HLG 600-R over a Panama and a Diet Durban

[graying.geek]

My new 600-R arrived last evening:



and after getting it unboxed, inventoried and clipped together, it replaces the 200-400W Bridgelux 4000K DIY I've been using for the past 3+ years. After getting it hung, plugged it in and dialed up to about 1/3 power at 233W output, the top of the light and driver are operating at ~46'C (113'F), so a bit warm, and space limitations in this vegging closet require pretty close placement to the canopy, so we'll see. Might have to dial it down a bit more after checking VPD.



The bucket on the right contains a Diet Durban (Seedsman), and a Panama (Ace) in the left bucket. Both are 4 weeks from germination. I've grown the DD before Seedsman replaced a pack that was prone to hermi (and it was, both plants ended up as compost) and it demonstrated the same vigor as this one. I had to cut the top 6 inches from this DD just to get it about the same height as the Panama. Both plants will transition to my 100 liter hydro in a couple weeks when the fall temps set in, then put on a flowering schedule for a pre-xmas harvest.

 

[pop22]

Looking good!

 

[graying.geek]

And now we have a scrog:

It looks like the 80'F+ temps *might* have retired for the year, so I've moved the 600-R and the 2 girls into the "production" hydro; 100 liter reservoir maintained by chiller at 18-19'C, 100 g of megacrop 1-part added for a ppm of ~500, then pH'd down to 5.5. Both plants have put on quite a bit of growth over the past week and the Panama has just about caught up with the Diet Durban. The Panama seems particularly picky about pH so getting her comfortable has required some attention, but I think I have her dialed in. As expected, the Diet Durban is a beast. Both plants are alleged to be "almost" 100% sativa, so I expect the added watts and deep red will make them smile.

The scrog is about 50%, so one more week in veg will fill in the screen to 75% and then switch to flowering schedule. Hopefully, both will finish by mid-Dec.

Still getting familiar with the 600-R. Currently dialed down to 360W, 20 inches from the canopy, and the thing does put out some heat. Gotta look into getting connectors and wiring to move the drivers out of the room. Also have to look into new side reflectors. I've screwed on brackets to hold the 40W UVA/B reptisun tube I use the last few weeks of flower, and have plans to attache side rails to mount 8-12W of 730nm Crees for Emmerson and flower initiation, but that'll probably wait for the winter run.

 

[graying.geek]

Air temp: 21-25’C
Res temp: 17-18’C
Res PPM: 650
RH: 45-55%



The 600-R is dialed up 2 clicks to 235 W. I’ll bump it another click to 350 tomorrow, then to 460 next week. I’ll do a primitive (lumens) survey of the canopy coverage in the next couple of days. HLG wants me to run this light at 40” above canopy during veg and ~30” during flower. Given their requirement to leave at least 15” above, and the light thickness of 3”, I’d be looking at reserving almost 5 feet of vertical space just for the light. Right. I assume that most of that space is to get distance between the light and canopy in order to improve coverage, but Wow! I'd prefer a bigger footprint to all that wasted space.

Changed the schedule to 12/12 yesterday and immediately had that sinking feeling that I waited too long to switch; both plants are primarily sativas and my experience growing them indoors suggest they need a lot of nutrient and light control to keep them from getting out of hand and stretching to the ceiling.

I’m in the process of building an aluminum frame around the 600-R on which I’ll first mount 8 watts of 730 LEDs for 15 minutes after lights-off to speed the phytochrome state change, and perhaps add additional 730s to balance with the deep red for the Emerson Effect during lights on, if I can get reliable info on how much I can add. I’ve read a wide range of how much 730 you can add without getting stretch, so if you have science-based input on this, please post.

 

[pop22]

I don't think the 730s will affect stretch much considering they are only on 15 minutes

Air temp: 21-25’C
Res temp: 17-18’C
Res PPM: 650
RH: 45-55%

View attachment 5199338

The 600-R is dialed up 2 clicks to 235 W. I’ll bump it another click to 350 tomorrow, then to 460 next week. I’ll do a primitive (lumens) survey of the canopy coverage in the next couple of days. HLG wants me to run this light at 40” above canopy during veg and ~30” during flower. Given their requirement to leave at least 15” above, and the light thickness of 3”, I’d be looking at reserving almost 5 feet of vertical space just for the light. Right. I assume that most of that space is to get distance between the light and canopy in order to improve coverage, but Wow! I'd prefer a bigger footprint to all that wasted space.

Changed the schedule to 12/12 yesterday and immediately had that sinking feeling that I waited too long to switch; both plants are primarily sativas and my experience growing them indoors suggest they need a lot of nutrient and light control to keep them from getting out of hand and stretching to the ceiling.

