First time grow

[The Silver Bullet Special]

You always should run 24/0 during veg. 18/6 can promote more stretch than 24/0.

 

[Munkers]

Just went out and took my light off the timer.... Also took a couple quick picks. Fresh off the film here they are....

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

Looking good I would just keep lettin them go how they are now and not trim anything off. That could have been stunted them.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I highly doubt that clipping a fan leaf or 2 caused the plants to be stunted. I am guessing that the slow growth is because of the LED and the large space you are using it in. Your plants are really underlit. You need to get your space substantially smaller--group all the buckets close together and get some kind of reflective walls put up to reflect light back on the plants. You also need that light right down on top of the plants--like an inch or 2.

 

[gourmet]

I read a side by side comparison of the growth of plants using white reflective material versus silver material. They also measured lumens etc. The results were that the white reflective material was better than the silver. Just some fyi information I came across. Might have been on this site, I don't recall. But it was a good study using scientific methodology.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

I read a side by side comparison of the growth of plants using white reflective material versus silver material. They also measured lumens etc. The results were that the white reflective material was better than the silver. Just some fyi information I came across. Might have been on this site, I don't recall. But it was a good study using scientific methodology.

That's good to know. I just hate mylar and do not have it anywhere. Panda film is so much easier to work with.

 

[Munkers]

For one, I know you guys told me already that it wasnt going to work, but I dont have the money at the moment for the lights switchover(getting rid of the LEDs), SO I went ahead and I decided to do it anyways and I want to thank you guys for all the help and tips! Anyhow,@Hemp, I can probably easily cut my room size down in half with a couple cuts on a piece of wood, but what can I do about a reflective material? I have black garbage bags and I heard those work well for reflecting light. Also I am only doing one plant at the moment since I am still learning.... Its a Delicious Fruity Chronic Juice feminized seed.
@gourmet, What could I use for a white reflective material? Was there something specific they mentioned that they used to test that? What was the material, do you know?

 

[Munkers]

Another thing I just went and checked on her since I took the light off the timer and she filled right back in very quickly!! Only just since saturday night and now it dont look like she was even trimmed.

 

[OldDaddyFedder]

Munkers,
get some panda film-or do what I did once. Get some plywood and some flat white paint. Use the garbage bags for something else.Glad to hear she filled back in!
What kind of light you gettin?
Just wonderin.
:48:
ODF

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Black garbage bags do not reflect at all--black absorbs light. OldDaddyFedder has a couple of good ideas. Flat white paint reflects very well and is readily available anywhere. Be sure to use flat paint and not glossy. Despite its appearance, glossy is not good. Panda film is not expansive and can be purchased from e-bay in different sizes. Getting your space size down and something reflective around your plants will make the most of the light you have.

Keep your eyes open for good buys. You may run across a HPS for a killer price. I find bargains all the time.

 

[Munkers]

ODF thanks im looking into getting sum panda film asap, but as far as what kind of light am I getting I dont quite understand what you mean... I have a 90 watt ufo at the moment....
And hemp, I also forgot to mention earlier with putting my light closer, Ive seen everyone say I can put it right on top of the plant but I already gave that a shot and that is how I started but I noticed that it was too close and possibly stunting it? I know once I backed it up a couple of inches that it spung up quickly..... Didnt seem to be growing intil I raised it... Maybe I was thinking 5-6" off from the top might be good?

 

[Munkers]

Lol also why is the panda film come in black or white if black is no good?
Oh, also I have white garbage bags, maybe that will work temp.?

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

That spring up that you noticed was probably stretch as the plant will reach up towards the light without much new growth. I would lower it to an inch or two above the plants thats where my T5 lights are.

As Hemp mentioned black is not good and think of it like this. You wearing a black T-shirt in the sun how it is much hotter than if you were to wear a white T-shirt. The black will absorb all the light and give none back to the plants reducing your already depleted lumens further. Also when goin into flowering I'm not sure of indoor lights but it may be hotter and harder to keep temps down if you used black walls (if you used an HPS light).

I wouldnt use any garbage bags as theres a chance you wont get it completely flat on your walls giving hotspots. I would go with flat white paint (that's what I will be using) because its pretty easy to throw up a coat or two of paint.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Lol also why is the panda film come in black or white if black is no good?
Oh, also I have white garbage bags, maybe that will work temp.?

Panda film does not come in black OR white--it comes in black AND white--black on one side, white on the other. The white side provides reflection. The black back provides a light proof material.

