Horizontal or vertical alignment of light (400w hps)

[John c]

Hey folks sorry if what I'm asking is common knowledge but I'm only on my second grow indoors (ever)

 

Should my light (400w hps) be running vertical or horizontal from the top in my grow cupboard?

 

The light globe is currently pointing down at the plants (vertical) I guess it will be a SOG as there are six in a smallish area

[PiGMaN]

Its gotta go horizontal dude ...with hopefully a reflector above it.

[Ozzy420]

Most ppl run there light horizontal, in an area like a robe unless u are using a china mans hat style of shade then u have to run your light vertical.

 

But IMHO running the light horizontal will give u better lumes towards the plants...

[Reverend]

There has been a lot of good grows with vertical, but as Ozzy said horizontal is better.

Cheers

Gills

[John c]

Horizontal seemed the most logical thanks people will change it asap

[Smoke32]

The volume of effectively illumiated plant material can be significantly greater hanging bulbs vertically with no reflector than hanigng bulbs horizontally. Yes when using a horizontal reflector the 3x3x2 area does get brighter light because of the reflector but a vertically hanging bulb generates a much greater area of ideal light.

 

With Horirzontal light of 400 Ws you get an area of 3x3 about 2 feet deep of useable light since you have to keep the plants 1-2 feet away depending if you are doing air cooled. So the overall area of ideal useable light is 3x3x2 = 18 sqr ft.

 

Vertically you can put the plants closer to the light up to as close as 6" The best light is generated directly at the level of the reaction producing light and directly out perpendictar to the length of the bulb. This generates of field of ideal light in a circular fasion 3-4' out from the bulb.

 

So the volume of ideal usebale light(Pi x raidus(squared)x height) is 3.14x3x3x3 -3.14x.5x.5x2 = 92- 17 = 75

 

This area is 4x greater than produced from the horizontal light.

 

In addition to this vertical lighting has more benefits if you have many lights...In a 5 light setup with vertically hanging bubs 5-8 feet apart, the plants in the middle are getting useable light from up to all 5 lights, where all the light with horizontal is directed toward the floor barely helping the neighboring plants... You go into one room with four 400 mhs and 3 600 hps vertically hanging in 2 rows and it is a big light orgie. I would say vertically hanging bulbs project useable light for up to 10 feet. Its best light is definately 3 feet away and closer up even 20 feet away the light is bright to the human eye...

 

I have an ideal flowering setup where I use vertically hanging bulbs to flower 2 fases of plants at the same time.

I put 6 fresh out of veg plants directly under the vertically hanging bulbs...then put 4 week old plants that had been under the bulb into new 1 foot taller pots that I place surroudning the fresh into flower plants directly under the bulb. The bulb is hung to be 6" away from the new plants while the canopy of the 4 week old plants form a spherical wall of buds around the bulb.

 

In this way I use the very effective light emitted directly under the vertically hanging bulb to flower the smaller plants while the most effective and ideal light projected from the bulb is used to illuminate the colas of the 4 week into flower plants.

 

The six 4-week-old plants form an omega garden type of canopy as close as 6" away from the veritcally hanging bulb, with the top of the bulb hanging at or below the canopy 6"+ above the newly flowering plants.

 

With this method depending on strain is easy to pull 1 pound per 400 Watt light every 4 weeks instead of the every 2 months of horizontal lighting, and now you can understand why. You almost use the bulb in 360 degrees while horizontal reflectors use more like 90 degrees.

 

Switch from the 2d to the 3d with vertically hanigng bulbs !!!

[samboo]

The volume of effectively illumiated plant material can be significantly greater hanging bulbs vertically with no reflector than hanigng bulbs horizontally. Yes when using a horizontal reflector the 3x3x2 area does get brighter light because of the reflector but a vertically hanging bulb generates a much greater area of ideal light.

 

With Horirzontal light of 400 Ws you get an area of 3x3 about 2 feet deep of useable light since you have to keep the plants 1-2 feet away depending if you are doing air cooled. So the overall area of ideal useable light is 3x3x2 = 18 sqr ft.

 

Vertically you can put the plants closer to the light up to as close as 6" The best light is generated directly at the level of the reaction producing light and directly out perpendictar to the length of the bulb. This generates of field of ideal light in a circular fasion 3-4' out from the bulb.

 

So the volume of ideal usebale light(Pi x raidus(squared)x height) is 3.14x3x3x3 -3.14x.5x.5x2 = 92- 17 = 75

 

This area is 4x greater than produced from the horizontal light.

 

In addition to this vertical lighting has more benefits if you have many lights...In a 5 light setup with vertically hanging bubs 5-8 feet apart, the plants in the middle are getting useable light from up to all 5 lights, where all the light with horizontal is directed toward the floor barely helping the neighboring plants... You go into one room with four 400 mhs and 3 600 hps vertically hanging in 2 rows and it is a big light orgie. I would say vertically hanging bulbs project useable light for up to 10 feet. Its best light is definately 3 feet away and closer up even 20 feet away the light is bright to the human eye...

