IF you are new to LED and want help choosing what to buy, POST HERE!

[AirAnt]

"Company I got it from," meant (to me) that it was the brand name. You are correct, It did come in a kit. In your opinion you stated: " for a 150 and free spectrum its a good option." IMHO any time you spend months and months doing something that could have been done better, simpler, and at close to the same costs, and with much more beneficial results, then that's the "best option." With this thinking, the Apollo is a terrible option.

Slander is a very intense word. It means you are saying something bad that stops sales of products when what you are saying is not true. I am stating the truth when I say I put the light up and all the plants grew in a circle to the light. I am stating the truth when I say that plants that try to group into a tiny bunch due to the light is a bad thing. I am stating the truth when I say this is NOT good to raise plants in, and because it does this, it is NOT a good light. If you believe that plants growing into a tiny bunch is what you are seeking for your plants, then you and I are never going to agree, because I believe light, air, airflow and water are essential to making plants grow well. If I have all my plants bunching into a circle of light when they are a scant 10 days old, thats nothing to what will happen when they are 80 days old.

If I said that Apollo was a bad light and I had never used it, and in turn caused Apollo to loose sales, then you are correct, I would be slandering the company.

If you spend a $150 for a light that grows things in a 2x2, or closer to a 1.5 x 1.5 space and have all your plants trying to bunch under the light, when you could have spent 50 more and gotten your plants to grow UP instead of all to the middle, then you have to get a bigger yield, as well as less chances of a problem because your plants are not all trying to bunch in a tiny space.

I replaced that light with a T5. My plants are growing UP now, not into a circle under one tiny light. Maybe your choice of color spectrum is better, who knows. But unless the reflector is bigger and puts out a much better light foot print, I can never agree it is a good option.

It may be... that you ARE growing in a 2x2 foot tent, or a 2x4 foot tent, and in that case, for you.. it might be. But that is not my size of space. For me, I am in a 9.5 x 12 foot grow space. The light isnt the best choice at all. I'd have to install at least 12 of them to get the coverage. 12 at a cost of $150 each is 1800. Four 1,000 watt bulbs and ballast is going to run 1200. Its a no-brainer. Yes, my power bill is going to go up, but at least I will have a harvest that has a good yield.

The ironic thing is.. I WANT to have LED lights. I will find one that doesnt have this same issue the Apollo does. *shrug* But for now, for me, the Apollo is crapola!

Sorry you had a bad experience. If you search youtube you can find videos where users, not company people, take umol test readings of various LED lights. The apollo was a clear outperformer compared to the other lights in it's price-class. I forget the exact numbers but it was basically double anything else except the mars II, which it was still substantially better than.

So I'm taking advice from people who are actually growing using LEDs, and what their experienced opinions and mechanical testings on the best LEDs to purchase are. I wanted an LED lamp that really boosted red, deep red, and infrareds to get some dense nugs and I know this light can do that. I've seen the proof myself. Anyway, paid up today, they sent me the schematics for how the outlay will be and I'm pretty happy with everything.

I guess I'll see when it gets here.

 

[JazzyLady]

And, you don't know the spectrum Hydroponicsgroup.com used. And, they don't seem to use the word "Apollo" anywhere on their page, which may indicate they differentiated themselves by using their own custom spectrum.

For everything you don't know, you're painting with a very broad brush. Which is unfair to those who might benefit from considering the light (based upon the many users of Apollo and it's rebranded varieties with custom spectrum).

I believe that HP does not want the general buying public to know that the light that cost them less150... is the same light they are selling you for 300+ dollars.

I am no different than any other newbie trying to figure things out. IMHO, it is foolish, from a manufacturers stand point, to sell products to a reseller who will resell them to the general public KNOWING that the reselleris NOT telling the general public that the lights could be customized. It is foolish, from a manufacturers standpoint, to have your brand look like crapola due to how the reseller sold your product.

