LED grow light question.

K

KSmalls00

Member
Originally I was going to use one 400w MH light for veg, and one HPS light for flowering, not realizing how expensive it was going to be. So I began to look into LED grow lights.
So my question is what LED light(s) should I get for both veg stage and flowering stage that would match up to a 400w MH and 400w HPS?
 
supchaka

supchaka

Well-Known Member
For me I'd buy a blackstar 600, they pull 3 something watts. Or get the 900 if you have even more money to burn. you still need an equivalent watts to 400 though to compete. Supposed long life and not changing bulbs is where your savings comes in
 
supchaka

supchaka

Well-Known Member
I do however believe you can veg a 4x4 area with something like a bs 500, its the flowering where you need more oom
 
HelsBane

HelsBane

Active Member
I am running a 240w panel in my 3x3 and supplementing with CFL until I can afford to add another. The manufacturer of my panel claims that usable light output from the 240W panels is equivalent to a 400w MH/HPS, but I don't think they do as nice a job when it comes to coverage area which is what led me to supplement a couple CFLs in my setup for coverage.
 
PetFlora

PetFlora

Well-Known Member
You answered your own question. If you can't find a single LED fixture with a switch to alternate between grow and flower don't buy it, or be prepared to supplement
 
HelsBane

HelsBane

Active Member
I don't think you are going to be happy with a single 90w in that space, I would use two or go bigger. I think a 240w would be perfect in that size cab though, wouldn't need the CFLs like I do in the 3'x3'x7'. How many ladies you planning to put in it?
 
K

KSmalls00

Member
HelsBane said:
I don't think you are going to be happy with a single 90w in that space, I would use two or go bigger. I think a 240w would be perfect in that size cab though, wouldn't need the CFLs like I do in the 3'x3'x7'. How many ladies you planning to put in it?
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I'm planning on growing 6 or 7.

And HelsBane, I know the MH/HPS bulbs are cheaper, but i'm looking at the electric bill.
 
alphawolf.hack

alphawolf.hack

New Member
a 250w mh and 400hps is efficent . and the 250 is still powerful enough to keep fairly large mothers. this is basically what i do except when i switch to flower its 2 400w's. just get 2 400w dimmable and a 250 w bulb (Mh) and 400w bulb 3x3 area for veg 4x3 or 4x2 area for flower and learn to sog
 
alphawolf.hack

alphawolf.hack

New Member
cant do perpetual with scrog. well you can but i think its a lot of maintenance. led is not my thing, i can build them, but once you do and you understand all the things that go into making an "efficient unit" you would understand that they are not that more efficient just a more quality light source. but better quality light can be achieved several ways flouros, mulitple hids, or combos of flouro and hid or hid and led or led and flouro. and quality of light does matter. i use a mh and hps and cfl in flower. in veg an mh and a coupl cfl's
 
K

KSmalls00

Member
I dunno man. I've been seeing a lot of good outcomes from using LED. Honestly I would rather do HID but it will run my electricity bill through the roof. I haven't looked into flouro yet, but I'm gunna do some research on it right now.
The room you have looks nice!
 
HelsBane

HelsBane

Active Member
KSmalls00 said:
I'm planning on growing 6 or 7.

And HelsBane, I know the MH/HPS bulbs are cheaper, but i'm looking at the electric bill.
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I think LED is worth the initial investment and significantly cheaper in the long run, not only are the cheaper on the electric bill but your not going to be replacing bulbs or having to worry about cooling because of the light. Take a look at my grow journal and you will be able to see the coverage area I am getting from my 240w LED over 6 plants in 2 gallon pots, I think it will convince you that you won't get away with a single 90w for your setup.
 
K

KSmalls00

Member
What brand is your LED panel? and should I add 2 cfl like you did?
Sorry for all the questions, I just want my first grow to go as perfectly as possible.
 
HelsBane

HelsBane

Active Member
Mine is kind of a no namer, manufactured by G8 LED and sold by www.dormgrow.com I liked the spectrum it offered and the price was good. I think in your size cab you could get away without the CFL but you would just have to see how well it lights the edges.
 
K

KSmalls00

Member
OH one more thing. Will that one LED panel be good for both veg and flowering stage? Or should I buy one blue led light for veg and one red led for flowering?
 
HelsBane

HelsBane

Active Member
This one is supposed to be good through both stages, although I plan to add their (maybe another brand) 90w Red boost when I swap to flower. This is my first grow with it and only a week in so keep that in mind.
 
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