I’m in the process of building an aluminum frame around the 600-R on which I’ll first mount 8 watts of 730 LEDs for 15 minutes after lights-off to speed the phytochrome state change, and perhaps add additional 730s to balance with the deep red for the Emerson Effect during lights on, if I can get reliable info on how much I can add. I’ve read a wide range of how much 730 you can add without getting stretch, so if you have science-based input on this, please post.

 

[graying.geek]

I don't think the 730s will affect stretch much considering they are only on 15 minutes

Right. That 15 min of 8W of 730 is to quickly transition the plant to its dark state. Minimal issues with stretch here. I'm asking about adding 700+ nm to the daylight period for the Emerson Effect (different animal from flower initiation). The 600-R appears to have *some* 700+, but is it enough?

 

[bubba73]

What I’m seeing I’m starting 2 nd week of flower and the stretch isn’t much at all… will report starting week 3 ….if this is the case this changes a few things , go longer in veg and go taller…

 

[graying.geek]

What I’m seeing I’m starting 2 nd week of flower and the stretch isn’t much at all… will report starting week 3 ….if this is the case this changes a few things , go longer in veg and go taller…

Yeah, I'm not sure what to expect with with full spectrum. but hope you're right. The 2 sativas under my light have the potential to stretch through the ceiling.

 

[graying.geek]

As I expected, the canopy is becoming a jungle.



The Panama side of the screen (left) is almost "full" with just a couple holes in the screen on the end needing tops poking out. The Diet Durban (right) is showing it's vigor, having completely filled it's half of the screen and continuing to push up more tops. It's gonna be the uncomfortable situation where I'll have to remove tops to avoid overcrowding.

Using Megacrop for nutrients and with the vigorous growth have let the ppm drop to ~560 in an effort to slow down the stretch.

 

[xtsho]

And now we have a scrog:
View attachment 5196270
It looks like the 80'F+ temps *might* have retired for the year, so I've moved the 600-R and the 2 girls into the "production" hydro; 100 liter reservoir maintained by chiller at 18-19'C, 100 g of megacrop 1-part added for a ppm of ~500, then pH'd down to 5.5. Both plants have put on quite a bit of growth over the past week and the Panama has just about caught up with the Diet Durban. The Panama seems particularly picky about pH so getting her comfortable has required some attention, but I think I have her dialed in. As expected, the Diet Durban is a beast. Both plants are alleged to be "almost" 100% sativa, so I expect the added watts and deep red will make them smile.

The scrog is about 50%, so one more week in veg will fill in the screen to 75% and then switch to flowering schedule. Hopefully, both will finish by mid-Dec.

Still getting familiar with the 600-R. Currently dialed down to 360W, 20 inches from the canopy, and the thing does put out some heat. Gotta look into getting connectors and wiring to move the drivers out of the room. Also have to look into new side reflectors. I've screwed on brackets to hold the 40W UVA/B reptisun tube I use the last few weeks of flower, and have plans to attache side rails to mount 8-12W of 730nm Crees for Emmerson and flower initiation, but that'll probably wait for the winter run.

And *might* not.

 

[graying.geek]

And *might* not.

View attachment 5202626

Seriously, hi-80's at the end of Sept; whodathunk. At least our outdoor gardens appreciate the respite from the Sept monsoons.

 

[xtsho]

Seriously, hi-80's at the end of Sept; whodathunk. At least our outdoor gardens appreciate the respite from the Sept monsoons.

It's great for outdoor crops. Not so much for indoors if you have heat issues. It's only a couple days of high 80 temps. It shouldn't pose too much of a problem.

 

[bubba73]

I see your light has the mounts for a UVA light ..

 

[graying.geek]

I see your light has the mounts for a UVA light ..

Yup. I have a Reptisun UVA+B tube I'll stick in and run the last few weeks to harvest.

 

[graying.geek]

And the stretch continues for the Diet Durban (far side of photo). Mental note: 4 weeks of veg for any future Diet Durban grows. Geez this thing is getting gangly. This is the point in the past when a new sativa was getting out of control I'd put on a second scrog net, but the limited vertical space this light allows, I'm having to resort to cutting the tops off in order to keep them >12" from the light.

So far, the Panama has been surprisingly well-behaved with minimal stretch at 2 weeks into flower. The tops have started to reach for the light, but hopefully it won't be excessive and will remain manageable.

VPD running a bit low, so need to crank up the dehumidifier a notch or 2.

You folks who use quantum boards over a scrog will have to share with me how you deal with the uneven light distribution between the center and edges of the canopy. Even with reflective panels the light intensity drops off by >50% at the edges and my scrog ends up growing like a xmas tree, defeating the function of the scrog. I suppose purchasing another light to get full coverage of the canopy would do it, but seems like a huge waste.