Alternatives to HPS that live up to their hype?

[Coir]

I also have a rep for a new LED company coming by on Tuesday to drop off a bunch of their new lighting for me to test! Updates pending.....

 

[Dojoking]

I have the original Rocket fixture and the plants do love the light it emits. The only problem I have faced with it is that it covers such a small area. Maybe the new fixture will solve that issue.

Ahhh, I'am glad to speak to another person that has a Rocket Plasma fixture. There are a couple other grow threads on another grow forum but only one with good photos and those plants are about half way through flowering now. How did you like the finished buds? Were they a good quality? Airy? Dense enough?

Do you happen to have a grow thread using it? :woot:

 

[CheeseDawg91]

it looks like the rocket plasma could be the one, dojoking
do you know the price in it yet? I didnt see a price on topangatech. It also looks like they have at least 2 models with an actual draw of 470w but supposedly replacable for 1000w, do you know which one it is? one of the two models says coming soon
Coir, that's great to hear. Im looking forward to hearing about those new lights and seeing how they perform.

 

[CheeseDawg91]

it looks like the rocket plasma could be the one, dojoking
do you know the price in it yet? I didnt see a price on topangatech. It also looks like they have at least 2 models with an actual draw of 470w but supposedly replacable for 1000w, do you know which one it is? one of the two models says coming soon
Coir, that's great to hear. Im looking forward to hearing about those new lights and seeing how they perform.

APL1000-4000SR "Side-fed"


Topanga’s replacement system for 1000W HID.
Electrode-free HID system provides high brightness solutions with better efficiency. Single-point source can be optimized with different reflector designs. Reliable solid-state driver. Topanga APL1000 recommended for applications requiring >80 CRI., 40,000 lumens.

Only 470 Watts total power consumption.

Topanga’s Side-fed resonator design. One of two APL resonator options.

APL1000-5500SR "Side-fed"
Topanga’s replacement system for 1000W HID.

Electrode-free HID system provides high brightness solutions with better efficiency. Single-point source can be optimized with different reflector designs. Reliable solid-state driver. Topanga APL1000 recommended for applications requiring >80 CRI., 44,000 lumens.

Only 470 Watts total power consumption.
Coming soon...
http://topangatech.com/products/

 

[Dojoking]

it looks like the rocket plasma could be the one, dojoking
do you know the price in it yet? I didnt see a price on topangatech. It also looks like they have at least 2 models with an actual draw of 470w but supposedly replacable for 1000w, do you know which one it is? one of the two models says coming soon
Coir, that's great to hear. Im looking forward to hearing about those new lights and seeing how they perform.

I don't know a price or anything on the new model. They literally just announced it earlier today with just the photo I posted earlier and 470 watt description on instagram. I checked the Topanga products again when they announced it and just assumed it was the one that didn't say "coming soon" but. It could be either one. I don't think it really matters though because the Rocket Plasma/Alphalite 235 watt versions use a different bulb than the ones shown on Topanga's website which is why the spectrum is a bit different from what they show on the topanga site for the 235 watt versions. So I am assuming the 470 watt version Rocket Plasma will have a similar spectrum to the 235 watt Rocket Plasma.

 

[CheeseDawg91]

I didnt see a price on the current model either though. Does topanga sell them or are they just the manufacturer? and theyre at grow stores or a different site?

 

[Dojoking]

I didnt see a price on the current model either though. Does topanga sell them or are they just the manufacturer? and theyre at grow stores or a different site?

Topanga doesn't sell the rocket plasma fixture they are the manufacturer of the plasma technology. www.MonsterGardens.com and www.growershouse.com both sell the 235 watt version but. They don't have the 470 watt version listed because it just came out. The guy with the grow thread on the other grow forum just bought his from Rocket Plasma directly. Give them a call, I don't see why they wouldn't give you the pricing and other info you are seeking. Who knows... They might give you a discount or let you test one if you do a grow journal here on www.thcfarmer.com for them.

www.rocketplasma.com Phone # from website = 877-777-4769

 

[CheeseDawg91]

cool thanks! ill give them a call and get a quote one or or two of the upcoming model. or if that's too long a wait ill get the current one if the price is not too out of control . ill also try to learn the differences between them if they can give me some info, like if one is gonna be for veg one for flower or if this new one is just a more complete spectrum and more lumens. Someone with a better understanding of that could tell from those charts above what those two models would be ideal for, no?

 

[CheeseDawg91]

do joking or others, any idea why gorilla grow brand tents are so much more expensive than other brands of the same sizes? are they worth it?

