nice! i grew vertical trees for many years with the plants in a checkerboard pattern on 6 ft centers. i dropped a 1000 watt hortilux hps super vertically between each group of 4 plants, except for along the walls and corners, where i used 600 watt bulbs. this put at least 250 watts on every side of every plant.I grew vertically for many years in a 4x4 (1.2m x 1.2m) box that I built myself (before tents were all the rage) with 2x 600W HPS bare bulbs.
I do have an idea for a vertical LED setup, but it requires a hexagonal extrusion (tube). You could possibly do it with a square tube – with strips mounted to all four sides – but the light distribution/overlap is not as good as a hexagon.
There are hollow, hexagonal extrusions out there that I was planning to use, and so I would use a 1m-1.2m length with 2x 480mm High Light strips mounted end-to-end each side (12x total) and have active cooling (fan) on the floor blowing up, over the LEDS, as well as through the middle of hollow extrusion (PC fan possibly) to actively cool the heatsink.
By my calculation (based on previous experience), you need at least a 1.5' (45-50cm) diameter circle around the vertically hung LEDS as clearance, so the plants could grow about 20cm away. You would place a round tube trellis (a tube of fencing wire) around the vertical LEDS, and that would support the plants as they grew towards the LEDs. Then you simply weave the branches into the trellis – like a vertical scrog – and train the plants that way.
No need to turn the plants – they grow where the light is – and you end up with a canopy that grows around the LEDs and is much larger than the floor area of the tent.
A 1.5' diameter circle that is 5' high, for example, has a canopy surface area of (3.142 x 1.5 x 5 =) 23.5 sqft. A 4x4 tent has a floor area (nominal canopy surface area) of only 16 sqft.
Yes, it can be done!
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i suspected you were one of those thigmotropic fellows!@JKD
Extra cost, but a rotating light mover you wouldn’t need the hex LED. Hang your LED vertically from the centre hook. Gives the option also of using the arms and hanging another LED for the outside of your vertical scrog. Otherwise, don’t attach them. View attachment 19085366
There is a difficult to achieve stretch avoidance technique, where the tops are brushed regularly. Perhaps if these arms reached out as far as the plants, then a weighted line could be dropped. Said line, would brush anything getting into the zone. Helping with training.
I would have to try, if using such a thing. I also see your idea of just lights in the middle. The QBs and others, have screw holes for eye bolts. They would easy hang from each-other, with the obligatory cable ties.