HLG 260w XL power setting and height from top of plants?

Hello everyone i have been vegging my plants with 1 HLG 260w XL which they say is enough for veg but not for flower. So I purchased a second one if you know the 260 xl is the same as the 260 except for there is a full section in the middle where you could add a 3rd board if you wanted to. I liked the idea of them being spread out so they are not growing towards the middle of the tent. Which is why I got a second one I also got a 30w uva light bar from them as well. My main question is, when I add this second light, what should I set the potentiometer of the 2 - 260 xls at? Should I crank them both to 100% to start? And second question is HLG states that I should run the 30w uva bar for the entire 12 hour cycle. Anybody have any experience with using these uva bars? I guess more specifically how long should I keep it on for during the lights on period of my flowering cycle? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
Oh good call then. Two of them would be perfect for that tent. And my RSpec produced me some frosty and dense tops so ... feed 'em well then get ready!

If you can provide 24" between the canopy and lights then you can crank them both at full. At an 18" gap, you would drop that to about 75% each light. And while they are not as accurate as a PAR meter, you can use a LUX meter app for the smartphone. They can help you to set pretty good lighting levels.
 
Oh good call then. Two of them would be perfect for that tent. And my RSpec produced me some frosty and dense tops so ... feed 'em well then get ready!

If you can provide 24" between the canopy and lights then you can crank them both at full. At an 18" gap, you would drop that to about 75% each light. And while they are not as accurate as a PAR meter, you can use a LUX meter app for the smartphone. They can help you to set pretty good lighting levels.
Awesome Thankyou! It’s lights out for my ladies at the moment but I’ll take some pictures tomorrow and post to get your guys opinion on how’s it’s going this is my first grow. I broke a branch or two when I put the SCROG net on but she is recovering and the second plants is doing great definitely bigger than the other one I just don’t want it to get too big so I’m thinking about flipping to flower here pretty soon
 
A first timer went with HLG. Very impressive!

If you can get your SCROG nets in place earlier you can avoid snapping your branches You get to weave them through far more gracefully.
Yes I am a first timer but i don’t consider myself to be the average bear. I did my research and the one thing I still can’t get out of my heads was all the people asking why their bud wasn’t as fire as someone else’s and almost every time it was because they tried to cheap out on the lights. Plus most people don’t realize that these vivosun grow tent kits that come with lights and all, the lights are labeled as like a VS1000. Which is supposed to compare to a 1000w light when in fact it doesn’t. These lights may be 200 true wats total. So I figured get good lights and I won’t be buying more anytime soon. *cross my fingers* anyways here are a few picture of the ladies. What do you think? I’d like to fill the net out but don’t want to over do it. The plant on the left is definitely behind the one on the right. Also this is an indica strain so I’m hoping for minimal stretching when they are flipped.
 

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Rurumo

Well-Known Member
I agree with the above, just be careful when increasing your lighting. These leds are powerful, you have to let your plants get used to the increase in light gradually.
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
... Do you think I should try to fill out screen more or go ahead and flip. It’s a thick stalky indica so I’m not expecting much on the stretching ...
I would keep spreading outward and fill your net with as many potential tops before you flip. Even if they do stretch a little more than you anticipate, you've now seen what HLG's can do even at 75% power.
 
Do you happen to know any good tips or videos on defoliating? These girls are getting a little crowded and I didn’t wanna get monks and stuff
 

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StareCase

Well-Known Member
I usually prune when the netting is a little fuller. I try not to remove any branches quite yet because that branch might end up being a good candidate to be woven laterally. Might fill in a bare spot down the road. I try not to remove too much too early in VEG.

When the netting is nearly full I will selectively remove some of the large fans that are blocking potential bud sites. The good lollipop comes after three to four weeks in flower. Anything below the netting and anything that ended up below the main canopy is removed. Branches, leaves ... whatever. If it's buried below the mesh or didn't make it as part of the main canopy, it's trimmed off.
 
I usually prune when the netting is a little fuller. I try not to remove any branches quite yet because that branch might end up being a good candidate to be woven laterally. Might fill in a bare spot down the road. I try not to remove too much too early in VEG.

When the netting is nearly full I will selectively remove some of the large fans that are blocking potential bud sites. The good lollipop comes after three to four weeks in flower. Anything below the netting and anything that ended up below the main canopy is removed. Branches, leaves ... whatever. If it's buried below the mesh or didn't make it as part of the main canopy, it's trimmed off.
How can I prevent mold and mildew?? I’m afraid there’s not much airflow getting to the center between the plants. Also do you think this is mold or mildew? What do you think is going on here? Looks like burnt tips. I’m not too sure doesn’t seem to be affecting much
 

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StareCase

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The pic on the right looks like one of my leaves after my dog decides to take a bite. The pic on the left looks like a minor deficiency.

The lollipopping will open up the centre when she gets larger. For right now, if there are a few large fan leaves that might be disrupting air flow in the centre you can remove them selectively to help open it up a bit more.

Do you have a circulation fan on the floor that is able to stir up the air underneath the canopy?
 
Do you have a circulation fan on the floor that is able to stir up the air underneath the canopy?
I have 2 pole fans that attach to the poles in my tent but they are not that powerful and I have one fan blowing around the reservoir a bit stronger but I was told not to aim them directly at the plants so I didn’t want to aim it for the middle between them so I’ve got it like pushing air around the reservoir. Also finally got everything straight with my second hlg 260w xl going to get her put together and hung up tonight hopefully
 

StareCase

Well-Known Member
... I was told not to aim them directly at the plants so I didn’t want to aim it for the middle between them so I’ve got it like pushing air around the reservoir ...
Correct ... you don't point the fan directly at the plants. So you can angle the floor fan slightly upwards and towards the sides of the tent to swirl the air underneath them.
... What app would you be referring too? And how can I transition lux into PAR? ...
There are similar apps for the iPhone - but for my Galaxy I use the Doggo LUX Light Meter which can be found in the Galaxy App Store. The HLG conversion factor is 64.33557 - divide your LUX reading by 64.33557 to get the PPFD. A LUX reading of 62,000 will give you a DLI of 41.6 for 12 hours of flowering. A LUX reading of 41,500 gives you a DLI of 41.6 for 18 hour VEG.
 

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Correct ... you don't point the fan directly at the plants. So you can angle the floor fan slightly upwards and towards the sides of the tent to swirl the air underneath them.

There are similar apps for the iPhone - but for my Galaxy I use the Doggo LUX Light Meter which can be found in the Galaxy App Store. The HLG conversion factor is 64.33557 - divide your LUX reading by 64.33557 to get the PPFD. A LUX reading of 62,000 will give you a DLI of 41.6 for 12 hours of flowering. A LUX reading of 41,500 gives you a DLI of 41.6 for 18 hour VEG.
So what is the optimal DLI reading I am specifically looking to reach? Within a 4x4 tent? And a 12 hour flower cycle?
 
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