Moody's first LED grow....

Alright, this is my first all LED GROW....

Previous grows:
600w HPS
portable air conditioner
various nutes (earth juice microblast, catalyst, grow and bloom, kool bloom, maxicrop, fulvic and humic acid and potash)
happy frog soil

*managed to grow good quality bud, not very high yeilds, heat was always an issue even with the portable air conditioner. I was running about 1400w of power. I have tried several strains. Blue dream is a favorite and I will be growing blue dream again under LED to really compare these methods....let's get it going! :jointsmile:

My LED grow:
150w LED....I have one right now on the vegging clones, and will be adding another 150w LED as I switch over to flower.
4 mini fans for circulation
mylar covered walls
House and Garden nutrient system for Coco
all coco medium

I have been inspired by several people on this board to give this a try....stra8, you have been ever so helpful and I'm excited to learn from someone so talented! :D I will try my best to update as often as possible....let's get this started! :jointsmile:

here a few pics of my closet with the new clones....

*pulls up a lawn chair, sparks up some medicine*

looks like a nice set up...welcome ot the world of LED...you'll do great! :thumbsup:

Sparks up a fattie and passes it around.:joint1:

I'll be the quiet one in the back:S1:

Consider me very very curious to take this trip.:S3:

so pleased to have you guys on board! :jointsmile:

I'm in. You're six week ahead of me so I'll be watching closely. Make us proud!

How many plants are you going to have in flower total?

right now I've got 2 strawberry kush and 4 blue dreams....I'm thinking i want to add 4 more of something....going to the club today or tomorrow to see what I can find! :)

I've grown Blue Dream 3 times under HPS so it will be cool to see the comparison between HPS vs. LED on that specific strain! :jointsmile:

Glad to have you along for the ride!

hey im in on this one i cant wait to see what leds can do

Point of interest - are these from seeds or clones? Also, can you tell us a bit more about the strains you are using based on your previous grow? Short, tall, stretch, time in veg, time to flower, etc. I'll be interested to know if they preform differently during their cycles - i.e. do they need a bit longer in veg with the LEDs.

You've given me some motivation. I have a ton of stuff to get done before I am allowed to build my room - so the plumber and electrician are scheduled this week and I estimated my lumber needs for a wall that I promised to build as a prerequisite... Thanks!

Hey Bigsby....I am growing from clones. Typically I would veg anywhere from 2-4 weeks. I think I am going to play it by ear, but I'm expecting to start to flower around may 1st. Also, I don't think they veg any slower in LED. If anything, I have seen tons of new growth on these clones already and they have only been in since 4/8/10. So I'm pretty excited! :jointsmile:

Other strains I have tried in the past have been Grapefruit diesel, purple kush, querkle and white widow. Blue dream is the one that I've had the best success with which is why I'm sticking with it. And I feel I will be able to do a good comparison with HPS vs. LED with that strain since I have grown it several times with the HPS.

Strawberry kush is new for me, and I plan on adding another 4 plants....still deciding what strain...

this is gonna be a good thread to keeep an eye on, ur pro mate... so this is first tym with leds? wots it like for eletrick consumption? wot other strains av u tried? you got pictures of ur blue dream? dat sound wells nice.. nice setup mate

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Originally Posted by xxMrGreenThumbx

this is gonna be a good thread to keeep an eye on, ur pro mate... so this is first tym with leds? wots it like for eletrick consumption? wot other strains av u tried? you got pictures of ur blue dream? dat sound wells nice.. nice setup mate

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thanks for the well wishes! Yes, this is my first time using LED, but I have some really talented people walking me though it...so I feel very confident about it!

As far as saving power....well before I was running about 1400w (600hps and portable a/c). My SMUD bill was about $80-100 more a month....now I'm anticipating it to be about $20! I'm only using 150w right now....and only 300w once i start flowering. So about 1/5 of the power as before! big difference! And there is NO heat...NONE....no need for that big ass portable air conditioner! :jointsmile:

I do have pics of my blue dream from previous grows on my profile under 3rd grow....my 2nd grow album is pretty weak!

Other strains have been grapefruit diesel, purple kush, white widow and querkle...love the querkle! :D But i didn't do very good with it....it got root rot and powdered mold! yuck!

Anyways....thanks for joining the ride....I hope to impress! :jointsmile:

wot was ur white widow like? anything like the pictures u see? any updates?

i have pics of my last round of white widow on my profile in the album called "3rd grow"....check it out....I've got quite a few pics on there. :jointsmile:

Interesting read on LEDs below. It is pretty basic but I know there will be many viewing hunting for LED information. Overall seems pretty balanced.

