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

[indagroove]

That's true. The under-carriage was starved for light.

With the next plant, I want to stretch it out more (with lighting adjustments, that I'm getting a handle on) instead of just pruning, and put a lot more light towards the bottom.

I don't think it's so much about light as it is about apical dominance:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apical_dominance

 

[PCBuds]

I don't think it's so much about light as it is about apical dominance:

I think it's the lighting.

My main cola isn't the tallest or densest cola on my plant.




Main cola:




Secondary cola:





There was a study done where they introduced side lighting to a cannabis crop.

They normally pruned off the lower smaller branches to be more cost-effective but with the side lighting, they left them on and they produced enough to be cost-effective including the cost of the light and it's energy consumption.


My last grow only produced 0.5 grams/Watt but that's with my power-hungry fluoros and mistake after mistake with every other aspect of my grow.

I'm hoping to crack the 1 g/watt threshold with my next grow but I'm switching to strip lighting and to a hempy grow so there's going to be all kinds of new errors possible.

 

[Im'One]

I have some vanity light fixtures from habitat store, I was going to out grounded plugs on them and screw them to a plywood or 1x4 frame. Can I daisy chain those? Each has three one bulb outlets. In other words do I need a separate plug for each strip? What LED bulbs would u use for this? I was looking at lower wattage (9 watts each) but that's my take on it? Can I put a dimmer in the line some where?
I have five three light strips and want to light up a 3x5 space.

 

[PCBuds]

I have some vanity light fixtures from habitat store, I was going to out grounded plugs on them and screw them to a plywood or 1x4 frame. Can I daisy chain those? Each has three one bulb outlets. In other words do I need a separate plug for each strip? What LED bulbs would u use for this? I was looking at lower wattage (9 watts each) but that's my take on it? Can I put a dimmer in the line some where?

You should be fine to Daisy chain the sockets because you're running house current through them with house wiring or lamp cord.

Your sockets are probably designed to handle 40-100 Watts each with the old school incandescent's in mind and you're only going to have 10-14 Watt LED SILs in them so you should have plenty of headroom for safety.


The dimmer depends on the bulb. Some LED bulbs are dimmable and others aren't.

It's probably better to just unscrew a few bulbs instead of dimming.

I believe that dimmable bulbs aren't as efficient as non-dimmable. (but that's speculation)


The 14 Watt SILs seem to have more lumens per Watt than the 10 Watt SILs.
They're almost twice the output with only 4 more Watts.

The 14 Watt will have more heat that you would have to deal with.

In Canada, the 14 Watt SILs are way more expensive so I use 10 Watt.

 

[PCBuds]

I have five three light strips and want to light up a 3x5 space.

My closet measures 21" X 20" X ~4' tall and I've got 17 ten Watt SILs and a 160 Watt fluorescent fixture.

You're probably going to want to go with 14 Watt SILs.

 

[PCBuds]

notice the lower leaves? with how directional SILs are, hope you've realized you were just giving your soil a suntan with your bottom bulbs aimed as such.

That was my first attempt at side lighting with only 2 sockets on each wall.

The bottom socket turned out to be too high up the wall so I put an extender on the bulb to get it down lower but it wasn't flexible enough to do a full S-bend so that's just how it ended up.

 

[Im'One]

I don't see how you keep from burning the plant with LEDs that close. I have tried in the past and got burn streaks if the bulbs were within a foot. Of course I also took the bulb diffuser off so that may be why?

 

[PCBuds]

I don't see how you keep from burning the plant with LEDs that close. I have tried in the past and got burn streaks if the bulbs were within a foot. Of course I also took the bulb diffuser off so that may be why?

I have 5 ten Watt SILs hanging from the ceiling with the globes off and they will bleach/burn my plant if they are too close.

But as the plant gets older and bigger the SILs can get closer and closer without burning.

My sidelights have the globes on which really limits burning but when the leaves get close to the base, they "burn" and turn brown.

I was initially quite concerned about igniting a fire so I was removing the brown/dead leaves from around the base. (I don't care about losing some leaves)


As a test, I put a globeless 10 Watt SIL in a coffee can full of dry cannabis leaves for an hour and it was fine.

 

[FRANKENBUDS]

I have 5 ten Watt SILs hanging from the ceiling with the globes off and they will bleach/burn my plant if they are too close.

But as the plant gets older and bigger the SILs can get closer and closer without burning.

My sidelights have the globes on which really limits burning but when the leaves get close to the base, they "burn" and turn brown.

I was initially quite concerned about igniting a fire so I was removing the brown/dead leaves from around the base. (I don't care about losing some leaves)


As a test, I put a globeless 10 Watt SIL in a coffee can full of dry cannabis leaves for an hour and it was fine.

