ideas to maximize cab potential?

[karmaceutical]

Yes this is my first run, and I gotta say I love the PLLs! Just went into flower 6 days ago and the only problem I have is I can't keep the veg cab hot enough for my clones. I have the lights running on Workhorse ballasts, and one of the reasons I went PLL was because I couldn't afford a digital HPS ballast and I didn't want to deal with the ballast hum that I hear magnetic ballasts create. I haven't experienced the hum but stealth was a major priority for me. Good luck with w/e you choose!

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Yes, kits are complete and bulbs sold separately.

 

[JackStraw21]

Karma, any chance you could post some more pics or details of your cab in action? Thats a really interesting idea and to me makes a lot more sense then mounting the pl-ls above. Are you getting good results? Do the bulbs above the height of the plants still provide usable light to the plants despite dispersing most of their light laterally? It seems like this idea could be great in a micro setup with a vertical scrog on either side of the bulbs. A cab without much height or width but enough depth to fit the pl-ls seems born to run a setup like this.

 

[karmaceutical]

So far I'm getting great results. I also forgot to state that there are two lights mounted above each section that are mounted normally (w/o a reflector unfortunately).

To answer your question about the higher bulbs- I do think they create quite a bit of usable light for the plants, even when they are small in early veg stages. And you can always raise the plants to the lights if necessary (I got tight nodes w/o raising them). Also, you are correct about the lights projecting the most intense light laterally, but when you enter flower (when high intensity is required most), the plants will stretch upwards into the ideal zone.

About the V-scrog- probably the most efficient way to use this setup (I just don't have enough cab width for it to make sense). If you could set it up so the v-scrog is attached to the pots, like some of the module scrogs I have seen it would be ideal so that you can still remove the front plants to get to the ones in back.

My main goal with this setup was to get dense nugs even in the lower parts of the plants...if you want to see more my grow journal is under the swan song seeds forum.

-KC

 

[ASMA]

ok sooo ive' been reading up and decided to just make my light set up instead of getting that stater set up. im on the fence about getting two workhorse 5's to run 4x55w 4100k for VEG and FLOWER, or just get a workhorse 7/8 and run 4 50w. people say running 4 55w voids the warranty on the wrokhorse 7/8 and might be a problem but i haven't seen this.

should i get the two 5's or just the one? idk if there's much of a difference running 200w and 220w in this set up what do you guys think??

 

[Sgt.Stedenko]

Workhorse 5, 7 and 8 120v ballasts all have ballast factors of 0.87.
That means the bulb will only output 87% of the rated lumens.
There are better ballasts out there with BF's greater than 1.
Phillips, GE and Osram all have better ballasts than Fulham.

 

[ASMA]

Sgt. point made yea i read that also, since workhorse are made to fit an assortment of bulbs this is what makes them lack compared to ballast that were made for a specific bulb....correct??

its just that everyone uses them and no complaints, and almost every thread i read is running them.