I recently got into this hobby and it appears to be very easy to fall victim to misinformation. I'd love to put a lot of time into learning everything I can, but that can be difficult when you're unsure what to take as fact or fiction.
I have someone walking me through step by step. He is very knowledgeable and has 10+ years experience, I have seen 50+ of his plants and none of them have a single yellow leaf. He uses a super soil and grows completely organically. He mixes all three types of Fox Farm for the benefits of all the microorganisms in each. He uses the different types of guano for veg/flower. He provided me with a 400 watt as my previous LEDs were only the right spectrum for flowering. He only does organic soil growing as to not sacrifice the taste and smells that can result from using hydro instead.
So basically, he seems to know his shit. Here are where my questions come in.. I've done plenty of research on light/lumens/foot candles. I've looked at the charts, and everything seems to suggest that lumens are severely diminished after 18 inches+ with a 400 watt. Yet he claims and insists that "the 400 watt is plenty of light to light up my 4x8 closet, and that they have all the light they could need"...
Do they? He usually grows under 1000 watts, so obviously that has better penetration. He is completely correct in the fact that even with my light 36+ inches above, my plants are thriving. They also do not have a single yellow leaf, so they appear to be getting everything they could want. So I believe he's correct in the sense that they are getting sufficient light to survive, but let's say according to one of those lumens charts that 20+ inches down you're only at 3000ish lumens. Would my plants be growing almost twice as fast if the lights were close enough for 8,000-10,000 lumens? When I say facts only please, I don't exactly mean that, feel free to post your opinions. But I am looking for some solid evidence that they are growing slower than they potentially could be, or that those foot candle charts are technically false as it applies to plants taking in the light they need. All research I've done suggests that more light = faster growing, higher yield, and more potent bud. Especially in flowering. So pardon the pun, but can anyone shed some light on things?
I have someone walking me through step by step. He is very knowledgeable and has 10+ years experience, I have seen 50+ of his plants and none of them have a single yellow leaf. He uses a super soil and grows completely organically. He mixes all three types of Fox Farm for the benefits of all the microorganisms in each. He uses the different types of guano for veg/flower. He provided me with a 400 watt as my previous LEDs were only the right spectrum for flowering. He only does organic soil growing as to not sacrifice the taste and smells that can result from using hydro instead.
So basically, he seems to know his shit. Here are where my questions come in.. I've done plenty of research on light/lumens/foot candles. I've looked at the charts, and everything seems to suggest that lumens are severely diminished after 18 inches+ with a 400 watt. Yet he claims and insists that "the 400 watt is plenty of light to light up my 4x8 closet, and that they have all the light they could need"...
Do they? He usually grows under 1000 watts, so obviously that has better penetration. He is completely correct in the fact that even with my light 36+ inches above, my plants are thriving. They also do not have a single yellow leaf, so they appear to be getting everything they could want. So I believe he's correct in the sense that they are getting sufficient light to survive, but let's say according to one of those lumens charts that 20+ inches down you're only at 3000ish lumens. Would my plants be growing almost twice as fast if the lights were close enough for 8,000-10,000 lumens? When I say facts only please, I don't exactly mean that, feel free to post your opinions. But I am looking for some solid evidence that they are growing slower than they potentially could be, or that those foot candle charts are technically false as it applies to plants taking in the light they need. All research I've done suggests that more light = faster growing, higher yield, and more potent bud. Especially in flowering. So pardon the pun, but can anyone shed some light on things?
