longbottom said:

Remember that if even just one cola becomes higher than the rest, the plant will put a majority of its energy into that highest cola... (I call it king of the mountain)... All of the lower buds will suffer.... Make sure you keep the colas even in height as flower moves along.... If they are all even, they will all get HUGE !

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This is some very helpful information that I have not come across anywhere before. I thought I was at a point where I had to just let the plant do its thing since I had reached the walls, but I’ve spent the last hour tucking the tall stalks here and there and both plants are pretty flat now. This is great news because I rather enjoy a little light lst’ing throughout the day—as opposed to defoliating, which I know I need to do, but still makes me a little queasy.
And I definitely am a rambler. Apologies for me as well.

Weedly said:

This is some very helpful information that I have not come across anywhere before. I thought I was at a point where I had to just let the plant do its thing since I had reached the walls, but I’ve spent the last hour tucking the tall stalks here and there and both plants are pretty flat now. This is great news because I rather enjoy a little light lst’ing throughout the day—as opposed to defoliating, which I know I need to do, but still makes me a little queasy.
And I definitely am a rambler. Apologies for me as well.

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Check out some longer journals of defoliators, start in veg and check out the different methods and view the results.
Personally my defoliating depends on the structure of a plant. A bushy plant will recieve and aggressive defoliation and pruning, both before and during flower. While a less branching plant will recieve a lighter defoliation and pruning will be height dependant.

Weedly said:

The plants seem happy now, but once they start growing buds way out from the center, are they going to suffer? What happens if a bud doesn’t get enough light?

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I have a SF2000 in a 2x4, so the PPFD falls off pretty dramatically out to the sides. I find that the colas growing out at the edges actually grow taller than the center. Probably because they're getting less light they stretch more, but since they're now taller that also gets them more light. I also hang some home made reflectors with string so they move around in the breeze to get as much light as I can onto the colas. I can't tell the difference between the center colas and the edge colas when I smoke them so I haven't seen this to be an issue really. I'm sure you'll have a delightful grow with super potent buds!

BearWater said:

Absolutely dude! : ) I had nugs from other plants pulled through to stakes that weren’t in their pot! gottem in where they fit in lol.

to highlight and respond you select the text and it should ask you if you would like to reply. You can also grab quotes and take them to other threads and insert them. View attachment 2350533

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I didn't know that, but was wondering how to copy the replies lol.

Halloweed said:

I didn't know that, but was wondering how to copy the replies lol.

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It’s a really cool quick feature! I like it a lot : )

Budtirement said:

I find that the colas growing out at the edges actually grow taller than the center. Probably because they're getting less light they stretch more, but since they're now taller that also gets them more light.

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Cannabis plants really are quite amazing aren’t they? Lets me relax a little to know Mother Nature is helping all she can!
To be honest, I’ve never used any marijuana that I didn’t get from a dispensary, so I am a little curious how different buds from different parts of the plant are going to vary. I’m eager to learn the best use of things like larf and trim, which at this point I’m not entirely sure what are. When the time comes, I hope you guys can help me out as much as you are right now!
And thanks BearWater for the info on citing posts.

Weedly said:

I’m eager to learn the best use of things like larf and trim, which at this point I’m not entirely sure what are.

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larf are just bud that receive less light and so on are usually less swollen, more airy in between the calyx (i use to smoke them first after drying as smoke sample while i leave the others buds to cure, they dry a little faster than more dense and compact buds usually)

trim is all the sugar leaves covered in trichromes you cut (usually used for extraction, making hashish, oil, butter, edibles etc. )

HerbalEdu said:

larf are just bud that receive less light and so on are usually less swollen, more airy in between the calyx (i use to smoke them first after drying as smoke sample while i leave the others buds to cure, they dry a little faster than more dense and compact buds usually)

trim is all the sugar leaves covered in trichromes you cut (usually used for extraction, making hashish, oil, butter, edibles etc. )

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Thanks for the info! Sounds like larf and trim are still plenty useful. I’ve been interested in making some extract, so I’ll do some more research on doing that when the time comes.

Had a similar setup at the beginning, I just spread (moved) the lights to the sides so the center would get even lighting.

Week4Bytch said:

Had a similar setup at the beginning, I just spread (moved) the lights to the sides so the center would get even lighting.

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That makes sense. I have noticed the plants are growing tallest in the center already.

Weedly said:

That makes sense. I have noticed the plants are growing tallest in the center already.

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I spread them out all the way to the sides, the cross lighting in the center is almost doubled. I just replaced these last night but they did the job for me for a long time set up like this, (4x2)

I’m in week 5 1/2 after flip now and I just read about the 1 gram to watt limit and am a little bummed to be hamstrung by my 100 watt lights. I have a gift card burning a hole in my account, so would another SF1000 increase my yield now, or has the time for that passed and I should just think about adding one to my next grow? It’s a 4.6’ x 2.3’ tent.

Your plants look really good regardless of having only 200 watts in the tent.

A hang height increases, PPFD drops but the PPFD maps evens out. Check the PPFD map of any manufacturer/vendor and you'll see the pattern.

I tested Photone when I was named Korona and it is accurate for some iPhone models. I recommend it if you can calibrate it against a known good source and if you're using either the diffuser that they sell or if you're using a 22# strip of paper as a diffuser. If not, your numbers are going to be very far off.

A key point to remember with a light meter is that all it tells you is the PPFD of your light. That's good to know because it allows you to get your light levels in the right ballpark but only your plants can tell you how much light they can use. We know that yield increases in a linear/an almost linear manner as light levels increase so it pays to get as much light on your plants as they can handle, regardless of what your meter (or Photone) is telling you,

"1 gm/watt"- not sure about the thought behind that. Perhaps a rule of thumb? Before the days of LED, yield was estimated based on the input wattage for the HPS lamps. You can get a rough idea of the output of an LED from the input wattage but that concept is only valid for starting the process of buying a light because LED grow lights vary significantly from one model to another and, also, based on the spectrum of the light. Red diodes, for example, are more electrically efficient than blue. There is a difference in yield between the different wavelengths. At common PPFD levels, the difference falls into the "measurable but insignficant" category.

With the advent of LED's the yield estimate for cannabis has changed to 0.2 to 0.3 gm of flower/square meter per mol of light that the grow has received over the course of the grow,

With $$ burning a hole in your pocket, you're tempted to get another light and the question you're asking is about the cost benefit. At this point, on a pure cost benefit basis, you're going to get only a very small increase in yield because it's so late in the grow.

Second, I wouldn't get another small light.

You have a pretty good sized tent and the SF100, like the other small light I discuss below, is designed for small tents. Two key elements in the design - they're board lights and they have a spectrum that's quite blue heavy.

The latter issue-most 2' x 2' tents aren't very tall and blue photons keep plants short, among other things. But lights for 2' tents have a lot of blue, one reason being that will stop plants from growing into the top of the tent. That's a great idea, for people how have small tents. That's not you.

Another issue is that board lights tend to run hot. That's simply a function of how they're designed and no manufacturer can change the fact that ventilation in a board light.

Another issue with board lights is that they have a hot spot in the middle. You've run smack dab into this.

Finally, board lights are the lowest tech lights on the market. They're a very old design and while some companies are enhancing them, they're an inexpensive product that will not see any signficant innovation. From a product design perspective, they're so low cost that there's just very room to add features compared to lights for larger grow spaces.

My tuppence—save your $$ until you can get a Spider Farmer® G4500. It's an excellent light. It's a bar style light so not only does it put out a lot of light, it also puts out a very even spread of light (the "PPFD map"), it runs cooler than a board light, the driver is detachable, and the spectrum has a much higher percentage of red than the SF100. The icing on the cake is that they just put out a new model that's controllable by Bluetooth and/or WiFi. I don't know of a better light for a 2' x 4' tent and I've spent a lot of time researching that size light (the lights I use are discussed below).




If you get the larger light, you will be able to use your current lights as "fill lights" because you've got a tent that slightly larger than 2' x 4' and seeing that you're been astute enough to get a light meter, I have a hunch you'll find a way to use those extra lights.

I really think that Spider is the way to go but if you want to stay with a 2' light, I'd recommend the Vipar Spectra XS1500 Pro over the SF100. If you look at the PPFD maps below, from the manufacture web sites, you'll see a significant difference in light output between the two lights. At 12", the SF100 has good light output at center mass but the operative word for the corner readings is that the light levels "collapse". In contrast, the XS 1500 Pro is generating 1kµmol in the center and 810 in the corners.

Both readings center mass are BS. There's a tiny spot right under the light that hits that value so the manufacturer's d*ck wiggle to get a big number but, the reason why the XS 1500 Pro is so good becomes apparent when you disregard that number. The key point is that the PPFD map in the XS 1500 Pro is show a tiny amount of variance across the entire area. Vipar did a great job with this light.

Full disclosure-I'm not a Vipar fan boy. I have the Viper XS 1500 but I only use it for seedling stage and as a "fill light". I use a Growcraft X3 veg light, then switch to their flower light, and I use a Mars SP3000 as a fill light, as well.






Your plants are very impressive and, with more light, your yield will increase. It's a little late for you to get a boost in yield for this grow but, regardless of which light you end up with, you will see a significant increase in yield with more light. That's just how cannabis works.

Going with the G4500 will give you a bit more light than 3 x 100 watt lights because the G4500 generates more photons than the smaller lights but you'll also get taller plants because the G4500 has less blue in the spectrum.

Forgot to mention this - blue photons inhibit cell expansion (that's why veg lights keep plants short) but there's a secondary impact in that blue photons tend to reduce yield. Sure, you get short compact plants but, if you're running a high % of blue, that reduces yield because "blue photons inhibit cell expansion".

Weedly said:

I’m in week 5 1/2 after flip now and I just read about the 1 gram to watt limit and am a little bummed to be hamstrung by my 100 watt lights. I have a gift card burning a hole in my account, so would another SF1000 increase my yield now, or has the time for that passed and I should just think about adding one to my next grow? It’s a 4.6’ x 2.3’ tent.
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That 1 gram a watt is just another old outdated grow guide rule that is near meaningless now days. Just like the 30w per sq. ft. suggestion. All these data points are extremely ballistic. With those and other data points dependent on genetics, type of grow, nutrients, environment, grow space. The variables can go on and on and on. It looks like your going to beat the 1 gram a watt rule with a Max of 25w per sq. ft. If you want another SF1000 get it. Nobody with any brains ever said you have to much light when there are dimmer knobs and yoyos involved. What more power does do is give you more control. You can get better light coverage, better environmental control if your tents tall enough and it's easier on the lights if your not having to run your them wide open. The problem with lighting a 2 x 4 is the bar lights are never long enough or wide enough to truly give even light distribution. And they are always on the weak side power wise. So multiple smaller panel lights are really a better over all option. A 2 x 4 is a very good tent size for two photos or three autos. And easy to work. I went the other way in my 2 x 4. I have a ceiling of light setup with massive power possibilities and max control with two HLG 350R's bolted together. My exhaust fan is outside the tent. The tent is tall and I can do whatever I want. And I never have to run my lights anywhere close to 100% with near perfect light distribution. Sometimes you have to think out of the box and move past convention. I say get your third SF1000 and enjoy your grow. It's not like it will be a useless light in your grow life and there cheap as hell. 300 total watts in a 2 x 4 is a good setup. And better than any bar light out there for a 2 x 4.