Dirtbags Do-over... 🤪 Back to Organic!

[Aqua Man]

At least us LED guys can keep our cool and always agree on which is best.. you know... wr good like that.

 

[Dirtbag]

Cause you HID guys are always yelling and screaming about which is the best bulb

Hahaha, right, cause the LED scene is so much more civilized

This whole damn page!

I'll put some new strips on my fixture for about $60 in about 6 years...

Dont get me wrong if i had the money to go LED i would, but i dont. It is priced so far out of my budget i dont even let myself daydream about it..
It would cost me 5-6 thou to set this room up with LED's. Closer to 8 thou if i went with high end LED. This whole setup was under $500 to install, and i swap lamps once a year for $80-90.

 

[beluga]

Hahaha, right, cause the LED scene is so much more civilized




Dont get me wrong if i had the money to go LED i would, but i dont. It is priced so far out of my budget i dont even let myself daydream about it..
It would cost me 5-6 thou to set this room up with LED's. This whole setup was under $500 to install, and i swap lamps once a year for $80.

I'm just ball bustin'.
Different situations and all that. I saw the initial investment over long-term cost analysis as worth it because I'm not setting up a damn jungle like you guys.
I was always fighting the heat, too. Our summers are swampass central.

 

[Aqua Man]

I'm just ball bustin'.
Different situations and all that. I saw the initial investment over long-term cost analysis as worth it because I'm not setting up a damn jungle like you guys.
I was always fighting the heat, too. Our summers are swampass central.

You can barrow mine if ya like.

 

[BudGoodman]

Any gear heads here?... What oil do you use?

 

[beluga]

Any gear heads here?... What oil do you use?

Mostly coconut.

 

[Dirtbag]

I'm just ball bustin'.
Different situations and all that. I saw the initial investment over long-term cost analysis as worth it because I'm not setting up a damn jungle like you guys.
I was always fighting the heat, too. Our summers are swampass central.

If i were to grow in a tent with a 4x4 or smaller footprint, it would be LED all the way. Small relative investment and easier to rationalize. My 8x8 footprint isnt all that big but its big enough to make LED too much $$. Plus, id have to run heaters with LED so the running costs would probably be close. Even in BC its chilly most of the year.

With my HID setup at $500 investment and say a hundred bucks a year on lamps, it would take over 50 years to cost the same as installing Gavita LED's. Not that my ballasts would last that long but you get the idea. Even replacing ballasts every 5-10 years it would still take decades... Its a huge investment i just cant justify. Ive already got more pot than I know what to do with, so the increase in yield, while impressive, doesnt motivate me much.

All that being said, someday down the road i want to move into a 4x4 with LED. But for now im happy with how my system performs.

 

[BroScience101]

I'm just ball bustin'.
Different situations and all that. I saw the initial investment over long-term cost analysis as worth it because I'm not setting up a damn jungle like you guys.
I was always fighting the heat, too. Our summers are swampass central.

This is a valid point. Led is for the Amazon hobbyist. I could never run led in any of my grows without losing insane amounts of yield and profit.

My old 2014, 10x20 , 8k hid, hydro grow tent posted on these forums under my old account "foodoo"

And my current 11 x 11 , 5.2k hid no till living organic soil grow

If you offered me 10k cash and free led hardware to advertise my grows on social media I would instantly decline because I'd lose more money in yield than I would gain from the free 10k and led grow

If people like using led more power to them, and vice versa for hid guys. We just gotta be happy and content with what we have

 

[Anthem]

If i were to grow in a tent with a 4x4 or smaller footprint, it would be LED all the way. Small relative investment and easier to rationalize. My 8x8 footprint isnt all that big but its big enough to make LED too much $$. Plus, id have to run heaters with LED so the running costs would probably be close. Even in BC its chilly most of the year.

With my HID setup at $500 investment and say a hundred bucks a year on lamps, it would take over 50 years to cost the same as installing Gavita LED's. Not that my ballasts would last that long but you get the idea. Even replacing ballasts every 5-10 years it would still take decades... Its a huge investment i just cant justify. Ive already got more pot than I know what to do with, so the increase in yield, while impressive, doesnt motivate me much.

All that being said, someday down the road i want to move into a 4x4 with LED. But for now im happy with how my system performs.

Dirtbag the LED's put off some heat. Somewhere between 1500 to 1800 BTU's per 4' x 4' LED with Umols around 1700 and around 640 watts.

 

[BudGoodman]

Mostly coconut.

They pay good contingency?

 

[Dirtbag]

Dirtbag the LED's put off some heat. Somewhere between 1500 to 1800 BTU's per 4' x 4' LED with Umols around 1700 and around 640 watts.

If i used 4 of those Id be using over 500w more than i do now! No doubt i could likely double the yield per sqft, IF I also added a minisplit AC and supplement Co2 for the whole grow, otherwise all that extra light is kind of a waste. But again thats more money invested and more operating costs for the AC..

I get it, I know theyre the ballz, I just cant justify the investment since my system already does what it do... ya know?

 

[Anthem]

If i used 4 of those Id be using over 500w more than i do now! No doubt i could likely double the yield per sqft, IF I also added a minisplit AC and supplement Co2 for the whole grow, otherwise all that extra light is kind of a waste. But again thats more money invested and more operating costs for the AC..

I get it, I know theyre the ballz, I just cant justify the investment since my system already does what it do... ya know?

I am sorry, I only meant to throw it out there that LED's do produce heat. They are not the end all be all. It works for some and others HPS works better. There are alot of things I prefer about HPS.

 

[Aqua Man]

This is a valid point. Led is for the Amazon hobbyist. I could never run led in any of my grows without losing insane amounts of yield and profit.

