Light Question

[JonLPettimor]

Hello everyone I have a question about lighting and I'd like to get some feedback from some experts since it's not something I can call up my local electrician to come out and do because I'm in one of those States that likes to talk about Freedom until it's time to allow its people to be free.

I'm a conventional farmer that raises livestock and some specialty crop. I updated the lights and one of my lambing barns and so now I have 20 400w mh lights that I am use in my grow set up. Electrical uses not an issue because my farm uses so much electricity that an extra 8000 Watts a month is only going to increase my bill just slightly in comparison.

I hung the lights at six feet from the soil surface and grew in 18 gallon totes very rich organic soil that I made myself. In a 20 by 40 room. I always water with water from a large fish Reservoir. It averages about 450 ppm's.

I don't have a light meter but I think that six feet is too high above the canopy for this light setup so I want to lower the lights down. I run one month in veg 2 months and flower with clones. Each plant is given one square foot of grow surface. 1 foot above the soil surface I run a wire mesh to make a sea of green.

This is my 6th grow in this light setup and each time my buds have looked beautiful but have had no woeght to them I'm talking 4 oz per hour square yard.

After all of that reading here's the basic question how far should I lower the lights down and will that increase my dry weight?

I used to use 5-gallon pots for the grows but now have changed to 18 gallon totes and I also switched from doing larger plants to trying to do a sea of green or a screen of green

since I was using deeper pots for this set I tried to use seeds so that I can get a nice Tap Root to see if that would increase my yield but it did not which is what leads me to thinking that it is a lack of light

I also use fresh soil every set I take my soil out and I compost it with copious amounts of manure bone meal and composted hay and a bit of lime. It's the same recipe I use for my rhubarb and so I know that it is very good for very fast growing plants.

 

[DemonTrich]

Last pic looks like a reveg issue. Check any light leaks at lights off, check all timers.

As far as canopy distance, use the back of your hand method. Since its a 400w bulb, the K rating plays a huge role in growth and what not. I use a 4k for veg, and a 3k for flower. What bulb are you using in flower?

Also clones grow faster than seeds. And you never know if the seed is a male, female, or hermies on you. It' best to sort that out before training them.in a net. It' very difficult to pull a male.or hermie when it' dead center of a net.

Genetics play a key role in bid structure, as does environment and grower skill.

 

[JonLPettimor]

When I used the seeds I used all feminine seeds. From Royal seed bank normally I use clones but I wanted to see if the seeds would do better. They ended up having a lower yieldthen the Clones.

What is the back of your hand method?

As for growing skills I do have a b.s. in Horticulture from a big 12 University. But my focus is in perennials. Growing and a 12-week cycle is definitely a new aspect for me.

 

[JonLPettimor]

PS the Clones I had grown many times before and so I knew their genetics.

 

[DemonTrich]

Back of your hand tek

When the lights are on, place the back of your hand under the bulb/fixture starting about 12" below. Feel.the warm heat radiating from the bulb? Now slowly lower your hand until there's just a bit of heat/warmth. That is your ideal canopy to light fixture distance. Maybe raise a few " for peace of mind. You should have to raise your lights almost daily, if not every other day for sure.

Also what Kelvin bulb are you using? That' important also.

 

[DemonTrich]

Also, never plant more than 1 seed or clone per pot. And always start seeds in a small cup, re cube, plug, etc. You want a small container so the new seedlings roots can fill it out vs a huge container which will make the seedling grow slower. Then pot up to a larger pot

 

[sixstring]

When i ran alot of 400w lamps i had them 12 to 14 inches off the top of canopy max,sometimes as close as 8 inches away.that's in a well dialed room of constant 76 to 78f temps lights on
I also ran 600w lamps about the same distance maybe a few inches more like 14 to 18 inches up.4 feet is almost too far for even a 1000w de gavita lamp imo.i run my 750w gavita at 24 inches now and plants love it.im also using a 4000k mh lamp in those gavita fixtures.if your lamps are older like 8 months to a year or more its time to buy new lamps because they are only putting out 50% or less light.

