light science, metrics

I have only grown under CMH but one thing I noticed is the meatiness of the buds compared to my buddies grows and shops. The buds aren’t wispy. They don’t crumble into nothing as much as the LED grown dainty ones of my buddies. Even if it is a fluffier strain. The stems are sturdy. I also only use organic dirt no chem. It might be why. I’m not sure what they use. Could be the dirt. Could be the ferts. I think it is the lights contributing greatly in my very limited experience.
its a combination of things. I as have mentioned many a time, in many a thread I grow g13 hashplant hybrids very often. and share clones with IRL friends, I have gotten some awesome yield and quality. most of them struggle t do the same. I like to use a 3:1 ratio of hps to MH or a 5:1 ratio of HPS to blurple led for fuller spectrum light. I normally grow big pot organic(15 gallon + pot size)
the full spectrum light, and the larger mineral variety your plant is exposed to(16 main elements have like 500 mineral combinations plants can uptake from what I understand, and some elements can be used instead of others. for example cesium 137 is used the exact same same way as calcium in plants and animal bones. its why it is bad), its the full spectrum light, it is also your environment being more stable from your plants having better root biology to keep them warmer or cooler. also, ytour roots exist in an enzyme soup, thiers likely exist in fertilizer soup.
my only friend to do consistently large yeilding, potent flower of any variety w/ synthetics has a botany degree, and keeps up on all his horticulture certifications. He is a "Master Gardener" meaning he pays the county so he can take a class to prove he can grow and kill anything every couple years. I love that that's a certificate anyone can get. he refuses to do organics as he likes tedious micro management.

if your friends are not using the new fancy white w/ far red leds then they likely aren't using as wonderful of a spectrum as you. CMH and w/fr led has lots of green and IR which penetrates THROUGH leaves into the canopy better than the other light spectrums. the full spectrum also activates the other phytochrome cycles, and increases the depth of photosynthetic activity in the leaves cells, not just the top layers.. The small amount, and good amount(CMH) of UV that the 2 lights put out makes the plants build up a stronger outer layer of cells, and make the plant make "sunscreen" trichomes on the leaves and more trichomes on the buds.
 
Yeah i have used inferior led brands yeah you get ok tops but about a foot down its all wispy shit. Now with the newer types of led (lmb301b,lmb301h samsung diodes mixed with far red and uv/ir) i dont lollypop as much because i know the lower buds gonna actually swell up. I dont get any wispy leafy trash its all super potent bud. Which is where led failed before, penetration imo. But i have radically changed everything since i used the older style leds. Better airflow, enviromental/ph control, soil, and nutes. So that has a huge impact as well as experience you gain along the way as a grower.
Peace all.
 
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Yeah. Why is sex like air? It’s no big deal unless you’re not getting any. Probably the same with weed. Some people have an insatiable appetite lol.

I used to smoke weed like it was going out of style when I was younger. So did everyone else I knew back then. Weed was generally not as strong as it is now, and we rolled and smoked joint after joint to maintain the highs. And maintain we did. At home, at work, at parties, outside of bars, and even inside restaurants in Berkeley. And at the wall in HS. I was stoned pretty much all the time from age 15 through age 26. As my mother asked my brother and I one day when we were lighting up in her garage: "When will your endless supply of pot run out?" We looked at each other and laughed. We knew that the supply was never ending. We had so many pipelines. Thai and hash and SE Asian through the army guys at Ft Ord. Hash through the bikers in the area. Mexican from fellow hippies in Pacific Grove and Big Sur. Colombian through friends in Santa Cruz, LA and San Jose. Jamaican from friends in or from Florida and Texas. Ganja from India from friends in Berkeley. African from friends at work in restaurants. Kona Gold and Maui Wowie from family and friends in Hawaii and Marina. Then the more potent local grows from Big Sur, Carmel Valley and the Santa Cruz Mountains... and my mom's back yard. And that was just the weed supply. There were many other pipelines.
 
Yeah i have used inferior led brands yeah you get ok tops but about a foot down its all wispy shit. Now with the newer types of led (lmb301b,lmb301h samsung diodes mixed with far red and uv/ir) i dont lollypop as much because i know the lower buds gonna actually swell up. I dont get any wispy leafy trash its all super potent bud. Which is where led failed before, penetration imo. But i have radically changed everything since i used the older style leds. Better airflow, enviromental/ph control, soil, and nutes. So that has a huge impact as well as experience you gain along the way as a grower.
Peace all.
Woohoo! I am glad you are also an enthusiast of this new tech! want to share the types of leds you used to use, brand doesn't matter. blurples, 3 spectrum w/ switches, 12 band? I would very much like to hear your opinions on which types you used and if you think they would be good "spectral modifier" lights to go w/ the white /w far red type leds? and upgrading your environment in all those ways also helped greatly w/ the quality increase!

