Lighting Times and a Few Other Qs

OK so i should be getting a 600w hps to add with my led tomorrow but i would like to change my lighting hours
at the moment my light is on 18/6
so it turns off at 11pm and on a 5am
or something like that

Would it screw with the plant if i changed the on off times but kept it on 18/6.
also
since my plants have been on the leds and its quite cold at the moment do you think i should start with the light as far away from the plants as possible and then move it slowly down over a week or 2? (stop them going into heat shock or something)
How close should i have the light to the plant?

I'd just slowly shift the time an hour per day until the desired schedule is reached for minimal shock but I don't think doing it in one day is going to hurt it much either.

I think with a 600 watt light you could start @ 2 feet away and slowly work your way down. You could alternatively judge the distance by placing your hand where the top of your canopy will be; if it becomes uncomfortable after 30 seconds or so then it's too close.

Not sure how you'd deal with heat shock. If I were you I'd want to be able to observe the temps the day (like every 30 minutes) you put the light in to see how much hotter it's getting over just the LED's.

abecsta said:

Would it screw with the plant if i changed the on off times but kept it on 18/6.

Click to expand...

nope

Heylo

I am still working on my first grow. But, I did read somewhere that if the light burns your hand, it will burn your plant. I know that is not much to offer. But, maybe it might help your thought process.

I was never a big fan of the "hand test", because it leaves too much room for error. I mean, what EXACTLY does "uncomfortable" mean? For example, 100* isn't very hot to a human, and'd be far from what I'd describe as "uncomfortable", yet'd be more than I want my plants basking in. Yeah, the hand test can work great for a guy who has experience, but to a new guy, it's iffy, at best.

Anyway,...I use a 600 HPS, non air-cooled(atm), and run it at about 16" from the closest top, without any problems. That's with room temps in the lower 80's, and humidity around 30%. That's during the last 3-4 weeks of flowering, during the first few weeks, I back it off a couple inches(18-20"), then bring it down when the buds are packing on weight. Start out at around 20", and you won't have any problems, as long as your room temps aren't through the roof, or have no fans blowing air across your plants.

thanks all of you for ya help
1 more question ...for now
will it shock them if i do it this way
switch plants over to 24/7 tonight with my led then add the hps when i have the spare time and switch it to the lighting schedule that i would prefer

and also i have my 600w at home now

thanks i chucked the hps in and changed the timer
ill post some pics up tomorrow or later tonight

If already in flower and changing schedule extent dark time to reach new time. Also with summer coming you may want to consider light at night when it cooler. I've give up a summer in door with a 1000w. It just to hard to cool.
Since you used LED during veg why did you not continue with LED in flower. LED would keep the heat down enough to keep a grow though summer, I think.

Its winter here snew and its getting cold bit of snow on the hills when i went out the other day. and its 9degrees in the roof area atm

thats why i added the hps to raise the temp at night.

With a 600 you will definately need heaps of airflow and start about 45-50cm from the tops, make sure your temps are right then gradually bring the light height down. If you notice any burn then back it off a bit you will get a feel for it thats preti much all there is to it . How long you planning to veg for? A friend of mine has a large closet with a 600 in summer and a 1000 in winter and usually pulls near a pound per harvest very nice sized buds

shes been vegging for 34 days now so in about a week or 2 yeah im kinda in a comp with a friend with the same strain so i want to beat them in potency and final weight
that's why im looking at adding UVB light