If another newbie reads these posts and rushes out and buys the Apollo light and their plants grow in a circle and cant figure out why, how is it helping him or her? If the plant grows in a circle to your light you are loosing real estate to grow.

You think I am wrong for outting HP selling Apollo lights that dont work? Do you think this benefits Apollo to have lights being sold in the MMJ community that dont work? You think that outting HP for not telling newbies that this light could be ordered in different spectrum is bad? I think its highly unfair to keep vital information about the lights and how they can be ordered from the general buying public.

If Apollo wants to sell to a reseller who sets up their lights to not work.. then whose fault is it really?

These conversations on here have caused me to write a letter to Apollo to see if the light can be "fixed" with different spectrum lights. I've asked if changing the lights will widen the footprint of the light. If changing the spectrum doesn't change the footprint of light, then this light is still worthless to me. It wont cover the same amount of plants as a 1000 watt HPS in a hood.

 

[az2000]

as a purveyor of items to grow MMJ, one would think the company would order correct spectrums.

I agree. Maybe your problem was with HydroponicsGroup's spectrum choice. Maybe it was because you were new.

Grow Northern, GrowBlu, et. al. use Apollo (in the larger sense of Apollo being a customizeable commodity, not a definitive light.). They have customers who are very pleased with the results.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. But, there's no reason to paint all Apollo lights with a broad brush just because a light didn't turn out for you (for unknown reasons). It sounds like you're just venting because you had a bad experience with something that remains unclear what the problem was. (I.e., a quick Google search doesn't reveal much negative sentiment about HG either. Maybe they're bums. I wouldn't spend that much money on a package like that. But, I don't see others complaining.).

 

[JazzyLady]

Sorry you had a bad experience. If you search youtube you can find videos where users, not company people, take umol test readings of various LED lights. The apollo was a clear outperformer compared to the other lights in it's price-class. I forget the exact numbers but it was basically double anything else except the mars II, which it was still substantially better than.

So I'm taking advice from people who are actually growing using LEDs, and what their experienced opinions and mechanical testings on the best LEDs to purchase are. I wanted an LED lamp that really boosted red, deep red, and infrareds to get some dense nugs and I know this light can do that. I've seen the proof myself. Anyway, paid up today, they sent me the schematics for how the outlay will be and I'm pretty happy with everything.

I guess I'll see when it gets here.

Cool. I hope it works well for you. *grin* And if it does, I want to know!! lol. How big is your grow space?

 

[JazzyLady]

I agree. Maybe your problem was with HydroponicsGroup's spectrum choice. Maybe it was because you were new.

Grow Northern, GrowBlu, et. al. use Apollo (in the larger sense of Apollo being a customizeable commodity, not a definitive light.). They have customers who are very pleased with the results.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. But, there's no reason to paint all Apollo lights with a broad brush just because a light didn't turn out for you (for unknown reasons). It sounds like you're just venting because you had a bad experience with something that remains unclear what the problem was. (I.e., a quick Google search doesn't reveal much negative sentiment about HG either. Maybe they're bums. I wouldn't spend that much money on a package like that. But, I don't see others complaining.).

I believe it was because I was new.

And because I was new, I had no idea these lights could be customized.

I am very very clear about what the problem is with this light. It will not work in the configuration it was sold to work in. Let that sentence sink in. I am not saying the light doesn't work, I am saying it will not work in the configuration it was sold. It was sold to be the sole light in a 4 x 4 foot space.

When I first wrote about this light in this forum, I did not know that they could be customized. All I knew was what I personally experienced first hand. My first hand experience was.. this light is crap and will not work. Now.. I realize that statement was not all together correct... because I have more information.

What is correct is.. this light will not work in the configuration it was sold to work in.

The reason it does not work in the current configuration is because in a 4 x 4 foot space it made ALL the plants grow (leaning over and growing) into a 2 x 2 foot space. The entire grow area could not be used at all because the plants all wanted to be directly under the light. They would not grow up to the light, they all grew bent way over, trying to get to the light. For a 4 x 4 foot space, this doesnt work! If I had four of the lights, then it would be enough of a light print that the plants wouldn't try to grow in a bunch.