I am considering running some blurples in between my flower room 650r's, among other experiments, so I would very much like to hear your thoughts and opinions.
 
I have used the old mars hydro type green body, with small reflectors around each of the diodes.i had a decent yeild somewhere around .9-.8g a watt with these type of light. it drew around 150watt but was rated at 450watt. It was basically 3 of the basic 150w model in a line, with the grow/bloom switches.i wanna say it was 7 or 9band. That old led hype, 150=450watt that fucks the industry imo.

Ive also used no name trash boards these just need throwing in a pit and burning with fire imo. I would suggest getting more hlg's and running C02enrichment. Dont play with the blurples unless they are just hanging around free. even then you are just burning more electric on an inferior spectrum. But thats just my opinion man, you do you.
Peace all.
 
Yes it is the future and I have been living in the past. Already saving up for a LED system as I am totally converted.
I have seen the light, I stand fully corrected.
 
Led lighting, I’ve been using last ten years. Only light I’ve found comparable to traditional is the cree3590...im Using cheaper Chinese hlg at moment,these things are f’en bright but I might as well be using a candle. by looks of them, Plants using 10% of the light... lI’ll be looking at the cree again, haven’t for a few years. Anyone know if they are still doing the cobs? have the 3590been superseded by a superior cob?
 
Led lighting, I’ve been using last ten years. Only light I’ve found comparable to traditional is the cree3590...im Using cheaper Chinese hlg at moment,these things are f’en bright but I might as well be using a candle. by looks of them, Plants using 10% of the light... lI’ll be looking at the cree again, haven’t for a few years. Anyone know if they are still doing the cobs? have the 3590been superseded by a superior cob?
cheap chinese gear is not the way. well made chinese gear, or chinese parts tested and assembled in (insert your home country here) is. for example, I wouldn't buy a 100 dollar squier guitar from the china factory, but the 300 dollar model is quite the basic quality travel instrument. same factory, same employees, slightly better materials . it s likely the cheap Chinese versions (even the cree) are using parts that didn't meet spec for the ones that get the name brand label thrown on them. there is a reason so many brands look the exact same across different price ranges, and the knockoffs are so readily available. they are literally spare parts. this isnt eccesarilyt a bad thing unless they lie to you about quality.
it is difficult to figure out what's worth buying, or even if it is worth saving money on some of these fixtures when you hear such bad things about the alibaba/amazon/ebay knockoffs. many YouTube reviews are all hype, no substance. many reviews are fake or have no follow up in forums. like it was straight advertising.
Let us know which cree you choose please!!
Yes it is the future and I have been living in the past. Already saving up for a LED system as I am totally converted.
I have seen the light, I stand fully corrected.
yay! on youtube I like Growmau5 and Green Gene's Garden for DIY info, I like Migro, DRMJ coco, justintime2grow, and Albo Pepper for led grow light reviews and comparisons. As you have seen from videos posted previously.

Don't knock CMH, it may be better for your applications research and make sure, and As Big Sur firmly states and I agree with, Full spectrum HPS bulbs are pretty awesome. Growstone Prefers Cree to the white w/ far red hlg copies he has. which means warranty and return policies are important if you choose more cost effective brands than HLG. choose companies close to you whenever possible, support local/in state/in country before imports IMO. keep that money close to home, especially now. especially on electrical equipment.

Basically, I don't want to be the reason you switch, it not be what is right for you and how you garden. and you be salty with me. Big Sur, for example, would not fully benefit from the switch unbless he fully switched how he does things. I do not know the specifics of your situation, only you do. I can only offer opinions and advice, and you know the rule, hear everything, trust nothing, everything you read about growing is true and false at the same time till you try it yourself.

Let us all know which brand you are thinking about choosing please!

Remember, call up your local distributors of the lights you want, get some quotes, then contact the companies and get quotes directly. if you have them send you the quotes via email, you can mention the company that gave the best discount to the company you want to get from, and get an even better price.

this is IMO a relatively huge purchase like buying a chair, car, TV, computer, or expensive work machinery/power tools. shop around, get quality, abuse capitalism. pit companies against each other. get the best product you can for the the price you want to pay. these companies are literally fighting for market share and word of mouth advertising. some will act accordingly, others will try to act like established brands "fixtures of the industry"(omfg, I made a light pun. I truly am a villain) and wont give much of a discount.
 
Sorry, I should have made clearer.. same lights same factory, just cheap Chinese import over the paying for intelligence used to create such products. I don’t agree with it, shouldn’t be allowed but if options there and my morals can deal with it, I’ll save some bucks. But I’m the loser here, lol, this costing me. Time, what’s been grown and more lights.
 
