Are SF G4500 dimmer and height recos accurate?

RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
I came from 2 HLG 100 R Specs so maybe I'm just drunk with power on the G4500, but it seems like the hanging heights and dimmer intensity %s are too intense. Are these numbers assuming supplemental C02 is being provided? 14-16 inches seems very close and at 60-90% in veg that seems really intense. I would MAYBE hang my 100s at 14 inches or lower, but a 430w at up to 90%?! Am I missing something or is this just another example of factory suggestions being crap like most feeding charts etc. these days?
 

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calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
That seems like bad advice. I run my LEDs as low as possible and as far as possible from my plants. Basically I move the lights away from plants until I see ideal growth and they don't look stressed. Once in flower you want to blast them 100% from day 1 at a foot away from the top of the canopy, ideally, with LEDs.

The reason I say do not do their dim bullshit is the plant is going to have to adjust 5 times to light changes instead of 1 time. I have noticed zero benefit to slowly ramping lights vs just going from veg 300-500 PPFD to flower 100% 1000-1200 PPFD.

VEG pretty much dim all the way, unless they obviously look spindly/weak and keep distance around 2 feet. Bloom keep distance around a foot and blast them 100%. The biggest bottleneck to pulling 2 pounds a light is having your lights too far away or too dim. When the PPFD are cranking and co2 is above 500 PPM you will cruise smoothly.

Facebook Marketplace has a lot of despaired growers that will ship a LP burner with controller to you for mega cheap. if you do buy used grow equipment always wipe that shit down with 1 oz to 1 cup bleach water to kill anything. Super easy to refill LP BBQ tanks than refill Co2 canisters. I just paid $50 OTD for 40 lbs of LP. That'll last my 9 light grow 2 months minimum if I run the co2 as high as 1500 PPM which I normally run co2 at 1000 PPM.
 
RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
calvin.m16 said:
That seems like bad advice. I run my LEDs as low as possible and as far as possible from my plants. Basically I move the lights away from plants until I see ideal growth and they don't look stressed. Once in flower you want to blast them 100% from day 1 at a foot away from the top of the canopy, ideally, with LEDs.

The reason I say do not do their dim bullshit is the plant is going to have to adjust 5 times to light changes instead of 1 time. I have noticed zero benefit to slowly ramping lights vs just going from veg 300-500 PPFD to flower 100% 1000-1200 PPFD.

VEG pretty much dim all the way, unless they obviously look spindly/weak and keep distance around 2 feet. Bloom keep distance around a foot and blast them 100%. The biggest bottleneck to pulling 2 pounds a light is having your lights too far away or too dim. When the PPFD are cranking and co2 is above 500 PPM you will cruise smoothly.

Facebook Marketplace has a lot of despaired growers that will ship a LP burner with controller to you for mega cheap. if you do buy used grow equipment always wipe that shit down with 1 oz to 1 cup bleach water to kill anything. Super easy to refill LP BBQ tanks than refill Co2 canisters. I just paid $50 OTD for 40 lbs of LP. That'll last my 9 light grow 2 months minimum if I run the co2 as high as 1500 PPM which I normally run co2 at 1000 PPM.
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This is in line with what my thought process was. The light intensity in veg isn't nearly as important. I just flipped to flower so run it at 100% going forward at 12 inches? I'm not using any supplemental C02. I don't need pull lbs. or anything crazy as it's just me and 2 others so if I could avg out to say 2 or 3 oz per month I'd be more than satisfied.
 
calvin.m16

calvin.m16

Well-Known Member
RuggedWombat said:
This is in line with what my thought process was. The light intensity in veg isn't nearly as important. I just flipped to flower so run it at 100% going forward at 12 inches? I'm not using any supplemental C02. I don't need pull lbs. or anything crazy as it's just me and 2 others so if I could avg out to say 2 or 3 oz per month I'd be more than satisfied.
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In VEG, the main goal is maintaining strong light for healthy growth. Too little light leads to weak spindly branches. For flowering, high PAR light is crucial for big buds and decent yields. CO2 is vital; I use sealed grows with ductless AC for consistent 70-80°F. Running out of propane slows growth in c3 plants, they can take up to 1600 ppm with ease so why not provide it?
Using LP or NG burning for CO2 is efficient; mushroom methods don't raise CO2 enough. A small 2-burner setup works for small spaces with AC.

You should know as well, not using co2 would be like if you got a supercar that has half power with normal gas but full power with race fuel. Your running a supercar on normal gas rn at half power without co2 also you're actually being less efficient with your resources because your burning the same amount of electricity without reaping the benefits of all that par due to lack of elevated Co2.

This is assuming you live in a normal 400-450 ppm co2 zone and dont have a pack of dogs living in your grow room or just adjacent to it.

My vote: Save money on light dimmers/controllers and run co2, run lowest possible lighting in veg and blast them in flower. Keep co2 levels around 1200-1500 ppm when lights are on for optimal light and plant performance.
 
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RuggedWombat

RuggedWombat

Well-Known Member
calvin.m16 said:
In VEG, the main goal is maintaining strong light for healthy growth. Too little light leads to weak spindly branches. For flowering, high PAR light is crucial for big buds and decent yields. CO2 is vital; I use sealed grows with ductless AC for consistent 70-80°F. Running out of propane slows growth in c3 plants, they can take up to 1600 ppm with ease so why not provide it?
Using LP or NG burning for CO2 is efficient; mushroom methods don't raise CO2 enough. A small 2-burner setup works for small spaces with AC.

You should know as well, not using co2 would be like if you got a supercar that has half power with normal gas but full power with race fuel. Your running a supercar on normal gas rn at half power without co2 also you're actually being less efficient with your resources because your burning the same amount of electricity without reaping the benefits of all that par due to lack of elevated Co2.

This is assuming you live in a normal 400-450 ppm co2 zone and dont have a pack of dogs living in your grow room or just adjacent to it.

My vote: Save money on light dimmers/controllers and run co2, run lowest possible lighting in veg and blast them in flower. Keep co2 levels around 1200-1500 ppm when lights are on for optimal light and plant performance.
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I see what you're saying conceptually. C02 is ideal, but how far can I push them without it for now? I may get into C02 eventually, but I would need to do far more research as there are real risks and there are other people living in adjacent rooms. I want to know the limits to stay under for hanging distance and intensity so I don't completely cook them with a new light I've never tried before. I'm guessing blasting at 90% isn't possible without C02? Or results are just diminished? I had results I was happy with with just the HLG 100s so I have a low bar for expectations compared to a lot of people here that are talking about lbs and shit. Like I would be ecstatic with even 1 lb and would have more than I could even handle.
 
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