My First Grow!! Newb Needs Help!!

[Thelbsnowman]

is that LED light really 600w? I know some LED's say "equivalent to 600w" but are actually only 300watt

I don't really know how many watts my light actually is. I bought the tent, light, and nutrients as a package off of craigslist for $240 :woot:. He said 600 but i don't actually know for sure. I'm debating on cutting one down for clones with a DWC system or Ebb/Flow I want to build. Perhaps I should just buy clones or seeds, haven't decided yet. I have decided that i need to utilize the full 3x3 space for the ladies as cap suggested, but all in good time. Being patient has its draw backs:(

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Okay, so some people have been saying LED for veg, MH/HPS for bloom blah blah blah...My question is for the people who know about lights. If I wanted to use LED's for the blue/red spectrum AND CFL's:

• Should I use the daylight spectrum? (5300k I believe)
• If not what Kelvin is best for bloom? (2700k?)
• Id like to avoid light bleaching in my 3x3, so how many bulbs would be optimum in my space with the LED? 3, 4, 5, 10?
• Has someone already done this, made a log of what they did, so I can read that and apply it?

I am going hydro next time and I prefer QUALITY over quantity. Snowman out:cool:

 

[max rez]

my first grow was a plant in the corner of my room under a 100 watt incandescent plant light that grew over 6 feet and never budded lol..

i would finish those plants you got, youll get some nice stuff.

try and get some good seeds and at least you will know what your dealing with on ur next grow.
happy harvest, be patient :)

 

[max rez]

you can use daylight(5000-k-6300k) for veg or bloom. Wamer light is preferred for bloom (2000-3000k), but not required.

look into t5 h0. they are very productive. dont get t5 sho though, they are over hyped.

bleaching will occur if the light is too close, and will be noticeable, but not very easy to do or common problem...

 

[max rez]

p.s. imho hydro is a pain, and overhyped. not much faster than soil or non-soil grows, and can easily screw up a crop with too much fine tuning involved...just my .02.... KISS

 

[Thelbsnowman]

What are some seed banks based in the US??

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Took the ladies to the salon today.

 

[SuperSilverHaze]

What are some seed banks based in the US??

none............but many ship here.


what watt led is each............ie. 100 qty of 3w diodes = 300w power. the higher watt diode you may need a bit more space between canopy to prevent light bleaching.

ive never grown w/led but have been researching them for a few yrs following the led thread at the mag............well, i used to visit the mag but not any more.


peace

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Silver I couldn't tell you if I wanted to. There's no information on the light, I've tried to do a google search and nothing has come up for it. I'm adding some cfl's to the room to help with bloom. My light very well could be 300w. You just never know with Craigslist.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

So I just checked my soil and this is what I found. Mold is growing around the edge of my pot because of the wet towels i've Been placing around it to increase humidity. How do I get rid of this problem? Oh yea I won't be placing wet towels around the edge anymore. No mold in the center, just the edges.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

So did another soil check last night and there's a lot less mold! More pics coming later today. Snowman out

 

[Orcaman]

Best thing to do is just replace the top layer of moldy medium with some fresh. If your mold problem persists you might want to consider using a Fungicide. Covering the soil will always cause mold to produce.

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Yea I figured that out the hard way orcaman. I'm learning from my mistakes and ill replace the top layer when I get home. Thanks for the tip!!

 

[max rez]

yea i wouldnt worry about that white "mold"...some people actually buy products to inoculate the soil...its actually benifical.

BLACK or green "mold" is a problem for some, but still usually doesn't hurt the plant.

 

[mr roboto]

600 watt LED is overkill for a 3x3 tent , thats almost equivalent to a 1000 watt hps.I would say your on the right track with going with LED though if your temps reach a 100 degrees. Personally if I was in your position I wouldnt even do a indoor grow with those temps and just grow one outside for the summer!! Nothing can beat the natural rays of the sun. When things cool off, you will have a much easier time with your temps which will reduce your physical personal stress. Winter time your prob going to need a heater with your LED which is a whole lot easier to work with. Good luck

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Thanks for the info max. I stopped wrapping wet towels around the top of my pots just in case it was a problem. And I will be on the lookout for green or black mold from now on!

@Mr. Roboto- I have placed a wet towel in front of my box fan and that has dropped the temps down to low 80's, high 70's with a RH of up to 50%!! In the winter I will have to place a piece of plywood under the tent because of the concrete slab in my closet. Plus I can't tell for sure what the wattage is on my LED. I just keep the light about a foot off the top cola of my biggest plant. I also added 2 100w CFLs and I am going to add two more with a custom built wood box wrapped in reflective foil to maximize my light. Right now they just hang there but my ladies are still going strong!!

 

[Thelbsnowman]

New photos

 

[mr roboto]

Thanks for the info max. I stopped wrapping wet towels around the top of my pots just in case it was a problem. And I will be on the lookout for green or black mold from now on!

@Mr. Roboto- I have placed a wet towel in front of my box fan and that has dropped the temps down to low 80's, high 70's with a RH of up to 50%!! In the winter I will have to place a piece of plywood under the tent because of the concrete slab in my closet. Plus I can't tell for sure what the wattage is on my LED. I just keep the light about a foot off the top cola of my biggest plant. I also added 2 100w CFLs and I am going to add two more with a custom built wood box wrapped in reflective foil to maximize my light. Right now they just hang there but my ladies are still going strong!!

Good job on the temp fix, I wouldnt touch that mold just for the fact that there are tons of different types of mold but that is just my paranoia I guess also I would just keep an eye out for bleaching with those leds...Ive head of people keeping them 2 feet above the canopy, even with the lower wattages from what I read.I never had experience with LEDS but I did a lot of research and the only thing keeping me from getting a set is PRICE!!!! im poor

 

[Thelbsnowman]

Explosive growth has been happening!!

 

[Thelbsnowman]

My CFLs are under a foot away from the girls(like 3-5 inches) is that bad? But there is a fan constantly blowing air on them. They are 100w equivalents (27w actual).