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Honestly i saw alot of price gouging domestically on equipment at the start of lockdown. so i just ordered from kingbright on alibaba. Probably the best of the chinese suppliers of the hlg type quantum boards. Dont regret it if im honest i have 2 of the 125w boards 3000k lmb301h diodes with far red uv/ir. I picked up on this company through reddit and other growers there. The bud quality shown was always outstanding as i saw it. And it swayed me to buy il be honest but i do not regret it. Quality is high and so am i haha
Peace all.
 
I personally have a old qb288 and a light built with 4 qb132 and I can not complain with growth under them .
 

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cheap chinese gear is not the way. well made chinese gear, or chinese parts tested and assembled in (insert your home country here) is. for example, I wouldn't buy a 100 dollar squier guitar from the china factory, but the 300 dollar model is quite the basic quality travel instrument. same factory, same employees, slightly better materials . it s likely the cheap Chinese versions (even the cree) are using parts that didn't meet spec for the ones that get the name brand label thrown on them. there is a reason so many brands look the exact same across different price ranges, and the knockoffs are so readily available. they are literally spare parts. this isnt eccesarilyt a bad thing unless they lie to you about quality.
it is difficult to figure out what's worth buying, or even if it is worth saving money on some of these fixtures when you hear such bad things about the alibaba/amazon/ebay knockoffs. many YouTube reviews are all hype, no substance. many reviews are fake or have no follow up in forums. like it was straight advertising.
Let us know which cree you choose please!!

yay! on youtube I like Growmau5 and Green Gene's Garden for DIY info, I like Migro, DRMJ coco, justintime2grow, and Albo Pepper for led grow light reviews and comparisons. As you have seen from videos posted previously.

Don't knock CMH, it may be better for your applications research and make sure, and As Big Sur firmly states and I agree with, Full spectrum HPS bulbs are pretty awesome. Growstone Prefers Cree to the white w/ far red hlg copies he has. which means warranty and return policies are important if you choose more cost effective brands than HLG. choose companies close to you whenever possible, support local/in state/in country before imports IMO. keep that money close to home, especially now. especially on electrical equipment.

Basically, I don't want to be the reason you switch, it not be what is right for you and how you garden. and you be salty with me. Big Sur, for example, would not fully benefit from the switch unbless he fully switched how he does things. I do not know the specifics of your situation, only you do. I can only offer opinions and advice, and you know the rule, hear everything, trust nothing, everything you read about growing is true and false at the same time till you try it yourself.

Let us all know which brand you are thinking about choosing please!

Remember, call up your local distributors of the lights you want, get some quotes, then contact the companies and get quotes directly. if you have them send you the quotes via email, you can mention the company that gave the best discount to the company you want to get from, and get an even better price.

this is IMO a relatively huge purchase like buying a chair, car, TV, computer, or expensive work machinery/power tools. shop around, get quality, abuse capitalism. pit companies against each other. get the best product you can for the the price you want to pay. these companies are literally fighting for market share and word of mouth advertising. some will act accordingly, others will try to act like established brands "fixtures of the industry"(omfg, I made a light pun. I truly am a villain) and wont give much of a discount.

Yes it is a huge purchase and I will probably delay it for a long time. At this moment I have my eyes on those new Lumatek leds with controller that you can set to sunrise and sunset. But this is only now in a long timespan where many changes will occur. Still, it looks really neat and ready to go.

My biggest concern is humidity. Because I know it raises with led and drops significant with hps on. Especially in winter when the water is heated. I also found that plants underneath a hps consume more. My experience is nihil with led so don’t take this as absolute. I only had 2 plants under led which was fine, but I could not square the light over the entire tent. With those new LEDS (or more) this is easily solved. More bud for less electricity is worth considering this thoroughly.

I will not do this on impuls. Don’t worry about it :)
 
Yes it is a huge purchase and I will probably delay it for a long time. At this moment I have my eyes on those new Lumatek leds with controller that you can set to sunrise and sunset. But this is only now in a long timespan where many changes will occur. Still, it looks really neat and ready to go.

My biggest concern is humidity. Because I know it raises with led and drops significant with hps on. Especially in winter when the water is heated. I also found that plants underneath a hps consume more. My experience is nihil with led so don’t take this as absolute. I only had 2 plants under led which was fine, but I could not square the light over the entire tent. With those new LEDS (or more) this is easily solved. More bud for less electricity is worth considering this thoroughly.

I will not do this on impuls. Don’t worry about it :)
I found the opposite, my plants don't transpire as much. for my in room AC unit to pull water from the air, w/ hps the lights can be on. w/ the LEDs, I have to crank that thing down to 62F to get it to pull water from the air at the same rate under the hps was at 68(while being overworked). but that was heat making the plants make humidity. I feel that this new generation of LEDs benefit greatly from light movers, lets us get the diodes closer for deeper penetration, and breaks up hot spots from said diodes being a bunch of little beams of light radiation, aka heat.
 
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