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I am looking to start my first grow and am wondering what would be better to go with. I am looking to be discrete and will be growing in a room that is 12x20. I have looked at multiple light systems and am leaning towards the LEDs. What are the better LEDs on the market and the cheapest place to buy them. All help would be appreciated.:jointsmile:
I am new at the indoor growing but I have used the HPS and the heat was my concern. Nowadays also the electric costs are an issue. This time I did but LED and I am very happy it. I have a 120w for a 2'x4'x6' grow tent.
Almost not big enough now that they are flowering. They went from seedlings to 3 1/2' tall bushs in 8 weeks. I must say I was amazed.
They are expensive and the only advice I can give you is make sure the bulb's and the unit are TRUELY made in the USA. All of the china made one are true crap. My 120w was $525.00 which they say was good for a 3' x 3' room.
If 12 x 20 feet, I'd go with HID lighting.
If 12 x 20 inches, I'd perhaps go with the LED's.
Although a few gardeners are having some successes with LED's, I much prefer HID lighting. Especially if new to growing. HID's are easy, proven and reliable. Each type of light comes with benefits and consequences.
Whichever way you go...get the best you can afford. E-Bay crap is often...crap. If you have any questions...ask here before hitting the "purchase" button. It might just save you a bundle on an ill-advised purchase.
LED in veg rocks all lighting.....a combo of HPS and LED in flower will get the best yield and quality....i've grown with about every combonation from T5/HPS...HPS alone...LED alone....and the HPS/LED will be your best bet....i use 150w LED's on either side of a 600wHPS for 900w total over a 3x3 tray and have been yielding 560-610gr dry....with HPS 600w alone the yield was 330-350 and w/1000w HPS i yielded 400-445gr....w/450w LED i yielded 330-360....those are hard numbers w/same strains and nutes...you can check out my LED runs in the link in my sig :jointsmile:
3by 3 tray,how many plants was that,how tall did they grow
16 plants ~2gal sguares~coco fiber medium...about 24-36 tall :smokin:Quote:
Originally Posted by means2010
i got the best LED's and they are made in China....when you buy price you get crap...mine are 150w w/3w diodes...$450 beat that! :jointsmile:Quote:
Originally Posted by golfnut69
Did u go hydro? U can get 300 watt leds now with different cycles for different stages of growth,what do u think of the 300 watt leds,they r suppossed to be as powerful as a 1000 watt hid light
Different cycles for different stages of growth?Quote:
Originally Posted by means2010
That's a gimmick. The sun doesn't change in output, and the difference in spectral balance only shifts 1-2% in either direction when you get closer to the winter season. This is why the majority of LED panels suck, all gimmick, no actual scientific research.
300w would be about right for veg, you'd need a minimum of 5-600w tuned LED to match a 100w HPS in yield, and tuning LEDs to beam like an HPS is rather difficult.
So what ur saying is that a 5-600 watt led is equal to only a 100 watt hps hid light??? doesn't sound right to me from what i'm hearing about led lights
Ack, I meant to say 1000w. My stupid fingers sometimes don't hit the key fully, stupid laptop keyboards. I'm used to my Model M.Quote:
Originally Posted by means2010
Apologies.
From what stra8toutaweed said,he got really good results from just led in veg stage then a combo of 2-150 watt leds and 1- 600 watt hps in flowering,he got some really good results,sounds like a combo of led and hps is the way to go
you can flower w/LED alone but you better have the right spectral balance or flowering sucks which i why you see so many LED threads start but none finish...i think mine is one of the few...so depending on needs, power constraints and personal goals a combination of LED/HPS is the easiest formula for success...all LED takes more skill :jointsmile:
u said u flowered with a 600 watt hps with 2-150 watt leds on each side,how bout just a single 300 watt led for flowering,do u thinki that would be enough lighting for flowering and growing some nice buds,did u go hydro or soil?
So back to the OP's question, what is the best LED combo? I have not yet bought any lights, and I want to do it right from a cost-to-yield-to-discretion basis. So what do I buy?
For you experienced guys...stra8outtaWeed and khyberkitsune...if you had, say, $1000 to buy lights and wanted to stay discrete, like the OP says (IOW, not throw off a ginormous thermal bloom and peg the electricity meter), what would you buy, knowing what you know now?
