Calling Vert Vets! (pics)

[InlineMax]

Hey everyone. I am re-building my room and have an important question for you all about bulb configuration. I am running (8) 600W lamps in a stacked column configuration. My last run I had the top cool tube placed upside down to be closer to the plants (configuration A). My yield was not impressive. This could be due to summer temps and shutting multiple lights off on hotter days. It could also be due to the bulb placement. Also, I did not cut nearly enough small stuff out of the middle of the plants and had a ton of larf. I am sure all of these things contributed to my low yield, but these are all things I know I need to remedy.

My question for all of you vert vets is, should I change the position of my cool tubes to configuration B? The reason I did not do this previously was the bulbs seemed too high up in comparison to the plants. The bottom of the bulb was just about the height of the top of the plants.

A little more info about the set up. Strains are The White, Chem D and what was given to me as Jacks Cleaner. Flowered in about a 50/50 mixture of chunky perlite to canna coco in 12 gallon containers hempy style. This mixture is going to be changed to a 4cu ft bag of perlite to 1.5 cu ft bag of canna coco. Previously was handwatered daily but will now be on a drip and hopefully watered 2-3 times a day. Canna nutes. Yo Yos are run overhead on airline cable for support.

Three 6" fans and an 8" all with carbon filters exhaust the room. Two of the 6" fans exhaust the cool tubes. 4 (2400 watts) Cool tubes per 6" fan.

A note about the pictures...these are still the old lamps from the last run and will be replaced.



A)
B)


Thanks in advance for your help!

-Max

 

[Stress_test]

I can't offer any advice for ya but I'll read along cause it's a good question.

 

[InlineMax]

I've read that the light is most intense right next to the element in the lamp. That is where I got my theory that the light should be next to the plant as opposed to above it.

 

[DHF]

Hey Bro......I`m old and my eyes are bad so pics don`t tell me much about what you`re trying to accomplish with said room and 4800 watts .....

Plant count and room size plus how the lights are set etc.....stadium type setup or plants on the floor.....

I`ll tell you this......I grew big plants for a lotta yrs with fast hydro setups , and the rule of thumb for light placement wth vertical "bare" bulbs was tip of the bulb at the tops of the plants through end of stretch , and then drop the bulbs where the top of the mogul sockets were even with the tops and the bulbs were giving more sideways lumens while the plants were in swellage mode till end of cycle.....

Worked for me and many others for buncha yrs........also....as you`ve found out the hard way......

You HAVE to clean out all sucker branches and develop dominant lateral limbs/colas to prevent more flarf than you`ll already be dealing with if you`re on top of your game come flip time till end of stretch.....so....

Holler if I can help......just not around much these days so if yas need any help quick , hit Bobbles up in his thread cuz he knows everything I know and then some.......

I loathe cool tubes.......dial environment with bare bulbs.....

Good luck Bro....DHF............

 

[InlineMax]

Ok, let me see if I can clarify. There will be 4 stacks each of 2 cool tubes. I need to know if hanging the top cool tube upside down will be a problem. If it is hung to where the socket is above the lamp, the two lamps are slightly too far apart I feel.

 

[vangaurd]

Your set up is waaaaaay bigger than mine but the guys that are going to help you are going to need the room size, how many plants and growing style before they can give you advice. looks like you are going to have one hell of a set up though...

 

[InlineMax]

6 plants set up where X= (2) stacked 600's in cool tubes and O=1 Plant in 12 gallon container. Y=2 plants

O X O
X Y X
O X O

The room is like 15' X 10'. Last run I was able to walk around the outside of all of the plants easily, I tried to get the plants as close as possible to the cool tubes. I had a little bit of light burn but I was able to get them pretty damn close...within 6 inches of the bottom, wider part of the plants.

Im looking for trees.

 

[cyat]

i think your bulb placement looks good, i run my bulbs bare tho. i always hang my vert bulbs easier for me. base of the bulb at or just under the top of the plants. the thing about vert growing is spacing right to get the right distance after stretch. last run vert the nugs level with the bulbs foxtailed and leafed out hard from too much light and heat, buds at the top and bottom were shaped better bot kinda fluffy, the whole backside was larfed out and a waste. I had my best yield (w/vert) and quality doin a big circle spaced about 3ft from the bulb but they wernt dense. I think in doin vert the room has to become the reflector cuz the light is very unfocused.
I know tons of people will disagree but after goin back and forth many times, I prefer reflectors, for quality and yield. I use adjustawings but they arent perfect either. the center lacks light and the corners rock and the middle parts come in 2nd. I have a cheap but huge rectangular reflector that spreads the light super even and focused, and I love the cheap wing one for a six, I bend it out almost flat and it does a perfect 3x5.
sorry probably didnt answer your ? but thats what i got to offer

 

[InlineMax]

I appreciate the help cyat. I might experiment with some vert and some horizontal lighting in the future but this run will be purely vertical. I am going to be cutting a lot out of the insides and backs of plants this time, that should help with larf.

 

[bobblehead]

I want to start off by saying that my lamps have NEVER EVER looked like yours. How old are they? You need to relamp at least every-other run.

As mentioned, cool tubes suck. They block light, and if you don't keep them clean, they block a lot of light. You already have them, but given the option... I would take the money that would be spent on cool tubes, and upgrade the intake/exhaust! You have to have fresh air cruising through the room to keep the temps down with bare bulbs... but you're getting all of your light. Air exchange 2x a minute FTW.

If you're going to keep using the cool tubes, I like configuration A.

Like DHF told you, put the lamps at the tops of the plants to encourage stretch, and then drop them down into the canopy... So the light is blasting directly at the plants. Personally, I don't move my lamps anymore. I just run a stack of 3 600's and the plants are in the light zone throughout their life cycle.



How far are your plants from the lamps when you start? Mine are 3' away. Part of getting the yield you're looking for, its keeping the plants far enough away from the lamps for all the limbs to receive equal light. The tips of the colas should finish within 6" of the lamps... You shouldn't have the whole plant within 6" of the lamps...

How many years of experience do you have growing? Cause that's what this all comes down to, runs under your belt. Too many growers switch things up constantly, when they need to leave things alone, maybe make minor changes... focus on dialing in the environment around the plants, instead of creating new a whole new environment.

 

[megayields]

What Bobblehead said and MEGA-DITTO's, I also loathe cool tubes, never ran them, always ran bare bulbs and now it looks like I gotta replace them (thanks a lot Bobble...).....good luck bro! Remember environmental control IS EVERYTHING, refresh air 2x a min, Higher humidity in the stretch, lower in flower, I defolitate like a mad dog (but that's me)....I have not changed much in my last 3 runs, just minor tweakage, next step ONLY two strains for maximun yields and UP the plant count, for I believe plant count = higher yield ...but your growing tree's little different than a stadium.

 

[GanjaPharma]

+1 for no cool tubes, I put a honeywell HT fan under each bulb pointed straight up, they work great . i have 10 of em right now and they are very quiet

your bubs really really look terrible. mebe its an artifact of the photo, but it looks like those bulbs have gone 2-3 years? if you look around you can buy the plantmax blue spectrum hps bulbs for 30 bucks bro.

 

[coloradochem]

I thought this was about skateboarding. i just thought of a new thread. rock on. good luck with your grow bro

 

[GMax]

when i used cooltubes i had them i configuration B