1st grow would like some help 90watt ufo 400hps

What's up everyone. Just took a Bong hit so lets go. I went to other forums and they sucked. This one is way cooler.
This is my story. Been smoking 25 plus years off and on. I never grew weed just smoked. 3-18-2010 I woke up and decided to get my medical mj card. 3 days later I decided to GROW! (LOL WIFE WAS TRIPPPPIN).
I started out going hydro using ebb & flow on my flower side. But I found out my 400 hps would be way to close to the plants. SO now I'm using soil and scrog. Here's a few pic of my set up. A few of how I kind of had it. The Flower room that has the scrog, had the ebb & flow System. My Veg room had a drip irrigation in it. I took that out for now until I clone and veg more. I have no clue what my electric bill will be any Guess? I live in CO. My bill is already $250 avg.per month without my grow. So I bought 2 90 watt ufo's to replace the 400 hps. I got one today 4-22-2010 the other 1 I get Monday. I can't even see the ufo light over the 400's!! By Monday I was going to put both 90 UFOS under the plants to replace the 400. Tell me what you think so far.

Here are afew pics. Without the drip system in the veg room. The plants in the Flower room have been in there 12 days so far. I put them to flower one week early I think. They were both 22". Dude I just want some BUDS. The plant that I have vegging are Jedi 41, Euphoria, upstate. So far they are growing pretty well.

Pics of day 14 flower and 1st day of 90 watt ufo. In the veg room I'm using the the two bucket method. Soon I will make them self watering without a timer.

Welcome to the site :)

Looks very nice so far :thumbsup:

I'd say keep the HPS, it's really not a lot of power. Unless your kilowatt per hour pricing is really high, it probably won't make much of an impact. Mine (400w + fans) costs about 12â?¬ per month during flowering (at 0.067 â?¬ per kwh), but then again I'm on a different continent. You should be able to find your kwh rate from the company or maybe your bill.

I'll be watching this.... Happy growing :jointsmile:

Thanks Bigtops
Monday the 400 hps will be gone and the 2-90 watt ufos will go up. The 2 plants that are flowering I really dont care about that much. I do but I dont. 1 plant is Af-Kush and the other is SBB(bubblegum). I'm looking forward to the other plants that are in veg right now. But I still want to see how well the lights work and how well they Bud these plants.

wow good setup! i wanna see the outcome on these 2 ufos !! if it gose well im 100% gonna buy some! (led ufo) soo let the ufos out! lol keep updated.

looking great!!!!!!!!:hippy:

Because you might wanna use it for the flowering stage.../seriously/.. buuuuut...

...you seem to be doing mostly everything right so far, mon! Tho I have a coupla questions:

· Do you have a PH meter or test kit? (prolly, but I just had to ask)

· What do you pay per kW/h, check your local company/hydro/electric bill?

· Is there /any/ way that you could squeeze both UFOs /and/ the hps in there, perhaps by increasing your airflow?

Keep up the good work, mon!
REP+

PS: btw, I agree with your assessment--these forums /rock/!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CovertCarpenter

Because you might wanna use it for the flowering stage.../seriously/.. buuuuut...

...you seem to be doing mostly everything right so far, mon! Tho I have a coupla questions:

· Do you have a PH meter or test kit? (prolly, but I just had to ask)

· What do you pay per kW/h, check your local company/hydro/electric bill?

· Is there /any/ way that you could squeeze both UFOs /and/ the hps in there, perhaps by increasing your airflow?

Keep up the good work, mon!
REP+

PS: btw, I agree with your assessment--these forums /rock/!

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What's up Dude. PH I keep around 6. For the time being I will not worry about the electric bill. I hope it just don't double. I doubt it will.

I could squeeze all three lights next to each other I guess. I might even do that When my next grow happens (6 plants). Airflow is real good temps are low. I cant smell shit. The Veg room is Hotter than the Flower room.
I just cant wait for some Buds.

Stick around - we want to see the outcome of your grow, especially with the LEDs. I agree that these forums are the place to be. Knowledgeable growers looking to learn from and support each other rather than starting flame wars. Run some searches in these forums and read the stickies. You will get tons of great info.

Nice setup. Very nice. I really like the use of PVC piping. I've seen it a few times but this is the clearest implementation I've seen. I'm gearing up my room and will be using your PVC build.

A couple of observations:

1. I don't think you flowered early. 22" will result in a good sized plant. It all depends on how big you want your plant to be. You are scrogging so you will want to try to size the plant to the scrog. You don't want it to outgrow the screen.