My old 2014, 10x20 , 8k hid, hydro grow tent posted on these forums under my old account "foodoo"

View attachment 1063381

And my current 11 x 11 , 5.2k hid no till living organic soil grow

View attachment 1063382

If you offered me 10k cash and free led hardware to advertise my grows on social media I would instantly decline because I'd lose more money in yield than I would gain from the free 10k and led grow

If people like using led more power to them, and vice versa for hid guys. We just gotta be happy and content with what we have

Idk i see almost ever LP here switching to these gavitas and they are pulling over 3lb a light. I would agree LED started out more so to benefit the hobbiest but thats certainly not the case now.

I absolutely agree they are not for everyone but I will absolutely say they outperform any HID on the market if given the proper conditions. This is just no longer disputable. LED is not the Amazon shit it started with these days it is the new standard IMO and will be from here on out.

The issues you are talking about are not from top end LEDS and like I said a million times LED is not LED

 

[Aqua Man]

@Dirtbag hope you know I was only razing... in all seriousness if you get the CO2 to work it may be worth adding more HID to the room though.... definitely does not need to be LED to reap the full benefits. In winter can run more and summer just go with the norm and run more exhaust if heat issues.

 

[Dirtbag]

@Dirtbag hope you know I was only razing... in all seriousness if you get the CO2 to work it may be worth adding more HID to the room though.... definitely does not need to be LED to reap the full benefits. In winter can run more and summer just go with the norm and run more exhaust if heat issues.

Im waiting to see how long the gas lasts, but im not terribly optimistic. As it is the controller never exceeds 1450ppm and never shuts off. Its just dumping gas constantly, so i have it on a timer to come on for 8 hrs a day.

I dont really think it will be feasible if $100 worth of gas disappears in under 3 weeks. But time will tell. If I add more light id lose even more gas due to increased venting, so id have to install a minisplit $$$...

For me the purpose of my shed now is to grow enough smoke for myself to play with and if anything just recoup the expenses. All these extra investments just dont seem justifyable in my case. Maybe someday.

 

[Aqua Man]

Im waiting to see how long the gas lasts, but im not terribly optimistic. As it is the controller never exceeds 1450ppm and never shuts off. Its just dumping gas constantly, so i have it on a timer to come on for 8 hrs a day.

I dont really think it will be feasible if $100 worth of gas disappears in under 3 weeks. But time will tell. If I add more light id lose even more gas due to increased venting, so id have to install a minisplit $$$...

For me the purpose of my shed now is to grow enough smoke for myself to play with and if anything just recoup the expenses. All these extra investments just dont seem justifyable in my case. Maybe someday.

Yeah a good controller makes all the difference. That PoS is kinda garbage but all I had

 

[Dirtbag]

Yeah a good controller makes all the difference. That PoS is kinda garbage but all I had

Its the venting, it only reaches the 900-1450 indicator for a few mins before the ventilation comes on and drops it back to 0-900.

 

[BroScience101]

dont really think it will be feasible if $100 worth of gas disappears in under 3 weeks

Very true. I have a 20lb co2 tank and it lasts me the entire 3 months of growing because it's in a sealed room. And it only costs $30 to refill at a fire extinguisher place.

Take it from someone running a sealed room with mini split, tanked co2, sentinel controller, and a humidifier, it's not worth the cost and headache.

After this run I'm removing all that stuff and going back to an intake and exhaust. Will also be going back to air cooled hoods. Also doubling the room back to a 10x20 with 32 girls and 8k watts

My living soil makes 3000+ ppm co2 with lights off so I plan on venting that into an open area that I will then recirculate that air back into the grow when the lights come on. K.i.s.s.

 

[Aqua Man]

Very true. I have a 20lb co2 tank and it lasts me the entire 3 months of growing because it's in a sealed room. And it only costs $30 to refill at a fire extinguisher place.

View attachment 1063412

Take it from someone running a sealed room with mini split, tanked co2, sentinel controller, and a humidifier, it's not worth the cost and headache.

After this run I'm removing all that stuff and going back to an intake and exhaust. Will also be going back to air cooled hoods. Also doubling the room back to a 10x20 with 32 girls and 8k watts

View attachment 1063413

My living soil makes 3000+ ppm co2 with lights off so I plan on venting that into an open area that I will then recirculate that air back into the grow when the lights come on. K.i.s.s.

I run a sealed room also and its not your soil making the majority of the co2 its the plant respiration. Take plants out of your living soil and test it... you will see next to nothing. I wouldn't bother with co2 either. To truly take full advantage of co2 you do need the lighting to do so. Honestly if you don't feel its worth it you aren't using it right. But you will see a benefit however if its a cost vs gain then I agree it's likely not as beneficial in your grow as it could be and probably not worth for you.

Now in @Dirtbag situation its probably similar and in order to see the full benefits he would need to seal and increase the lighting to see the full potential of co2.

Like I say its a cost vs gain... in hydro where growth is already amped up that 20-30% increase is huge... living soil definitely not as much but should be seeing a gain from it

 

[Harvard]

I run a vented room 24/7 with co2 burner. I had 2 1000 air cooled hps hooked up to a 6” 140 watt vortex fan. Had to run it on high basically to keep room temps in check. I had a 6” 70 watt max fan on #2 for intake. I went through a 20 lb propane tank every 2 weeks at 10 dollars a tank. It cost me 100$ for 10 weeks. I gained almost 2 lb extra for the room.
Now I have 2 LED’s and 2 70 watt hyper fans that I run at 40-50%. Huge power savings and a tank of co2 lasts 3-4 weeks. So 30-40$ for the densest buds I’ve ever grown.
Just throwing it out there that it is possible to run co2 and be vented.
Good luck dirt bag with your grow!
Quick edit, my burner is in my veg room (lung room for flower) along with air conditioner.