I still think that Apollo should hold some of the blame because they are selling to resellers who are not informing the general public about these lights and the expectations one should have about these lights. I expected the light to work in the set up it was sold in. It doesnt.

 

[az2000]

You think I am wrong for outting HP selling Apollo lights that dont work?

I thought you were wrong for saying you ordered from the same company when the OP said he ordered from Thunder Lighting, and then proceeded to say all Apollos are bad.

If another newbie reads these posts and rushes out and buys the Apollo light and their plants grow in a circle and cant figure out why, how is it helping him or her? If the plant grows in a circle to your light you are loosing real estate to grow.

Why do you believe all Apollo lights cause plants to "grow in a circle" when there are clearly users of everything from Grow Northern to GrowBlu not experiencing what you did?

I can understand saying you weren't happy with an Apollo light which came in a kit from Hydroponics Group. That was your experience. But, trying to say they're Thunder Lighting, or that all Apollos are the same (when they're a customizeabe commodity) isn't helpful.

 

[az2000]

It will not work in the configuration it was sold to work in. Let that sentence sink in. I am not saying the light doesn't work, I am saying it will not work in the configuration it was sold.

Have you been able to find other HG customers complaining about the same thing? I searched Google and couldn't find anything similar to your experience. But, I admit I didn't spend a lot of time looking?

 

[AirAnt]

Cool. I hope it works well for you. *grin* And if it does, I want to know!! lol. How big is your grow space?

I've got the whole room, but I plan to move it into a 4'x2' closet with the Apollo and a T8 fixture or two on the side. I'm going to just be vegging and running some strains to seed, the main grow is run by 2 1000w's, one MH and one HPS. That's why I want to build my own eventually to replace those with something much more efficient. I know it can be done by those who know how, and luckily some of those people are on this very forum, so I like to hang out here.

You know, it kinda sounds to me like you might have been using a flowering lamp to veg with. If you bought it as a kit that was implied to be used for growing weed, they probably gave you a flowering lamp with lots of reds. You might want to try busting it out for a flower cycle or two to see if it changes your opinion any. Just a thought.

 

[PetFlora]

"Anyone can order any spectrum they wish from Cidly." This is False. What is true is.. "Anyone can order any spectrum they wish from Cidly IF they are told that spectrum choices are available, and if they are told that Cidly makes Apollo lights."

Newbies DO NOT know that lights can be ordered in different spectrums. Newbies are told "Go with LED, they are great!" False. They are only "great" if they work for the application you need them to work in.

Correct. I do not know what spectrum Hydroponicsgroup.com ordered their light in. However, as a purveyor of items to grow MMJ, one would think the company would order correct spectrums. HG don't even make you aware that the light CAN have different spectrum's. At the time I made the original post, I had no idea Apollos could be ordered in different spectrums. I know that now... but it doesn't stop the problem of having all the plants grow into a circle. I believe that is because the light goes straight down.

I'm sorry, but I read the title of this thread that starts out with "If you are new to LED and want help... etc" I am new to growing MMJ. I am not new to agriculture. How is it "not helpful" to write about the experiences one has in growing if the experiences have not been productive? Are posters only supposed to write about the things that work? Do we only write about things that work so that other newbies, like myself, can spend money for items that don't work in their situation? I wrote about what happened to me. And the only way that other newbies wont get ripped off is if they write about their experiences.

What works for some will not work for others, due to the application of how they are using the product. I have a problem with heat. Its the reason I want to go to LED. Its the reason I talked to them for hours. I didnt know about rollitup.org when I got my equipment. Had I known about this site, chances are, I wouldn't be nearly 4,000k into this grow. I am going to grow far less plants than I have space for due to heat. The moment I find a light that is cooler, will not cause plants to grow into the center, and will produce the yields I am seeking, I will continue to grow with HPS and T5's.

