VIPARSPECTRA LED- First time grow

[Rusty_Shackleford_]

Hey guys, I've been browsing the various MMJ forums as I got ready to start growing. So far things have been working out, but I'm still very early in the process. I am growing an auto flower strain from SeedSupreme, and have made a couple of adjustments since germinating and was hoping someone experienced could help guide me.

Problem:
I transitioned from 125W CFL to a 300W (equivalent) LED and noticed some changes. I had the new LED light placed about 15" from my plant (at 9 days) and by the next day her leaves looked dry and the leaf tips were pointing downward. The soil was dry so I gave a light watering; I also moved the light from 15" to a vertical distance of 22" from the top of the plant. The plant is doing much better. (This light, for only $90, seems really well made and putting out way more light than I expected).

Question:
Has anyone here used the VIPARSPECTRA 300W LED? What general distances worked for you?
Can anyone point me to some common tips to improve quality? Should I be using nutrients? Any tips for keeping my closet cool?
Can I supplement side lighting (when my plant gets larger) with 125W CFL in addition to my LED?

Equipment and environment:
Auto flower, feminized "purple" strain
2 x 2 x 6 grow space (closet)
300W VIPARSPECTRA LED
2 gallon pot
BlackGold soil (straight from bag)
2 fans
Temps between 77-85
Lights on 18/6

Thanks in advance for the help. I know there's a lot I can learn from some of you guys.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford_]

After reviewing more threads on this forum posted by experienced growers I think I'm comfortable to continue, and will use this thread to document some general notes.

It's Day 13 into veg, and she's continuing to grow. To me, she appears short compared to other people's plants at this age. Genetics? Lighting? General husbandry?

I'm struggling to keep the environment under control, and my temps seem to range from 77-87 degrees. Today I purchased dry ice to set near the plant (in front of the fan), and that kept the temp consistent at 78. I have enough to use for the next week. Does anyone have any methods for cooling a closet? I'm running a 6" fixed fan, and a 12" oscillating fan inside the closet. It has been great, but I'd feel more comfortable losing about 2 degrees.

For lighting I'm using a 300W (equivalent) VIPARSPECTRA led for 20 hours/day, and a 125W CFL for 4 hours/day. Several days ago my plant began to droop her leaves and I was concerned my light was too close (at 15"). The leaves seemed dehydrated and the soil was dry well past my knuckle. I watered the plant and set the light to a 22" distance. This didn't seem to be enough light for my plant, so I lowered to 18". Soon after adjusting the light she appeared to perk up.

I purchased a bottle of Sea Kelp to use for nutrients, will arrive tomorrow, but am not sure if this is the best choice for an autoflower. Any suggestions would help!!

 

[Skeet Kuhn Dough]

I'm using a 600w Viparspectra LED for my veg tent. As a way to christen the tent, I went ahead and ordered some dark devil autos by sweet seeds. These purple girls represent one of the few full grows I intend to do in this smaller tent. As far as distance goes, mine didn't come with hangers. Since they're autos, I obviously did not top, so it is hard for me to tell if they are truly stretching. They seem to be happy. If you are using such a small tent then I'd imagine you've enough light. You don't want it to get too hot in there. I'll attach a pic to show you what Viparspectra has done for me so far (admittedly, I use a 600w HPS in my flower tent, which is also a bigger tent). I'd also like to point out that her sisters are much bigger and bushier than she is. These are just two pics that I had handy.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford_]

Nice! Is that from an auto? Are you using nutes? If so, when did you start adding them?

 

[Rusty_Shackleford_]

Ok, we're about through the weekend and I think my plant is doing OK. I got the sea kelp nutrients yesterday and only mixed 25% of the recommended dose. She seems to be growing well. I feel like there's been noticeable growth since last night.

Problem
The lower leaves on the plant, and the biggest leaves, look like they're struggling? I'm not sure if it's normal. The tips of those bottom leaves are slighting curving downward. It's been like that for a few days, but there hasn't been any changes (no better, no worse). Can anyone look at my plant and tell me if it looks normal? Thanks so much!

 

[Skeet Kuhn Dough]

Only you can truly diagnose your plants, but this is a quote from this website. http://www.growweedeasy.com/nutrient-burn-cannabis "Nutrient burn can also manifest itself as brown or bronze spotting around the edges of the leaf serrations (often when there's an problem with proper absorption of potassium), or with leaf tips curling downwards (tips pointing down is often associated with too much nitrogen). And yep, regarding my pic, like I said earlier, it is one of the few autoflower grows I'm ever going to do indoors. Hope that helps. Good luck, Rusty.

 

[edwardvanhalen123456]

Ok, we're about through the weekend and I think my plant is doing OK. I got the sea kelp nutrients yesterday and only mixed 25% of the recommended dose. She seems to be growing well. I feel like there's been noticeable growth since last night.

