Experienced Grower Seeking Advice on Budget-Friendly Lights for Cannabis Setup

curious2garden

curious2garden

Well-Known Mod
Staff member
GCandy said:
Im looking for more concrete evidence to help guide my decision.
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I'd start here:
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Rocket Soul

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Hey all, thanks to everyone for your input and advice! :D

The wheelie bin, yes is an odd setup but also reasonably cheap and its portable too. If u saw it .. yeh - its obvious something is going on (cos of all the holes n fans attached), hence it being in our garage away from prying eyes .. He set it up so there is a intake fan at the bottom and a exit fan at the top & is using a self watering wicking system so he doesn't have to tend to it everyday & has got a dehumidifier inside to help with the extra moisture.
(I would post pics but he is paranoid, so im gonna respect his wishes) .. Its a bit like this one but not as complicated.

He did try the HPS option once, but after sticking a thermometer in it, he wasnt happy with the temps in a plastic bin n went LED instead.

The Viparspectra does look very good .. But its way way way out of my budget range, but thx for advising.

The only reason I was considering the security light or UFO light was based on a friend's experience. They've been using these types of lights to grow tomatoes and strawberries with great success (albeit not in a wheelie bin - Just thier open garage space), I have got a lot of free strawberries from them this year .. Yummy! :mrgreen:

This got me thinking if these lights could potentially work for cannabis as well, since they seem very effective for other plants?

Im wondering if there's a significant difference in the light spectrums/lumens between cannabis and plants like tomatoes or strawberries. Do cannabis plants have specific needs that these cheaper lights might not meet, even if they work well for other crops?

Im particularly interested in any actual evidence or scientific data on this matter, rather than anecdotal experiences.

If anyone can point me towards research studies, expert articles, or any scientifically-backed sources that compare the light needs of cannabis to those of other plants, that would be incredibly helpful. Im looking for more concrete evidence to help guide my decision.

Thanks again for all your help!
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It will work but not ideal: flowering cannabis, the plant loves red light. These highbay ufo lights tend to give cold light, 5000k or so, which means the plant will grow shorter, some genetics just grow into a ball of leaves, and increase flowering time but you can defo grow with them, just not ideal. In general, if youre only criteria is the absolute cheapest youll end up buying twice.
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Hey all, thanks to everyone for your input and advice! :D

The wheelie bin, yes is an odd setup but also reasonably cheap and its portable too. If u saw it .. yeh - its obvious something is going on (cos of all the holes n fans attached), hence it being in our garage away from prying eyes .. He set it up so there is a intake fan at the bottom and a exit fan at the top & is using a self watering wicking system so he doesn't have to tend to it everyday & has got a dehumidifier inside to help with the extra moisture.
(I would post pics but he is paranoid, so im gonna respect his wishes) .. Its a bit like this one but not as complicated.

He did try the HPS option once, but after sticking a thermometer in it, he wasnt happy with the temps in a plastic bin n went LED instead.

The Viparspectra does look very good .. But its way way way out of my budget range, but thx for advising.

The only reason I was considering the security light or UFO light was based on a friend's experience. They've been using these types of lights to grow tomatoes and strawberries with great success (albeit not in a wheelie bin - Just thier open garage space), I have got a lot of free strawberries from them this year .. Yummy! :mrgreen:

This got me thinking if these lights could potentially work for cannabis as well, since they seem very effective for other plants?

Im wondering if there's a significant difference in the light spectrums/lumens between cannabis and plants like tomatoes or strawberries. Do cannabis plants have specific needs that these cheaper lights might not meet, even if they work well for other crops?

Im particularly interested in any actual evidence or scientific data on this matter, rather than anecdotal experiences.

If anyone can point me towards research studies, expert articles, or any scientifically-backed sources that compare the light needs of cannabis to those of other plants, that would be incredibly helpful. Im looking for more concrete evidence to help guide my decision.

Thanks again for all your help!
Click to expand...
Light output I more important than spectrum, within reason.

But the problem you'll find is these cheap lights are not great on the output, so you end up using more wattage to do the same thing, that means more heat, higher bills.

Honestly, Id keep my eyes peeled for deals on grow lights.

All lighting is a minefield, you really have to read the fine print to make sure they are as they first sound.
 
coreywebster

coreywebster

Well-Known Member
medidedicated said:
Wheelie bin? I dont get that part, like a wheel barrel? Wagon? Whats it for? Is it to grow the plant inside? I cant picture that. Oh I looked it up, so thats what those are called!

I kept looking up trash bin, dumpster, just all the wrong words lol unrelated.

I thought this was a large space so a bunch of mars hydro lights would add up quick. I missed that.

With something that small the mars hydro is going to heat it up significantly. Those are in my tents of 2.5x5 thats 6.5 ft tall. It heats up and my entire room 10F.

