Ditch the glass/aircool

[TexasHank]

I finally saw a good bump in yields, for the first time in a long damn time..

The secret? Get rid of the glass on your reflector and put those lights up higher.

I couldn't believe.. solid buds from top to bottom.. a haze plant that is more dense than any other squat indica I've ever grown.

If using hps, unless you have higher than 12 ft ceilings... just move your HID light as high as you possibly can over your flowering plants.. remove the glass, be amazed..


A grower told me to try it.. he swore by it.. i doubted.. i tried it.. he was right.

That glass is not your friend. Getting the lights as low as possible is ass backwards.. totally.

Just wanted to share something that might help a newb.


Try it out. I promise you will be happy with results. My stubborn ass has lost countless #'s over time because I followed that thought that you should get the lights as close to the plants as possible without burning them AND that a glass air cooled circuit is a good way to go.

Try it out and I promise you'll be happy.

 

[TexasHank]

I suspect that a 250w hps, no glass, up high WILL beat out a 400w air cool down low.

Same for a 400w no glass up high will beat a 600w air cool down low.

So, if your reason for using aircool is heat build up.. I would recommend getting a smaller light.

 

[m3d1c1n3man]

i get the lack of glass, but having less light = higher yield just doesn't make sense on the face of it. Perhaps if it's too low you are getting some heat / infrared growth stunting effect, but putting the light "as high as possible"... so what is the actual distance you are recommending? Let's say a 400w HPS open hood during flowering, how many feet from the top of the plant do you suggest?

 

[tip top toker]

Meanwhile in the lands of science..

 

[TexasHank]

i get the lack of glass, but having less light = higher yield just doesn't make sense on the face of it. Perhaps if it's too low you are getting some heat / infrared growth stunting effect, but putting the light "as high as possible"... so what is the actual distance you are recommending? Let's say a 400w HPS open hood during flowering, how many feet from the top of the plant do you suggest?

I'm still playing with the height right now.. something more specific than "higher"..

I would say with a 400 watt.. 18-24 inches..

 

[TexasHank]

Yeah, as high as possible would be too high for some room/plants..

I was thinking in mind of 4 ft tall plants in a room with 8.5 ft ceilings..

depending on your situtaion, can differ.


ditch the glass and keep a 400 18-24 inches.. 600 20-36.. maybe more..

Then, play with it on your own..

I am finding that with the lights up higher, the light is bouncing all over the room.. fulling illuminating the plants from all angles..

With the light closer... there were so many shadowed spots.

 

[TexasHank]

I cannot speak on it until I have tested more... but..

I suspect that a 600w with no glass is going to end doing very well 3 ft over the plants... Better than 2 ft..
Maybe even 4 ft.. who knows? Im going to keep raising it until I find that point that they do not see better growth.

I'll be playing around and sharing my findings more.

I would recommend anyone try it as well.. start raising the lights higher than you have it now and see the improvement..

I thought for sure I would get stretchy plants.. but, I did it anyway.. Really, I was trying to prove this guy wrong..
But, he was right.

 

[TexasHank]

Meanwhile in the lands of science..

What are your thoughts tip top?

I know you've been growing a bit.. what do you think about this?

Disagreeing is not a problem at all.. if you think I am off here I would like to know.
I'm not gonna start name calling or anything.. all in the name of bigger better buds..

 

[kinetic]

I know a guy who runs his 1k up high, nice bud but a little airy compared to my 250w placed 10-15 inches above my plants.

Oh and by the way, riu will need pics.

 

[TexasHank]

I think what this could lead to is that we can cover WAY more area with WAY less light having them up WAY higher.

So.. basically.. I think that a 250w hps up way high (no glass) can do more than a 600w aircooled 8 inches over the plants..

all other factors being adequate that is.. (air, nutes, water, etc..)

And yes... increased heat will have to be dealt with.

 

[TexasHank]

I know a guy who runs his 1k up high, nice bud but a little airy compared to my 250w placed 10-15 inches above my plants.

Oh and by the way, riu will need pics.

I don't grow mj.. wouldn't have anything to take pics of..

 

[TexasHank]

i get the lack of glass, but having less light = higher yield just doesn't make sense on the face of it. Perhaps if it's too low you are getting some heat / infrared growth stunting effect, but putting the light "as high as possible"... so what is the actual distance you are recommending? Let's say a 400w HPS open hood during flowering, how many feet from the top of the plant do you suggest?

On the face of it.. exactly..

I think that it is a mix of things..

1,,, I do not think that mj needs nearly as much light as we all have come to believe.. it can produce dense buds in high yields and high quality with less light..

2,,, Glass robs the plants of light cutting down your efficiency.. then you move the light down closer to get more light and you lose a lot of spread.

3,,, a light up higher spreads so much better.. with a light down close to the plant tops, you have many more shadowed spots... with a light up higher the light bounces around the room and fully illuminates the plant better than a close light.

4,,, i dont know.. don't over think it.. just try it and see for yourself, if you care to.

ALL I can say is that I tried it and my yields went up..?

 

[TexasHank]

I don't have all of the answers here.. I'm still learning myself.

The deeper I go into forgetting all of those things that I "learned" by reading the more my grow changes into something that looks different from what others are doing AND the higher my yields and quality get..

So I guess, don't be afraid to try something else.. even when your developed theory goes against it.. see the results.. and make adjustments based on what you SEE... not what you read or what "makes sense" using your "theory" or all those things you believed to be true in the past without really checking to see if it is true.

 

[TexasHank]

All of this is in good nature.. Not trying to start some shit.

 

[bird mcbride]

I set my 1kw hps 44-48"'s from glass to rock with freshly rooted clones and leave it there throughout the grow. With the bonnet I'm using, the reflector cuts the light off about 6"'s all the way around the 3'x3'x6" table. It is then skirted all around with reflective white/black nonflamable 6mil plastic. Using more than one light source would require bonnets with not so focused angle. You don't need a reflector at all if you have a reflective ceiling. I never did install the glass in the high focus bonnet because I knew it would reduce the yield.

 

[kmog33]

I think what this could lead to is that we can cover WAY more area with WAY less light having them up WAY higher.

So.. basically.. I think that a 250w hps up way high (no glass) can do more than a 600w aircooled 8 inches over the plants..

all other factors being adequate that is.. (air, nutes, water, etc..)

And yes... increased heat will have to be dealt with.

While this sounds cool and all I would love to see a 250 yield better than 600 I'm pretty sure it's about 4 x as much light even though less than 3 x the wattage. I mean I it works nor good too you. By you said you didn't grow marijuana right so this method may not even pertain to anyone here.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Rollitup mobile app

 

[kmog33]

Also glass magnifies light like when you were a kid burning ants so the technicalities behind this sound a Little wonky imo.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Rollitup mobile app

 

[TexasHank]

Also glass magnifies light like when you were a kid burning ants so the technicalities behind this sound a Little wonky imo.

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Rollitup mobile app

Glass magnification might sound good in writing..
higher yields in front of you, in your hand, that is real life goodness in your hands..

A simple check with a light meter or even a hand test will show you that glass does not increase light delivered to your plants.

 

[LetsGetCritical]

this is mind boggling

 

[tip top toker]

Inverse square law. All i'll say for now.