I guess it's really not a problem but, i'm in flower and I like to keep ph around 6-6.5 during that time.There are a million reasons why the PH could swing, but if it stays at 5.7, what's the problem?
I guess it's really not a problem but, i'm in flower and I like to keep ph around 6-6.5 during that time.There are a million reasons why the PH could swing, but if it stays at 5.7, what's the problem?
2,000 plants? don't think so.... sounds like a quick route to federal pound me in the ass prisonespecially in florida. get a good a/c it's f'in hot there
Is there a reason you're trying to do a ton of small plants instead of fewer bigger ones?? bigger plants will put out more bud.
To cover that amount of space with LED is going to cost a fortune, the main reason using high quality LED is viable for cannabis is the artificial inflation of value due to its' illegal status. This could be alleviated if you DIY'd as i suggested before, but you dont seem interested in that.
We cant really tell you how much heat is going to be put out, unless you want an answer like "quite a lot".
For a more specific answer, i.e in Watts, a good rule of thumb would be to assume that your lights are 20% efficient, i.e 80% of their wattage = heat. Sooooo 100 watt light = 80 watts of heat.
i have 2x of these cheap 4x4 tents.. http://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Sun-VS4800-48-48-Inch-78-Inch/dp/B005CJOANM
im happy with them, no issues
What lighting/ventilation do you have in there and how hot does it get?
yo, I use this 400cfm fan -- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002JQ14F8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=A1DXN92KCKEQV4
But its on a speed controller at the very lowest setting.
I used to use 400w mh / 600w hps both dimmable. It would get pretty hot as I was just venting into the room. could get like 10+ degrees above room easy.
Now I use LEDs, hans pannels.. and they barly give off any heat. probably raise the tents by 1-2 degrees from room temperature.. pretty awesome.
I still use the fan, but not for heat... to move the humidity out of the tents.
Matticus,
Dont take this the wrong way but there are just wayyy too many variables for us to just "predict" what will happen (as i said before).
you are jumping into something quite complicated, doing it on a large scale, and trying to get the quick and easy answer when really, if you are going to use LED (or anything for that matter) you need to understand it, in depth.
I would not want to shell out for 6 commercial panels (a couple month wages as you point out) without having a true understanding of what is happening- i.e to the point where you do not need to ask these questions.
Again i want to stress that this isnt meant to be a flame. Im just concerned that you are running before you can walk.
The plants we are initially using, need a lot of maintenance. They need quite particular growth conditions, eg not too much direct light, not too hot,
I did some math and research online and between 100-200 umol is the optimal lighting. To achieve about 175 I would, luckily, only need one fixture of two 5000 lumen t5 bulbs per 4'x2.5' shelf. That would bring me to a total of 6 fixtures covering at $600. I found the fixtures online including the bulbs at htgsupply for $100 http://htgsupply.com/Product-GrowBright-4-Foot-2-Lamp-High-Output-T5-With-Choice-of-Bulbs.asp
That brings my total lighting cost down to $10 per square foot. I would still be able to grow 960 plants in that area if it were maxed out.
Now you're on track with what I was suggesting.
Cost:benefit
If you can cover the 4ft X 2.5ft area with 2x 54W bulbs, why not space them apart instead of one fixture? As you increase the distance from the light source, the intensity of the light diminishes significantly(fast with T5's). Instead of running 6 fixtures, look at it as 12 fixtures. If the space is 2.5ft deep, mount the two tubes 10-16" apart. VS one fixture in the middle with two bulbs. I don't know if it's worthwhile, but it's a thought to kick around. Depends on how you want to set it up.