Those of you with Vipar Spectra 450w LED grow lights

[Sledrock]

What distance do you keep them from top of canopy during Flowering?

Thanks in advance for any input!

[SoOrbudgal]

Howdy I have 2 450 in a 4x4x8 my flowering plants are no more than 20" both switches on veg/bloom. I see no ill effects at all at this height, I do not put them any closer and if they need to be bent I do that.

[Sledrock]

SoOrbudgal I also have 2 VP 450s with the 3 adjustable knobs , a wooden cabinet and a 3'x3'x72 inch grow tent, I only use 1 light per tent, though. (Do you think I should use BOTH Lights in my grow tent? Right now, I only have 2 plants (WW and Pineapple Kush growing ) (Just started 4th Week of flowering) I'm currently at 18" above canopy and quickly running out of Head-Room. Think I only have about 4 inches left that I can raise my light! Damn worker at MSNL - sent me Photos instead of Autos. Had I know that, I would have switched to 12x12 much sooner! Thankfully, I think the Stretch is about done.

[SoOrbudgal]

Sledrock I've done run just one at a time in my old 3x3x62" it really was a lot running 2. Bummer about the seed screwup. If you can supercrop the stalks you ever done that? I've had too several times. Only way to make it through at this point without burning is my guess. Yes I've run both lights in my smaller tent but not without training really hard pulling them away tie strings to corner posts. Just take several inches down for cola squeeze wiggle back and forth bend it over. Good luck you can do this.

[Sledrock]

I already Super-Cropped 5 stems on the White Widow on Dec 11th. Don't want to do it again since I it's making buds and I think it's done stretching, plus I can raise light another 4 inches (Fingers crossed X.) Thanks for the input on the lights!

[BaccaRacca]

My current grow is at 18" with those lights. I had a previous grow where the plant was within 6" and didn't seem to do much damage.

[SoOrbudgal]

Yes I believe it would be safe at that height, but I am pretty cautious about burning/bleaching buds which I've done.

[OlderNOTwiser]

I have the plain vanilla 450w, not the pro version. While I'm an unabashed rookie on my first go around I did manage to light burn the top of my Solomatic CBD. It was an auto that was only 23.5" tall. It was all my fault as I failed to bump the distance up during what passed as a stretch. I found I was about 14". After moving up to 18" everything settled in and I harvested yesterday.

[Sledrock]

OlderNOTwiser - Thanks for the response! (I Love these Vipar Spectras!)

[D.A.A.S.69]

I've got a couple of those Vipar 450s, don't use them anymore, but they do a fine job of vegging, flowering is a different story, very airy flowers,
They will definitely bleach your plants if to close, at 15-18inches, they did ok.
HappyGrowing

[Eliot Pryor]

I have a 450w that I got last February. I use it for flower only. The manufacturer says keep them 12 inches from the tops. Mine sometimes (like always) get much closer. If its messing up the smoke maybe its for my own good because it is killer shit as is. I have 2 Blackstar 135w that put out more light and they never burned the tops, but one of those cost more than the 450. They have been running 12/12 for 6 years trouble free and still going. Strain. strain. strain. Its the strain.

[Greenpassion]

I grow in a grow room, not a tent or cabinet. I have 5 Viparspectors over 12 autos, and 4 young photos, and all are well. I've been using these lights since day one, 2 1/2 years ago, and will definitely stay with them. All my plants have dense sticky large buds, and aside from my mistake last year of not flushing my photos prior to moving them to 12/12, I've had very very good success with all my grows, I move the lights up according to what they need.
My very young seedlings are sprouted with a t5 light, and then I move them to the 5 x 6 table where the big girls are, and I have these lights 36 to 38 inches above them, where as the others are under the lights at around 24 inches or so. The lights are all on pullies, and are hanging from a large wooden rack built specifically to hold these lights, with dozens of hooks in the rack to allow me to move them where ever I might need them.

[D.A.A.S.69]

I remember when you joined, imo the old Vipar300s, are better than the 450s, but that's just me.
HappyGrowing

[Sledrock]

@Eliotpryor Greenpassion - Thanks Fellows!

[Jarret]

Hey chiming in. New grower. First time was a bust. Spider mites then got excited watching them grow and grow right on past their prime. Homemade setup..
2- 2x3x8 grow areas, cardboard, mylar & duct tape.
2- fans in each, top and bottom
2- Viparspectra 450W dimmable LED's
Coco coir from brick, buffered twice, rinsed
Perlite 30%
Sprouted seeds on reptile mat, 3 days
Jiffy pots for each seed
Transferd to 1 gal. fabric pots with two sets up

Now 1 week in. 5 sets of leaves up
Still small. Every seed come up with a twist in the leaves. Have 1 Bruce Baner auto, 1 Gorilla Glue 4 auto and two GSCE auto. Got off to a good start I thought. pH issues even when everything was spot on the numbers. One with leaves pointing up with yellow tips. One with leaves look like their clawing. Same grow area. Other grow area same plants same care look different. Lol. Keep trying to get the correct numbers in. Out is getting better. How far into the process before you up the EC? Might be easier chasing it up instead of down. Guessing at light numbers. 36" above tops. Just bumped the light to 60.100.100. Might be too soon. Oh yeah using Dyna grow-foliage pro only so far.

[Jarret]

As of today. Fertigated this AM
In with pH 5.8 EC .49
Out..Bruce Banner...pH 6.2 EC .33
Gorilla Glue....... 6.3. .27
Girl Scout Cookie 1. 6.2. .22
". ". ". 2. 6.1. .28
Getting better I think.

[SoOrbudgal]

Start a separate post might get newer answers LOL don't hijack for answers in someone else's post surely someone with so much knowledge on pH and wording like " fertigated " could figure out posting photos and starting their own grow journal??

[Jarret]

Hello,
A bit past the last post on this site but thought I'd see if it's still open.
Growing with a Viparspectra 450W dimmable in a 30" x 30" Green Hut. 5 gallon felt pot with living soil and Coco Loco. I've been watering every 4th day with plain tap water and a bit of flower nutrients and CalMag early on then on to Flower with CalMag. 70 day matk on Wednesday. If I can post photos I'd like some comments.

[Rootsruler]

They look ready to harvest.

[Eliot Pryor]

Very nice. I'd harvest them.

[Jarret]

Sorry didn't mean to tag in. How do I delete this

[stabmasterarson]

I have a 450w that I got last February. I use it for flower only. The manufacturer says keep them 12 inches from the tops. Mine sometimes (like always) get much closer. If its messing up the smoke maybe its for my own good because it is killer shit as is. I have 2 Blackstar 135w that put out more light and they never burned the tops, but one of those cost more than the 450. They have been running 12/12 for 6 years trouble free and still going. Strain. strain. strain. Its the strain.

Following the manufacturers suggested height, I completely destroyed/burned a plant I was doing earlier this year. I kept treating the distress signals as a nutrient problem, and realised my mistake far too late to salvage it. Second time around I went with greater distance and switched to a 300w Kingbo for late flowering, just in case haha.

It is a great light, but I had to learn the hard way how to work with a powerful LED.

[Rootsruler]

Download a light meter app. YOU can then accurately measure how much light you're giving your plants and you won't burn them.