9 grams per/watt

[SkunkPatronus]

Got your attention now? hehe

I figured it would.

I'm starting a two part, experimental grow that may produce near that amount of weed per/watt.

I'm buying some LED panels that supposedly produce the same amount of lumens as a 200 watt HPS. I'll put four of them in my 3.5 x 5.5 sq ft area and use my same hydro techniques with the exception of flipping them into flower as rooted, mature clones as soon as they're placed into the room.

The grow will be maintained as a center-cola only grow (I hate the term "lolipop"). I'll have 64 plants, 8 per/tub.

If this works as I hope, I'll get 32 ounces of cured bud from this grow.

If it grows within the 3 feet, and I'm sure I can make that happen, the next crop will be a "double-decker" grow with two levels using the same amount of lights and hydro in the same area.

Heat won't be a problem with the LED's. With eight of these panels, the heat produced is less than what a single 100 watt incandescent bulb produces.

This is a money risk. The initial set of panels will cost me $500.

The crop I have going now will harvest in Mid-October. I'll start the LED grow within a couple weeks after that.

If I can squeeze 4 pounds from 40 sq ft of growing area, using 200 watts of LED lights and hydro on two levels, than that would be 9 grams/watt.

Whatcha think, Group?

You got 800 watt hps light equivalent in LED's for $500?! not too shabby. Did they come assembled or are you putting them together? Can i ask you were you shopped because i too am looking at switching out the really hot and money puking HPS's.

 

[StoneyBud]

You got 800 watt hps light equivalent in LED's for $500?! not too shabby. Did they come assembled or are you putting them together? Can i ask you were you shopped because i too am looking at switching out the really hot and money puking HPS's.

I don't know if the claims match the product. I will after my grow.

Watch for the grow Journal starting about October 15th or so.

Until then, the lights will have to stay a mystery.

 

[SkunkPatronus]

I don't know if the claims match the product. I will after my grow.

Watch for the grow Journal starting about October 15th or so.

Until then, the lights will have to stay a mystery.

i'm sorry, i didn't read all of the posts because i got too excited and posted too quickly. I didn't know they were a a mystery. I too have been drawn in that direction for MONTHS now, since summer began it's yearly pull at my sanity. I have figured out enough to know that the lights of america (which is usually a sucky brand) makes led mini's that they sell at costco, they are good for veg and screw into a normal lamp.

 

[IRISH]

you gonna tell us more about the led's come oct 15?

i remember reading a couple 'o claims of buds from led's on site, but , thus far, have'nt seen the proof thats attatched to 'em.

i'll be there stoneybud. will be waiting patiently for this one.

rock those panels dude... ...

 

[ozzydiodude]

Stoney are you selling shares yet:laugh:

 

[dirtyolsouth]

Hey Stoney...

Rock ON bro... Thanks for inviting us along for the ride. I do a personal meds grow in a 2 x 4 x 8 closet in the sticky ol south and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the LEDs work in your grow. Heat is a constant battle and I'd gladly put out $500 for low energy, low heat lights that would pay for themselves in a very short time in reduced electrical charges. If it works it's a win win...

Lots of Green Mojo to you...

Happy Growing!

 

[StoneyBud]

Stoney are you selling shares yet:laugh:

Yep, it's Eleventy two ninety five on every 6th Tuesday of the month.

you gonna tell us more about the led's come oct 15?

i remember reading a couple 'o claims of buds from led's on site, but , thus far, haven't seen the proof that's attached to 'em.

I'll be there stoneybud. will be waiting patiently for this one.

rock those panels dude... ...

I'm not going to mention the specifics of the light used until after the first round of testing is complete. That includes the curing of one month.
The first harvest in the testing will be near Mid-December. The end of the third week in January for drying and curing. Then the test. Cured weight, taste, burn and most important, the high. I'll grade everything and record it in one of my spreadsheets.

Then I'll tell everyone the make of the light at the same time I post the results of the test.

Please, understand. If the light turns out to be feces from the underworld, then I wouldn't want anyone to go buy one right now and I wouldn't want the manufacturer of the light to gain from it's premature sale regarding this type of usage. If it turns out to be as good as I hope it to be, then when I show that via testing, I won't feel bad about anyone buying them at that point. Everyone will know that it does what it's supposed to and will have the results of my testing to substantiate the purchase. I hope everyone sees the logic of my decision.

It's the only really fair way to do it.

Hey Stoney...

Rock ON bro... Thanks for inviting us along for the ride. I do a personal meds grow in a 2 x 4 x 8 closet in the sticky ol south and I'm really looking forward to seeing how the LEDs work in your grow. Heat is a constant battle and I'd gladly put out $500 for low energy, low heat lights that would pay for themselves in a very short time in reduced electrical charges. If it works it's a win win...

Lots of Green Mojo to you...

Happy Growing!

Thanks man, I was Jonesin for some MOJO.

