borbor's big upgrade, HPS is for suckers!

borbor

borbor

Well-Known Member
just couldn't resist showing off now that it's all set up
I started out this year pretty much in a 4x4 gorilla lite line, with a 315 watt LEC fixture and added some area 51 leds when I started flowering. Certainly every dollar I've saved myself with all the free pot has been put right back into the grow (I project that I'll run out of weed sometime in 2015 so I gotta step it up a little!)

I also wanted a veg tent large enough to work in, instead of splitting my veg plants between a 3x3 and 2x4 I have sitting around. I decided the 4x4 gorilla would be great for veg, and took the plunge and spent a bunch on a 5x5 gorilla (not the lite line, I wanted to sleep soundly knowing my filter wouldn't come crashing down), and another 6 inch vortex s-line inline fan.

a while ago I also got another LEC fixture for veg, so in my 4x4 veg tent I have the LEC and a two bulb, two foot t5 ho fixture with 6500k bulbs

in the new 5x5 flower tent, there's a 315 watt LEC, two area 51 RW-75s, and on the side is a two foot, four tube t5ho fixture, also all 6500k bulbs. I might put in a couple of 2700k bulbs down the line, my reasoning for 6500k in my flower tent is that I'm adding what my spectrum lacks the most of.

Both tents have the one foot height extension
I have a kessil h150 purple going unused right now.



does anybody have any suggestions? I know the t5s are kind of like spitting in the ocean, but it can't be hurting, right?

Also- can you daisy chain different lighting types together? For example, could I plug the t5 into my area 51s that are already daisy chained?

can't wait to fill this all up with plants!
IMAG0762.jpg IMAG0764.jpg IMAG0765.jpg IMAG0766.jpg
 
Alexander Supertramp

Alexander Supertramp

Well-Known Member
No HPS is not...but buying into clever marketing is. Congrats! In a 5x5 area I seriously doubt you will out yield a 1000w HPS. But you will save on daily fatigue with your lighter wallet! While still consuming the same, possibly more watts of energy.Thats a lot of cords to deal with also. Most hps lights only have one.
 
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ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Some alternatives to the polar opposites of HPS power! vs LED gee whiz tech! might include;

-315W LEC lighting. A very high performance mid wattage lighting source. 4000 Kelvin, lots of frost!

-860W CDM lighting- a larger version of 315W tech and my current workhorse. I'm very happy with the results. It's a bit finicky though, for example it runs on magnetic ballasts only and needs to be mounted vertically.

-using ALL T5 lighting, like a tent canopy of 4' lights in various color temperatures. Look up @RM3 and his grows, they're just about the size you're looking at. Anyone who tells you that fluorescent lighting can't work simply doesn't know better.

-COB LED DIY If you're handy with electronics, there's actually a lot of guys on this very forum who are Chip On Board (COB) LED DIY enthusiasts, hard core. They're designing, building and operating some of the most advanced and efficient lighting systems available anywhere at any cost- and since it's DIY, the cost actually isn't outrageous.

Lots of ways to skin the lighting cat; brute force and Chinese blurple LED panels are only two of them.
 
borbor

borbor

Well-Known Member
I literally got about a pound on my first run, using the CMH and LEDs. It's "about a pound" because I didn't weigh my last plant, but it filled up three big mason jars. I used 465 watts for lighting in flower so I was pretty close to 1 gpw on my first go with very little prior experience. Aside from the great yield for a newb, the quality is outstanding, I have a few friends that grow with HPS and I can tell the difference, and so can they, my worst plant was as good as their best. Planning on giving them some clones soon so we can have a true comparison.

all of my lighting put together (both tents, cmhs, leds, and t5s) is 609 watts, if you wanted a veg and flower tent separate from each other, and wanted to stay around 600 watts, you wouldn't just be a sucker to use hps, you'd be catastrophically retarded.

ttystick-

I knew a guy that was using the 860W CDM in an og hood, He got RESULTS for sure, I'd just be more comfortable with that if DNA lighting was actually still in business.
I've seen @RM3's grow, it's phenomenal, just not something I'm gonna do, I'm already $1k deep in CMH!
DIY LED is on my list of stuff to learn, seems like my kinda hobby, I just don't have the time to build things right now.



Have any of you guys actually had experience with anything other than HPS? patrick and alex?
I do appreciate the advice, if you have any



so do you guys think I'd be better off moving my 2nd LEC from the veg tent into the flower tent, and moving the LEDs and t5 to the veg tent?
would that give enough light for veg?
Thinking of getting some of those new a51 COB fixtures to do away with the t5s as well.