Problem
The lower leaves on the plant, and the biggest leaves, look like they're struggling? I'm not sure if it's normal. The tips of those bottom leaves are slighting curving downward. It's been like that for a few days, but there hasn't been any changes (no better, no worse). Can anyone look at my plant and tell me if it looks normal? Thanks so much!

View attachment 3795801 View attachment 3795802 View attachment 3795803

Hey how are you, are you enjoying your first grow?
It's so much fun imo because it's like taking care of a baby lol. I just love getting to watch them get bigger and learning from mistakes, which you will run into plenty of them because your just starting to grow.

It's not the easiest thing to grow a great plant. You have to consider, the ph of soil and water, you have to make sure you are using the right nutrients, making sure you don't over water or under water. Just so many things you have to do right to have a great plant.
I like to use fox farm's lineup. Most ppl on here would agree fox farm is the best nutes for plants. Get the trio pack and it comes with a nice feeding schedule so it's easier. Also get a ph test kit.

I'm going to get a led light but wasn't sure between the mars hydro or the one you have, viraspectra. I've read good and bad things but you can't beat the price. You should look up how far away that light should be cuz you might have it too far away. If the end of the leaves start turning a little yellow than it's too close. Just google how far away should my plant be from my led light because I think your light can be closer than you have it.
This might be a reason why your plant is a little shorter but I think it's mostly from genetics. That plant is in perfect condition, there's no need to worry about the leafs pointing downward right now. If they start to really wither and start pointing down it could be from not having the right ph or nutrients.

I think you absolutely need nutrients, all the ppl on this site prolly use them. First off they make the plant way bigger and just in general a healthier plant that will make the plant more potent at harvest time.

You have a bad temperature issue. The temp should never get above 85 degrees, that's way too hot. I keep mine at around 78 or below, you will be fine with 80 degrees but I wouldn't go above that. The way I do it is just by turning on my a/c in my room. I regular fan isn't going to fix that heat problem. About the side lighting, yes you definitely want as much light on the plant as you can, but make sure you don't get the temp too hot by your plant. That's a lot of info that will help you, feel free to message me if you want more detailed info.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford_]

Hey how are you, are you enjoying your first grow?
It's so much fun imo because it's like taking care of a baby lol. I just love getting to watch them get bigger and learning from mistakes, which you will run into plenty of them because your just starting to grow.

It's not the easiest thing to grow a great plant. You have to consider, the ph of soil and water, you have to make sure you are using the right nutrients, making sure you don't over water or under water. Just so many things you have to do right to have a great plant.
I like to use fox farm's lineup. Most ppl on here would agree fox farm is the best nutes for plants. Get the trio pack and it comes with a nice feeding schedule so it's easier. Also get a ph test kit.

I'm going to get a led light but wasn't sure between the mars hydro or the one you have, viraspectra. I've read good and bad things but you can't beat the price. You should look up how far away that light should be cuz you might have it too far away. If the end of the leaves start turning a little yellow than it's too close. Just google how far away should my plant be from my led light because I think your light can be closer than you have it.
This might be a reason why your plant is a little shorter but I think it's mostly from genetics. That plant is in perfect condition, there's no need to worry about the leafs pointing downward right now. If they start to really wither and start pointing down it could be from not having the right ph or nutrients.

I think you absolutely need nutrients, all the ppl on this site prolly use them. First off they make the plant way bigger and just in general a healthier plant that will make the plant more potent at harvest time.

You have a bad temperature issue. The temp should never get above 85 degrees, that's way too hot. I keep mine at around 78 or below, you will be fine with 80 degrees but I wouldn't go above that. The way I do it is just by turning on my a/c in my room. I regular fan isn't going to fix that heat problem. About the side lighting, yes you definitely want as much light on the plant as you can, but make sure you don't get the temp too hot by your plant. That's a lot of info that will help you, feel free to message me if you want more detailed info.

Thanks so much for the input! I'm really excited about learning to grow. I have 5 more auto seeds being delivered today (Jack Herer from SeedSupreme), and hope to gain more experience before starting photoperiod strains.

I'll buy a pH tester today, I can't believe I haven't already done that! I'm going to move the light closer (around 14") and see how the plant responds. The manufacturer says 24" is good for veg, but that seemed too far away. I lowered to 18" and she grew 2" towards the light, but doesn't seem to be stretching (I don't think).

My temps need some work. Living in the desert makes it tough to control excessive heat, but it looks like we're past the heat wave. For the past 2 days it's been between 75-82 F, with AC, and that is probably going to be the lowest I can keep it.

Thank you so much for the advice, I'm going to pick up a pH tester, and look into Fox Farms nutes. Here's a pic of the nutes I'm using. My plant seemed to perk up soon after using. Any thoughts?

 

[Rusty_Shackleford_]

OK, so it's day 17 and this morning my plant looked pretty good. The soil still had some moisture, not much, and I added more water. I also lowered the light from 16" to 14"... 20 minutes later my plant was droopy. Does this look like overwatering? Or was the light too strong? Could it be the nutrients? I only mixed 25% of the suggested amount. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Skeet Kuhn Dough]

OK, so it's day 17 and this morning my plant looked pretty good. The soil still had some moisture, not much, and I added more water. I also lowered the light from 16" to 14"... 20 minutes later my plant was droopy. Does this look like overwatering? Or was the light too strong? Could it be the nutrients? I only mixed 25% of the suggested amount.View attachment 3796239 Any help is appreciated!