 

[JonLPettimor]

The lights are just whatever the hydro store in my town had 400 and they have only been in for 6 months

 

[JonLPettimor]

The lights are just 400 watt metal halide lights from the hydro store in town I think they were like 20 bucks a piece. And they are only 6 months old

 

[JonLPettimor]

This is not me arguing but trying to look for a little understanding when you are growing crops in close proximity to each other it encourages downward root growth instead of lateral because once one plants Roots hit another plants Roots it starts to slow down which makes the roots dive deeper. At least that's what it does with wheat corn soy beans fruit trees grapes and rhubarb (which I grow all of) why would the same principle not apply for close proximity planting indoors? You're intentionally looking for competition to make the roots dive deeper.

 

[MidwestToker]

Halides in themselves are not the best to Flower under. They mainly grow vegetative matter.

Your best bet is to use one of those sqyd and invest in a couple of 1,000 watt HPS fixtures. I still Have about 20 various high bay lights around myself that I don't use.

 

[chemistry]

450ppm is not a lot for a flowering plant, HPS is what bulb you need to flower under.

 

[MidwestToker]

Former farmer myself here, still have the farm, just more economical to cash rent out the 80 tillable acres then the investment in equip and maintenance. Have a little patience on here as not everyone has an agricultural background.

 

[JonLPettimor]

Thanks Midwest toker

Our family has been farming this ground for Generations and once every hundred years or so a new crop comes up that makes it economically viable for us to stay in business that product will probably be marijuana for myself or my kids. But anytime you are learning a new crop it takes at least 5 to 10 consecutive years in order to really grasp all of the ins and outs of farming a new crop. I say new but it's not a new product for our farm during World War II we produced hemp that would truck into Kansas City and get made into rope. I have tried for the last 6 years to grow outside but because we have so much Wild pot left over from World War II it's next to impossible to create sensimillia. So it looks like even though we have some of the greatest weather for growing It Outdoors in order to make a high-quality product we're probably going to have to grow it exclusively in greenhouses or Warehouse Barnes so that the air can be filtered to remove all of the pollen.

 

[JonLPettimor]

As for the bay lights when I took them down I went to resell them and I was only going to get 15 to 20 bucks per light I'm a big proponent of use what you have. I like the idea of putting additional 1000 that'll have to be tried next grow though because I don't want to be moving them all around there really freaking heavy.

 

[JonLPettimor]

Thank you Chemistry

what would you suggest I add? Like a compost tea or worm casting? I have a worm bin and I compost a large amount of compost every year so making a slurry to add to the soil during flower would not be difficult to do

 

[Dunge]

What would happen if you screwed an HPS bulb into those high bays?
My ballast supports MH and HPS.

I am concerned with your big pot / multi plant approach.
Just can't see the advantage of it.
They must be a chore to horse about.

Your observations about root competition is very interesting.
In a three gallon pot, one plant would have it all to her self.

I expect you to become an accomplished grower of marijuana.

 

[sixstring]

800w of metal halide in the 4000k color over one delicious grape dosi.last plant i had under this lamp (gavita) was 19oz wedding cake and it did go 72 days instead of the normal 64 to 66 but fuck it whats a few days in my system it dont bother me a bit :)

I highly doubt this one hits 19 but i bet its close to a pound. Cmh lamps would not be "all the rage" right now is hps was the only lamp for flowering pot plants ;)
But you may have 6000k or 6500k lamps and those aint the greatest color for full term flowering.imo of course lol

 

[JonLPettimor]

I'm hey Dunge thanks and encouragement

I dropped one of my lamps when I was adjusting it down tonight so I have to go to town tomorrow and get another light bulb I'll pick up high pressure sodium light as well and see if it'll make it ignite

 

[JonLPettimor]

Six string great picture are those track light LEDs in that room?