Off the shelf retail store screw-in LED and CFL bulb comparisons

[Cannablessed]

Beautiful plants everyone!

 

[repuk]

El Tigre, those are some amazing fall colors! kudos!

Cannablessed, in soil as long as you water always with the same water and it's not really hard, is usually more predictable to just feed tap water than to ph it, unless you spend a decent amount on a reliable ph meter and impose yourself strict maintenance mantras. Cannabis is hardy and adapts easily if kept steady, whereas a flaky meter usually means constant changes on ph.

If you're looking after more growth speed, the way is usually hydro.

I like coco due to being between both waters. But the moment you step into hydro... lots of variables that can go wrong instead of letting mother nature do her thing. As every skill, a matter of getting used to, not saying that it is hard... and coco is forgiving to a certain point vs other hydro techniques.

Of course when you finally dial everything... the reward is seeing them grow.

Sinergy with SILs
I think SILs provide the other half of a very efficient equation: hydro "spoon feeding" with minimal energy loss, whereas SILs provide an easy energy source to replenish, energy that can be devoted to reach success: maximum yield, towards maximizing self preservation.

My theory is the key with SILs is building an array that provides a "light wall" of equal light intensity by proper overlapping.

As "Sun" is no longer that directional, by shaping the canopy flat and having high light intensity sources inches apart the multiple tops (no radiation, and each SIL LED chip being lower watts doesn't have that cooking or bleaching ability) phototropism is kind of fooled and stops "tuning" the growth direction, staying flat and achieving that flat perky snow flake pattern: each top thinks it's perfectly centered to the sun, which prevents stretch too.

Efficiency is a survival trait... hence the smallish leaves.

btw I suck growing in soil! I'm afraid I cannot stay still being used to the speed of coco an get in the way... I promised myself to change that and learn to work with mother nature.

 

[Cannablessed]

while growing in other mediums may provide a faster or more efficient route for the nutes and water to be absorbed, soil will be the only way i grow. i would be interested in seeing a SIL hydro grow, although im sure there are a few hiccups that would need to be dealt with as with any set up.

El Tigre, big thumbs up that plant is/was beautiful.....

also just a general question to post here, what kind of effects do the SIL grown plants have as compared to plants from a CFL grow? any notable differences in the stone? ive heard rumor its great but i figured id ask the people with first hand knowledge.

here we are at day 40 this is just the best photo i had from that session

Cheers

(dunno why the Fudge my pictures load sideways) oh well still pretty

 

[repuk]

Haven't tasted SILs flowers yet, but have from the HML. Generally speaking, I'd say flowering under LEDs and specially noticeable on live plants under SILs, they're more aromatic, more flavourful.

Another treat, the crazy big pistyls, I'm shocked at the hairs the Nep Jam under SILs is throwing, remembers me of anemones. So expect hairier buds

Phew.... finally after 6 days my first seedlings that will grow outdoors in soil broke dirt... I had lost hope!

Respect Cannablessed, didn't want you to switch methods

 

[Cannablessed]

Phew.... finally after 6 days my first seedlings that will grow outdoors in soil broke dirt... I had lost hope!

TBH I got my best results from peat moss pellets. I started roughly 9, in a moist paper towel....and I have only one plant from that. You know those jiffy ones. Seed to true leaves in roughly 4-5 days, and after that I’ve waited until I see the taproot coming out of the bottom. And BOOM! Business as usual. ( by that I mean transplant and and then pot up again in a month or so to final container)

Although you could be talking about in ground cultivation and at that point I quit talking because I would know not what I speak.

 

[Cannablessed]

Oops

Oops

here we are at day 40 this is just the best photo i had from that session

Cheers

(dunno why the Fudge my pictures load sideways) oh well still pretty

I truly spread lie. My apologies again this picture is not day 40 of flower. That picture is day 32 flower.

I do a lot of this post medicating, probably a bad idea but it gets the nerves out so well!

 

[repuk]

I truly spread lie. My apologies again this picture is not day 40 of flower. That picture is day 32 flower.

I do a lot of this post medicating, probably a bad idea but it gets the nerves out so well!

You mean under the influence of our sacred herb?

I usually sow straight into coco, solo cup sized pots. Really rare not seeing their little heads before 24-36 hours, but this grow will be an outdoor, and soil grow, two unexplored areas for me.

Could have started them in jiffies... will next time. Tried not to get in the way of mother nature...

 

[Athos]

TBH I got my best results from peat moss pellets. I started roughly 9, in a moist paper towel....and I have only one plant from that. You know those jiffy ones. Seed to true leaves in roughly 4-5 days, and after that I’ve waited until I see the taproot coming out of the bottom. And BOOM! Business as usual. ( by that I mean transplant and and then pot up again in a month or so to final container)

Although you could be talking about in ground cultivation and at that point I quit talking because I would know not what I speak.

As for me, the best results I get are from seeds put in a glass of warm water for 24 hours, then directly to a solo cup full of soil.
I've had bad experiences with jiffys

 

[Cannablessed]

As for me, the best results I get are from seeds put in a glass of warm water for 24 hours, then directly to a solo cup full of soil.
I've had bad experiences with jiffys

I too have tried that method. Many times I have started seeds and never done anything with them seems to me that no matter the method it will find a way to grow if it’s meant to be.

