Epic 4x4 Flowering Smackdown : 96 Elites vs 288s

[Or_Gro]

Would you expect to see any difference? For me it's mainly about whether one prefers the ugly cumbersome flat panels, or the sleek cob like 96's with their drivers isolated.

We’ll see...

for sure would expect perfornance diffs from the boards alone, they have big spectral diffs in important wavelength bands.

In this grow, for flowering, perhaps not, since i will be attempting to equalize the red bands. I’m doing this to see if/what diffs are in the white leds themselves....partly, since i can’t turn off the reds in the 96s...and, mostly, since i’m interested in max performance under optimal conditions.

I’m kinda hoping that they do similar job, providing growers with outstanding performance in two alternate formats.

 

[Or_Gro]

I had to join to to watch this thread .. or.gro is a legend

Thanks man, welcome.

 

[Or_Gro]

Looking amazing Or_Gro ....going to watch this finish up - can't wait to see these girls fatten up!

Thanks man.

I’m hoping they grow an inch or two taller before that...lol

 

[Or_Gro]

Day 9 since flip: Looking pretty healthy, but gettin tired of waiting for some dramatic upward growth...they can’t fill in horizontally much more...all controlled variables inrange.

6x96


8x288

 

[Steakbomb]

Day 9 since flip: Looking pretty healthy, but gettin tired of waiting for some dramatic upward growth...they can’t fill in horizontally much more...all controlled variables inrange.

6x96
View attachment 4299408 View attachment 4299409

8x288
View attachment 4299410 View attachment 4299411

I wonder if dimming a bit might help? Maybe the DLI adjustment over a week or two when starting flower is a good idea... Think about it - when these plants go into flower growing outdoors, the DLI is trending downwards week-to-week. Maybe the fact that they are getting the same DLI now as they were during veg is impacting how much they stretch?

Maybe drop it back for a few days and see if that spurs some vertical growth, then go back to cranking it once they are budding up.

 

[Ibn Vapin]

What is DLI?

 

[Steakbomb]

What is DLI?

Daily Light Integral - how much ppfd over how much time plus some extra math equals total light a plant is getting any given day.
https://endowment.org/dlimaps/

 

[Or_Gro]

I wonder if dimming a bit might help? Maybe the DLI adjustment over a week or two when starting flower is a good idea... Think about it - when these plants go into flower growing outdoors, the DLI is trending downwards week-to-week. Maybe the fact that they are getting the same DLI now as they were during veg is impacting how much they stretch?

Maybe drop it back for a few days and see if that spurs some vertical growth, then go back to cranking it once they are budding up.

Imo, the cause is not intensity, its the 40+ tops, all thinking they are the dominant shoot...but not having the kahunas to rocket...

 

[Machac420]

Just a guess but in the past when i trained (lst) in the first two weeks of flower, tucking branches under the screen i noticed i got almost no stretch... now if i do all the training in veg and not touch anything but defol's in flower i get a good 12-14" of stretch. Maybe when training in flower the plant is concentrated on spreading its auxins to all the tops vs the auxins thriving in what tops there is not having to send it auxins else where.

 

[Or_Gro]

Yeah, basically all tops are getting treated the same...imagine putting x amount of growth into 8 vs 40 tops..difference of 12.5%/top vs 2.5%, 5 times as much...they’ll take off, just getting antsy...

 

[Or_Gro]

Mom’s starting week 10 from 12:12: startin to fade. Swapped out water for several days of pre-flush soup....trichs clear to mostly milky, no ambers.

 

[Steakbomb]

Mom’s starting week 10 from 12:12: startin to fade. Swapped out water for several days of pre-flush soup....trichs clear to mostly milky, no ambers.

View attachment 4299534

I wanna smoke em...

 

[Or_Gro]

Day 10 from flip: Boosted nutes to 1.5 ec, all controlled variables inrange.

6x96


8x288

 

[StickyBudHound]

Day 10 from flip: Boosted nutes to 1.5 ec, all controlled variables inrange.

6x96
View attachment 4299937 View attachment 4299938

8x288
View attachment 4299939 View attachment 4299940

Wow man, they're pushing hard! Looking beautiful OG.

 

[Steakbomb]

Day 10 from flip: Boosted nutes to 1.5 ec, all controlled variables inrange.

6x96
View attachment 4299937 View attachment 4299938

8x288
View attachment 4299939 View attachment 4299940

That canopy is like a lawn!

 

[Or_Gro]

Wow man, they're pushing hard! Looking beautiful OG.

Thanks!

They are movin up, but ever so slow, Trainwrecks leading the way. Bushy as f#ck!

My clipper fingers are on high twitch, but i don’t wanna take off anything yet that would slow the rise. Gonna hold off a few more days.

 

[Or_Gro]

That canopy is like a lawn!

Thanks, besides daily spin, I haven’t done diddley squat, training-wise, since 12:12 defol/tiedown.

 

[Steakbomb]

Thanks, besides daily spin, I haven’t done diddley squat, training-wise, since 12:12 defol/tiedown.

I've been pulling mine juuuust a bit to try and keep them flat-ish, but I'm definitely trying to shoot for vert growth now.

Quick question if you don't mind (probably) answering this (again)... I know you're doing 12:12 with the red initiation... Was there an issue with 13.5:10.5 that is making you not go that route this time?

 

[Or_Gro]

I've been pulling mine juuuust a bit to try and keep them flat-ish, but I'm definitely trying to shoot for vert growth now.

Quick question if you don't mind (probably) answering this (again)... I know you're doing 12:12 with the red initiation... Was there an issue with 13.5:10.5 that is making you not go that route this time?

Given the slow rise, i’ve been toying with the idea of turning on the far reds....but, normally wouldn’t turn them on until after stretch.

They are starting to show some movement, so i’ll revisit that in a few days.

Based on this
and the tight footprint (no room to pull tops outward for increased light penetration), i’m trying to hold internode extension down.

A little too successful for me, at the moment.

The idea behind using lightsout far red is to put them into nighttime mode quicker, so they can have longer lightson than 12 hrs, increasing dli.

Far red also plays a major role in switching from veg to flower, which is a separate benefit from day/night length.

i’m already where i want to be dli-wise, and am already pushing them at the upper end of optimal in all variables i control, so i will just let them have a longer sleep/recovery period each lightsout.

 

[Steakbomb]

Given the slow rise, i’ve been toying with the idea of turning on the far reds....but, normally wouldn’t turn them on until after stretch.

They are starting to show some movement, so i’ll revisit that in a few days.

Based on this View attachment 4299953
and the tight footprint (no room to pull tops outward for increased light penetration), i’m trying to hold internode extension down.

A little too successful for me, at the moment.

The idea behind using lightsout far red is to put them into nighttime mode quicker, so they can have longer lightson than 12 hrs, increasing dli.

Far red also plays a major role in switching from veg to flower, which is a separate benefit from day/night length.

i’m already where i want to be dli-wise, and am already pushing them at the upper end of optimal in all variables i control, so i will just let them have a longer sleep/recovery period each lightsout.

Makes sense. I've been considering throwing the emersons on myself for the same reason. I'll fire them up this weekend with the bloom soup swap... or maybe earlier...