Thanks! :)
I'd buy a solid 300w panel using the newest single-emitter 3w diodes, with a proper tri-band blend and balance. That 300w alone would rock my current setup with 36 constantly flowering plants.Quote:
Originally Posted by StoneMeadow
Thanks...can you recommend a make and model that fits your criteria? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
I can't do that without being biased towards my own equipment, I'm sorry.Quote:
Originally Posted by StoneMeadow
Not to mention, what I have specced isn't in production, yet.
Okay...that's understandable.Quote:
Originally Posted by khyberkitsune
Oops...awkwaaaaarrdd! :DQuote:
Not to mention, what I have specced isn't in production, yet.
This is very interesting information...thanks!Quote:
Originally Posted by stra8outtaWeed
1) 2x150w LEDs + 1 600w HPS = 900w: 585/900 = .65 gm per watt yield.
2) 600w HPS alone: 340/600 = .57 gm per watt.
3) 1000w HPS alone: 422.5/1000 = .42 gm per watt.
4) 450w LED alone: 345/450 = .77 gm per watt.
So, LEDs are most efficient, but it's also clear that the more light you throw down on a given area the better. Presumably, right up to the point where you can no longer control the temperature, right?
Thanks again...really good stuff!
here is my take~LED's are the most efficient lighting as long as you have quality diodes and a properly designed unit:thumbsup:
cramming all of the LED's into a small frame is very inefficient...as most are 1w diodes with very high angle(120 or better)light spread...which means you have to get them closer to the plants to get good light penetration...then you lose coverage as the light footprint gets smaller...so with LED's you want to spread the lights sources as in the LED lights i use for max coverage and penetration of light....so it is better in the LED's to get 120-150w units and spread them.
and adding the HPS helps drive them in flower to transpire more increasing the yields while the LED's are the most efficient in providing the right wavelengths of light maximizing photosynthesis:smokin:
what would u sugest for lighting in a 5 by 5 tent,considering i would want to go with mostly led,i would like to veg stage with led,and flower with mostly led also ,with some mixture with hps hid,i an conserned about my light bill spiking to much
for 5x5 i would at the minimum do 2 150w LED bars and a 600w hps....use the LED only in veg and when you flip to flower you could cut the HPS to 8 hours during middle the flower cycle and have the LEDS running for 12hours to help minimize the power spike and keep the benefits of using the HPS :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by means2010
OK can ya explain a spike in electric, because if your starting now id think that your just using your heat. So of course your going to have used more electric in winter and from what i understand, if ya keep your bill paid you really dont have any issues. The more you use, the more they make.Quote:
Originally Posted by stra8outtaWeed
In less its about using power, then its changing on a time schedule. Would they look at that? If so thats messed up:wtf:
:rasta:
that was just a suggestion if you are concerned w/power...here the power company is only interested if you paid your bill or not...they are in the business of selling power:thumbsup:
What exactly r led bars?
Quote:
Originally Posted by stra8outtaWeed
Ok thats what i thought, thanks stra8:thumbsup:. I wouldn't see any difference from one company to another too. I have someone telling me that the thc will float out of my roof and will get busted. They said that thats how people get caught. lol I guess he said that special choppers pick up the thc floating out from the roof. Thing i cant understand is he has been growing 20 years and grows good chit man. And i dont want him thinking im disrespecting him, hell he is the only one that i can talk to about growing. Im hoping he might hang my lights as a temp thing. But then put them where i really want them later when our friend can help me do it right. I am ready to get the rest of the supplies to have everything il need:thumbsup:
:rasta:
ok,so u have never heard of anyone getting caught because of thier electric bill being unusally high,i have heard some story's but never heard of anyone getting in trouble first hand,and i have heard that helocopters do look for thm evidence
Can anyone tell me a good company where I can buy a good quality150 watt led bar grow lights?
hit my screen name @gmail.com and i can hook you up :thumbsup:
Quote:
Originally Posted by means2010
Get with Stra8 man, he will take care of ya and they are the best iv seen so far. I have 2 and the light that comes from them is out of this world. I haven't used them yet, but if you look at Stra8's grows, you need not look elsewhere.
:rasta:
can u email me your info and prices on your products? [email protected]