Maximum Lumens

[Guest]

I read a lot about the proper amount of watts per sq. ft. to use in a growing area. But, what would be the "maximum" amount of lumens per sq. ft. that one could give to their plants before they begin to be harmed? HID lights, CFL's or any combination there of. And let's say that all heat issues are dealt with in a satisfactory mannor. Just wondering about overall light intensity.


Bh

 

[Budweiser13]

You should pick up the latest high times mag there is an article in there on Trichome Tech this guy K uses 9000 watts over 2 4x8 tables it like 88 square ft. it is a really good story.........He calls it super saturating with light.......

 

[treehuggers]

maybe we should make a pool what people are usin...

some distant bells in my brain are saying 50.... i am closer to 75.

 

[MTF-Sandman]

I've used 125w sq/ft 12" over the plants in a closet (1K Agrosun MH) with great results numerous times...as long as you can manage the temps it'll be fine - just maybe not the most efficient watts per sq/ft wise, but it's definitely the best yield per sq/ft I've seen...1lb+ isn't hard to reach in a 4x2x5 closet with those light levels.

Hey budweiser13, what were the yields off that setup? I assume he was doing a SOG?

 

[Budweiser13]

He never did give yields but he says he had a 192 clones in the main flower room with the 9000 watts. It is SOG and it is grandaddy purple. Just look at the new cover of HT mag that is the flower room..........

 

[Guest]

I think folks are missing the point here.........I'm looking for a maximun lumens pr sq. ft. number not watts. This is because different lights put out different amouts of lumens.


Bh

 

[kokua]

10,000 lumens per square foot is the magic number...I am not sure what the limit is though. But if you hit 10,000 you are good

 

[leroymmj]

Not positive, but I'd say over 12,000 lumens of light per sq ft might be over-kill even for tropical sativa's. Anything over 10,000 lumens per. sq ft and the leaves supposed bounch or reflect the excess off.

 

[Guest]

10,000 lumens per square foot is the magic number...I am not sure what the limit is though. But if you hit 10,000 you are good

kokua

Thanks man.......that's the sort of info I was looking for!!!!!!

I like your JL avitar by the way!

Bh

 

[Guest]

Okay, so I've done some calculations.......

I've got 300W of HPS & 300W of cfl's in my little grow box.
It turns out that I have about 13,500 lumens per sq. ft. (if mfg. specs are correct).

You guys think that's too much? Will I get better results when flowering if I cut it back a bit?

Bh

 

[kokua]

what space are you working with?

 

[Guest]

what space are you working with?

About 4.15 sq. ft. floor space & about 4 ft. of height.
First grow went kinda sorta okay..........just trying to determine if I over blasted the plants with light & if I can improve the performance of the grow box. The ventilation system I installed works great!!

Thanks for your help.


Bh

 

[kokua]

that does sound like an awful lot of light for that space.

 

[Sauce]

That is a lot of light but as long as you can cool it, there is no real limit to light. If temps are ok, the plants won't be harmed by excess light. However there is obviously a dropoff where extra light won't add much extra weight, and will just increase your electric bill and heat problems.