Your UFO will probably do an okay job vegging one plant. But when it comes to flowering, LEDs do not do well at all. If you can get your hands on a small HPS you will get more/better yield...probably substantially more.

 

[Munkers]

Ah yes I noticed the panda film was 2 sided lol, thanks guys I did a temp fix up and cut the tent down atleast 60% in space temperarly. I am going to get sum panda film and work osmaller cabinet size space in the mean time. If I can get my hands on a cheap HPS I will probably grab it, but not neccisarly use it. No offence to your great advice you have been giving me, but this is quite interesting to me on how the final product might come out, small amount or not. First time round I think ill stick with this light. BUT as to what you guys have been telling me, I gaurentee my next grow will end up under Hps lights for flowering.

 

[Munkers]

Please excuse the ignorance, I am kinda hard headed and set on sticking it out with the LED against all odds!!

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

If you are determined to use the LED all the way through, that is certainly up to you. We would not be doing our job here, though, if we did not make you (and others contemplating using LEDs) aware of the shortcomings of LED for flowering. LOL--I will (try) not mention lighting again. It is your grow--you need to make yourself happy.

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

Hey atleast now we'll be able to have something to compare LED vs. HPS production for when others ask about LED's it'll be interesting and after this grow you'll have some cool christmas lights!

I've seen a grow tent set up in my hydro store that had the LED's as side lighting... No clue as to how those would work for MJ, they had pine trees growing in their tents :giggle: .

 

[JustAnotherAntMarching]

Munkers whats up man? rock that UFO bro... people said the same to me when i started growing with LEDs... It will work like you say, but it wont grow you a ton of bud like the others state... http://marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47900

like others have stated previously cut your room size down to as small as possible to fit your plant/s + def paint everything flat white to maximize the light you do have... how many plants do you have running? just the one?

now not to be a debbie downer I originally started growing with 2 UFOs in a 2x4' tent... If i wanted to adequately light that space i prob would have needed 4 UFOs... I couldnt $wing 2 more UFOs so I added 2 cheap T5s into my tent and had a noticable increase in bud production by adding just 20,000 lumens of T5's... I used the UFOs for 2 flowering cycles and then added them to my veg area and grew autos under them... They were replaced by a 600w hps and soon then a 1000w hps... I guess the moral of the story is if your gonna put yourself at risk + do all that this hobby requires then you wanna be rewarded with as much bud as possible... not wait 3 month to get 12g of bud... The bottom line is your underlit for your space... and your never gona grow great bud being underlit, even if your using an HPS...

If you wanna make the most of that UFO get yourself 9 to 16 2litre soda bottles cut off the top and paint the bottoms black with spray paint, I would make the grow space 2' x 2' and flower clones once the root in the soda bottles... you should pull a 10-15g bud from every bottle and actually have some sort of yield... I would not flower that larger plant you have... Id use it for clones...

Silver bullet do you have any experience using LEDs what so ever? lemme guess your another hps grower with blinders on?

there are grows online where people are having A+ grows using nothing but LEDs... IMO the only prob still is initial cost...

but the savings in the long run is def there... no more yearly bulb purchases... half the power of HPS... most report not needing a/c bc of the dramatic decrease of heat... Ive even read grower say they water less bc of the less heat which cuts down of your nute cost as well...

If you think that LEDs cant/dont work your just simply wrong... The bottom line here is that hes underlit not that hes using LEDs... if he had 4 ufos in that space he'd be rockin...

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

They're not half the power of an HPS a 300w led won't have the same lumen output and light penetration as a 600W HPS. My buddy I was going to be partnering with is using LEDs and hes half way through flower and is wondering why his buds arent producing with UFO's. LED's simply don't have the light intensity or penetration. The sad thing is the LED light manufacturers(sp) don't even post a lumen output they only advertise by watts of the LED itself.

I'm sure they work by your method, but what about people that have a certain plant count and cant have a bunch of small plants? For my state anything over I believe 3 plants is 15years in the slammer. I'd rather buy bulbs that arent very expensive ($40-$90 the price of an 8th-4th street price) and keep my plant count low.

I've done my research on LEDs and for the most part it's hype. For the price of the light vs how they produce on bigger plants it wasnt worth it to me personally. It would also require smaller spaces which is a little ahrder to control your heat (yes LEDs themselves dont produce heat but the driver boards in them do, thats why they put heatsinks on them).

P.S. My friend is using 4 180W Jumbo UFO lights in a 4x4 area the recommended space for the lights and it's still under producing compared to HPS grows I've seen.