 

[Dojoking]

cool thanks! ill give them a call and get a quote one or or two of the upcoming model. or if that's too long a wait ill get the current one if the price is not too out of control . ill also try to learn the differences between them if they can give me some info, like if one is gonna be for veg one for flower or if this new one is just a more complete spectrum and more lumens. Someone with a better understanding of that could tell from those charts above what those two models would be ideal for, no?

I am no expert on the spectrum subject by any means but. Just look at the color temperature for the bulbs if you are trying to figure out whether they are good for vegetative or flowering stages.

Spectrum
Per Wikipedia, "The color temperature of a light source is the temperature of an ideal black-body radiator that radiates light of comparable hue to that of the light source." Colors above 5000K are known as cool colors (blue) and closely resemble natural sunlight. Colors below 3,000K are known an warm colors (red). The spectrum of light is important to horticulture because each spectrum triggers different responses from the plants—blue light induces vegetative growth, red light induces flowering. This in turn plays into which type of lighting rig you'll use and when—some types specialize in certain parts of the spectrum while others can span multiple wavelengths.

Check out this link for more general info on how to choose the right grow light: http://gizmodo.com/5903134/better-know-a-grow-light


Gavita plasma Color Temperature= 5600k ( )

Hortilux HPS Color Temperature= 2100k ( )

Rocket Plasma Color Temperature= 3000k ( http://www.rocketplasma.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/rocket_plasma_spectrum.jpg )

 

[Dojoking]

do joking or others, any idea why gorilla grow brand tents are so much more expensive than other brands of the same sizes? are they worth it?

Sorry buddy, I don't know jack about grow tents.

 

[Coir]

do joking or others, any idea why gorilla grow brand tents are so much more expensive than other brands of the same sizes? are they worth it?

They cost more because they are made with much heavier parts. If you want to do pullups inside your tent, then definitely get one as they are strong enough to hold you(and anything else that might be inside the tent)up. I can tell you that lighter(less expensive) tents work fine but having a light support rail break or come out of the end piece over your almost finished crop is not fun at all!
I had to modify all the end caps on my tent to hold up the LEC because it was too heavy for the tent I own. Almost had a real disaster in there at one point.
Made me think that I will replace all of the frame of mine with 3/4" conduit and heavy fittings in the future which would make it as strong as the Gorilla tent for less money.

 

[Coir]

Ahhh, I'am glad to speak to another person that has a Rocket Plasma fixture. There are a couple other grow threads on another grow forum but only one with good photos and those plants are about half way through flowering now. How did you like the finished buds? Were they a good quality? Airy? Dense enough?

Do you happen to have a grow thread using it? :woot:

I added the Rocket to a 5x5 tent that was in flower under the 315W LEC. I have not run it by itself due to the fact that I would need at least 2 of them for my tent and I am not going to spend another 1K on one at this time. While the plants do seem to really like the light this thing puts off, it's really only usable to cover about 2.5'X2.5' in my opinion.
The plants all did well and yield was quite high and quality even higher than expected. I did see more leaves under the combination of the plasma and LEC than under straight HPS but it did not effect density at all.
Here is what they looked like right before harvest.

 

[Dojoking]

I added the Rocket to a 5x5 tent that was in flower under the 315W LEC. I have not run it by itself due to the fact that I would need at least 2 of them for my tent and I am not going to spend another 1K on one at this time. While the plants do seem to really like the light this thing puts off, it's really only usable to cover about 2.5'X2.5' in my opinion.
The plants all did well and yield was quite high and quality even higher than expected. I did see more leaves under the combination of the plasma and LEC than under straight HPS but it did not effect density at all.
Here is what they looked like right before harvest.View attachment 426887

I agree with you on the 2.5' x 2.5' 235 watt footprint from what I have been seeing in photos. The LEC 315 seems to have a footprint around the same size as well from what I have heard and seen from others ( maybe 3' x 3'?). In my opinion, when we are talking about new technology and a better sun like spectrum than the traditional HID technology it comes down to plasma or LEC. I have been wondering about which of the two technologies runs hotter. Which one can the plants get closer to without being damaged? Do you have an opinion on that considering you had them both running in the same tent?

