I have totally changed the way my indoor grow “operation” set-up is set up. Looking for additional input.
Currently have a dedicated bedroom with a vented exhaust fan routed to a roof vent. A window A/C unit in the window and Mylar 4’ high on the walls. I am growing ten Autoflowers in five gallon cloth pots in a 4x8 area of the room. I am using 4 HLG 240XL Quantum board adjustable lights to cover the area.
Here is what I am currently doing. I filled ten five gallon pots with FFOF and topped each one off with a layer of FFHF. I planted germinated seads under the lowest settings on the lights. I decided quit moving the lights up and down and try to use the dimmer option on the lights. My seedlings sprouted at about 2,000 lumens and stretched quite quickly. I turned the lights up to 4000 lumens and they quit streching (about three inches of stretch) and have a nice set of first healthy leaves. All ten look even and healthy which is a first. Currently I have the lights set at about 8,000 lumens at leaf level and they all looked happy this morning. No more stretching and pretty green.
I have always used a mix of FFOF and super soil and had varied results. What I am doing differently is, I ditched the blurple lights and bought high quality lights and hung them from the ceiling without the pulleys. I am using a Fox Farms soil mix in lieu of mixing in a pound of Super Soil. I think i was getting the mixture too hot. I never knew If my lights were too close or if I was getting nutrient burn.
Question and tips please… how many lumens should I keep the lights at? These light are capable of giving me sun-burn. I was considering buying some Natures Living Soil and adding it to the top before watering but was thinking perhaps the Fox Farms was enough. I am not against chemical nutes but prefer to keep it to soil only. I could use some nutrient ideas and wheather or not to blast the lights, and when? Thanks for reading.
Lots of room. Jealous. If lights are covering nice do you really need the mylar if walls and roof white? Just curious. And do you need to waste electric on a vent in that big room with an ac until flowers end and smell? Then run out the carbon? Just thinking with you. Wife and i downsized but have a big house we will go back to after tenants leave. I NEVER refuse to give a lease renewal without cause. Ill rent myself before i toss out a tenant. That being said…ill have a large free cannacave. Can model right along with you. Is the ac a dehumidifier also like mine?
regarding your soil question, ocean forest should be good for at least a month without feeding. if you want to top dress with super soil after that, that’s fine, it just won’t be as responsive as traditional nutrients
The A/C was used when I had 15 blurple led’s going. I had one 12-1500 watt light over each plant. Now it stays a cool 72, and sumtimes I even run the little space heater. Either way, summer or winter, I can keep it at a cool 75-80. I suspect when I turn these lights up I might need to run it a little.
Sorry for the inconclusive piture, that is half. I have two more lights out of view. The space in the room is cut down and the lighting is four 240 watt lights covering an area about the size of a sheet of plywood. 35 square feet or so. If I start smoking more weed I might open up the other half of the room.
Looks like you got plenty of help already. Just want to note that with qb 288 v2 rspec boards it’s a little under 28w per square ft. that’s also the recommended from HLG. Based on 250w (240-260) covering 9 sq feet (3x3) ideally in flower.
So the old addage
would be way overkill. With the qb 288 v2 rspec boards.
Unless you are using CO2
Mmhmm. But it doesn’t take more than 30w/sqft to reach that easily with qb 288 v2 boards … Even my spider farmer at 250w hits 1200 at 8 inches… my hlg 260 hits it about 14-16… running the same wattage
I’m just trying to let the new grower know the leaps and bounds in LED technology. There is no need for 30+ watts per square foot if you are using the lights they already are.
Im still a hps guy myself. Going to convert in the near future but them led’s seem really far away. I would think 28" at most, not the 6ft you said. Maybe im wrong lol
Very nice lights I used to run two of them in my 4x4 tent. I would agree with @Poseidon1 the lights seems a bit high. With them lower you can dim them down and save some energy. The ffof has enough nutrients to get you through for a few weeks. People vary when they start nutes but ppm under 1000 is a good indication it’s time to feed them. I started nutes a bit sooner my last soil run and had good results.
Agreed. My first experience with ffof needed nutrients after 3 wks in 5 gal fabric with 25% perlite. I dont know how people go the 4 to 6 weeks without nutrients, must be rockin monster fabric pots omg. Or the east coast ffof is weak idk lol
I tried the traditional 20 inches last grow and fried my colas pretty bad. My plants were not consistant in height or texture, I am trying the brightness adjustment this time to see if it works better. Trust me… was hard to comit to. More to folow…