Have you not seen my thread? The BML SPYDR 600 has an actual 3 x 3 footprint and covers 4 x 4 evenly- so plants don't grow toward the middle

I just completed my first flowering with it and can compare it will 600w hps results

My thread link is in my signature

 

[az2000]

I still think that Apollo should hold some of the blame because they are selling to resellers

I said a few days ago (in my reply to you): "But, this isn't something I could have figured out as a newbie. For that reason, I think Cidly Apollo is perilous for a newbie."

I definitely agree if you want to say newbies should be careful because Apollo is a commodity. You can get stuck paying a fortune to rebranded lights, or buying an oddball spectrum off AliExpress.

That's a legitimate concern. Everything else, I'm not sure.

 

[JazzyLady]

I thought you were wrong for saying you ordered from the same company when the OP said he ordered from Thunder Lighting, and then proceeded to say all Apollos are bad.


When someone finds out that the light they have "is an Apollo light" and then you use that light.. and it grows ALL your plants into a tiny circle... then it IS bad. Think back to when you were new to growing. Did anyone tell you the lights are customizable? When did you find that out? I'm 55 years old. I have had all sorts of lights around me all my life. NONE of them were ever customizable. It wouldn't have ever crossed my mind to even ask that question!

It wasnt until I got onto THIS forum that I even found out that Apollo lights could be customized.

I have first hand knowledge that this light does not work as it was supposed/sold/intended to work! I have one. I am not talking theory. This is what happened. I bought it. It didnt work as proclaimed.

What you are not taking into account is that you have learned things from this forum. Newbies dont often find this place until after they have made a purchase. This is what has happened to me. When I read someone bought an Apollo light.. I told them what happened to me. My first reaction was "Poor guy.. I did the same thing.. and I got screwed. Apollo sucks!" I thought that's what this forum was about.. to write about your experiences. I did that. I do not hide that I am new to growing MJ. I am NOT new to growing plants, cloning or grafting. I was responsible for 2800 acres of vines and trees. Right now I am trying to graft different strains onto the same mother plant.

Why do you believe all Apollo lights cause plants to "grow in a circle" when there are clearly users of everything from Grow Northern to GrowBlu not experiencing what you did?

And because this was my experience its any less than Grow Northern's or Growblu? Because I had a bad experience this makes the experience null?

I dont "believe all Apollo lights cause plants to grow in a circle" I believe the Apollo 6 did, because that's what the Apollo did to my plants!! Its not an opinion. Its a fact. I watched it happen. Had this not happened, I NEVER would have jerked the light out, and spent more money replacing it! My goal is NOT to spend lots of money trying to get these plants out of the ground, my goal was to save money by buying LED's to get them to grow. Instead, it cost me a heck of a lot more, because after wasting money on the Apollo, I had to go back and replace that light, plus buy more lights. Once I got rid of the tent, I put the Apollo back up, thinking maybe the high reflection of the tent was the reason the plants grew to the center. It only took about two hours to see the plants starting to bend again. I took the light down.

I didnt give the light one chance to fail, I gave it two. It didnt matter. In the tent, out of the tent, no difference. The plants will struggle to get into a tiny patch directly under the light.

I will say it again, the Apollo light is BAD for the set up I had. The plants all grew trying to go to a center circle of light. Now I wish I had taken photos before I jerked the Apollo out and put in a T5. Based on what I have read since I originally posted, I think maybe Grow Northern or GrowBlu may be much smarter, or simply choose to be far more honest than Hydroponic groups. I have NO opinion of how those resellers (Grow Northern or GrowBlu) sell their products, but I DO know how HydroponicsGroup sells theirs. HydroponicsGroup DOES NOT tell you that this light is customizable. They do not show any photos of any plants growing under the Apollo light. They cant, because if they did, all the plants would be hugging the center of the light foot print. They will NOT grow up! They grow to the light center.

