Spiral LST Center Light

On another thread, I mentioned that I was using the Spiral LST method combined with DWC. This is that thread:

Budget DWC LST Basket Lid

One of the problems with spiral LST is that by spiraling the plant around, you not only create wide open spaces for some of the side branches to explore. But you also create an intensely competitive jungle in the center of the spiral. This seems to put spiral LST at a disadvantage to normal "spread-the-branches-apart" LST.

I'm slowly cobbling together a strategy for dealing with this problem. Somehow I've got to keep the central branches shorter than the outer ones so when I set up the ScrOG, the central branches can head straight up and fill the center of the screen. Then, with longer outer branches, I can spread those out to fill up the rest of the ScrOG.

The problem is how to makes sure that the lower inner branches get enough light, once she gets to a certain height. Also, how to keep them from trying to block each other's light in the center?

I had an old clear plastic tube I'd found and saved in my materials pile. It was, coincidentally, the same size as an old CD-R container lid..and very close to the same size as a 6 inch basket hoop.

I cut the basket off of the hoop on the 6 inch plastic basket.

Then a put an old desk lamp socket through a worthless CD I picked up and put the whole thing into the basket hoop. Then I put a bulb in to check the length and cut the plastic tubing.

It ended up looking something like this:



It puts off pretty good light with a 23w CFL in it.



You can change the bulb by removing the CD container lid from the bottom like this:



And finally..this is what it looks like installed in the plant.



I removed the CD Lid for now, as the plant gets taller, I can raise the light by inserting the CD Lid back under it.

It gets a little hot, but doesn't seem to be bothering her too much. I'll keep an eye on the progress and update this from time to time.

Smoke on..

daf

Any venting?

CFL ballasts are intended for open air application and burn out prematurely in a closed or semi enclosed setting.

And not to poop on the parade twice (yet doing just that), wouldn't a small screen be more effective and block less light? Bluhazy rocks the curly wig setup if you poke around for his journal.

also... cfls dim considerably when cooled agressivly.

they are supposed to run like 105 degrees f. they are not like HID bulbs... they have no outer envelope with a light vacuum.

Mikell: Venting is provided out the top via 4 holes melted through the CD the forms the top of the lamp. I also very much like your screen idea, except I like to spray the plants from time to time and the plastic tubing keeps the light fixture from getting wet. Again though, I really like the screen idea. I'll come up with a list of pros and cons and do a test. I have a piece of galvanized mesh with 1/4 inch holes that's already formed into a tube about that size. Just gotta find it..

queequeg: I'm not really cooling them, except for passive venting at the top. I'll make sure to keep that in mind though, as I'll need all of the power I can pump out of those lights to complete this mission.

Thanks again, I'll take all of the help I can get.

Smoke on y'all..

daf

It gets a little hot, but doesn't seem to be bothering her too much.

Click to expand...

- me

Oh the irony!

F--- F--- F--- F---! Heat Stress!!

Mikell: I looked for bluhazy's stuff. Found his 1cu ft. grow (awesome.) If you can find the journal you're talking about..I'm all ears. (Er..eyes I guess..)

daf

Center Light Update

Center Light Update

Update:

The 707 didn't make it through. The strawberry cough did, however, and she likes her center light a lot.

Some observations on this design:

1. You need to put a reflective surface at the bottom to keep your grow medium from heating up too much. Eventually (especially in hydroton and rock-like medias) the medium heats up and it can affect root growth and health. Glue foil or mylar to the CD container lid to reflect the heat back up. OR..in my case, I simply placed a blank CD at the bottom of the tube to reflect the light back up.

2. It is important to trim fan leave from the center of a spiral LST as soon as they start forcing their way over grow nodes. There simply isn't enough room for everybody in the center.

3. Misting the centers by removing the light (or pulling them back from the light) helps to avoid leave burn or heat stress.

4. A smaller light would get rid of a lot of the issues related to heat, as would a top fan. I'll update as the experiment continues.

Smoke on brothers and sisters..

daf