2. You should consider starting in smaller pots and plan to re-pot at least twice before you get to the 5 gallon buckets. 3 gallon buckets may be preferable although I'll let some more experienced people chime in on that. The reason for re-potting is that you want the root system to build a dense root system which they will only do in a smaller pot. Starting in over-sized buckets the roots will keep stretching and stretching wasting energy below ground rather than focusing it above ground where you want it. Also, with re-potting you get fresh soil around the roots that is both nutrient rich and aerated. Check out the noob guides stickies in these forums - Basic Growing Information and this one in particular talks about the importance of re-potting - http://boards.cannabis.com/basic-gro...-dankness.html. The stickies in these forums are invaluable.

3. If you switch to UFOs only you will probably want to do a horizontal scrog. Light penetration is an issue with the LEDs. You will get better penetration if everything is at one level. Also, you will want to move your LED much closer to the plants. They won't burn them like an HID although they will cause damage if the plant comes into contact with the light.

4. Did you research the UFOs well? They receive very mediocre reviews, especially the previous generations. Search these forums and you will find very good LED information. There as some LED wizards here who have documented what goes into a good LED setup. I am not sure what generation light you bought. You might consider returning them and getting something better suited. You should be able to replace your HID with the right LED setup.

A couple of questions:

1. What did the UFOs cost you?

2. What is the two bucket method?

3. Can you tell us about your irrigation setup?

My 400 watt hps grow, a few 4 inch fans, and a 150 watt t5 for veg and moms increased my bill about 50-60$ a month. That one is in Northern California. Another grow in So Cal we use a 600 hps and a 250 t5 for vegging and some 6 inch fans and for some reason that grow increased the bill by 250$ a month. I did not get it. I think so cal is more expensive than where I am here. That bill kind of freaked me out, until harvest time. Then it was all worth it. So you might freak out. I would keep the hps.
Your grow is set up really nice.

bigsby
Thanks Man I have been reading day and night for a month now. I will check the stickies.

Nice setup. Very nice. I really like the use of PVC piping. I've seen it a few times but this is the clearest implementation I've seen. I'm gearing up my room and will be using your PVC build.

Thanks Dude that very cool my me. I bit it from someone myself. Cost @ Home Depot. 3-50feet garden wire $45, 1 1/4 tee 8 x $1.27, pvc 40 pepipe 6 x $3.46(pvc was like 10 feet long). I will take some Pics close ups of the PVC.

If I have to re pot next time I will. I have to see how thing turn out.

Dude my space is to small for horizontal scrog. But I have not ruled it out.

4. Did you research the UFOs well? They receive very mediocre reviews, especially the previous generations. Search these forums and you will find very good LED information. There as some LED wizards here who have documented what goes into a good LED setup. I am not sure what generation light you bought. You might consider returning them and getting something better suited. You should be able to replace your HID with the right LED setup.

Research was limited due to lack of info. I bought 2 90 watt ufos. 4th & 6th generation. 1 tri band, 1 quad band both 660nm. Cost $135 each
I took a picture of the light before the 400hps came on 4-23-2010. check the red light on the plant. The farther the light from the plant you will see the red on the plant get bigger. The closer the light gets. The smaller the red light on the plant gets. For now I am going to keep the light a good distance from the plant. Dude I don't Know.


2. What is the two bucket method?

Use 2-5 gallon buckets. Top bucket has a 3.5" hole in the center. That is used for a cup (with slits in it) to wick the water up from the bottom bucket. The white pvc pipe is used to water the plant via bottom bucket. You can never over water using this method. Plus you water 50% to 80% less. The buckets suppose to work like nature. Where the plants get water from the bottom up. Rather than having water poured on them. I'll take pics and find the web site I got it from. 2 kids trying to save the world. Gonna help me GROW SOME WEED.

CLOSE UP PVC SCROG SETUP EASY TO MAKE.

Cost @ Home Depot. 3-50feet garden wire $45, 1 1/4 tee 8 x $1.27, pvc 40 pepipe 6 x $3.46(pvc was like 10 feet long). I will take some Pics close ups of the PVC.

You could go cheaper on wire.

Yo that rocks. Thanks for the details! I'm going to document and do a tutorial on this cribbing this thread extensively when I build mine ;) Too bad about the space. I hear you. I see no reason why you couldn't angle the LED

Others more knowledgeable than I will weigh in with some LED info. You'll find it in the forums too. I'll try to dig you some links. I found this when reading the "what do they mean... sticky today. It dates from early 2007:


LED â?? Light Emitting Diode. No really, Iâ??m not kidding. Theyâ??re not coming soon, they are here. Just another little ol' thing I like to call... The future! uh, of grow lights that is.