Also, repeat question from my first post, can I daisy chain different types of lighting together?
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
borbor said:
I literally got about a pound on my first run, using the CMH and LEDs. It's "about a pound" because I didn't weigh my last plant, but it filled up three big mason jars. I used 465 watts for lighting in flower so I was pretty close to 1 gpw on my first go with very little prior experience. Aside from the great yield for a newb, the quality is outstanding, I have a few friends that grow with HPS and I can tell the difference, and so can they, my worst plant was as good as their best. Planning on giving them some clones soon so we can have a true comparison.

all of my lighting put together (both tents, cmhs, leds, and t5s) is 609 watts, if you wanted a veg and flower tent separate from each other, and wanted to stay around 600 watts, you wouldn't just be a sucker to use hps, you'd be catastrophically retarded.

ttystick-

I knew a guy that was using the 860W CDM in an og hood, He got RESULTS for sure, I'd just be more comfortable with that if DNA lighting was actually still in business.
I've seen @RM3's grow, it's phenomenal, just not something I'm gonna do, I'm already $1k deep in CMH!
DIY LED is on my list of stuff to learn, seems like my kinda hobby, I just don't have the time to build things right now.



Have any of you guys actually had experience with anything other than HPS? patrick and alex?
I do appreciate the advice, if you have any



so do you guys think I'd be better off moving my 2nd LEC from the veg tent into the flower tent, and moving the LEDs and t5 to the veg tent?
would that give enough light for veg?
Thinking of getting some of those new a51 COB fixtures to do away with the t5s as well.

Also, repeat question from my first post, can I daisy chain different types of lighting together?
Click to expand...
DNA lighting was junk. Cheap thousand watt magnetic ballasts with a 'MH1000' output are all the 860W CDM lamps need. I run them bare bulb, open fixture rated, vertical mount only; base up or down is fine.

I would not daisy chain my lighting together past 600W.
 
borbor

borbor

Well-Known Member
cool, I was more just wondering with my 150 watts of LED daisy chained together across two fixtures, could I plug my 96 watt t5 into that, or should it go straight to the wall because it's a different type of fixture?

I'll switch the CMH to the flower tent in a few hours if nobody pops up and tells me that's stupid.
 
P

patrickkawi37

Well-Known Member
I haven't used anything else but I have seen grows with leds . I am pulling close to 3 pounds per 1k lamp so it's working decent for me. If I was in a bedroom tent and battling temps I would try leds.. But the cost to buy them vs hps and what I'm able to pull out of a 5x5 area.. It would not be optimal for my situation. I do not think that you are getting a better quality frOm the leds. Comparing closet grow nugs is not a justification to say hps is for suckers IMo. I believe that the hype with LEDs .. Makes LED growers the suckers. You don't see dudes throwing away there 20 light gavita rooms for LEDs very often. Glad you are doing well with this setup ! I'm sure you are capable of doing well with just about any setup . Good luck
 
borbor

borbor

Well-Known Member
You should really look up CMH (the sun system LEC 315 is my main light, it is not an LED, what you're saying about LED might be true, but you're saying it to the wrong dude, my LED is supplemental)

I really shouldn't have put HPS is for suckers in the title, I concede that, but HPS DOES have a shitty ass spectrum and makes shitty buds compared to CMH, either that or I got my nutes, soil, temps, humidity, and watering all dialed in perfect and my more experienced friends are secretly using hydrofluoric acid as a foliar spray.

So it's not for suckers. It's just that hps is maybe 70% as good as CMH but 50% the cost, in my opinion. I intend on working more towards proving it
 
Final Phase

Final Phase

Well-Known Member
Your set-up is looking very good! Soon expanding room from 4k to 7k HPS and loving it all the way to the bank. Living in mountains means no problem with heat - I use it to heat the room when it's freezing outside... LED's gotta have heat for flowering in freezing weather... MH/HPS kick ass in cold climate! This place ain't about my shit's works better than your shit. This place is about growing weed.DSCN1336.JPG

Plant a seed
Pack a bowl
Watch it grow...
 
borbor

borbor

Well-Known Member
very cool, and agreed, I didn't mean to make the thread title sound like "everyone sucks but me!" Just wanted to share my exciting new tent and what I think is a pretty sweet setup.

