I have seen a few folks here with bare bulb grows. ie their bulb is just hanging down in the middle of the plants. What are the advantages & disadvantages of a vertical bulb grow? I see one disadvantage would be cooling the light..... GTWT :XXhippylove:
I have a box fan underneath mine blowing the heat up away from the plants for now. I have to watch it, though, my bulb will start swinging if it catches a draft. My plant's have some burn in the leaves that get closest to the light. I've been rotating them every water to try to get even budding. Also, I had to get some sunglasses when I'm gardening. The light's bright enough to burn your eyes.
So is it supposed to give more light for the same wattage in the same space? Juggy - why did you choose to 'bare bulb' it? GTWT :XXhippylove:
I tried the vertical thing with my two 400 watt "high Bay fixtures". It's just the bare bulb with the ballast attached directly to the top of the socket. Anyway, I feel I was losing too much light UP and away from the plants, where with my reflector I can "direct" the light to the plants in a more focused pattern. But, this was awhile back and I can't guarantee I didn't have something different that I'm not remembering. It just seemed like, at the time, I was convinced that vertical growing wasn't for me. Here's my vertical 's . . . I have 2 of them. :alienwink: My specific type of might have made it hard for me to get the bulb where it needed to be. But, I just don't think so. Maybe because there was two hanging side by side, but I DEFINITELY got bigger buds and a better overall yield off the reflectors. Hope this helps some. :alienwink:
to double post . . . See how the light pattern stops and the shade covers the remaining area from there on up? Well imagine that the light is able to "spread out" and shine all over. The area under the current focal point would less intense . . . was less intense. For some circumstances vertical is good, but I don't know what they are. Maybe growing from clone in an elevated stadium seating type of PVC structure like Heath Robinson uses . . . It actually called "A Flooded Tube Vertical Grow" . . . Here it is . . . http://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/149998-heaths-flooded-tube-vertical.html Very cool, but not for me. :alienwink:
interesting... So to get the most out of the light, the bulb needs to be somewhat "immersed" in the plants? I've got 2 600W, in a 3x7 space - trying to figure out any new tricks that may be out there. GTWT :XXhippylove:
Thats my understanding, but it's been awhile since I've read through that thread. It is a great thread that should be read before going ahead! Too much work for me. Two 600's is nice coverage for that are. IMHO
Oooo I love this topic! Vert free hanging bulbs produce more "use-able" light and are waaaaay easier to cool A horizontal free standing bulb in a hood is bouncing half of the bulbs intensity back downward, also hoods create a radiating effect from the bulb being inside of the hood, cooltubes are a differant animal tho....but a hooded bulb is much harder to cool for the simple fact that you now have to cool a bulb and a massive METAL radiating hood that is being heated up by the bulb I always use the example of a LAMP with a shade on it VS. a lamp without a shade....which one of the two lights up the room more? ***The shade dampens the light and pushes what it can downward, lighting up a small area givin ***The BARE bulb throws all of its intensity and light with as much as its power and wattage will allow, lighting up the entire area givin Each have their place and each need differant growing styles and bulb/spacing techniques but IMO/E, the VERT grow will outyield a hooded grow, if done on the same planes
Its my understanding that you place the plants around the lowered vertical lamp and they stay low to the light. Never tried it might be worth experimenting Teamster6
I don't have plants above my lights and I have none on the walls or ceiling. Alot of is wasted unless the bulb is "inside" the canopy; I guess is how I'm thinking is should be said. How much do you have on your ceiling and how many plants do you have up there? Just curious. :alienwink:
I guess i forgot to add the part where you turn the lamp upside down.......and im retarded.......anyho ho ho how that would make what i was tryin to say more easily understood right??? wiseassasssit: More so sayin the bulb, any bulb is designed to put light out to the sides and upward......so if you hang the bulb... 100% of its light ability is being utilized and your plants are getting 100% of the bulbs value In a horizontal placement of the bulb, your getting maybe 60%-70% of the bulbs ability, directly from the bulb and then whatever % of what its reflecting
Most of the advantages have been mentioned already, but the reason I switched to a bare vertical bulb is because the ducting and cooltube took up too much space in my small closet. It is harder to cool than a vented hood or cooltube but I have more space for plants now and heat can be overcome with the right fan.
I'd bare bulb it if I was doing a VSOG. I researched several NFT VSOG setups like what rky posted when I was first starting up, and I'd definitely use one of those if I decided to grow over my plant limit and in limited space. INSANE yields. I'm getting more lumens by having double the lights oriented horizontally for the space, but I could probably light the 8x4 area almost as efficiently with 2 vertically oriented 600w bulbs. there's less plant rotating involved in horizontal fixtures too, as only the tops get light through the entire lifecycle, and I already have ez-hangers to raise the lights in a few seconds, so having stuff set up the way I do is less daily maintenance than it would be if I changed it over.
