What's good fellow Weed Nerds!? Fells like forever since my last post. A lot has happened since then. Last week I added a top dressing of my home made compost, and then topped off the pots with more soil. It really seemed that really did the trick! The plants finally look happy, which in turn makes me happy. But that is not the only change that has happened in the last week. I also have switched to a 12/12 light cycle to induce flowering, and for the first time ever, I am using a 400 Watt HPS.
Previous setup
This round of VEG I used two of my LED, 1 150 Watt Mars Hydro, and 1 240 Watt Quantum Board. Then the worlds most expensive rack to hang them from. Which now that I know my HPS is good to go, I will be selling, which is why I did not use it this round. Since I will be taking a break from growing for when my new baby boy is born, I for sure will not be needing it. Even when I start back up I will use a small tent like the one @futuremind was using before he got his new one. When that happens, I think the Mars, or the QB should fill my light needs since I will be doing 1 plant at a time.
Setting the hood was a breeze, compared to the bar style LED. Although the light spread on the LED is wicked awesome! So this is nowhere near a comparison of lights. As you see I had to break out the trusty ol leveler, something I actually keep with my grow tent tools. Having an uneven light can present some problems, especially when you are dealing with one with high wattage.
This is an old shelf that I repurposed to set my 600 Watt driver for the LED on top of. Those things get hot, and it is best to not have in your grow tent. Same thing for the HPS ballast.
After setting the HPS ballast on top of the tent, it was no problem at all to run the light socket into the tent.
It is very important to note, that these HID bulbs are no joke. They get very hot! It is crucial you do not get anything on the bulb, including your greasy ass hands.
So you all know I always take the opportunity to clean the tent when I take the plants out. I also took out an extra Humidifier I had, and then installed a fan that my mother gave me. I was pretty stoked. It is so perfect, don't you think? Having this extra fan allowed me to adjust the other fan in-between the light, and the canopy. This will help lower the temp.
Ok, here it goes. Let's fire this baby up!
Wow! This thing is Fing bright! Even more bright to my eyes when I had the LED powered to 600 Watts. But on the LED at least you could dim it, so it would not damage your eyes. Which I would say that is a benefit of a LED compared to a HPS. There is no way I could go on working with this light on, so I had to order some protective glasses.
So after 5 days with my HPS what are my thoughts? Well I was thinking it would be way hotter then what it is. So I am very pleased with that. I am also very surprised on how much brighter it seems then my previous light. But it is more about the spectrum, which for flower HPS has been the king ever since some guy said, "Hey, lets use a stadium light to grow a cannabis plant!"
The plants seem to be loving it as well! I am so happy they are not so sad looking like they where last week. I will be lowering it a little over the next few days to get it dialed in. Being a 400 Watter, I have more room, compared to someone with 1000 Watts. Those need to be hanged around 5 feet over the canopy from what I hear. Sit back, and buckle your seat belts fellow Weedcashers, this is going to be one fun ride! Let's just hope I can ride it out ;)
