What's up my fellow Cannabis Lovers and Enthusiasts!? It's time to welcome you all back to another edition of:
First of all, before I even start this update, I want to give a huge shout-out to fellow BIF Beans Grower and Discord Member Grimdank for creating my awesome logo! I absolutely love it, and I'm so thankful to be apart of the wonderful BIF Family, thank you so much brother! 💚
A few months ago, I started a temporary indoor setup to be able to grow during the winter months using an Alaghi 60W full spectrum LED which is supposed to be good for both the germination and initial seedling stage!
I really didn't intend to use it as long as I did, but it definitely got the job done!
While I originally had other plans for this closet setup I started, I ended up receiving a tent from a close friend of mine, and everything to go along with it to help me along my journey!
So, in this post I'm gonna share with you just about everything I got, and what the new setup looks like!
Let's start everything off with:
The New Lights!
For our lighting, I ended up getting 2 of these Sun System Magnum Low Pro XXXL hoods, which are actually now discontinued! Originally listed for around $200 each, these reflective hoods feature a 4x4 coverage area, as well as the capability to run both MH and HPS bulbs!
These hoods have a max bulb wattage of 1000W for MH bulbs, and 1500W for HPS bulbs! Both hoods came with a 1000W HPS bulb, and were only used for one grow before being put into storage!
This was another hood that I received that has a 3x3 coverage area, and is specifically for 600W MH bulbs, which it also came with! This one may eventually get repurposed for a vegetative state closet setup in the same grow room, but I'm unsure exactly what I want to do as of right now!
I'm unsure as of now the exact brand or model of this hood, but I will attempt to do some further research and provide an update if I can!
Electronic Ballasts
I also received 3 different ballasts, 1 for each light, and all of them turned out to be different makes and models, but (other than the power usage) that doesn't really bother me!
Starting on the far left, we have a Sunlight Supply Harvest Pro Elite 1000W Ballast, that features a conveniently placed switch to run with MH or HPS bulbs! I wasn't able to find the exact model during my research, so I'm including a picture of the product sticker!
Then, we have the Alternative Garden Supply HID Electronic 600W Ballast! I couldn't find much information about this ballast at all, and I'm not even sure if this company still exists! Again, Im including a picture of the product sticker so you can do some research if you like!
Finally, boxed up on the far right, is a Sun System Galaxy Electronic Ballast, which is actually adjustable between 400W, 600W, 1000W, and also features a Turbo Charge setting! This guy is sadly unavailable on Amazon, but you can still find them on eBay for around $100!
Tent
Now, when I first heard the news that I was getting a tent, I thought that it was going to be used, as the lights had been...
But, much to my surprise, this LA Garden Tent was still banded in the original box! Still available on Amazon in certain areas, this LA Garden brand grow tent is currently being sold for $175!
Originally, I started in one room, but due to how unexpectedly large the tent was, I had to switch rooms!
What was originally thought to be a 4x4 tent, turned out to be a massive 5'x9'8", with a total height of right around 6'6"!
It features double zippered doors that open all the way up to the back of the tent, and 2 zippered windows on the back wall. It also has a total of 10 built in ductwork openings. ; eight 8" circular openings, and four 3" circular openings. Also, located around the bottom of the tent are a total of four 6"x12" mesh-screened openings to be used with an air filtration system!
Luckily, it just fits underneath the fan that we have inside that room as well! For now, I'm still waiting to figure out the ventilation and ducting that will be installed so I wont be turning the fan on yet, but at least we are still able to use it if we need to! This could also help draw the hot air up out of then as well!
I also realized, while doing research on the tent itself, that it came with a floor covering, as well as a few backpack style straps that I haven't quite figured out what to use them for yet 😂
Temporarily Complete!
After doing all of my research, I can currently price the total value of all of this equipment somewhere between $750 and $1000; depending on the 600W hood and ballasts that I couldn't find online, which also doesn't include the cost of the bulbs! (I haven't even started research on that yet!)
As of now, I have decided to use one of the Sun System Hoods, with the 600W MH bulb that I received, which luckily fit inside that Low Profile Hood! I am also using the Sun System Galaxy Adjustable Ballast set at 600W. Which, together with the tent, would current cost somewhere around $500, which by the Grace of God, I got all for free!
I still need to rewire the fan that will be mounted to the Sun System Hood, which it requires for the higher wattage bulbs that I have. But, since I'm only using a 600W MH bulb, I decided to temporarily hang a box fan using the other to cables that came with the lights. To my surprise, this has been working really with both heat distribution and with keeping a slight breeze on the plants!
This system (other than the fan) will remain in place throughout the entire life cycle of my current plants, which I will swap out to the 1000W HPS bulb when testers in the 5-Gallon buckets from @bifbeans Breeder Macronut start to show signs of flowering!
After taking this picture, I did a little bit of research and found out that I may have had my light too far away, so I lowered it to about 2 feet above the top of the plants! I do keep a pretty close eye on them, so I will readjust it as needed, but hopefully this will help with stretching the plants, while still keeping an adequate amount of light penetration overall!
Ultimately, I want to eventually get at least a 1000W, or more, LED light to help reduce the energy cost. I would also try to build my own, or find one that has an adjustment color spectrum so I would be able to have the option to run one light throughout our plants entire life cycle!
Which leads me to a question for the more experienced growers! What brands of LED lights do you prefer and why? What wattage would you recommend for use in my specific size of tent? And for sake of budgeting, what are the cheapest LED's that you have found that will work decently for vegetative or flowering stages? I look forward to hearing your opinions! 💚
But, that will do it for this one, folks! I hope you all have a great week, and don't forget to tune-in next time for another "After Hours" Indoor Update! Stay Trippy, My Little Hippies! ✌️💚
New Hive Logo created by the amazingly creative, and fellow BIF Beans Grower Grimdank!
Signature provided by @doze, stop by his blog to see his newest Hive inspired creations!
"Saturday Savers Club" banner provided by the @eddie-earner and @susie-saver's Saturday Savers Club blog!
"After Hours with The Anarchist's" Banner and WeedCash Divider created using Canva!
All photos were taken on my trust old Motorola Moto G Stylus!