I dont know the set up that Grow Northern is using. I dont know the set up GrowBlu is using. What I DO know.. is what I had and what I was told this light would do, is NOT true. It did NOT work. If Grow Northern is using one of these lights every two feet, then I bet they wouldnt have any problems at all. But the cost of these lights, to have them every two feet, would be cost prohibitive. SOMETHING has to be different. But what? I have no idea. All I know is what happened to me.

Here is the fact:
The Apollo light that was sent in the Hydroponics group WILL NOT work in a 4x4 foot tent.

You cant change this fact. It is what happened. Its not slander. Its not some opinion, it is what happened with the light.

I've already said that because I was new... I didnt know that Apollo could customize the lights. What's ironic to me right now.. is this is supposed to be a forum for newbies.. and its because I am new and followed advice I got from the company I purchased from, you think I should stay quiet about because "you dont see anyone posting about it." *shrug* I'm posting and I feel I am getting slammed for it.

 

[JazzyLady]

Have you been able to find other HG customers complaining about the same thing? I searched Google and couldn't find anything similar to your experience. But, I admit I didn't spend a lot of time looking?

Great question! I spent a great deal of time trying to find anything printed about HG or this LED. There is nothing. I tried google, bing, Yahoo. Nothing. I hoped maybe I was wrong. I hoped maybe I hung the light too high or too low. I wanted anything, anything to help me. I did NOT want to go buy more lights. I did NOT want to jerk the Apollo. In the end, there was no choice. At 26 days they were literally leaning over to reach the light.

I know plant botany. I knew if I left them alone they would grow into a center cluster, very tight. I've seen the same thing happen in a shed of grape cuttings when some idiot forgets to turn off the overhead light. All the grapes in the room will bend to the light. True.. the room is a 40 x 60 sf ft room, but its the same thing. Once a plant starts bending to the light, one of two things cause it. The light is too strong, or the foot print isnt big enough for all plants to get the light, so they bend to the light foot print.

I also tried to find any photos of anyone growing any plant with the Apollo 6. I couldnt find a single one.

I believe... but have not tried.. that if one was to put these lights up so that they fit a 2x2 foot print, then they would probably work well. You would need four of them in a 4x4 foot tent to make them grow straight up. One does not work, or more correctly, the one sold to me by HG does not work. 4 of these things is between 600-800 dollars. There HAS to be a better choice for an LED.

 

[az2000]

I also tried to find any photos of anyone growing any plant with the Apollo 6. I couldnt find a single one.

I just googled and found lots of photos of growing under Apollos. I believe "air" said he can refer you to videos.

4 of these things is between 600-800 dollars. There HAS to be a better choice for an LED.

For a 4x4 space I would recommend four Apollo 4. The Apollo 6 is for more like 3x2.

"Pet" has recommended the BML Spyder. I'd recommend A51 RW or XGS. But, to fill a 4x4 tent, you're looking at about $1000.

I would recommend starting with a single fixture and supplementing your t5. Add more as you gain experience with LEDs. Maybe even throw your Apollo 6 in as a supplement (even though we're not sure what you received from Hydroponics Group, or how it compares to what typically passes as an "Apollo.").

 

[JazzyLady]

Have you not seen my thread? The BML SPYDR 600 has an actual 3 x 3 footprint and covers 4 x 4 evenly- so plants don't grow toward the middle

I just completed my first flowering with it and can compare it will 600w hps results

My thread link is in my signature

I am sorry, but I havent read your thread until you had asked. There was a lot (of good stuff) to read. If your spydr covers a 4x4 foot space and it costs 1,000, isnt that more expensive than the 150 per light cost of the Apollo? Wasnt that some of the "good things" about the Apollo?

 

[JazzyLady]

I said a few days ago (in my reply to you): "But, this isn't something I could have figured out as a newbie. For that reason, I think Cidly Apollo is perilous for a newbie."

I definitely agree if you want to say newbies should be careful because Apollo is a commodity. You can get stuck paying a fortune to rebranded lights, or buying an oddball spectrum off AliExpress.

That's a legitimate concern. Everything else, I'm not sure.