With something so small you could get away with lots of things. The mars hydro is super hot centered and needs be raised a good 20”.

Inspiring though, sounds cool I built a cabinet and did some micro growing my self and still am just for testing new generics.
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G

GCandy

Active Member
Rocket Soul said:
It will work but not ideal: flowering cannabis, the plant loves red light. These highbay ufo lights tend to give cold light, 5000k or so, which means the plant will grow shorter, some genetics just grow into a ball of leaves, and increase flowering time but you can defo grow with them, just not ideal. In general, if youre only criteria is the absolute cheapest youll end up buying twice.
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This is why I am interested in this security light - Its the 1st type that Ive seen that offers 3 different spectrum on the fly .. 3000K 4500K & 6500K!

My friend with the strawberries uses a similar one but a different brand & a higher lumen output. They recommended it to me because you can change the light spectrum when you wish - not just twice, but 3 times effecting how the plants grow as uve said.

We used an app on our phones to try & read the light spectrum that it gave n it suggested that all the spectrum's was there to a similar degree that his mars hydro gave, but Im not sure how accurate these apps are n due to it being listed as a security light, it doesn't display a spectrum chart on the listing which is a bit of a bummer. :rolleyes:

Im aware that in order to change the color of some led`s they use a phosphors coating, so Id "assume" the same is going on with this light too. It just baffles me what is the difference apart from the price?
 
G

GCandy

Active Member
coreywebster said:
Light output I more important than spectrum, within reason.

But the problem you'll find is these cheap lights are not great on the output, so you end up using more wattage to do the same thing, that means more heat, higher bills.

Honestly, Id keep my eyes peeled for deals on grow lights.

All lighting is a minefield, you really have to read the fine print to make sure they are as they first sound.
Click to expand...
My boyfriend tells me that you need about 2500lm per square ft in order to get decent light penetration? This security runs of a 13amp plug into 240v wall socket n the light chucks out (advertised) @ 10000 lumens - its bright! .... In my head this is way too much for the area that we are using anyway but the device is dimmable and not having to move it up n down & having it in a fixed position is prerable.

It also give us the option of growing in a in slightly bigger area in the future without having to buy more lights again saving cost.

"Honestly, Id keep my eyes peeled for deals on grow lights" ... He`s doing this atm but cant find one that beats the price of the security light atm, but u never know ;)
 
Rocket Soul

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
My boyfriend tells me that you need about 2500lm per square ft in order to get decent light penetration? This security runs of a 13amp plug into 240v wall socket n the light chucks out (advertised) @ 10000 lumens - its bright! .... In my head this is way too much for the area that we are using anyway but the device is dimmable and not having to move it up n down & having it in a fixed position is prerable.

It also give us the option of growing in a in slightly bigger area in the future without having to buy more lights again saving cost.

"Honestly, Id keep my eyes peeled for deals on grow lights" ... He`s doing this atm but cant find one that beats the price of the security light atm, but u never know ;)
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10000lums for 100w is fairly poor, 100lum/w while standard led light bulbs tend to have +140 lum/w. That 2500lum per square foot seems quite low to me. Try 5000-7000.

Another thing: those lights run quite high watts per diode, this means they will heat up and break down more easily.

Id have a look for growlights thru Aliexpress, they usually have some pretty cheap deals. Try searching for quantum boards. Hell you can even grow with ikea led light bulbs, just take of the plastic globe and aim for 30w per square foot.
 
G

GCandy

Active Member
Rocket Soul said:
10000lums for 100w is fairly poor, 100lum/w while standard led light bulbs tend to have +140 lum/w. That 2500lum per square foot seems quite low to me. Try 5000-7000.

Another thing: those lights run quite high watts per diode, this means they will heat up and break down more easily.

Id have a look for growlights thru Aliexpress, they usually have some pretty cheap deals. Try searching for quantum boards. Hell you can even grow with ikea led light bulbs, just take of the plastic globe and aim for 30w per square foot.
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I did think about the ikea lightbulbs n removing the covers, but I was a little worried about fire risks n all the cost of all the extra fittings & decided against it.

Might seem a obvious question but do "growlight" led`s tend to run at higher lum/w than standard bulbs or is it just "quantum led" boards that do this?

I`ll probably end up caving in n getting the Mars hyrdo that he`s after, but even that seems a little overkill for the space we are using n id prefer to spend as little as possible for obvious reasons.

Can anyone recommend a light thats in the £40/50 mark that`ll do the job just as well?
 
Rocket Soul

Rocket Soul

Well-Known Member
Quantum board used to be a board specific to HLG but later became synonymous with any led board for grow. Yes, they pull higher lum per watt than most standard leds, from 160-200, but theyre output efficiency is generally measured in ppf/w : photon count per what rather than lum/w : lumens are for human eyes while plants run on the photon count.

