Could 18/24 lights be to much?

[TrdTaco]

Hi

I'm a first time grower and I'm growing 3 plants in my 4x4 grow tent. I have a King LED 1200 Watt light and 5 gallon grow bags. The soil I'm using a fox farm soil and the trio nutrients.

The issue I'm have is every night before my light cycle is done my plants tend to droop down. I'm wondering if the light cycle is too long for my plants or could it be another issue?


Another thing is the seeds I used to grow my plants are old seeds as well. I have had them for about 3 years or more. Could the way they where stored effect the genetics of my plants? One plant is growing very nice with its leafs purcked up. My second Plant was growing very nice, but now seems to droop as well. My third plant started growing with defomeraties like the leaves only have 3 leaves or have curling to the side or missing leaves.

[Masi808]

As far as i know plants drooping during the night cycle is normal

[TrdTaco]

So my light is on and it has about 2 hours left till the lights turn off but their drooping. So that's okay?

[Soilscience]

There is a point at which plants can get too much light. I have no way of knowing if this is your situation. But there are things you can try. Shorten the day length and see if your plants respond positively. As long as you keep it long enough so they don't flower you might actually get healthier plants and use less electric.
The other option is to get a PAR meter.
There are so many different lights available now, and the lighting industry is very loose with their definition of Watts. Many of the LEDs are being sold as Watts equivalents, which makes it hard to know what you're really getting. If your light is actually drawing 1200 watts and the LEDs are efficient, that's a lot of light.

[TrdTaco]

The light I have is a King Plus LED 1200 watts and the size is 15.75x8.39x2.37inches. i will look into that PAR meter. I'm just wondering if this is light is enough for my 3 plants in my 4x4 tent ?

[Soilscience]

The King Plus 1200 watt only uses about 200 watts to produce light. If the efficiency is similar to other LEDs in its class, it is similar in PAR to HPS lights in the 250w range. I saw on the eBay site the PAR results for this light. If they are true then plants should grow very well directly under the light at about 3 ft away. I think the information provided is true, but misleading. Going back to your original question, I doubt you are giving these plants too much light unless they are directly under, and too close to the lamp. I would not rate this as an optimal lamp for 3 plants in 4x4. But it will work, especially under the lamp.
I just re read your earlier questions. What's the temperature inside the tent when the drooping starts? Are you in soil? When do you water?

[TrdTaco]

My LED light is 2ft away from my plants.
The drooping begins when its alteaste 73 F. I'm using Fox Farm Ocean Soil.

[dontknownuttin]

Please explain how a 1,200 watt King pro has 1,200 watts but only uses about 200 watts? is it magic?

[Soilscience]

LED lights are named to sell. 1200 is the "replacement" value. That is, incandescent lighting would need to be 1200 watts to make this much light. Which for horticultural lighting is ludicrous. Quite often you have to search to find the actual wattage. When I searched, I found that this unit actually only draws a little over 200 watts.
Now when comparing lights, watts only describe how much energy it uses, not how much light it makes. Different types of lighting produce more or less usable light per watt. The King may be over stating it's wattage because the manufacturer feels that their light quality is superior enough to compare it to lights of higher wattage. Unfortunately, that's not the case.
A 315 LEC light is comparable to a 400-600 HPS because of light quality, but it's not called a 500 watt light. I don't know why LED sellers feel that their misleading advertising is OK.

[bobsakamoto]

I don't know why LED sellers feel that their misleading advertising is OK.

first i just wanna make it clear that i'm not being a smartass or trolling...and i very much feel the exact SAME way...

but the way i figure it is that's how capitalism works...they (the LED manufacturers/sellers) will take advantage of the market until someone (or more correctly many, many someones) make them stop.

and the only way that will happen, and again, this is simply my opinion, but it is factually based on a shit ton of research i have done, is if/when the growing community gains access to a PAR meter that is both affordable and accurate....right now, sadly, that is only a mutually exclusive proposition for individual growers...

[Soilscience]

Agreed. I think we just have to help each other out and educate ourselves as Best we can.
I think one point to remember as well is that there's some pretty great weed being grown no matter what it says on the box. 1200 or 200, plant some seeds, attend to their needs, have fun.

[TrdTaco]

Okay thanks for that info.