peace, negative.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

So far they have had nothing but water and the soil mix I picked up locally. They're seriously deprived of blooming nutes and possibly some magnesium. I had some compost handy but I'm pretty sure it's much too high in nitrogen at this stage, so I'm considering some GH 3 part bloom and magnesium sulfate. Just a tiny bit to help out.

 

[f-e]

Finally, a scissor proof net with no micro-plastics guilt.

Every experienced grower has a timer story. Just don't start a library

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

How's the plants recently? Douglas

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

How's the plants recently? Douglas

Recently? Absolutely, fantastically delicious... thank you.

Got caught up in working myself to death, then recenty got sick for the first time in a long while. Then, to make sure I stepped into the shallow end of the financial pool I caught covid. Fortunately I eat clean and it has only been an annoying flu instead of life threatening.

Without further ado... here are the final photos of this amazing run. Crappy soil, neglected plants, over and underwatered, underfed.... damn amazing results.

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Quiet, efficient, powerful, less expensive and still pumps out out a strong spectrum for a great harvest.

 

[exploziv]

Looks great! How far is that panel from the tops?

 

[Douglas.Curtis]

Thanks, they're a mix of old school strains from 20+ years ago and awfully frosty.
The panel is 28" from the center of the screen, so around 20" from the tops of the plants depending on flower height above the screen.

 

[Mars Hydro Led]

The plants look very well.