 

[CheeseDawg91]

I agree with you on the 2.5' x 2.5' 235 watt footprint from what I have been seeing in photos. The LEC 315 seems to have a footprint around the same size as well from what I have heard and seen from others ( maybe 3' x 3'?). In my opinion, when we are talking about new technology and a better sun like spectrum than the traditional HID technology it comes down to plasma or LEC. I have been wondering about which of the two technologies runs hotter. Which one can the plants get closer to without being damaged? Do you have an opinion on that considering you had them both running in the same tent?

very interested in knowing the answer to this as well, since tents limit height the cooler light could buy someone a few inches or even a foot or more of vertical grow space, especially compared to hps and how hot they are

 

[CheeseDawg91]

very interested in knowing the answer to this as well, since tents limit height the cooler light could buy someone a few inches or even a foot or more of vertical grow space, especially compared to hps and how hot they are

doesnt look like an issue for coir tho! that canopy looks pretty even and not too close to the light despite being full grown and close to/ready for harvest

 

[Coir]

I agree with you on the 2.5' x 2.5' 235 watt footprint from what I have been seeing in photos. The LEC 315 seems to have a footprint around the same size as well from what I have heard and seen from others ( maybe 3' x 3'?). In my opinion, when we are talking about new technology and a better sun like spectrum than the traditional HID technology it comes down to plasma or LEC. I have been wondering about which of the two technologies runs hotter. Which one can the plants get closer to without being damaged? Do you have an opinion on that considering you had them both running in the same tent?

The LEC covers the 5x5 perfectly for the veg phase as long as you train your plants to keep them short. The drawback comes with the size of the fixture and not being able to raise it up high enough after the stretch to get full coverage out to the corners. If my tent were taller, it might be doable but I prefer more light during flowering anyway so adding a second LEC or a Rocket is necessary in my opinion or, my other option was to throw in a 600W HPS in a triplestar reflector during flowering. About the same electricity usage as the LEC and plasma with better light coverage.
Heat has not really been an issue with any of these setups until recently where we are hitting a lot of 90+ days outside. A small portable A/C unit takes care of that though.
The plants in that image ended up yielding 24oz at 11 weeks total growing time. 6 weeks were just under the LEC so yield was quite good in relation to power usage in my opinion.

 

[Dojoking]

The LEC covers the 5x5 perfectly for the veg phase as long as you train your plants to keep them short. The drawback comes with the size of the fixture and not being able to raise it up high enough after the stretch to get full coverage out to the corners. If my tent were taller, it might be doable but I prefer more light during flowering anyway so adding a second LEC or a Rocket is necessary in my opinion or, my other option was to throw in a 600W HPS in a triplestar reflector during flowering. About the same electricity usage as the LEC and plasma with better light coverage.
Heat has not really been an issue with any of these setups until recently where we are hitting a lot of 90+ days outside. A small portable A/C unit takes care of that though.
The plants in that image ended up yielding 24oz at 11 weeks total growing time. 6 weeks were just under the LEC so yield was quite good in relation to power usage in my opinion.

That would be more than a gram a watt if I am not mistaken. Great pull for 585 watts! From what I understand the LEC 315 puts out heat similar to a 400 watt hps considering what they said on growershouse.com but. I am trying to figure out how close our plants can get to the plasma or LEC without being damaged from heat. Not necessarily the ambient temperature in the tent. Do you remember which fixture put out more heat directly under the bulb by chance? I am hoping that our plants can grow right up to the glass on the plasma fixture without burning. Considering my limited vertical height in my growing space.

 

[Dojoking]

very interested in knowing the answer to this as well, since tents limit height the cooler light could buy someone a few inches or even a foot or more of vertical grow space, especially compared to hps and how hot they are

I asked the same question on the rocket plasma grow thread that I have been keeping up with and he said "I've had mine 6 inches away no worries but your spread is greatly diminished then.". If you contact them and get some info on price or anything else I would love to hear it.

 

[Dojoking]

damn, regardless its exactly the type of video/info i was hoping for. Please update me if you see a video come up when those results come in?

The grower finally got the test results back from his LED vs. HPS grow. Here are his results:



"HEAD TO HEAD...LED then HPS

CANNABINOIDS: Total: LED=27% HPS=25%

THCA: L=25%, H=22%
THCAC4: L=0.74%, H=0.74%
D9THC: L=1.7%, H=2.0%
D8THC: L=0.11%, H=0.095%
CBNA: L=0.091%, H=0.081%
CBDA: L=0.08%, H=0.067%
CBCA: L=0.047%, H=0.046%
CBGA: L=0.23%, H=0.13%
CBG: L=0.15%, H=0.13%

TERPENES:
Terpinolene: L=0.087, H=0.13
Linalool: L=0.089, H=0.088
Beta-Myrcene: L=0.63, H=0.51
Alpha Pinene: L=0.58,H=0.59
Limonene: L=0.098, H=ND

Notice how limonene isn't even detectable in the hps sample."