Best thing I can say about Vivosun lights is that they’re the reason I now use HLG.
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Welcome! And that would be a NO!
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I’m not even sure how to ask this question. I’ve been avoiding the subject of lighting because I flat don’t understand electro-speak.
We have a five foot table holding 4 autoflowers that are currently blooming. We have 2 ViperSpectra P2500 lamps with a knob that will brighten/dim the lamp Today I turned that knob and was amazed at the increase in brightness. We also have 2 LikeSuns at the end of the row, but I don’t know the details ablut them.
Now…how much light does a plant need and when does it need it? How do you measure that? Is there a meter of some sort that will tell me what I need to know without a lot of gobbledegook? I understand that watts is not necessarily a measure of brightness these days.
How do I tell what my lights are putting out, and is it enough/too much for my plants? We did grow these same AK47 seeds outside this past summer where they got about 12" tall with buds from top to bottom. They also got worms and mold. These indoor plants are a bit taller and less crowded with buds. I’m wondering if greater light intensity would have improved yield?
Thanks for listening, I know I’m jabbering…
Vivosun thorws a led light Ts 1000 not enough light for the tent 4x4x7 foot. We have a Shzlux 4000 puts out 400watts. Works great. Have 6 5 gallon fabric pots in tent and I can adjust 4 pots to flower under light@ DLI 36.4 AND off to one side control DlL 21.1 for seddlings. Very nice I did reserach a lot for 149 on sale @ Christmas last year a steal!
@Deepsix @DrWatson420 @DrWoo @Graysin @Audiofreak @beardless @beachglass @Underthestairs @VaHillbilly @Putz
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Here’s the quick and dirty rundown:
Lights should follow a progressive schedule based on the amount of wattage you will be finishing with at the end of flower. How do you determine this amount? As mentioned above, 40-50W per square foot is ideal in flower. Anything less will hurt your yield and bud density. I have a 4x4 tent with a light capable of 720W, meaning I dial the knob to around 650W at late flower.
In seedling/veg I will go no more than 25% of this amount, at flip/transition, I will increase to 50%, at 3-4 weeks is 75%, and 5-6 weeks is when I’ll give them the max wattage.
As for the type of lights, not all are created equal as previously mentioned. That said, depending on what you’re growing, even the best LEDs are trash for certain applications. I’d never use my Mars Hydro FC6500 for seedlings, no matter how dim and far they were kept.
Red and oranges (aka lights for flowering) are about the worst spectrum you can shine on baby plants, as it causes them to stretch (if you’re ever seen people using twist ties to hold up sad looking seedlings, this is why). My recommendation for seedling and early veg is a light system such as T5 bulbs at 6500K temperature — light at this spectrum promotes cellular stunting and allows for internodal spacing to decrease — meaning more branches in a shorter space. Sure HLG, Mars, etc all might have a few 6500K diodes, but the overall spectrum is still in the 3000-4000s — there’s not a LED system in the world this “cool” that I’m aware of.
You can get into the weeds (no pun intended) using a Par meter but frankly, being mindful of watts per square foot and proper hang distance is more than apt in the beginning stages of growing.
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