LED Growlight Stress After Change From T5's

  • Thread starter inyumen
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inyumen

inyumen

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Hey everyone!

I'm going through my first grow ever, and it's been three months since I've placed the seed in soil to sproute. I have a three months old plant and a 1 month old that I've planted due to having issues with the first one. They are still small due to issues I've had caused by overwatering and changing from T5's to LED growlights.

The issue I'm having is everytime I try to change my two T5 bulbs to my ViparSpectra V300 (136 Watt LED Growlight) both plants start drooping. This already happened 3 times and I always had to change back to the T5's. I've tried everything from placing the LEDs at 18 inches to as far above as 36 inches. The plant always start drooping and don't recover, and I've left the LED on the closet for two or three weeks, and the issue always gets worse.
Also, the leaves from the older plant get yellow and eventually die off under the LED, and the new growth begins wilting

I know for a fact that its the LED causing the issue, because EVERYTIME I change to the T5 the plant recovers in 2-3 days maximum.
I have a friend growing in the same exact soil and strain and no issues for him, so it's not the soil.

Current growing informations that might be useful:

Growing Medium - Organic Soil from my local gardening store
Strain - Mother Gorilla from RQS
Type - Photoperiod
Plants Age - 3 months and 1 month, both in veg
The old one was repoted once with no issues
Nutrients - None until now
Air Temp - Around 26ºC during the day and 23ºC during the night
Root Temp - Around 25ºC, since I have a heatmat for both of the plants
Humidity - 40-50%
Light Schedule - 16 hours on 8 hours off

Any other question please let me know, and thanks for the help.
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
Here are the pictures I took after changing to the LED for the first time, both plants started drooping after 1-2 days.
 
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inyumen

inyumen

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Both plants after I changed to the T5's for a week and tried introducing the LED again.
 
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inyumen

inyumen

25
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Both plants today, after changing to the T5's on Monday, already popping up again.
 
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JimmyCreedog

JimmyCreedog

136
43
Initially, I'd say you're lights are causing heat stress, Do you have a small fan you can point at the top of the canopy?
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
I'd say you're lights are too close causing heat stress, 12" from the tops is the closest you'll see recommended. Do you have a small fan you can point at the top of the canopy?

I don't think that's it. The LED were placed 90cm above the canopy (36 inches) for the last week, and yet they did the same. I have a fan pulling air out of the closet close to the LED, so any heat gets out of the closet, letting fresh air in. I have a small 120mm PC fan mounted close to the top of the canopy to circulate the air around the tent, but I'm planning on upgrading to a bigger fan whenever the plants get bigger.
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
Also, the temps around the plants stay a consistent 25ºC during the day with the lights on.
 
JimmyCreedog

JimmyCreedog

136
43
Then next guess I'd have would be nutritional deficiency. Try mixing up some diluted nutes or a tea or top dress with fertilizer. For the yellow one i mean, what do you have to lose?
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
Then next guess I'd have would be nutritional deficiency. Try mixing up some diluted nutes or a tea or top dress with fertilizer.

Why would the issue with nutrients only appear with the LED though? Because everytime I change back to the T5's I experience explosive growth, as I've showed in the pics. I also have a friend growing in the exact same soil and strain and growing fine without any added nutrients, and he's already in flowering.
 
JimmyCreedog

JimmyCreedog

136
43
Plants use the Nutes we give them and Co2 and the light (when its on) to make sugars for itself. It also breathes out oxygen and the leaves will sometimes curl different ways to regulate moisture evaporation. Light intensity can boost yield up till its like average1200 ppfd or something crazy, as long as everything else is good first. A healthy efficient grow is mostly just keeping all the necessary "gauges" in the green.
 
mysticepipedon

mysticepipedon

4,738
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That first plant is starved for nutes, regardless of other issues.

Are you sure the plants aren't experiencing different temps under each light? Fluoros give off noticeably more heat than LEDs (or mine do).

That said, I recently changed to LED and I'm learning I can't have it at full power, even 30" above some strains. Can you dim your light?
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
That first plant is starved for nutes, regardless of other issues.

I think its starving in consequence of the issues I'm having with the light aswell as some past issues caused by overwatering, as I've said above, I have a friend growing in the exact same soil and the same strain, and he's flowering without any issues. I've transplanted the older plant three weeks ago also.

Are you sure the plants aren't experiencing different temps under each light? Fluoros give off noticeably more heat than LEDs (or mine do).

The LED heats the closet a bit more actually, maybe due to the T5's being weak, as they are only two tubes with 11w each if I'm not wrong.
I measured the temps with the LED and they're a steady 25ºC all day long.


That said, I recently changed to LED and I'm learning I can't have it at full power, even 30" above some strains. Can you dim your light?

Nop, no dim option unfortunately. Can only raise/lower the lights.
 
Newbelinginaz

Newbelinginaz

132
43
Have you tried taking some LUX readings with a phone app? I do not have a PAR meter so I use LUX. So far I have killed eight seeds trying to dial in my light height. My full spectrum LED reads LUX 6000 at 36 inches from the plants and is toasting them, so I am using smaller lights at LUX 3000 to start. I like being able to reference to LUX instead of height due to light differences.
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
Have you tried taking some LUX readings with a phone app? I do not have a PAR meter so I use LUX. So far I have killed eight seeds trying to dial in my light height. My full spectrum LED reads LUX 6000 at 36 inches from the plants and is toasting them, so I am using smaller lights at LUX 3000 to start. I like being able to reference to LUX instead of height due to light differences.

Didn't knew there was an app that reads LUX measurements. Will definitly take a look, thank you for the input. I'll try to find a PAR meter aswell, but I've heard they can be pricey.
I would like to be comparing LUX or PAR measurements aswell, but as I've said, I thought you really needed a reader for that.
What app do you use?
 
Newbelinginaz

Newbelinginaz

132
43
Didn't knew there was an app that reads LUX measurements. Will definitly take a look, thank you for the input. I'll try to find a PAR meter aswell, but I've heard they can be pricey.
I would like to be comparing LUX or PAR measurements aswell, but as I've said, I thought you really needed a reader for that.
What app do you use?
Android app "Lux" and "Light Meter". I know Lux reading is not prefect science but its better than a yardstick which doesn't transfer to another light, and manufacture recommendations.
 
boomgagem

boomgagem

Supporter
373
63
If you’re on iOS, look for an app called kortana. You’ll need the LED option unlocked but it’s only like 4 bucks.
 
inyumen

inyumen

25
3
Android app "Lux" and "Light Meter". I know Lux reading is not prefect science but its better than a yardstick which doesn't transfer to another light, and manufacture recommendations.

Just installed Lux on android, but I've read that this method doesn't work that well on blurples. I'll give it a try anyway. Really appreciate this recommendation.
 

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