But also
patrickkawi37 said:
Let's see some pics of this weed that's better than my hps weed
Click to expand...
I actually had a nug of my buddy's weed going unsmoked, we did a nug trade about six weeks ago. Needless to say he's always down to do it again.

Here's some of mine-
on the plant-


in nug form-
(flash)IMG_3774.JPG
(no flash, under cmh)IMG_3776.JPG

and his weed in nug form
(with flash)IMG_3775.JPG
(no flash, under cmh)IMG_3777.JPG

two of my nugs and one of his under CMH-
IMG_3778.JPG


(edit: There's a big difference in density, we had different strains but all of mine except brazil amazonia from world of seeds turned out like rocks, most of his came out pretty fluffy, except el fuego from dna genetics)

2nd edit-
But for real, I have questions!
Based on the opinions I've heard, I think I should move my 2nd CMH from veg to flower and use my t5s and leds for veg. Is there a good reason not to?
also, if you were me and were doing that, would you just use the "100W veg mode" on the area 51s or would you turn on the red ones too?

And my daisy chain question! Can I plug my t5s into my LEDs?

I'd love it if @GroErr or @Mohican chimed in!
 
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P

patrickkawi37

Well-Known Member
borbor said:
very cool, and agreed, I didn't mean to make the thread title sound like "everyone sucks but me!" Just wanted to share my exciting new tent and what I think is a pretty sweet setup.

But also

I actually had a nug of my buddy's weed going unsmoked, we did a nug trade about six weeks ago. Needless to say he's always down to do it again.

Here's some of mine-
on the plant-


in nug form-
(flash)View attachment 3467845
(no flash, under cmh)View attachment 3467847

and his weed in nug form
(with flash)View attachment 3467846
(no flash, under cmh)View attachment 3467848

two of my nugs and one of his under CMH-
View attachment 3467849


(edit: There's a big difference in density, we had different strains but all of mine except brazil amazonia from world of seeds turned out like rocks, most of his came out pretty fluffy, except el fuego from dna genetics)

2nd edit-
But for real, I have questions!
Based on the opinions I've heard, I think I should move my 2nd CMH from veg to flower and use my t5s and leds for veg. Is there a good reason not to?
also, if you were me and were doing that, would you just use the "100W veg mode" on the area 51s or would you turn on the red ones too?

And my daisy chain question! Can I plug my t5s into my LEDs?

I'd love it if @GroErr or @Mohican chimed in!
Click to expand...
looks like decent head smoke, good job . But nothing your going to pack out to a dispensary as top shelf. your homie has some issues with the fluffy booboo he has there
 
O

oill

Well-Known Member
borbor said:
just couldn't resist showing off now that it's all set up
I started out this year pretty much in a 4x4 gorilla lite line, with a 315 watt LEC fixture and added some area 51 leds when I started flowering. Certainly every dollar I've saved myself with all the free pot has been put right back into the grow (I project that I'll run out of weed sometime in 2015 so I gotta step it up a little!)

I also wanted a veg tent large enough to work in, instead of splitting my veg plants between a 3x3 and 2x4 I have sitting around. I decided the 4x4 gorilla would be great for veg, and took the plunge and spent a bunch on a 5x5 gorilla (not the lite line, I wanted to sleep soundly knowing my filter wouldn't come crashing down), and another 6 inch vortex s-line inline fan.

a while ago I also got another LEC fixture for veg, so in my 4x4 veg tent I have the LEC and a two bulb, two foot t5 ho fixture with 6500k bulbs

in the new 5x5 flower tent, there's a 315 watt LEC, two area 51 RW-75s, and on the side is a two foot, four tube t5ho fixture, also all 6500k bulbs. I might put in a couple of 2700k bulbs down the line, my reasoning for 6500k in my flower tent is that I'm adding what my spectrum lacks the most of.

Both tents have the one foot height extension
I have a kessil h150 purple going unused right now.



does anybody have any suggestions? I know the t5s are kind of like spitting in the ocean, but it can't be hurting, right?

Also- can you daisy chain different lighting types together? For example, could I plug the t5 into my area 51s that are already daisy chained?

can't wait to fill this all up with plants!
View attachment 3466551 View attachment 3466552 View attachment 3466553 View attachment 3466554
Click to expand...
I'm thinking you could get some MORE light units in there. Area51 do need your hard earned cash to buy some ferrari's so they can drive their money to the bank in style .

If you had some simple hps lights you would have more
room in that tent for plants?!?
 
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