First Time Grower, Have Pics

[acornmania]

Haha, thanks Pudish.

Guys I managed to find a 160W 6500K CFL. ( It is Massive )
I bought it today, and i installed it.
I ddnt have time to take any pics, will do as soon as i can.
This should make all the difference!!
Im really excited to see some growth.
Il take some pics tomo.

Regards,
acorn

[pigmonkey]

Hi,evryone out there,just started myself and wondered if i could get some info on where to take the temp from,in the middle of my closet or under my lights.Im using a PL4 lights 4 at 55 watts in blue producing 19300 lumens plus how close should the lights be from the plants , some say 8 inches and others as close a pos.please help many thanks.

[lokey0]

hey i'mlookin for a good african strain .Whats the best out there?indica dom plz.

[acornmania]

Alright guys,

I finally got my hands on a camera.
I've attached pics of my new setup.
And the new light.
The plants are very stressed from being under the wrong light for so long.
They've been under the new light for about 5 days now.
They havnt changed much, but they are starting to slowly grow again.
I figure that slow growth is better than slow death.


Give me some advice.
Is that 1 light enough for now?
What do you think of my ghetto Reflecting shield.
I thinks its awesome.

Regards,
acorn

[ForgetClassC]

I would mount that hulkin thing sideways/horizontally. It does put out a lot of light, but on the sides. You'll probably be able to see the results within a day or 2.

[acornmania]

haha, funny that u mention that.
the guy i bought it from recomended that i dont mount it sideways.
Now im super confused.
U reckon i should mount it sideways?

[ForgetClassC]

Oh, well then that is the bulb that can't be mounted sideways. Some can, some cant. I recommended it because it gives off more light from the sides rather than the end. But you could lower it to the height of the plants and have them all around it.

-C

[acornmania]

Guys, my plants are dying and i dunno why.
I'm thinking that it may've been coz they were under the wrong lights for so long.
Or it could be coz i'm using normal tap water to water them.
I dont kno what the PH level is.

What do you guys think?
Regards,
acorn

[PufferLungs]

In my humble opinion:

You need a reflector ON the light fixture. I am also in the aquarium hobby. I raise and sell salt water corals. I use Metal Halide, T5 and Compact Fluorescent lighting.

The biggest and most important concern is directing the light where you want it to go. That is done with reflectors ON the fixtures and very close to the bulbs. If you look at any high end aquarium light with T5 High Output bulbs, you will see it has individual reflectors on top of each light tube. Same with any compact fluorescent fixture. It has a reflector over each and every bulb. It will work if you just have one very large reflector over all the light tubes, but it is WAY more efficient if you put a reflector on each and every bulb.

The ideal behind a reflector is to well.... REFLECT that light down and away from the bulb end and down, onto the corals...... or plants in this situation.

Most good light fixtures will have polished aluminum reflectors. These are usually made in Germany and are polished to a "mirror finish" meaning they look as bright as the chrome fenders and pipes on your average Harley motorcycle.

You can buy polished aluminum reflector material from aquarium supply stores - probably not locally - you'll have to order it over the internet.

Look at these reflectors:
http://www.reefgeek.com/product/Reef...unlight_Supply

This is for a metal halide bulb. See how the reflector is shaped like a parabola? It's called a parabolic reflector. Letting light escape to light the TOP of your grow closet does nothing for plant growth. You want to direct the light DOWN and onto the plants.

Here is a reflector for a T5 High Output fluorescent tube:
http://www.reefgeek.com/product/Tek_...unlight_Supply

Again, arch shaped or parabolic shaped reflector. Directs the light where you want it to go.

Anybody can make one of these reflectors themselves. All you need is the polished aluminum and a sheet metal brake. Cut to length. Mark it up and put it in the brake. Kink and bend it into a parabolic shape.

Or just buy them.

Direct your light guys. It's CRUCIAL. We're not trying to light the top of the closet or cabinet. We want the light on the plants.

Now get out there and build/buy some proper reflectors!! :stoned:

:thumbsup:

[PufferLungs]

Another thing about lights:

The light spectrum is measured in KELVIN.

In the saltwater aquarium hobby we use lights that give a blue color. Think about it..... where are coral reefs? Under water. How many of you have ever been diving or snorkeling? Have you ever dove down 30 feet and looked up? What color is it? It's blue.

So we use lights with a Kelvin (K) number closer to the blue end.

For example a 10,000k (10k) bulb looks like bright white light to our eyes. This is used to simulate mid day bright sunlight on the corals - when the sun is high in the sky.

A 12,000k (12k) bulb is leaning more towards the blue end. It is still very bright white, but our eyes can detect the faintest amount of blue showing through. This would simulate morning sun.

A 14,000K (14k) bulb is starting to look sky blue. This would simulate very early morning sun low in the horizon, but coming up higher.

A 20,000k (20k) bulb is looking really blue and almost purple. This would simulate very deep water where all the light waves have been twisted and turned by the water depths to a very dark blueish purple.

So now let's thing about what kind of spectrum our plants need. They aren't under water, so the blue colors are out. Our plants are genetically wired to grow in the summer months when the sun is highest in the sky and brightest. Our plants are also genetically wired to grow about 6-7 months from seedling to finished buds. Think about how the light changes during that 6 month time from April through October. That is the typical growing season in North America. Weather you're growing roses, hay, wheat, beans, corn or MariJ.


We want to simulate direct sunlight. We're looking for a 6,500k bulb for vegging because that simulates the early and mid summer sun through the longest days of the summer. It's going to simulate those months from late April through late August.

Then as the sun drops into the southern sky in late August and into September, the light waves are going to change color because the sun is coming through our atmosphere at a much different angle relative to the Earth. The light waves must travel through more atmosphere and at a different angle than straight up overhead.

This change in lighting intensity, color spectrum and angle is what makes our plants trigger into the flowering stage.

This is when we want to use a bulb around 2,300k --- 2,700k, Those colors simulate the reds better. The same reds our plants would see if they were outside in September and early October. This is when the sun is very low in the southern sky. The light is traveling more sideways through the Earths atmosphere to reach our plants -- instead of directly down on them like back in mid June.

Think about the kind of light your plants need early on in their development, through the growth cycle 2-5 months in and again in the last few months of the cycle when they are flowering. The plants are genetically designed to grow between 5 - 7 months. In that time they are genetically wired to "seek" certain light colors.

We can't change the genetic make-up of our plants. They are wired for a certain light spectrum and they are wired for a certain time period. Give them the kind of light they need for as long as they need it --- you should end up with gobs and gobs and gobs and gobs and buckets and buckets of tasty buds to smoke. :stoned:

:thumbsup: