first time set-up tent/LED good sources for accesseries?

[newanimal]

hello all. Finally decided on first grow set-up. Got a 5x5x7 ft tent coming and
900W LED from G8
I'm seeking tips/suggestions on the right equipment for this set-up and good sources for stuff.
Not sure how much A/C i will be needing due to low heat LED. But i do plan on experimenting with combination lighting systems down the road i.e. fluoros along sides with LED overhead.
i'll be doing soil to begin and graduate to hydro later so i'm not worrying about the hydro accessories at this point

inline exhaust fan/filter? (6" duct 450/500 cfm?)
still need portable a/c?
1 OR 2 oscillating fans?
yo-yo pulley
CO2 (i may need to close doors during lighting periods)
ph tester
timer for lights
4x4 flood basin

thanks for any suggestions/pointers

 

[pcduck]

You wasted your money on the LED. You will not get the harvest that you want.
yo-yo's are also junk, use rope pulleys.With CO2 a grower really needs a few grows under their belt to have it be effective.

 

[JustAnotherAntMarching]

Im pro LEDs and im fairly sure that unit will not light 5 x 5 tent properly...

 

[newanimal]

thanks for the feeback.

I dont necessarily intend to max out the 5x5 with the 900w led with my first grows. Might keep it at 16 sq ft. Like i said, I'll be experimenting with combo lighting systems later i.e. add some vertical CFL's (or?) in the midst for 360 degree radiation. Add a couple red ufo's for flowering, etc.
Would like to do a vertical hydro grow down the road i.e. a 3 tier pvc 4x4 square or octagonal (not with the led panel of course) which could fit within the 5x5 tent. Just lookn' ahead to accommodate the future.
As for LED, after a lot of research, I decided if a lot of converts from HID to LED turn out to be lying, delusional, or secret agents for companies, i can at least have a good veg room right? A significant reduction of kwh's @ 18/6.
Anycase, gotta get a few grows under my belt...thanks mates

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

It is awfully tough to just use a 4 x 4 section of a 5 x 5 tent. The light is going to disburse throughout the tent, so even if you only have plants in a 4 x 4 space, you are still lighting a 5 x 5 space. I recommend getting a tent sized for the lights you plan on using. CFLs are the least efficient of all the lights we use to grow. Lumen for lumen, they generally cost more to purchase initially, the cost almost twice as much to run, they run hotter, and they produce substantially less bud. IMO, using CFLs to supplement a LED grow defeats the purpose of using LED in the first place.

I would also forget the CO2. You would need to do far more than simply close the door during lights on. Your room needs to be sealed, you need enhanced lumens, you need to coordinate ventilation with CO2 usage, you need to monitor and regulate CO2.

Also, regarding vegging time--IMO, the best light schedule is always--24/7. Marijuana is in a class of plants that does not need a rest. It will grow all the time there is light, food, water, and fresh air. Running your ights 18/6 encourages stretching and extends the veg time.

 

[newanimal]

that was very useful HG. Thanks!
It's stated that the G8-900w full spectrum panel (3w chipsets) are good for 25 sq ft
and comparable to 1400w hps in PAR light. Now... I realize LED brands were prone to overstate their claims such as doubling the wattage equivalent of hps to led. but this particular claim didnt sound so unrealistic to me. But then Im a newbe with no experience, just trying to use common sense while gathering all the research and testimonies I can from real growers.
But I got the 5x5 comin' so... if it turns out the 900 watter is inadequate I'll need to consider a few options--- how much more led wattage would I need?
OR HO t5? (notice Im trying to avoid the real heat producing juice suckers)
OR why not install a couple interior wall panels to reduce the grow space to 4x4, providing all venting still works and I can access the plants.
Of course I can exchange the 5x5 for the 4x4 (please dont tell me the 900 wouldn't suffice for a 4x4 either) but I need to be convinced that the 900w led mentioned above is definitely underpowerd overrated or
would not do 25sq with a little supplemental help.

regarding CO2-- i understand the relationship between lumens and co2 supplementing and good monitoring, venting coordination. I guess the question is will I be creating enough light intensity to benefit from it.
Crap...i wouldn't just open the valve and walk away

I understand 24/7 optimum for veg. Just dont know what the elect meter going to do yet. LED (with correct placement) reduces stretching from what I hear.

 

[newanimal]

ok. Research continues. Canceled the G8-900w. Concluded that spreading out multiple smaller units will provide better coverage. Also better manufacturers out there with much more efficient band width targeting. More bux of course.
Better yield and quality though.
probably go with a 4x4 tent.

 

[WeedHopper]

Will be watchen. Might wanna check out Marijuana-Culture.com because this forum is going down very very soon and your grow journal will be lost.

 

[Hushpuppy]

My friend, let me give you some perspective on the lighting and cost of lighting. In many places around the U.S. electricity averages 11cents per kilowatt hour. If you were to get and use the 900watt LED, which we are fairly certain will not give you the production you want(during flower but may work well for veg), It will cost you $74.76 for a 6 week veg period running 18/6. The 18/6 cycle is well known to cause stretching so if you ran it on a 24hr schedule it would cost $99.79 for the same 6 week veg period.