 

I have an ideal flowering setup where I use vertically hanging bulbs to flower 2 fases of plants at the same time.

I put 6 fresh out of veg plants directly under the vertically hanging bulbs...then put 4 week old plants that had been under the bulb into new 1 foot taller pots that I place surroudning the fresh into flower plants directly under the bulb. The bulb is hung to be 6" away from the new plants while the canopy of the 4 week old plants form a spherical wall of buds around the bulb.

 

In this way I use the very effective light emitted directly under the vertically hanging bulb to flower the smaller plants while the most effective and ideal light projected from the bulb is used to illuminate the colas of the 4 week into flower plants.

 

The six 4-week-old plants form an omega garden type of canopy as close as 6" away from the veritcally hanging bulb, with the top of the bulb hanging at or below the canopy 6"+ above the newly flowering plants.

 

With this method depending on strain is easy to pull 1 pound per 400 Watt light every 4 weeks instead of the every 2 months of horizontal lighting, and now you can understand why. You almost use the bulb in 360 degrees while horizontal reflectors use more like 90 degrees.

 

Switch from the 2d to the 3d with vertically hanigng bulbs !!!

 

 

I made a post regarding this topic the other week but no one replied. I agree with you 100%, Vertical lighting is much more efficient i think.

I won't go in to detail, but with the surrounding plants, if you had them all rotating, they would get even more light than if that were stationary.

 

It really is something to think about, it is well worth it if you have the right grow room which can accommodate it.

 

But then again, with the reflector on, the plants will substantially more lumens? because it has two light sources, direct and indirect.

Edited October 29, 2008 by samboo

[LOGGER_KING]

The volume of effectively illumiated plant material can be significantly greater hanging bulbs vertically with no reflector than hanigng bulbs horizontally. Yes when using a horizontal reflector the 3x3x2 area does get brighter light because of the reflector but a vertically hanging bulb generates a much greater area of ideal light.

 

With Horirzontal light of 400 Ws you get an area of 3x3 about 2 feet deep of useable light since you have to keep the plants 1-2 feet away depending if you are doing air cooled. So the overall area of ideal useable light is 3x3x2 = 18 sqr ft.

 

Vertically you can put the plants closer to the light up to as close as 6" The best light is generated directly at the level of the reaction producing light and directly out perpendictar to the length of the bulb. This generates of field of ideal light in a circular fasion 3-4' out from the bulb.

 

So the volume of ideal usebale light(Pi x raidus(squared)x height) is 3.14x3x3x3 -3.14x.5x.5x2 = 92- 17 = 75

 

This area is 4x greater than produced from the horizontal light.

 

In addition to this vertical lighting has more benefits if you have many lights...In a 5 light setup with vertically hanging bubs 5-8 feet apart, the plants in the middle are getting useable light from up to all 5 lights, where all the light with horizontal is directed toward the floor barely helping the neighboring plants... You go into one room with four 400 mhs and 3 600 hps vertically hanging in 2 rows and it is a big light orgie. I would say vertically hanging bulbs project useable light for up to 10 feet. Its best light is definately 3 feet away and closer up even 20 feet away the light is bright to the human eye...

 

I have an ideal flowering setup where I use vertically hanging bulbs to flower 2 fases of plants at the same time.

I put 6 fresh out of veg plants directly under the vertically hanging bulbs...then put 4 week old plants that had been under the bulb into new 1 foot taller pots that I place surroudning the fresh into flower plants directly under the bulb. The bulb is hung to be 6" away from the new plants while the canopy of the 4 week old plants form a spherical wall of buds around the bulb.

 

In this way I use the very effective light emitted directly under the vertically hanging bulb to flower the smaller plants while the most effective and ideal light projected from the bulb is used to illuminate the colas of the 4 week into flower plants.

 

The six 4-week-old plants form an omega garden type of canopy as close as 6" away from the veritcally hanging bulb, with the top of the bulb hanging at or below the canopy 6"+ above the newly flowering plants.

 

With this method depending on strain is easy to pull 1 pound per 400 Watt light every 4 weeks instead of the every 2 months of horizontal lighting, and now you can understand why. You almost use the bulb in 360 degrees while horizontal reflectors use more like 90 degrees.

 

Switch from the 2d to the 3d with vertically hanigng bulbs !!!

can you draw us simpletons a picture of what you meen.......thanks

[zlessley]

Thank you amigos de OZ, I've been debating what to do but I think I'll definitely go vertical for my bloom room. Got a 1000w lumatek ballast for christmas

[butters]

what is an "omega garden type of canopy"?