Even so the ppf/w is often fudged by manufacturers, they generally exaggerate a bit or dont include driver losses. The ufo light indicate that their output is about 100l/w, efficiency in the 30ish % while you can expect about 50-60% for a decent growlight.

Id avoid Mars due to the precariousness of your growsetup, there are similar lights in price and output that dont have any stories about fires and melting. For that price youd have to check second hand or aliexpress.
 
G

GrowerGirl-eu

Member
Moflow said:
8 of these hung vertically and 2 on the lid.

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I've considered setups like this too, but while the cost of the lights themselves is low I think adding eight sockets/holders for the lights and power cords are a 'hidden cost' that will likely push the total purchase price up to a less budget-friendly level
 
V

VaSmile

Well-Known Member
Ive been able to win ts600s and a tsl2000 new on ebay for about 1/2-2/3 retail price if your willing to put in the time and effort of monitoring auctions and wait for a winning ticket
 
T

TheWholeTruth

Well-Known Member
GCandy said:
Hey everyone!

I'm reaching out for some advice on behalf of my boyfriend.

He`s been growing cannabis for a while now & has a good amount of experience under his belt, but Im currently trying to find a more cost-effective solution for his grow setup than then one he wants (Our deal is I buy the equipment n he does the growing). He’s using a wheelie bin in our cool garage, and while it's a bit unconventional, it's been working well so far. The challenge Im am facing is finding affordable grow lights that can still deliver good results without compromising too much on quality.

He's used high-end lights before, and while he's eyeing this Mars Hydro TS1000 for our current setup, Im also considering some more budget-friendly options Ive found on Amazon as its quite a small space he`s growing in. The idea is to save money without completely sacrificing the quality of the grow. Ive had a look around at some interesting posts that seem to be going down the same route as me, but Im still a little unsure. Here are the lights I am considering:

  1. MILYN Flowering Hydroponic Greenhouse Light: This full-spectrum LED is marketed towards hydroponic and greenhouse setups. It’s relatively inexpensive and seems like it could cover all stages of plant growth, from seedling to flowering. However, Im unsure if it’s strong enough to produce the yields we’re aiming for.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Workshop-Lighting-Waterproof-Commercial-Warehouse/dp/B0BS1BNLL6/ref=sr_1_22?crid=32E0LVCX3Y0ZW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IkX-sJz3TYRYFP4HGNZ2GEIIiHpYUEHxjjV7LEXTAJWyMupg_XZme2R0xbSjKvdnW7dtpL9OepXukdqguF2tSni6WlcZGW8d9oWe_rABwcHuR-1HKBmLmLgd028tMAsPt7Yg9tpZZ7P7CTnDPKF0Ezc1nUn2xYF9z1DAkW1bKlHY5cTGpzkxzsgbAjA4tAtSMAgU40_wvZI29JYUNG2OqABl0BPC-nRv7DyOt6krLEshcILW6wm_MzRkBsoTyipgWCKnJgKKHZQ54sAZDZgfbDvyIwfPh8f15EusU2Cjq7A.ISvgJwqW8D9aSOZlHiUVmyYpkOZDe2IqLfOwOgcxAnI&dib_tag=se&keywords=3000K%2F4500K%2F6500K+LED+Light+Outdoor&qid=1722349174&s=lighting&sprefix=3000k%2F4500k%2F6500k+led+light+outdoor%2Clighting%2C125&sr=1-22



  2. Workshop Lighting Waterproof Commercial Light: This light isn't specifically designed for growing plants; it’s more for general lighting in workshops or warehouses. It's waterproof and has a high lumen output, which makes it an interesting option. However, Im concerned about whether the light spectrum and intensity would be sufficient for a proper grow.

3. Lightasea Security Outdoor Waterproof Light: Similar to the workshop light, this one is designed for outdoor security purposes. It’s waterproof and robust, but again, the concern is whether it can provide the right spectrum and coverage for a healthy grow.

The 1st option would be great as its nice n cheap, but I suspect that it doesn't have enough power to get a decent grow going.

The last option is a similar price to the 1st one but seems to chuck out more lumens and it says it can cover the light spectrums needed from growing, so if this is possible - im prob gonna go for that.


I came across this video where these types of lights were mentioned as potentially useful for growing cannabis. However, the internet is a mixed bag when it comes to advice, and I want to make sure we're making the right choice. Given that my boyfriend has experience, he’s inclined to go for proven, high-quality lights, but Im hoping to avoid spending too much, especially if a more budget-friendly option could do the job.

Do any of you have experience with these types of lights for growing cannabis? Are they a viable option, or should I stick with something more specialized like the Mars Hydro? Is there really much difference between these lights and proper grow lights n if so, please point it out.

I`d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

Thanks a bunch for any advice you can offer!
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Some of those security outdoor lights also rely on being outdoors for some of the cooling. They will get way too hot in your situation.
 
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