I am not sure what the G8 Led costs but for around $350 or less, you can get a 1000w MH/HPS light fixture with ballast that is interchangeable with the MH and HPS bulbs and has the whole enclosed, vented reflector. The 1kHID fixture will do everything you need for a 5x5 from veg to flower.

The cost for running the 1kHID for the same 6 week vegging period is $83.16 for the 18/6 and $110.88 for 24hr lighting. The 24hr cost will be cut in half during the flowering period as you only run the lighting 12/12.
The money that you save on the LED can be used to buy the ventilation system that you will have to have anyway to bring fresh air to the plants

 

[newanimal]

Thanks for your input HP, I'm a beginner here for sure on the learning curve. I respect the knowledge and experience of both hid and led camps. I've determined thus far that the G8-900 watt unit is over hyped and overpriced and probably not the most efficient design. Also, I believe those are nominal watts not actual. In any case, I've decided to construct my own LED arrays at a fraction of the cost and, done right hopefully, should be more efficient than hyped marketed LED units. Also can custom design for my grow space and method. With no experience in either hid or led, I intuit the best I can from accumulated research and for my personal scale and most likely grow method, I still lean towards LED. Who knows, maybe i'll end up with HPS for flower in the end, time will tell.

na

 

[newanimal]

Forgot to add, some persuasive info from LED do-it-yourselfer's and growers (not product peddlers) assure that a 500 watt properly made LED array with proper spectrum focusing can grow the hell out of a 5'x5' space. Whatever growth stage. I'm not rooting for ball teams here, just open minded and seeking real facts and science. We'll see

 

[JustAnotherAntMarching]

Please take and post pics if you decide to build your own... would love to compare the design with others Ive seen made...

 

[Hushpuppy]

I understand. I wanted to give you some more perspective to work with as it is easy to look at growing from limited perspective and not realize how involved it is. If LEDs are the way you want to go, I say go for it and see what happens. You may get a killer setup that does what you need. I looked into doing a DIY LED myself as I am an electronics tech but even the components are rather expensive to put together what I wanted to do. I decided that I would rather experiment with MJ than the LEDs. But if that is your interest, it is certainly doable, and I hope to see your DIY light setup and your grow over the course of it.

 

[lovedenugs]

hey animal, i have seen a couple great grows from LED so i say go for it man.
may i suggest though that you get foxfarms oceanic soil. i have had a couple of my friends say its the best way to go. also had a friend say that coco works wonders with led for some reason

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Forgot to add, some persuasive info from LED do-it-yourselfer's and growers (not product peddlers) assure that a 500 watt properly made LED array with proper spectrum focusing can grow the hell out of a 5'x5' space. Whatever growth stage. I'm not rooting for ball teams here, just open minded and seeking real facts and science. We'll see

Can you direct us to some of these. I personally have not actually seen anything that makes me believe that LEDs are the way to grow right now (maybe in the future). PJ has done well, but I'm pretty sure he is running close to 1000W for a 5 x 5 area.

 

[lovedenugs]

hemp i can give you links to youtube vids of really great led grows. and best thing about leds are there are no heat signatures just incase theres a bacon mobeel in the sky.

 

[WeedHopper]

Heat sig means very little unless they are already on to you,,then it aint gonna matter which your using,,cause they already know to much or the woulnt be sending expensive Aircraft over the house.

 

[Hushpuppy]

You tube has some really good anecdotal videos where you can see some things done that are described by highly experienced growers, but it is so easy for people to control what you see in a video that I don't trust them for something like grow evidence. A grow journal where pics or vids are done constantly to follow a comparison grow from start to finish is more reliable that a video that shows a completed grow that "was grown under this light system from start to finish".

Not saying that it isn't doable, but I follow the idiom that if it seems too good to be true, then it most likely is. That doesn't mean that I totally discount what is said, I just don't bite the worm until I have made sure there is no hook in it.

 

[WeedHopper]

:yeahthat:

 

[newanimal]

Can you direct us to some of these. I personally have not actually seen anything that makes me believe that LEDs are the way to grow right now (maybe in the future). PJ has done well, but I'm pretty sure he is running close to 1000W for a 5 x 5 area.

I haven't personally seen either, aside from the youtube vids documenting grows mentioned by 'nugs. And encouraging things I hear from a respected tech/grower who makes his own LED arrays (another forum), whence the 5x5/500W paraphrase. Granted it's hear say at this point.
Some good youtube vids on DIY LED grow lights out there. Not that difficult.
Maybe a little tedious, but I can handle a little tedium to save a grand and wind up with a more efficient mean n lean unit. But just gathering info at this stage.

Looked for a thread or posts by "PJ" on a 5x5 led grow but couldn't locate.
could someone direct me ?