LED Grow Light Info - Linked by Bigs ;)

I can't wait to get my room built! I'm using your grow as my time line. I'm aiming to be 6 weeks behind you although 8 weeks seems more realistic. I hope my schedule doesn't slip. I'm laying sod this weekend (check), the wall is framed (check), drywall is ready to go (check), scheduled the plumber and electrician (it's panel wiring - beyond my pay grade... check, check). A bit of painting, slap on some trim, finish the floor and I'm good to go. I figure I can build it in a weekend.

Give us an update moody!

here's some new pics....

the kushes are loving the new light....I added 4 more clones today called shuga....they were highly recommended, so we'll see....:jointsmile:

That mylar is trippy looking, it makes it look like there's 30 of em' in there. I'm excited for you:thumbsup:

looks great...that mylar makes you dizzy if you stare too long!:stoned:

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Originally Posted by bigsby

Interesting read on LEDs below. It is pretty basic but I know there will be many viewing hunting for LED information. Overall seems pretty balanced.

LED Grow Light Info - Linked by Bigs ;)

I can't wait to get my room built! I'm using your grow as my time line. I'm aiming to be 6 weeks behind you although 8 weeks seems more realistic. I hope my schedule doesn't slip. I'm laying sod this weekend (check), the wall is framed (check), drywall is ready to go (check), scheduled the plumber and electrician (it's panel wiring - beyond my pay grade... check, check). A bit of painting, slap on some trim, finish the floor and I'm good to go. I figure I can build it in a weekend.

Give us an update moody!

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From your link:

" An LED grow light designer isnâ??t trying to reproduce sunlight"

That's why they're failing, speaking as an LED light designer.

What brand LED did you go with? I've been searching and everybody differs drastically in price and alot are not willing or don't know enough about the manufacturer specs. Im trying to focus on a LED grow, but still haven't decided how many plants I want to grow. Good luck

peace

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Originally Posted by khyberkitsune

From your link:

" An LED grow light designer isnâ??t trying to reproduce sunlight"

That's why they're failing, speaking as an LED light designer.

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I believe what they mean by this is that the LED does not need to reproduce the visible spectrum in the same quantities as sunlight or as an HID. Hence, with LEDs there is not a flood of white, yellow, and orange spectrum - light that is largely unused by the plant. This accounts for part of the efficiency gain. But I get your point. While this spectrum is important, the plant does not need much off it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigsby

I believe what they mean by this is that the LED does not need to reproduce the visible spectrum in the same quantities as sunlight or as an HID. Hence, with LEDs there is not a flood of white, yellow, and orange spectrum - light that is largely unused by the plant. This accounts for part of the efficiency gain. But I get your point. While this spectrum is important, the plant does not need much off it.

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Indeed, but still the problem with most typical LED panels is the sheer imbalance of light. You won't find such ratios of light naturally occurring on this planet except at the poles due to the way the atmosphere distorts incoming solar radiation.

The mylar is a trip! It makes me feel like I'm on an acid trip every time I open the closet! I got so dizzy when I was hanging that stuff on the walls....but I believe it's going to help make a difference....it's very reflective! :jointsmile:

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Originally Posted by 420session

What brand LED did you go with? I've been searching and everybody differs drastically in price and alot are not willing or don't know enough about the manufacturer specs. Im trying to focus on a LED grow, but still haven't decided how many plants I want to grow. Good luck

peace

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hey 420session....I went with a WEX led....talk to my buddy stra8outtaweed...he's very helpful with information about LED lighting! :jointsmile:

This is my first time with an LED...but already i'm seeing huge differences....and the temps are steady! :D

quick update and a few new pics....

I added the last of my clones in yesterday. I have 2 strawberry kush, 4 blue dream and 4 shugas. The strawberry kushes LOVE the LED and have doubled in size in a week....the blue dreams haven't grown much taller but are flooding with new leaves....and the shugas are new, but came highly recommended. they are an indica blend and are supposed to be great producers! :jointsmile:

pic 1 & 2 are the blue dreams
pic 3 & 4 are the strawberry kushes....they had to be staked already! :jointsmile:
pic 5 is the shugas....so far so good!

more to come....thanks for checking in! :jointsmile:

...cuz I'm thinking about doing the same thing.

TO summers can be verra hot and shitty, with a pissy front moving in every now and then ;) I'm doing some DUI thinking about no-power air conditioners, but running an almost-exclusively LED show in the summer is reeeeally really attractive to me (not that I'm hating my 600w-ish of beautiful HPS, tho...) :D

Pullin' up de lawn chaiah...

(c)C :chainsaw:

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Originally Posted by CovertCarpenter

...cuz I'm thinking about doing the same thing.

