Prosperion, like the setup soon to be a med grower with card in California. I'm seriously considering the 2014 Area 51 190 light. Would just one work in a 4x4 tent? Seed to harvest? Do I need intake and exhaust fan? Would I need side lighting and what kind. Just looking to grow a few plants at a time to get started. Been reading up on indoor growing and really want to go led for various reasons. Grew for about 10 years back in the 70's and 80's but all outside. Any input on the Area 51 190 light would be appreciated.
Hey Socal, let's see if I can get some of your questions answered...
SGS190: Coverage: Minimum 24" x 32" ; Maximum 39" x 39" ; Recommended 32" x 32"
We recommend that you try to stay close to 32"x32" as possible.
I'm seriously considering the 2014 Area 51 190 light. Would just one work in a 4x4 tent?
Based on the above website specs, I'd say your 4x4 tent would have about 6-12" of empty space around the edges. In actual use, most growers don't grow wall to wall and leave room to get in for maintenance.
Just looking to grow a few plants at a time to get started.
I'd say you could grow up to 6 plants in 5 gal containers 8-9 week veg. I've run up to 5 plants in my 2' x 3' closet with a SGS160 light. I think 2 to 4 plants would yield the best results and largest harvests.
Seed to harvest?
Yes, these panels are designed with all the light spectrum you need from start to finish. Seedling stage: I would raise the panel to about 24-36" to harden the seedlings then bring it down over a week or two to about 18", sweet spot.
Do I need intake and exhaust fan?
You won't need an evacuation system for heat, these panels run about 1-3 degrees over ambient temps. I recommend an exhaust fan for air circulation, the plants need fresh air all the time to grow the best. I run a 140 cfm 4" inline with a variable speed controller set at 15-20% power. This runs every other hour when I'm growing and evacuates the air to the attic to be scrubbed by a Phresh carbon filter mounted to the exhaust duct. I have zero odor issues or sound, this stealth closet sits in the middle of my house. I run passive air intake without a fan. If odor is not a concern, you can crack the door or open a couple flaps. During 12/12 you will need to make sure the light does not enter the tent at lights out.
Would I need side lighting and what kind.
I'd say that if you kept your grows at four plants you would be fine without supplemental lighting. Make sure your walls have Mylar for best reflection. I rotate my plants daily on center and in the grow room. This keeps the plant symmetrical and prevents the issues seen with edge lighting. If oyu do buy side lighting, I would recommend t-5s over my t-8s. They do very little in harvest production, but they do illuminate the bottom of the grow so I can keep an eye on soil conditions and other important things going on under the canopy.
My buddy Myco has a couple SGS190s in action right now. He's an excellent HID grower recently converted to LED.
You can find his grow here: at post #1172 for LEDs
https://www.rollitup.org/grow-journals/664456-iced-grapefruit-skunk-1-menage-30.html
Grew for about 10 years back in the 70's and 80's but all outside.
Best of luck getting back into growing. Some of the gear has changed over the years, but gardening principles are still the same. Light, water, food, and air will grow any plant. You still have that green thumb, just need to apply it to indoor conditions and that takes a little practice. Same thing I went through a couple years ago.
arasitic dum-dum
but am surprised so far. Flipped the light at first preflower and she was only 11 inches tall but staaaaacked and bushy.really really bushy
