Led choice
- Thread starter Davygrizz
- Start date
Campo Cultivator
Well-Known Member
Hey Davygrizz .. bit confused by what you mean by a 12 plant grow tent? You can grow one plant in a metre square area or you can grow 25 .. and you'll probably get pretty much the same result in yield either way lol
One thing I've noticed is that a LOT of LED companies exagerate the coverage area. Why they do this I don't know as I reckon they must end up with disappointed customers .. or with pèople who supplement their original buy with a second light? But then again when I was running sodium lights I liked to max out at 55-60 watts per square foot for the dankest stickiest bud
Anyway I've been using LEDs for 2 years now, and tested out quite a few. I reckon that to get the best quality yield as well as quantity of yield to match HPS expectations, you ought to look at 30-35 watts ACTUAL DRAW per square foot.
You need 3 watt diodes. Dont consider anything else. Go for named brand diodes but beware that if a company says "Bridgelux, Epistar or SemiLED chips" then they probably dont know which chip maker it is, just that the Chinese factory that supply them tells them they use these. So best look for Philips Cree or Helixeon. If you can ask for the data sheets for the LEDs.
Look for modular design. That way you have the possibility to upgrade in the future, or if anything should go wrong with a fan or a driver or a panel, you carry on growing whilst you get sent out a replacement part. They're usually plug and play and easy to do yourself (even my missus could do it).
Get a pàrts guarranty. A decent LED chip should be good for 35-50,000 hours which is nearly 8 years at 18 hours a day. If they are using decent LEDs they wont expect more than a few percentage failure rate during that time, so ask yourself why they only offer 2 or 3 years guarrantee ..
Spectrum. OK while plants need predominantly "blue" for veg and "red" for flower, latest research shows they also get added benefit for small percentages of other colours too. Thats why the best new lights use cool whites to encompass not only blue but shades of other colours etc. Infrared should be there too. "Full spectrum" is how its sometimes explained.
One thing I've noticed is that a LOT of LED companies exagerate the coverage area. Why they do this I don't know as I reckon they must end up with disappointed customers .. or with pèople who supplement their original buy with a second light? But then again when I was running sodium lights I liked to max out at 55-60 watts per square foot for the dankest stickiest bud
Anyway I've been using LEDs for 2 years now, and tested out quite a few. I reckon that to get the best quality yield as well as quantity of yield to match HPS expectations, you ought to look at 30-35 watts ACTUAL DRAW per square foot.
You need 3 watt diodes. Dont consider anything else. Go for named brand diodes but beware that if a company says "Bridgelux, Epistar or SemiLED chips" then they probably dont know which chip maker it is, just that the Chinese factory that supply them tells them they use these. So best look for Philips Cree or Helixeon. If you can ask for the data sheets for the LEDs.
Look for modular design. That way you have the possibility to upgrade in the future, or if anything should go wrong with a fan or a driver or a panel, you carry on growing whilst you get sent out a replacement part. They're usually plug and play and easy to do yourself (even my missus could do it).
Get a pàrts guarranty. A decent LED chip should be good for 35-50,000 hours which is nearly 8 years at 18 hours a day. If they are using decent LEDs they wont expect more than a few percentage failure rate during that time, so ask yourself why they only offer 2 or 3 years guarrantee ..
Spectrum. OK while plants need predominantly "blue" for veg and "red" for flower, latest research shows they also get added benefit for small percentages of other colours too. Thats why the best new lights use cool whites to encompass not only blue but shades of other colours etc. Infrared should be there too. "Full spectrum" is how its sometimes explained.
ineffablegreen
Member
Yeah, I'm a little confused as well. What's more important is the size footprint you're working with. Let us knwo what your footprint is and we'll be able to point you in the right direction for lights....