Guide To Growing Under LED's

[teetee]

Hi Speagle, thanks for the run down. I have a Helios 6 and am getting started in about a month, so will be watching you closely if u dont mind.
What size cabinet do you have? Ive a 125x80x200 cab and the helios 6. i was thinking about extra sidelights T5 24W sunblasters 2 footers, one down each side wall and 2 across the back wall. Waddaya think? overkill? not enough? I got the idea from supercloset.com
I take it for your veg stage you're doing 18/6, but what about when you're germinating? 24/7 or 18/6? Also I heard using only 3 lights on the Helios 6 also helps in the early stages to prevent burning the young'uns before ramping it up to 6 then lowering the unit for flowering. Again, what's your views?
Anyway, good luck with the grow, and hopefully keep in touch!

[FLOWERpower]

Hi Speagle, thanks for the run down. I have a Helios 6 and am getting started in about a month, so will be watching you closely if u dont mind.
What size cabinet do you have? Ive a 125x80x200 cab and the helios 6. i was thinking about extra sidelights T5 24W sunblasters 2 footers, one down each side wall and 2 across the back wall. Waddaya think? overkill? not enough? I got the idea from supercloset.com
I take it for your veg stage you're doing 18/6, but what about when you're germinating? 24/7 or 18/6? Also I heard using only 3 lights on the Helios 6 also helps in the early stages to prevent burning the young'uns before ramping it up to 6 then lowering the unit for flowering. Again, what's your views?
Anyway, good luck with the grow, and hopefully keep in touch!

hi teetee , i know that a helios 6 manual is in the works which should have all the answers you require within ,so keep checking back

I myself am buying a pro6 helios this week and will be building a stealth drobe to house it with similar dimensions to yours , is yours a wardrobe or a DIY scratch build?......i however will have to wait a bit longer than yourself to get started as i need to move house to a flat before i start , BBBOOOOOO!!!
It will be worth the wait though im sure , because during that time i could perhaps get another light for the cab to UP the flower power , and i to have been thinking about side lights , i notice LEDhydroponics have them on there web site but was wondering if its worth spending on , are they worth it hhhmmmm i dont know i will have to ask around and read more hehe

get ya setup and lights posted on here though fella , it would be great to see your setup

[teetee]

Hi Speagle and FLOWERpower, nice to meet you both, and thanks for the encouragement. Either of you guys in the UK? I get a bit paranoid about putting too much information up. Photos have tags and location markers nowdays etc. Do you have any tips to keep safe, cos I'd love to share once up and running.

I considered lots of designs but eventually settled for something like the supercloset or the actech stanley 336. These are Californian medical marijuana grow cabinets that claim to be plug and play (which is obviously bollocks in the first place!!). They cost a bomb and shipping to the UK costs around a grand, the electricity is different so would need a bloody great big power converter, plus customs will love too hear your explanation for getting one. So instead I'm having one built to similar specifications.

The US growboxes are a little deeper than the standard filing cabinet or cupboard at around 800mm as opposed to 600mm, this seems to be mainly for the all in one hydro box that looks like a DWC with a top feed. As the hydrobox has 12 planter sites, it gets a bit big, hence the extra depth to the cabinet. The Supercloset offers CO2 as well, so that should be interesting to see how that works in such a small area with an LED and sidelights as well. I might add CO2 later on depending on how things go. There are some UK based growbox manufacturers but none had the quality appearance and build of the US models. I suppose cos it's legal out there, they can openly make and test equipment, and supply the demand.

I'm not gonna bother with a shelf for propogation, which should provide almost a foot more growing height. I can imagine the US cabinets getting very overcrowded at a crucial stage in flowering. The supercloset also had the attraction of having magnetic white panels instead of mylar, which they claim makes cleaning easier, and a flimsy looking net trellis held on by even flimsier magnets to do a SCROG. That must be their way of hiding the fact that there's not enough height internally?

There's an interesting novice 1st time grow using a supercloset on you tube, The poster is angie lupuslife. She has helpfully videoed unpacking, constructing and getting started with a supercloset, and is useful viewing for anyone building their own.

The Stanley 336 is a nice box too, I like the way they use the hollows of the doors and shelf to duct the air through, and their hydrobox has a little cooler attached to it. That looks to be a great way of keeping root rot at bay and maximising uptake at the correct nute temp. They also offer a pH controller for a true 'walk away and leave for 2 weeks' experience.... again madness!!!

I'm gonna keep it simple but slick (hopefully), and now my smoke has finished and its 5am, I'm gonna hit the sack. Hope to hear your thoughts dudes!