Its not a legitimate concern if your lights dont work right? How is that possible?

When you are new and are trying to learn, and are researching and find conflicting information, you go with what you think is best. You just admitted thats exactly what you did. Newbies CAN NOT "be careful because Apollo is a commodity" because they don't know it! That's what you are missing! When you are NOT told that this light is customizable, you CANT make an "informed choice."

Right now, I can not tell you that an Apollo light, as a whole, is good or bad. What I can tell you is the Apollo 6 that I got from HydroponicsGroup is crapola! If you got better results from them, by all means, let me know.

Who else is making customizable lights? If Apollo is doing it, then others will be doing it too. How are new people supposed to know lights can be customized if they dont know that lights CAN be customized? When a new person is trying to grow, they should be able to trust the vendors that are supposedly selling MJ growing equipment.

If you want to say "Newbies need to be careful of growing because companies will rip them off and people will defend the companies who are putting out bad information," then by all means, please do so. Go buy an Apollo light from Hyroponicsgroup! Grow your plants into a tiny circle! Apollo lights work great for growing in a 2x2 foot circle of light.

Oh wait.. thats not what they said. Hydroponics Group said an LED would reduce my costs. They said an LED would cover the same amount as a 600watt. They said that the plants would respond better to an LED. They said all the same things that I have read about LED lights. So why would I believe that they would send me a light that would not work? I believed them. I got burnt. You want to tell me I am wrong, by all means, do so. I'd love to see how well your plants grow under one of these lights.

In your own post you are warning people away from using Apollo. My post is about what happens when you buy from a reseller and how the light wont work in the space I have. The light makes plants grow into a tiny space. The light footprint is far too small.

Newbies can not "be careful" about Apollo lights if they are not getting honest information from the vendors they are purchased from.

 

[JazzyLady]

I've got the whole room, but I plan to move it into a 4'x2' closet with the Apollo and a T8 fixture or two on the side. I'm going to just be vegging and running some strains to seed, the main grow is run by 2 1000w's, one MH and one HPS. That's why I want to build my own eventually to replace those with something much more efficient. I know it can be done by those who know how, and luckily some of those people are on this very forum, so I like to hang out here.

You know, it kinda sounds to me like you might have been using a flowering lamp to veg with. If you bought it as a kit that was implied to be used for growing weed, they probably gave you a flowering lamp with lots of reds. You might want to try busting it out for a flower cycle or two to see if it changes your opinion any. Just a thought.

Ok.. I still haven't been clear enough. Below is the information directly from HG. There is no "flowering lamp to veg with," because they only send one light. That would have been great! lol.. The LED lamp is supposed to cover the entire grow. When you pull the tab down to do soil to see what is in the soil kit, it still says that you will receive "growing medium." That's not true. When you call them to find out why your growing medium isnt in the box, they will tell you "its too heavy to ship" and then send you 4lbs of clay pellets. "First class customer support" is a joke. You call to find out how to set everything up, they give you a link that has nothing to do with tents.

Like you, I believe it can be done by those who know how. Unlike you, I believed information I got, followed that information, and then had to replace the light. When I first responded to you, I responded with the information I have. I'm blown away that these lights can be customized. Some of the people on this forum havent had the same experience I had. I DO have this light. It DOES NOT perform the way I was told it would perform. If your light does the same thing mine did, at least you already have the 1000w lamps to fall back on. I didnt want to do that. I never wanted to have 1000w HPS. I wanted full LEDs.

Good idea about the flowering.. I have thought about pulling it out for flower only... but.. I know plants. I know if seedlings are straining as hard as they were, then full size plants will do much more. Im probably going to try that.. but under very controlled conditions. My fear/concern is that putting up the light for flower will cause all the plants to try to grow under the circle of light it produces, causing the plants to compete for a tiny amount of space when 1000w lamps will spread the light to a far bigger footprint and I wont have top-heavy plants falling over trying to get into a tiny circle of light.