[URL=https://i.postimg.cc/XqDkbGfw/20191030_153853.jpg]View Image[/url]

Hey thats a really helpful experiment. Thanks for taking the time to try that. Stuff makes me feel better when I would walk in and see a plant turned over!

 

[PCBuds]

Hey thats a really helpful experiment. Thanks for taking the time to try that. Stuff makes me feel better when I would walk in and see a plant turned over!

There's always a chance for some sort of fire creating circumstance, like maybe if the leaves were a little damp, they could short circuit the driver and make a spark but I feel a lot more comfortable with my SILs now.

At least we're not using candles for lighting. Lol

 

[indagroove]

I think it's the lighting.

My main cola isn't the tallest or densest cola on my plant.

[URL=https://i.postimg.cc/XvygBc7s/20191116-071122.jpg]View Image[/url]


Main cola:

[URL=https://i.postimg.cc/26R7Qb1r/20191116-071601.jpg]View Image[/url]


Secondary cola:

[URL=https://i.postimg.cc/B6TcMSFD/20191116-071609.jpg]View Image[/url]



There was a study done where they introduced side lighting to a cannabis crop.

They normally pruned off the lower smaller branches to be more cost-effective but with the side lighting, they left them on and they produced enough to be cost-effective including the cost of the light and it's energy consumption.


My last grow only produced 0.5 grams/Watt but that's with my power-hungry fluoros and mistake after mistake with every other aspect of my grow.

I'm hoping to crack the 1 g/watt threshold with my next grow but I'm switching to strip lighting and to a hempy grow so there's going to be all kinds of new errors possible.

Well good luck with your challenge to science there, but in reality apical dominance is a thing. Yes, perhaps some additional light may see lower canopy improvement, but not to the extent that removing that lower shrubbery would improve overall plant vigor. At the rick of sounding like a dick here, I'd suggest that you study a bit more about botany and horticulture, especially hormonal responses within plants. It's not all about light.

I have 5 ten Watt SILs hanging from the ceiling with the globes off and they will bleach/burn my plant if they are too close.

But as the plant gets older and bigger the SILs can get closer and closer without burning.

My sidelights have the globes on which really limits burning but when the leaves get close to the base, they "burn" and turn brown.

I was initially quite concerned about igniting a fire so I was removing the brown/dead leaves from around the base. (I don't care about losing some leaves)


As a test, I put a globeless 10 Watt SIL in a coffee can full of dry cannabis leaves for an hour and it was fine.

[URL=https://i.postimg.cc/XqDkbGfw/20191030_153853.jpg]View Image[/url]

Frankly I don't think that's a great test. There is a big difference between a light being on for an hour, and 18-hours straight. Heck I get wind burn on some leaves after several weeks of being in direct path and close proximity to a fan, and light isn't even involved there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash you, but I think we need to be careful with what we suggest to others, especially when it's not yet proven.

I do like the work you've done here, I find it quite interesting. Thanks for that.

 

[PCBuds]

Well good luck with your challenge to science there, but in reality apical dominance is a thing. Yes, perhaps some additional light may see lower canopy improvement, but not to the extent that removing that lower shrubbery would improve overall plant vigor. At the rick of sounding like a dick here, I'd suggest that you study a bit more about botany and horticulture, especially hormonal responses within plants. It's not all about light.

I don't think I'm challenging science, and it wasn't my intent to do so.
The only reason my fluorescent fixture was installed vertically was that it was the only way I could jam it into my closet. I had to cut a hole at the back to slide it in.

It just seems to work and the results sort of speak for themselves so I put sockets on the side walls as well.
I'm hoping to try to stretch my plant out next time along with more lighting so I won't have to do any pruning but I'm just wingin' it.
We'll see what happens.

A lot of study on botany and horticulture wouldn't really help me out at this point because I have no consistency and I wouldn't be able to apply any knowledge effectively anyway.

I go from a 4-foot plant to an 8-inch plant doing everything the same way, with the same seeds, but keep messing up.
I've got to get the basics dialed-in before I can start adjusting any subtle differences.

The only hormonal input I have is switching from mostly cool white SILs to mostly soft white SILs when I flip to flower.

Frankly I don't think that's a great test. There is a big difference between a light being on for an hour, and 18-hours straight. Heck I get wind burn on some leaves after several weeks of being in direct path and close proximity to a fan, and light isn't even involved there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to bash you, but I think we need to be careful with what we suggest to others, especially when it's not yet proven.

I do like the work you've done here, I find it quite interesting. Thanks for that.

I thought it was a very helpful test.
I thought for sure I would have smoke within minutes and open flame within 20 minutes but that didn't happen.

I suppose I could redo the test and try to run it for 18 hours.
Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I'm still nervous enough to not want to go to sleep while the SIL is in a bucket of dry leaves.

 

[Hookahhead]

My girls finally got a new dorm.