TO summers can be verra hot and shitty, with a pissy front moving in every now and then ;) I'm doing some DUI thinking about no-power air conditioners, but running an almost-exclusively LED show in the summer is reeeeally really attractive to me (not that I'm hating my 600w-ish of beautiful HPS, tho...) :D

Pullin' up de lawn chaiah...

(c)C :chainsaw:

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Well, if you want a nearly nil-power cooling system for your HPS, just hook one of these bad boys up and give it water flow, then just push the air through!

With ground water hooked up one of these babies can cool 4 600w and keep the air temp at a constant 19C/66F

...'preciate the good tip on the rad /Rad/ there, mon :)

Hate to ask, but what does such a lovely little unit like that go fer? I've got my setup built, but I /did/ leave space to add something like that, and the only difficulty would be the water run. I have something in mind to fix that, tho :)

And Moody... KEEP UP THE FREAKIN' GOOD WORK, MON! Seeing some /great/ density so far!

(c)C :chainsaw:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CovertCarpenter

...'preciate the good tip on the rad /Rad/ there, mon :)

Hate to ask, but what does such a lovely little unit like that go fer? I've got my setup built, but I /did/ leave space to add something like that, and the only difficulty would be the water run. I have something in mind to fix that, tho :)

And Moody... KEEP UP THE FREAKIN' GOOD WORK, MON! Seeing some /great/ density so far!

(c)C :chainsaw:

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Thanks CC....I'm really loving the LED so far. I can actually stay gone for a night and not stress out about what's going on at home in the closet. And I know I'm going to love it even more as the weather gets warmer. That 600hps i had before was really hard to control the heat even with a fancy smancy portable a/c unit....It's nice to not have all that power going too! :thumbsup:

Keep watching....I'll try to update with pics as often as possible. I plan to switch over to flowering around may 1st....that's when it'll get really interesting! :jointsmile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CovertCarpenter

...'preciate the good tip on the rad /Rad/ there, mon :)

Hate to ask, but what does such a lovely little unit like that go fer? I've got my setup built, but I /did/ leave space to add something like that, and the only difficulty would be the water run. I have something in mind to fix that, tho :)

And Moody... KEEP UP THE FREAKIN' GOOD WORK, MON! Seeing some /great/ density so far!

(c)C :chainsaw:

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Unfortunately, they are EXPENSIVE. That model is probably 300 dollars.

here's a little update....

the strawberry kushes are loving the LED and are growing so fast i already had to take them down a few inches...

the blue dreams are starting to really kick into gear...I added the roots accelerator on their last feed...

the shuga's are doing great and adapting great....hasn't even been a week for them!

Still got another few weeks till I start to flower....but here's a few pics of their progress. Also, I'm throwing in a picture of the nutes I'm using....

more to come :jointsmile:

they look like they are coming along nicely...good work :thumbsup:

A few more pics to show the progress over the last few days....I've seen some major growth on the blue dreams over the last 5 days! They all seem to be doing great with the coco and enjoying themselves under the LED light....more to come! :jointsmile:

pic 1 - strawberry kush....i had to take them down a few inches last week, they are loving the light!
pic 2 & 3 - blue dream....lots of new growth and much bushier than when i vegged with HPS.
pic 4 & 5 - all the babies! :D

I'll keep posting every few days.....should be switching over the flower cycle in just about a week now....stay tuned! :jointsmile:

Hey Khyberkitsune where can i find one of those cooling units that you hook water up to??

looking nice moody :thumbsup:

il defo be keeping an eye on this thread specially when u go into flowering:jointsmile:

are LED lights best for energy consumption?

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Originally Posted by whitem5

Hey Khyberkitsune where can i find one of those cooling units that you hook water up to??

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I don't exactly remember. It's just a radiator inside a ventilation mount with two water hookups (intake and outtake) and they really shouldn't be that expensive.

Ohh ok.. So is that custom made or is their a company that actualy manufactures that item?

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Originally Posted by JungleSuperstar

looking nice moody :thumbsup:

il defo be keeping an eye on this thread specially when u go into flowering:jointsmile:

are LED lights best for energy consumption?

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thanks junglesuperstar! It should just be a few more days now. I'm adding a 2nd light in a few days.....I'm excited to see this take off! :jointsmile:

...no criteria available, except keep on' doin' what'cher doin'...

(think about LST tho..! KUSHes /LOVE/ LST!/)

Happy gardening..!

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Originally Posted by whitem5

Ohh ok.. So is that custom made or is their a company that actualy manufactures that item?

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There is a company that manufactures them but they're really expensive considering what they are. it's just a two-tap unidirectional radiator stuck inside a venting flange.