Note that was a few years ago. I believe we are take off point for LEDs. My grow will be LED and T5s for veg.

nm â?? NanoMeters â?? This is a unit of measurement for the wavelength, or color of LED light output. 430 and 675 are the two ideal numbers (if there were such a thing) for veg and bloom respectively. Our visible range is from a little under 400 to a little over 700.

mcd - MilliCanDela - The unit of measurement most commonly used to describe the intensity of LED light. It measures light production at the source of the light. Compare this number when shopping for LEDs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dogfood

Use 2-5 gallon buckets. Top bucket has a 3.5" hole in the center. That is used for a cup (with slits in it) to wick the water up from the bottom bucket. The white pvc pipe is used to water the plant via bottom bucket. You can never over water using this method. Plus you water 50% to 80% less. The buckets suppose to work like nature. Where the plants get water from the bottom up. Rather than having water poured on them. I'll take pics and find the web site I got it from. 2 kids trying to save the world. Gonna help me GROW SOME WEED.

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So how do you know when you've filled it enough? Do you change the water out every 5 - 7 days? Wouldn't want stuff living in the bucket... Is this the same principal as a flood table? Not sure.

Props for the nice pics.

Board Mods - How about a dedicated folder for LED discussion? Seems like LED is holding up one side of this table.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigsby

So how do you know when you've filled it enough? Do you change the water out every 5 - 7 days? Wouldn't want stuff living in the bucket... Is this the same principal as a flood table? Not sure.

Props for the nice pics.

Board Mods - How about a dedicated folder for LED discussion? Seems like LED is holding up one side of this table.

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good call...a LED section would be nice! :thumbsup:

Dog~do your UFO's list percentage of 660nm diodes...and the degree of focus? way to go in trying LED's out:jointsmile:

[quote=bigsby]So how do you know when you've filled it enough? Do you change the water out every 5 - 7 days? Wouldn't want stuff living in the bucket... Is this the same principal as a flood table? Not sure.

There about 5 holes same height 1/2" below top bucket bottom.

stra8outtaWeed
I read a number of your threads last night. So i Joined. Good grows by the way. Today i came across this one dudes Scrog thread. with 1 400 hps doing very well. I'm conflicted.

1. Led wavelength AP (nm) 660/3000-3500k/460

10. photon flux density umol.m-2s-1 10.8(1.2m Height)

11.the irradiance W.m-2 2.30(1.2m Height)

12.install distance Meter 4.0m + 2.0m

13. install height Meter 2.5m + 1.5m

14. lighting area M2 20


Thats it I don't even know what some of it means. The height they want me to put the ufo is crazy i think. Check out the picture of this afternoon of the Ufo light hitting the plant. Ufo far away the light was red all over plant. Ufo up close light was much smaller.

Day 15 Veg and flower

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dogfood

stra8outtaWeed
I read a number of your threads last night. So i Joined. Good grows by the way. Today i came across this one dudes Scrog thread. with 1 400 hps doing very well. I'm conflicted.

1. Led wavelength AP (nm) 660/3000-3500k/460

10. photon flux density umol.m-2s-1 10.8(1.2m Height)

11.the irradiance W.m-2 2.30(1.2m Height)

12.install distance Meter 4.0m + 2.0m

13. install height Meter 2.5m + 1.5m

14. lighting area M2 20


Thats it I don't even know what some of it means. The height they want me to put the ufo is crazy i think. Check out the picture of this afternoon of the Ufo light hitting the plant. Ufo far away the light was red all over plant. Ufo up close light was much smaller.

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thanks for the good words...i'm no scientist or even a botanist....i just enjoy growing good herb...i have "stumbled" into some good LED lighting and what you have is a tighyly clustered group of 1w LED's that need to be placed at the recommended height so as to get the advertised coverage...you lose coverage as you get closer and lose effectiveness as you move them away....i think they are great to veg with but as supplemental w/400 HPS in flower you should do pretty well! :thumbsup:

Ok I made a scrog for my veg room. I seen some guys thread that had the best scrog set up. I took his advice and started them early in training. All the plants under the screen got topped. So far i have had the plants 24 days. The two in flower are day 16.

