Hey all! Is anyone here growing under shop bought leds? I was thinking to make my own fixture which will be in a 2x2 Space 1 plant and 270w of warm white leds. It gives off 27k lumens which is the eqivalent of a 250 hps.. The main advantage is the cheap price of setup with the obvious advantage of less heat generated. Ive grown before with cmh and hps. I read that you can get better results with the white leds rather than full spectrum. Any thoughts?
Lighting
- Thread starter Bobg1981
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Im getting 270w of led 27500 lumens for around 30 bucks plus the pennies for bulb holders and a bit of wire.. Ive plenty of board for free so i cant see it costing more than 35.
Rivendell
Well-Known Member
Off the shelf retail store screw-in LED and CFL bulb comparisons
If you're a CFL micro grower like me, I'm sure you've been seeing more and more LED bulbs appearing in your local box stores next to the CFLs. Maybe you're wondering, like I was, are these things any good for growing? I know my initial impressions from what I was seeing on the shelves, was no...
www.icmag.com
The thread I linked above can answer any question about screw in LED bulbs you may have, and the consensus is that 25-30 watts per square foot is the sweet spot to aim for.
Babalonian
Well-Known Member
270w does seem overkill/twice what you need for a 2x2.
Any suggestions I have are outa-ballpark for $30, but I think a nice 120W board would crush a 2x2. IE for $168 before riu discount https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/135w-qb-v2-rspec-led-kit
Any suggestions I have are outa-ballpark for $30, but I think a nice 120W board would crush a 2x2. IE for $168 before riu discount https://horticulturelightinggroup.com/collections/kits/products/135w-qb-v2-rspec-led-kit
Great thread thanks.. Im working my Way through it now.
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
No need for more than 120-150w max in a 2x2. You can google it.. there is a few DIYers that have built some pretty impressive units from regular led lightbulbs. They removed the diffusers and underneath are like 7-8 LED diodes. It’s cool as hell.. and he shows the grow. The one I’m speaking of was a 660w diy fixture I believe.
HydroKid239
Well-Known Member
That is an awesome thread.
Markshomegrown
Well-Known Member
Yes it's amazing, I have built the panel, no heat, max harvest, you need 24w ft2
You could use 8 x 12w leds or 9 bulbs in a 2x 2
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So you think the 12x25w led bulbs is overkill in 2x2? . Im wondering if 2x2 is even big enough maybe better to scrog em in a 3x3 and get the buds all even
Markshomegrown
Well-Known Member
My led panel is covering a 1.1m x 1.2m and it's running less than 400w, really this is the maximum light I can use before it starts to bleach my plants, these bulbs are very bright, in a 3ft x 3ft I would not go over 250w
Thanks and what distance do you keep your light at?
Markshomegrown
Well-Known Member
Depends on the distance between the bulbs, you want the 8" on the outer edge (12-13w bulbs) and as you move towards the centre you want to space them 10" without a reflector, I would keep the bulbs 12"-18" above the canopy
So based On your figure of 24w/ft2 for a 2x2 that would come out at 100w and for 3x3 at about 225w. Is this enough light? It seems quite a low amount?
Markshomegrown
Well-Known Member
Thanks ive checked Out the migro clip its very informative. According to him with 12 of those 13w led bulbs he would be getting PAR of 800mmol m2 thats even more than a 400w hps at only 150w! Im guessing the difference is how close you can get these leds.