When you start growing hydroponically you are going to really really need a ph pen. There is no getting around that. Droopy plant? Could be a lot of things. Over and underwatering can look alike apparently. Once again, I don't really do soil, but I would very much guess that you've been overwatering. I cannot be sure one way or the other though. Try diagnosing your plants using this helpful website. http://www.growweedeasy.com/marijuana-symptoms-pictures
edit: one more thing, I've heard that sativas do better in hotter climates and that indicas are better for cooler environments. The oaxaca part of Mexico has a hot desert climate. Why not get some oaxaca ibl from Sannies, a very respected breeder. His seeds will have to make its way through customs... but just a thought to help you with your environment. http://www.sanniesshop.com/oaxacan-ibl.html

 

[Tim Fox]

Plant looks good, raise the light to twenty four keep it there till the plant is bigger,
Droop is normal after a big water, the pic before water
Look good, don't add nutes till you see it asking or you can get issues due to that, try not to stress on every little moment, over loving it can hurt it as well

 

[edwardvanhalen123456]

OK, so it's day 17 and this morning my plant looked pretty good. The soil still had some moisture, not much, and I added more water. I also lowered the light from 16" to 14"... 20 minutes later my plant was droopy. Does this look like overwatering? Or was the light too strong? Could it be the nutrients? I only mixed 25% of the suggested amount.View attachment 3796239 Any help is appreciated!

Hello, your plants are looking good. Your worrying too much about a couple leaves drooping. I definitely think you over watered it.
Only water it when it absolutely needs it. I like to lift up my container and see how heavy it is. If it's not heavy at all I water it.
You would be able to tell if the light is too low because it will cause burning on the tips of the leaves.

I don't know why your using that nutrient. Is it for veg or flower? I wouldn't even use it if I were you. Remember to not use nutes for every watering. So one day give it nutes then the next time you water don't use nutes. You can cause nute burn if you use it too much.
You need to spend a little more money and get the fox farm or general hydroponics nutrients. They come in 3 different nutes so you will know when to give it nutes because it comes with a feeding schedule. You need to get this right away. Forget about the ph right now because I don't think it's ph because the plant looks so healthy.. Just google fox farm nutes and get the three nutrients and you will be set to grow a great plant.
One more thing, get a ph meter (it has metal probes on it, google it) that tells you the ph and the moisture in your plant. So if you put the probes to the bottom of the soil it will tell you if it needs water.

 

[claypipe69]

Looking good IMO letting it dry a little between watering is good for letting air into the soil giving the roots a chance to breath Keep doing what your doing it is a beautiful example

 

[tekdc911]

low light levels require less nutes ..... the dark green shows there is plenty of nitro at the moment i would just give it water and a bit of cal/mag until it lightens up or goes into flower

 

[Growerbert]

HI guy, looks goooooooood!!!1
I am using one viparspectra, so far so good (about 10 days)
eagar to see the final result!!!

 

[Growerbert]

I bought one vipar, so far so good
I will update the result---whether it is of good quality, does it meet their description of 100000 hours lifespan
And whether good harvest....

 

[719Chavez420]

I have 3 450 vipars in flower tent 4x4 about 21 days in flower

 

[719Chavez420]

Update start of week 6 flower feeding elite nutrients and bud candy filling out real nice

 

[frizzayy]

I'm using a 600w Viparspectra LED for my veg tent. As a way to christen the tent, I went ahead and ordered some dark devil autos by sweet seeds. These purple girls represent one of the few full grows I intend to do in this smaller tent. As far as distance goes, mine didn't come with hangers. Since they're autos, I obviously did not top, so it is hard for me to tell if they are truly stretching. They seem to be happy. If you are using such a small tent then I'd imagine you've enough light. You don't want it to get too hot in there. I'll attach a pic to show you what Viparspectra has done for me so far (admittedly, I use a 600w HPS in my flower tent, which is also a bigger tent). I'd also like to point out that her sisters are much bigger and bushier than she is. These are just two pics that I had handy.View attachment 3793443 View attachment 3793444

Does the vipersan give off heat

 

[RayRay747]

Does the vipersan give off heat

Mine doesn’t. My room is fairly cool tho. 600W at about 20” from canopy...temps at canopy are around 70-72. At mid-pot range 66–68. And ambient 74-76.

And that’s with running a warm mist humidifier. When I ran my cool mist humidifier, temps dropped about 2-3 degrees each range above.

My temps also might fluctuate about 2-4 degrees depending on if I’m pulling in outside air (which is pretty cold..now around 15-30F) or starlight from the basement.

Other than that, grow box stays steady on temps and RH at least until I open it up and expose more basement air to the grow area.