Since i built the scrog in the veg room. When it comes time to flower I will just put in differnt lights going 12/12.

other ufo comes 4-26 I'll put that in the flower room and remove the 400 hps. I feel bad about it But OH WELL. I'll get over it. I think the ufos should be able to handle 2 plants. I hope. Maybe i'll add some cfl. maybe. Thanks for looking. Any coments or sugestions are welcome.

The UFO will do well in the veg / mother room. I love your setup. So cleanly implemented. What is the distance between squares on the screen? Also, what is the distance from soil to screen - 10" or so? I still think starting in smaller pots is preferable. See this sticky: http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs...large-pot.html

I'm thinking that I'll use a variation of your water design which I believe is the same principal as a flood tray except that it isn't hydro only. I'm going with a soil-based medium in pots designed to allow air and H20 into the roots. I'll place them in a tray with a tap for drainage. I'll water by flooding the tray, letting them sit for 10 - 15 minutes and then draining the tray.

Don't know if you plan to clone but if so, check out the link in my signature to the DIY hydro clone box. You're going to want one... ;) I'm going to clone with the aim of keeping a few mothers on tap. I won't do continuous grows due to local ordinances but want to be able to do repeat grows with some strains for learning purposes and to isolate traits that I enjoy. Not to mention the cost of seeds...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bigsby

The UFO will do well in the veg / mother room. I love your setup. So cleanly implemented. What is the distance between squares on the screen? Also, what is the distance from soil to screen - 10" or so? I still think starting in smaller pots is preferable. See this sticky: http://boards.cannabis.com/grow-faqs...large-pot.html

I'm thinking that I'll use a variation of your water design which I believe is the same principal as a flood tray except that it isn't hydro only. I'm going with a soil-based medium in pots designed to allow air and H20 into the roots. I'll place them in a tray with a tap for drainage. I'll water by flooding the tray, letting them sit for 10 - 15 minutes and then draining the tray.

Don't know if you plan to clone but if so, check out the link in my signature to the DIY hydro clone box. You're going to want one... ;) I'm going to clone with the aim of keeping a few mothers on tap. I won't do continuous grows due to local ordinances but want to be able to do repeat grows with some strains for learning purposes and to isolate traits that I enjoy. Not to mention the cost of seeds...

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Bigsby Iv'e seen plant grow well with the ufo on youtube. I want to see if the ufos can flower well. If they can I will use the ufos for the full grow if not just for veg.
The screen 2"x3" (home depot $45 3 X 50 FEET).
The screen is 7 Inches from dirt.
So far watered once. 5 gallons of water for all the plants in veg.
My Mothers will be the 3 plants not in the screen.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dogfood

Bigsby Iv'e seen plant grow well with the ufo on youtube. I want to see if the ufos can flower well. If they can I will use the ufos for the full grow if not just for veg.
The screen 2"x3" (home depot $45 3 X 50 FEET).
The screen is 7 Inches from dirt.
So far watered once. 5 gallons of water for all the plants in veg.
My Mothers will be the 3 plants not in the screen.

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So I haven't actually had any experience at all with LEDs, but I plan on getting some. Though, the research I've done on them suggests that you get a decent sized bud flowering with them, but not as large/dense as you normally see with an HID (on one of the studies I actually looked into, the guy did a scrog as well except his was straight and about two feet above the plants. He then used four 200w LEDs and was able to get 7.21oz. out of one plant through a 5gal hydro setup, but he did comment in saying that he could get even more increased bud-size with a classic HID.). Thus, I'll be getting mine for veg growth and then switched to supplemental lighting.

But that's just me and based upon my research...by all means, best of luck with this; I'm VERY interested to see how this turns out with that UFO.

Very nice, very clean, new technologies always have to prove themselves- LEDs are almost there and we do need a section.

Yeah, I have 90w LEDs and get what your saying about the concentration of light effectiveness being limited by distance. Im buying one with a much higher ratio of blue for flowering- noticed that helps alot. Red for veg/blue for flowering, just need to get that going. Most LEDs I find have mostly a higher ratio of red vs blue, that makes it very limiting and harder to flower. Good luck and yield good...


Peace

Whats up dude?

Your grow is going along very well so far. Keep it up!

The UFOs can grow as long as you give them some help... like CFLs or screw LEDs.

Check out my last grow with one 90w ufo and some CFLs and one 660nm screw in. A tad over 3 ozs from one plant.

http://boards.cannabis.com/hydroponi...-grow-log.html

That's called Water Wicking. I'm really interested to see if it works on cannabis, but I hear bad things because the plant likes to be dry every so often. Let us know how this turns out!

more info on water wicking please


bump :rastasmoke: