Power and distance from canopy with 500w QB's when starting new grow (and later stages)?

[Blossom21]

How strong and what height should i run those quantum boards (knock off qb288 v2 lm301b x 4 @ 500w build) at different stages?

I'll put my first seeds in soil soon and don't know how much power should i use or how high should i hang them from the cups. I don't have other lights i could use.

i've heard people going from 8" to 24" in flower and from 20" to 32" in veg with different power, i guess i can judge better myself later on in the grow, but the early parts i need help with so i can get a good strong plants going on.

 

[Mafiaal]

If your seeds have not sprouted you won't need any light, once you get pre leafs you want the lights around 24 inches and run them at about 40-50% power.
For veg you don't need all that much light, its when you go in to flower you should up it.

 

[coreywebster]

Its going to depend greatly on what space you have that 500w in. 3x3 or 4x4 or 2x4 ect.

In a 4x4 in flower with 4 boards and 560w between them I can be 12" with most strains and 18" for fussy plants.
In veg I would want half that power or twice that distance roughly.
With seedlings I would want half that power and twice the distance, or dim to 1/4. I prefer to start them under cfl to be safe since ive never fried a seedling like that.

That's really rough idea.

It works differently if you have the same power spread across more boards and if you have less boards powered hard.

 

[Blossom21]

If your seeds have not sprouted you won't need any light, once you get pre leafs you want the lights around 24 inches and run them at about 40-50% power.
For veg you don't need all that much light, its when you go in to flower you should up it.

Yup no light for now, they're in sitting in dark place in soil.

Its going to depend greatly on what space you have that 500w in. 3x3 or 4x4 or 2x4 ect.

In a 4x4 in flower with 4 boards and 560w between them I can be 12" with most strains and 18" for fussy plants.
In veg I would want half that power or twice that distance roughly.
With seedlings I would want half that power and twice the distance, or dim to 1/4. I prefer to start them under cfl to be safe since ive never fried a seedling like that.

That's really rough idea.

It works differently if you have the same power spread across more boards and if you have less boards powered hard.

4x4 space, so when the seedlings push through soil i would run them at 25%-50% at 24" or?

 

[coreywebster]

Yeah stick to the low estimate so you dont shock them, if they stretch for the light you can always lower it.

 

[wietefras]

Plants/seeds do sprout faster when they do get light on the soil.

Also, you should not change the height to adjust intensity. With the height you choose the spread and uniformity. There is an optimum height for that. After you put the light at the optimum height, then you should adjust intensity by dimming only.

 

[Blossom21]

Plants/seeds do sprout faster when they do get light on the soil.

Also, you should not change the height to adjust intensity. With the height you choose the spread and uniformity. There is an optimum height for that. After you put the light at the optimum height, then you should adjust intensity by dimming only.

Any idea what would the "optimum" height for this kind of setup? 4x4 tent with 4 ~125W quantum boards?

 

[inDC4now]

Any idea what would the "optimum" height for this kind of setup? 4x4 tent with 4 ~125W quantum boards?

I think you just get in there and do it, @Blossom21 since your setup will be different from others. Say for example your driver is in the tent and temperatures are on the warm side you might move the lights higher and run them further from the plants. Or say it is cool in your tent you might grow with the lights lower and closer to the plants.