Over the last 3-4 days the plants had grown into my bare SILs. All that happened (and has ever happened to me) is I get a few crispy brown burned spots where the leaf directly touches the diode. A lot of times this may just be one finger of a leaf. Obviously I moved leaves when I saw this, but it was unavoidable. Leaves touching the outside of the bulb/socket did not suffer the same damage. Any time you have a heat source and dry organic matter you should be concerned about fire. SIL with the globe on is safe enough to touch and therefore will not be any risk for fire.

 

[indagroove]

I don't think I'm challenging science, and it wasn't my intent to do so.
The only reason my fluorescent fixture was installed vertically was that it was the only way I could jam it into my closet. I had to cut a hole at the back to slide it in.

It just seems to work and the results sort of speak for themselves so I put sockets on the side walls as well.
I'm hoping to try to stretch my plant out next time along with more lighting so I won't have to do any pruning but I'm just wingin' it.
We'll see what happens.

A lot of study on botany and horticulture wouldn't really help me out at this point because I have no consistency and I wouldn't be able to apply any knowledge effectively anyway.

I go from a 4-foot plant to an 8-inch plant doing everything the same way, with the same seeds, but keep messing up.
I've got to get the basics dialed-in before I can start adjusting any subtle differences.

The only hormonal input I have is switching from mostly cool white SILs to mostly soft white SILs when I flip to flower.





I thought it was a very helpful test.
I thought for sure I would have smoke within minutes and open flame within 20 minutes but that didn't happen.

I suppose I could redo the test and try to run it for 18 hours.
Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I'm still nervous enough to not want to go to sleep while the SIL is in a bucket of dry leaves.

You don't have to do a lot of study on botany or horticulture, but a good foundation in the subjects is infinintly helpful to the cannabis grower. Simple knowledge of things like apical dominance and the hormonal effects associated with that phenomenon may really change your perspective in a more holistic way, and help you to grow better plants. I'm not opposed to side lighting at all, in fact I agree that it has positive outcomes. My only point is that no matter how much light you shine at this area, it's not going to compensate for for the hormonal reactions naturally produced through apical dominance:

All that extra growth down there is simply taking energy away from the rest of the plant where it could be better utilized. Also it is a potential invitation for fungus. I'd strip those branches a couple few inches up from the bottom for better airflow any use of ATP.

 

[PCBuds]

You don't have to do a lot of study on botany or horticulture, but a good foundation in the subjects is infinintly helpful to the cannabis grower. Simple knowledge of things like apical dominance and the hormonal effects associated with that phenomenon may really change your perspective in a more holistic way, and help you to grow better plants. I'm not opposed to side lighting at all, in fact I agree that it has positive outcomes. My only point is that no matter how much light you shine at this area, it's not going to compensate for for the hormonal reactions naturally produced through apical dominance:

View Image

All that extra growth down there is simply taking energy away from the rest of the plant where it could be better utilized. Also it is a potential invitation for fungus. I'd strip those branches a couple few inches up from the bottom for better airflow any use of ATP.

Okay, I'll remove them.

They've just little popcorn buds on them anyway.

Budrot is the enemy, although the relative humidity is really low right now.

Somewhere between 10% and 25%...

It's hard to tell.
Fricken gauges. Lol

 

[PCBuds]

There..



No more water for her, ..

I wanna start curing her while she's still in the ground. Lol

 

[indagroove]

Looks a lot better. Yeah I noticed that you have low rh in your grow area. That definitely is a huge help against mold. Trouble with mold is by the time you start to notice it, it's almost too late to do anything about it.

 

[PCBuds]

Looks a lot better. Yeah I noticed that you have low rh in your grow area. That definitely is a huge help against mold. Trouble with mold is by the time you start to notice it, it's almost too late to do anything about it.

No shit !!

I opened my closet a year or two ago and found more than half my buds completely fuzzed over with mold.

I panicked, .. chopped the plant, .. grabbed isopropyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide and soaked every bud.

It wasn't until later that I checked it with my microscope and realized it was spider mites.

Either way, I dried it and smoked it with my friends and gave most of it away.

Interestingly, it had a really cool deep red color.

We called it Dung Beetle Weed because it was full of bugs and tasted like shit. Lol

 

[PCBuds]

... Any time you have a heat source and dry organic matter you should be concerned about fire. SIL with the globe on is safe enough to touch and therefore will not be any risk for fire.

That is true.
I don't want myself or anyone else thinking that they are completely harmless and stop being careful.

I did put the SIL back in the coffee can though. I'm going to run it all day.

I kinda hope it does start to smolder.

 

[PCBuds]

I ran the 10 Watt SIL for 12 hours and my results were the same.
No smoke or fire but my house smelt like hay and I didn't want to smell it any longer.



The bulb was turning brown before I put it in the can.