You could also fit a perfect amount of these lights into your grow space. Your lumens/per/sq ft would be a tad higher than mine, which is a good thing.

I'm more excited about the multi-layering of plants than I am with the yield increase per/sq ft. Even if the yield stays the same per/sq ft, it'll double just by having two layers of plants in the same amount of space.

This will require an 8 foot ceiling in the grow area. Figure two 3.5 foot layers, including lights. That gives you only one foot of vertical height to involve cords, tubing and framework.

It's enough. A standard 8 ft ceiling will make it just right.

If I can get a minimum of the same yield I have now, the other benefits still make it a very good idea.

It all depends on the yield and potency. The drying and curing won't change (I don't think so anyway).

 

[Mutt]

Instead of a SOG (single cola sea of green) I would think you would be better off with a ScROG (screen of green) you would be able to keep the canopy shorter which would make up for the loss of intensity you are getting from the LEDs. just a thought.

 

[umbra]

Instead of a SOG (single cola sea of green) I would think you would be better off with a ScROG (screen of green) you would be able to keep the canopy shorter which would make up for the loss of intensity you are getting from the LEDs. just a thought.

A multi layered scrog, now that does sound interesting.

 

[maineharvest]

Is one gram per watt about the average that most growers get?

 

[kebnekajse]

I wish to get 1g/w next grow...

Never, ever, ever heard anyone talk of more then 2g/w. I will follow this closely, and if you are anywhere close to 9g/w i will be so impressed that i will implode. I truly wish you the best of luck!

Oh, and thank you for taking your hard earned money to do this experiment. It can, and you seem to know this, go whichever way. On the other hand, you seem to know what you are doing, so it won't be a catastroph.

 

[The New Girl]

Hi Stoney, good luck and even if you only make half your goal I'll be very impressed, if you make a quarter of your goal I'll be a LED girl forever.

There is one important point no one has brought up, it's not just lumens...LED's use a very specific narrow spectrum in the nano scale that's optimum for either grow or flower (or both). There is a huge waste of non producing lumens that emit from MH/HPS and some of the better LED companies have figured this out. You can have way less lumens that produce more usable light than HPS etc. with a lot less watts with LEDs.

Also I think you are smart by doing a SOG because you don't get as much penetration with the LED lights that I have seen in researching them. I have been thinking about getting a single 300 watt panel but knowing your growing skills I can wait now to see if it's viable. Thanks for being a service to the community.

 

[StoneyBud]

Instead of a SOG (single cola sea of green) I would think you would be better off with a ScROG (screen of green) you would be able to keep the canopy shorter which would make up for the loss of intensity you are getting from the LEDs. just a thought.

Hey Mutt! You're always thinking! An active mind will keep you young! I'm pretty sure that the lack of any vegetative period, (other than the rooting time), will keep the plants to the height I need. Part of this experiment is to also apply the KIS principle to the grow. I'm going to try it first, with no screen, to see if that step can be avoided and thus make the grow more simple. This is something I've been planning now for a couple of years. I've worked out every detail I can think of, but having all of you help by offering the wonderful ideas you have is a great way to double check for things I may have missed. Thanks!

A multi layered scrog, now that does sound interesting.

Yes, it sure does, doesn't it? Every crop I've grown, I've looked at the pitiful amount of usable bud on the base of the plants, as compared to that which is growing on the upper portions of the plant, and it ran through my mind each time; "How can make this plant grow the most bud in the least amount of vertical space?". This experiment will be the compilation of those thoughts.

Is one gram per watt about the average that most growers get?

For experienced growers, yes. One gram per/watt is an acceptable cured weight. I think that can be improved upon.

I wish to get 1g/w next grow...

Never, ever, ever heard anyone talk of more then 2g/w. I will follow this closely, and if you are anywhere close to 9g/w i will be so impressed that i will implode. I truly wish you the best of luck!

Oh, and thank you for taking your hard earned money to do this experiment. It can, and you seem to know this, go whichever way. On the other hand, you seem to know what you are doing, so it won't be a catastroph.

OMG! I don't want you to implode! What a mess that would make! hehe
I know, the idea of risking this money has flip-flopped in my head so many times. I'm on a limited retirement income and spending $500 chunks of it for experiments is NOT what is suggested in all the financial books. I think the odds of success on this are high enough to substantiate the risk this time. OMG, I hope I'm right!

Hi Stoney, good luck and even if you only make half your goal I'll be very impressed, if you make a quarter of your goal I'll be a LED girl forever.

There is one important point no one has brought up, it's not just lumens...LED's use a very specific narrow spectrum in the nano scale that's optimum for either grow or flower (or both). There is a huge waste of non producing lumens that emit from MH/HPS and some of the better LED companies have figured this out. You can have way less lumens that produce more usable light than HPS etc. with a lot less watts with LEDs.