I'm probably going to try it, and sit in the grow room for the first three or four hours reading back copies of high times to see if the plants do the same thing in flowering. I'm about 18 days before going into flower.

http://www.hydroponicsgroup.com/products/starter-kits/led-starter-kit/

The LED starter kit is a top of the line system with everything you need to get growing with hydroponics, and includes our Classic Master Series tent with all of our Bud Buddy's components. If you choose to upgrade later, all the components will fit easily into our Bud Buddy cabinet.

The LED Starter Kit contains the Raptor Odor Control system, which makes your worries over unpleasant odors an issue in the past. Some of the other impressive features of the LED Starter Kit are:

• Comes Complete with Grow, Micro Grow and Bloom Nutrients.
• 12 site Hydro Tub with Deep Water Culture.
• Professional 11" Can Filter with Mounting Hardware
• Super Strong Exhaust fan with 186 cfm for total filtration
• Professional Quality Air Pump
• Air ducting and flanges for mounting fans and cool tube
• Master Series Tent 48x25x60
• Growing Medium, Clone medium Clone Gel
• Propagation tray with Clone Dome and Clone Gel
• Timer with surge protector
• First class customer support
• And much much more

The time has come to take your next step in home farming. With LED lighting, nothing could be easier and more accessible to the everyday grower. Picture the joy of growing your own food and fruit in your very own home. You’re going to save money, time, and will have more peace of mind.

Time to get growing!

The LED system ships today, so if you ready to get started, order now!

 

[JazzyLady]

I just googled and found lots of photos of growing under Apollos. I believe "air" said he can refer you to videos.



For a 4x4 space I would recommend four Apollo 4. The Apollo 6 is for more like 3x2.

"Pet" has recommended the BML Spyder. I'd recommend A51 RW or XGS. But, to fill a 4x4 tent, you're looking at about $1000.

I would recommend starting with a single fixture and supplementing your t5. Add more as you gain experience with LEDs. Maybe even throw your Apollo 6 in as a supplement (even though we're not sure what you received from Hydroponics Group, or how it compares to what typically passes as an "Apollo.").

When I ordered my kit, I didnt get a choice. I'm smarter now.

When I jerked out the Apollo I now have a T5 8-bulb 4ft light hydrofarm light in its place. My plants are about 2 weeks before going to flower. My frustration level is through the roof because I believed in the LED, and when it didn't work right, I had to make major changes in everything. All my experience in plants is with bugs, cloning and grafting.

When I decided that I would grow, something wonderful happened. All these years I have missed playing with plants. I had forgotten the pure and utter joy of seeing things sprout from the ground. The pride you have when your first cutting takes root. I am deeply happy to be growing plants. It made me have really high goals. I wanted to use as little watts as I could, no odor, and my system had to be as cool as possible due to living in Las Vegas.

The Apollo light was the beginning of hell. Had that light worked, then everything would have been fine. When the plants all grew facing the center, it was clear they would continue to do so as they grew further. It was just a matter of time before they begin to block the light to the center of the tent, but the sides would have little growing there. Because I had to change the lights, the room temp went up. Because the room temp went up I had to get a portable A/C unit. The AC unit was 500.

The way it stands now, the plan is to use 4 1000w lamps. In order to keep the four 1,000w lamps to run cool enough, I will end up having to get a $1,500 2,400btu mini split A/C which will cost another $500 to install. Without knowing what LED's to buy, that's where I am headed and I dont want to go there. I only have one 1000w set up now, so will have to also buy 3 more of those. I think it would cost another 700 or so to get those lights. So when you ad the two together, I believe that the $2,700 spent could be put to much better use with LED's, IF I could find the right ones. So I am seriously trying to find the right lights.

I'm so frustrated because before I knew what the Apollo did, I was told that all I needed to add was 3 more Apollo lamps to fit in my bloom space. I am buggin bad about trying to find an LED light that will work. I picked up a 1000w lamp and a 400w lamp to use when the plants are ready to go to flowering. I just dont want to use them. I decided to buy the portable a/c unit in hopes that I can use that one with the single 1000w HPS bulb until I can find the right LED's to use. If I cant find the solution, then I am going to be forced to put in the mini split to keep the room cool.