Ok so today I want to introduce a plant that’s been veging under 32w sil and it’s just under 3 weeks from sprout. It’s been topped, and it’s had some leaf edges torn (oops) but supposedly it’s Acapulco Gold....no way to know for sure

 

[repuk]

Hairy Nep Jam

Hairy Nep Jam

Not that noticeable now with sugar leaves going on... could be the pheno but this Nep Jam #2 under SILs was really hairy, with huge hairs, 3x-4x the girth I was used to:

Nep Jam #1 (under COBs) looks mostly similar, if a lil smaller, but hairs aren't that long and huge. Hairs from both look almost neon white, strain trait I guess.

For comparison, a plant with similar morphology, Guawi (HPS):

 

[Cannablessed]

these....I’m speechless. Very beautiful! Such dense long hairs, this phenomenon may very well be from the use of the SIL as my plant has expressed this as well, mainly on lower bud sites that have a decent breeze.

Repuk if I may, how may grows do you have under your belt? I can’t look at your photos without wondering this. Bear in mind the plants I have and the ones I’ve seen online are the only ones Ive seen. This place has been the most beneficial to my study’s and comparisons.

One day I’d love to be in the industry and advocate and grow. But I need much more research.

 

[repuk]

Repuk if I may, how may grows do you have under your belt? I can’t look at your photos without wondering this. Bear in mind the plants I have and the ones I’ve seen online are the only ones Ive seen. This place has been the most beneficial to my study’s and comparisons.

One day I’d love to be in the industry and advocate and grow. But I need much more research.

I think this should be my eighth or ninth crop, I run like 3 crops on my first (2008), another three on second (2012 understairs), now it's my third grow so these are my eighth and ninth, tenth with the outdoor crops.

I think this forum name truly depicts the philosophy I learnt and am always learning on this forum!

I'd say you're acing it already... first two plants, micro grow, training... not for begginners/faint of heart definitely. I used a full sized tent for flowering my first three...

One thing is clear: SILs eases it by a good margin.

 

[Samuel Caldwell]

Update on my tent because I like pictures.

1-full tent - left side is purple kush bagseed, center seedlings are Ace Tikal fems, top right is an old booberry kush tester from dankfrank at Stank Bros, bottom right is white cookies bagseed
2-booberry kush
3-purple haze
4-white cookies

The white cookies have very strong aromas already! Nothing too identifiable, just that nice, dank, fresh young plant smell. The bbk is pretty strong, too, but it's a bit different.

 

[3snowboards]

Got these 15.5w 5000k

Made this with a $2 power strip

 

[HuffnPufferfish]

15 years, after 3 yrs my "first gen" leds started to fail (mostly the drivers so i keep the chips for whatever) comparable hours to fluor tubes so its not that bad
the newest models sure run a lot cooler on the electronics

 

[3snowboards]

Right now I have about 100w
15.5w produce considerable heat

They bright

 

[Cannablessed]

Starting week 6 in a few days, buds are very dense, especially the very tops of the colas. Very nice trichrome development, pistols have began changing to a Amber color. No signs of hermie or pollination thank who ever for letting this one be a female

On a different note, aside from a dehumidifier, any home remedy to lower humidity? It seems that there is a spike in humidity in the morning and it decreases as the day progresses....I DONT like this as I would hate to wake up to mold! By spike I mean that it stays around 45-50% R/h constantly, and in the mornings it’s up to 63 or greater. Any help is appreciated.
Cheers

 

[repuk]

Wow your girl look incredible!

I wouldn't change a thing unless absolutely necessary... do you have good ventilation?

The simplest automatic solution is a small peltier dehumidifier, and a RH controller for terrariums, that would switch on the dehumidifier when RH higher than say 55%,

 

[Cannablessed]

Wow your girl look incredible!

I wouldn't change a thing unless absolutely necessary... do you have good ventilation?

The simplest automatic solution is a small peltier dehumidifier, and a RH controller for terrariums, that would switch on the dehumidifier when RH higher than say 55%,

Truly it’s hats off to the amazing members of this thread. Albeit I was using led before I found it, the fact remains. This place is awesome!

As far as ventilation is concerned, I may have mine a little ass backwards but it works. I draw air into my cab from the middle of the cabinet, essentially directly above the canopy with a 4” 12v pc fan, and a 3 “ pc fan pulls air out of the cabinet opposite the intake fan, and about 3-5 inches off the bottom and inside I have two additional fans one 5” and another 6” blowing at about a 45 degree angle against each other to circulate.

Now I know what you’re thinking, but cannablessed, hot air rises and cold air sinks, you’re working against yourself. Yeah yeah but my veg box is on the exhaust side of flower box and damnit if it didn’t just workout to where the flower cab regulates the the temp and RH of my veg box....

I know it’s a ton to digest and probably 100% opposite of ideal. Again all input is appreciated.

It’s awesome having people who have done this several times telling me to chill and my plant is fine, but as a first time grown we all know learning has to start somewhere.
Cheers

 

[Cannablessed]

Right now I have about 100w
15.5w produce considerable heatView Image
They bright
View Image

Plants look like they are coming along. Interested to watch this one all the way through as those 5000k lights will produce a ton of vegetative growth. You also mentioned they get hot, I use two small pc fans to blow air directly across my lights, you may also consider over head venting if head space is tight but I’m sure you know what you’re doing.

I myself was shocked to see how well these plants thrive under LED lighting! I mean seriously a fraction of the cost of higher intensity lighting and for a small grow or for beginners it’s really a no brainer to reach for the LED