Also I think you are smart by doing a SOG because you don't get as much penetration with the LED lights that I have seen in researching them. I have been thinking about getting a single 300 watt panel but knowing your growing skills I can wait now to see if it's viable. Thanks for being a service to the community.

Hey New Girl, I've taken the light throw into consideration. I'm glad you've brought it up though. The lights are also chosen for their wavelength and power. I searched a long time before finding this exact type of light. Each LED panel I found that was pre-manufactured, had something I didn't like about it. This one seems to have everything I was looking for. Only time will tell if I've chosen wisely.

Thanks for every-one's support and advice. Cross-checking is valuable and when done by friends like all of you, then it's invaluable!

 

[420benny]

Howdy Stoney! What a great experiment you are trying. I will have to watch myself. I am still in the planning stages of my indoor area and I wanted to try a double deck system myself. I was going to put clone box and clones above a 4 foot T5 setup. My problem area will/ may be temps above the T5 in summer. I need to build it and test it to see what temps I get. Here's some of benny's special GREEN MOJO for the cause! You sure you don't want to post a pic of those lights? Kidding, really. You have been asked that a lot already, lol. Lots of LED groupies out there, I see.

 

[kebnekajse]

Just a thougt, leds are cool enough to have inside tha plant, aren't they? You could wrap the branches with em and not burn the plant, atleast if you grow a stretchy sativa. It would really help penetration to have like a 100w inside the canopy. But that could cause some trouble with hot, stale air i guess. Which could be fixed with a fan under, blowing upwards... Hmmm, i've thought about this ever since i first saw a led-grow.

OT: Any bets on how long before leds replace cfls? A year, five, never? I think they will, when prices drop and there is a consensus on how to use them. I myself don't wanna buy really expensive gear that i get a different answer on how to use them from every person that i ask. But, everyone nowadays agree that they will be a standard growlight in the near future.

 

[StoneyBud]

Well, I just ordered the first four panels. $578 including shipping.

I read a lot of online reviews of the panel, and they were mixed. One guy said they were worthless and others said they were working great.

It looked like about 10 good for one bad review.

I don't want to have anyone else get ripped is they turn out to be turkeys. (No offence Turkey Neck)

Hopefully, my Host Plants will start growing faster. I have them in dirt under fluorescent light and their far behind the Hydro plants.

I need 64 cuttings off of these plants by Mid October. I hope I don't have to delay the crop until cuttings can be snipped.

I've just topped the 3 tops on each small plant. I also started with a 1/8th strength GH nute regimen today. That traditionally has increased plant growth in my dirt Hosts greatly.

Step by step it's getting closer.

 

[BBFan]

Good luck with it Stoney- obviously you're putting a tremendous amount of pressure on yourself with this thread.

If you're successful, you will turn the growing world upside down! We'll have to throw out everything we know about lights.

 

[Relentless999]

Ill be watching closely. Stepping up fro. A 600 in 3x3 to a 600 and 400 in a 4.6x4.6.. If these leds are good I would def switch over.

 

[IRISH]

don't rush it on the clones stoney. if it takes another month, well, it takes another month. i know time is valuable, but like you say, "i want to do this right". ...

we, ( or , i ) get behind on my clones all the time. this process is one of importance. ie.. healthy specimens. (make 'em happy)...

when we brought our game here inside, our mindset was a perpetual grow/harvest. dialing this in takes time. see where i'm going?

i've been at this hobby a long time , as you , but for me, it's been outside. alot of thought , and alot of bong rips have come, and gone , just over the past year of my new found love for indoor growing. and , i still have'nt got that perpetual thing down to a science (yet).:hubba: ...

we've also been checking out these led grows for some time. like i said earlier, i have'nt seen a descent one yet. i hope yours works, cause this will, as stated, open up a whole new can 'o worms...

good luck man. we'll be there whenever the clones are ready. welcome to the show of 09/10 people. your not gonna want to miss this one...Irish...

 

[Matsakleen]

I just have a couple of comments about LED fixtures. I have never used one for growing plants but I do have a lot of experience with LED's in marine aquarium applications. Talk about a maximum amount of lumens in the smallest amount of space! People in the reefing hobby (marine aquariums) are playing with different configurations all the time. Its affordable to make your own fixture as well if you know how to use a soldering iron and you have some hand eye corrdination. The brilliant thing is that you can do your own configurations simulating moon lighting effects, sunrise, sunset, rotating patterns ect. There could be some very effective techniques for plant growing applications. Check out this link to another forum site that I belong too, tons of info and instructions on how to build your own LED array and performance data:

(I don't have enough posts to post a URL yet so google reef central DIY LEDs - the write up)

Its a lot to read, but its so cool. There are so many advantages to LED's really I don't see why we all don't use them. However, I know why I don't, I'm to lazy to make one on the cheap and I don't have the money to buy a prefab unit.
Stoney, you have some time on your hands waiting for that first grow, you should take a shot at it, you seem and sound capable.
Just my two cents.
Oh and good luck!