So... based on all of these great conversations today, I went down to the hydro shop and bought a 4 foot light rail. I figured a way to hang the light tilted so its at an angle to shine on the plants when its hanging along a wall. My thinking is this.. If the problem with the Apollo is that its making the plants grow in a circle (all facing towards the center of the light), then maybe its because the light is too strong to stay in one place? So if I move the light slowly maybe the plants wont all lean to the center of the room because the light is hanging from the center? I've got to get a friend to help me move the T5, but I am going to try the Apollo on the light rail.

If Cidly gets back to me, maybe I can find out how this light is set up and make changes to it? If that happens, maybe I could try it again to see if it works better/right.

If the plants dont bend over to the Apollo, then I will put the 1000w up and mount the Apollo on the side of the room and use it as a fill light.
Do you think this will work?

 

[AirAnt]

Yeah, I looked at the site a bit. They don't mention what lights they use or what spectrum or anything really. A reseller who assembles various components, then resells them for a mark-up which means you're always going to end up with the cheapest option available.

Sorry you got ripped off, and it sounds like you might need help from someone with more experience than me. To reproduce 4000w's of HPS with LED's is some serious business.

It sounds as if you got a 4-bay light, I bought one with 6. The more successful grows I've seen using them have units that house 16 light-bays. Basically, if you'd spent all the money on lights in the first place rather than the Starter Kit stuff, you'd probably have a much different opinion.

The light mover will definitely help to cover a wider area and stop plants from stretching towards it, but plants tend to do that themselves once they get into later stages of flower. They don't stretch so much as just try to produce massive buds which they need a lot of red spectrum light for which HPS kinda sucks at.

What colors are most of the led's in your lamp? Just curious, what's the ratio of blue/white/reds? That will tell you whether my theory about it being a flowering lamp is correct or not.

If I were going to spend that kind of money on LEDs though, I'd contact a business representative and try to get a bulk discount. I believe you will save money eventually even though LED's will initially be more expensive, just have to find the right ones first.

 

[JazzyLady]

Bingo!

But... on the other hand.. maybe it was good that I got ripped off. Had that not happened, I never would have looked outside of them for help. I'm happy that I found this site, very very happy. I finally feel like I am not in this alone. Its good.

Mine is the 6 bay light. I just went to look at the light and made the very stupid mistake of looking directly at the light at the moment I turned it on. Piffle! It looks like each bay has 3 blue lights, and 11 lights are two different shades of red. The last one looks like its clear or green, not sure coz I about blinded myself.

I want my grow to be as simple as possible.

No odor.

The lowest possible power bill.

Auto-watering

I'm trying to hit all four of these at once and am having to do the "which one do I do first' dance. Its been interesting.

 

[AirAnt]

Do not stare directly into the LEDs! lol Def. a lamp geared for flowering then. Your vegging plants were all straining to reach the 3 blue lights and maybe 1 white and getting bathed in huge doses of red they could barely even use then. Use it during flowering exclusively, I've seen people on youtube with plants that have 'hash-tips' where it's just a load of resin on the end of a bud that's pure white when flowering with an Apollo. You can get some good use out of it still.

If you were planning to use an Apollo LED from start to finish, you'd want an even mix of whites/blues and reds. Or you could go with az2000's idea he shared with me and go with 10 3350k whites and 5 6000k whites. There's a growing trend saying that white LED lights are overall the best to use in every scenario, not necessarily one that I totally agree with but one I can see the merits of and need to do further research about.

Regardless, I'd give your light another chance, read some threads around here about what LED's people are using and what they prefer. There's also some decent vids on Youtbue if you search for 'LED comparisons' and such. I'm a believer in LEDs over HID lamps though. They're more expensive but they pay for themselves in the long wrong and let's face it...they're just cooler.